Hi Everyone:

I'm being transferred with my job to L.A. in August and our family will soon start looking for a place to live. I'll tell you a little bit about us and then any advice anyone has for us, we'd appreciate it.

We're a military family with 20 years of service and have never live west of the Mississippi. In fact, although I've traveled over a great deal of the world, we've always lived in the south for our entire life.

The reason we're moving to L.A. is because we have two kids (ages 10 & 7) that are wannabe actors. Our son, just finished shooting a full length, independent movie and has been offered two contracts to sign with one modeling and one acting agency. So, we're going to take a chance and see what happens. . .

I'll be working off of Rodeo Rd. I spoke with a realtor this week and she recommended the Culver City area. The only problem is that we don't know anything about the area. We're looking for a decent area with low crime, good schools, etc. On my military salary we know we won't be able to purchase a home and we're expecting to spend between $2,000 and $2,500 a month in rent. We need at least three bedrooms . . . are we setting realistic expectations on the amount we're expecting to pay? Any help anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated!

P.S. . . . If anyone is interested in viewing the trailer to our son's movie, please visit www.PrismMovie.com and click on the Looking Glass, then click on "Trailer 1". We really appreciate the kind words the Director had to say about our son.

Any feedback regarding a place to live (or the movie trailer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Stranger

 

5-10 miles seperates some of the worst areas from some of the best areas. You are going to have to lean heavy on the Real Estate Agent. You need to talk to the people who you are going to work with also--I am sure they can give you some tips. As Dorothy told ToTo--You ain't gonna be in Kansas anymore...........

 

Howdy stranger, the housing market is still nuts here in L.A. but you should be able to find a rental home with your requirements for your budget. Not sure if you're coming from a small town but "safe" in L.A. is a subjective term. Although you and your family may be perfectly safe in a given neighborhood, the new surroundings and big city may be a bit unsettling at first. Culver City is sort of a microcosim of L.A. in that there are nice parts and not so nice parts. It's also a plus because it's fairly close to your work and the Hollywood area. Of course, you'll look around and settle somewhere that you and your family are comfortable with. If and when you're ready to purchase a home in SoCal, feel free to pm me as I have close ties with a Mortgage broker that can do some great things.

I misread the ages of your children earlier. A quality public education can be tough to come by in certain areas. I believe there is a website that reveals test scores and various demographic info for local schools. I can't remember the site but maybe a search will turn up some results there.

Not sure if I've helped with any of your questions/concerns but I'm sure others will chime in and help you out. Good luck with the house hunting!

 

as said above ^ , good places and bad places are seperated by a few miles.

my only best suggestion is if you know somebody here to drive you around so you see whats happening during the day and night.