Housing is cheaper and easier to find in Los Angeles than it is in New York, San Francisco or Boston, but finding a place there is still no picnic. Los Angeles is the biggest megalopolis in the U.S. It's a city that has cities within cities. It might seem like a nightmare to find an apartment in LA if you've never lived in a big city, but some expert guidance can make the process far less stressful.
Before you start looking for an apartment, you need to make an important decision: How much are you willing and able to pay in monthly rent? A good way to find your upper limit for housing costs is to divide your monthly net (after tax) income by 3. If this figure seems unusually low, you have three options: make more money, consider living in a less expensive area like mid-Wilshire or the Valley, or save money on rent by finding a roommate.
If you decide to get a roommate to lower your housing costs, you can search for one yourself, or you can use a roommate agency (see Resources). Either way, you must carefully choose your roommate, or you will rue the day you opted to hook up with a roomie. Obviously, not all strangers make good roommates, but not all friends make good roommates either. There are some people whose company you might well enjoy during the day, but who would drive you crazy if you lived with them. To exclude unsuitable persons from your life, ask all potential roommates the following questions to assess their compatibility: Have you ever had a roommate before? What, if anything, bothered you about your past roommates? Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend or other friend who will be staying here frequently? Are you promiscuous? (Do not be afraid to ask this one. You probably don't want strange people sleeping over a lot, and if you explain that this is the reason you're asking, it will establish what you consider unacceptable ahead of time.) Do you smoke? Drink? Do drugs? Do you stay out late on weekdays? Do you have any credit problems? Do you have any pets? What is your occupation? What do you like to watch on television? What music do you listen to?
Whatever you ask, in the end, you should feel very comfortable with your future roommate. If you do not, you are taking a big risk living with this person.
Try to arrange it so that your roommate co-signs the lease. If your name is the only one on the lease, you shoulder the entire burden of responsibility for the apartment from a financial standpoint. If your roommate loses his job (and, by extension, a steady cash flow), you'll be stuck paying his share of the rent. Then you'll be both angry and poor.
on 8/22/2009
Also try using www.nearlots.com, it shows available apartments on a map, has pricing statistics, and you can filter results by shortest commute times.
on 8/13/2009
There is definitely some good advice in there. Downtown LA always has new construction projects for apartment buildings, so its important to choose the right building to live in. Make sure that the building has a CO (Certificate of Occupancy). This means that the construction is complete and units can be closed. You want a building that has at least 30% of units closed to ensure that people have actually committed to living in the building. An established HOA (Homeowners Association) is also a good sign because it indicates that the project has long-term health and viability. You never want to buy in an unfinished building in case lenders back out and you are stuck with an apartment in an empty building. Just some things to keep in mind when apartment-hunting.
on 6/30/2009
If you are in search of homely accommodation even while you are holidaying in Beijing or Shanghai, then the focus-apartment.com is an optimal choice. Basically the focus-apartment.com has hundreds of studio, one, two, three and more bedroom apartments. All the apartments are fully furnished with equipped kitchen. The different location apartments are in the popular area of Beijing. You are not far off from the apartment to the subway station, the city main attractions and various places to shop nearby. Start your searching here and secure your booking: www.focus-apartment.com
Comments
fecker4 said
on 8/22/2009 Also try using www.nearlots.com, it shows available apartments on a map, has pricing statistics, and you can filter results by shortest commute times.
katie111 said
on 8/13/2009 There is definitely some good advice in there. Downtown LA always has new construction projects for apartment buildings, so its important to choose the right building to live in. Make sure that the building has a CO (Certificate of Occupancy). This means that the construction is complete and units can be closed. You want a building that has at least 30% of units closed to ensure that people have actually committed to living in the building. An established HOA (Homeowners Association) is also a good sign because it indicates that the project has long-term health and viability. You never want to buy in an unfinished building in case lenders back out and you are stuck with an apartment in an empty building. Just some things to keep in mind when apartment-hunting.
easybeijing said
on 6/30/2009 If you are in search of homely accommodation even while you are holidaying in Beijing or Shanghai, then the focus-apartment.com is an optimal choice. Basically the focus-apartment.com has hundreds of studio, one, two, three and more bedroom apartments. All the apartments are fully furnished with equipped kitchen.
The different location apartments are in the popular area of Beijing. You are not far off from the apartment to the subway station, the city main attractions and various places to shop nearby.
Start your searching here and secure your booking: www.focus-apartment.com