Of course every area around a studio tends to be really nice...and really expensive. Live there at your wallet's detriment. Instead, the average Joe (or Jane) begins their homage by residing in one of a handful of areas--The Valley, Hollyweird or scattered places around LA.
The Valley--Studio City, Universal City, North Hollywood (NoHo) Sherman Oaks, Valley Village, Burbank (adjacent)--is cheaper than accommodations on the south side of the hill. [Note the word: adjacent. This usually means near that city--not necessarily in it. Renters will use this word to describe (or exaggerate) their proximity to a given city. This simple word can mean the difference between a few hundred dollars in rent to making sure you're in a place where your car won't be stolen in the night. There are some nice and not-so-nice "adjacent" areas so scope them out. You can tell the difference.] This area is also a very popular place to live in. Old and new digs dot the landscape. Some look like the average apartment, others like old-fashioned duplexes (complete with thin walls). Besides the price, most places in the Valley have gold--PARKING. [Who would have thought that parking is not a given if you are paying enormous amounts of money to live in a building? Alas, most areas in Hollywood/Los Angeles area do not come with this Housing God-given right.] Stores, malls, grocery stores, select restaurants and the like actually have parking lots that come with them—without a fee. [This tends to be a little more rare south of the hill.] Streets tend to be wider and things seem to be cheaper. And entertainment abounds. (You even have your own theme park!) But since it is the Valley, expect it to be HOT during the summer months.
LA/Hollywood: In that cross section north of Wilshire, east of Fairfax, and west of Western (Hollywood or West Hollywood adjacent) housing is on the more economical side but that comes with a price—smaller digs and on-street parking. Apartments here are intermixed with businesses, clubs, restaurants, and a slew of other activity. This makes this John a very busy boy, day and night. Major streets have meters and no-parking times (usually during AM and PM rush hour). Between restaurants and night-on-the-towners, it’s a rush to find available parking. The plus side is that your rent will be less and that you can walk to most happening places in the area. The down side: you wouldn’t want to. (It can be dangerous at night and if you think of leaving for a late-night trip to the store, expect to hike back to your crib once you find your spot taken and you had to park ½ mile away.)
Around Wilshire/Miracle Mile/Melrose: This area will be astronomical due to its proximity to this big bucks district. If it is a complex, they usually have some sort of parking. If not, then it's RESIDENTIAL street parking and that's a whole new ball game. You have to get a permit to park (one process) and have to deal with narrow streets. [Imagine that bob and weave technique in boxing then apply that to your car as you navigate down streets barely bigger than a single car lane and with cars/trucks/moving vans parked on BOTH sides of the street. Imagine seeing a big SUV coming toward you and having to figure out which driveway you can swing onto to avoid losing your door and side mirror.] Also in these residential areas, you will have to deal with that lovely thing called Street Cleaning where you have to park on a different side of the street twice a week for at least two hours at a time. It’s a race to see who can move their car on the other side faster—and who will have to drive two streets over to park because they missed out.
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Now of course there are areas scattered throughout LA, Beverly Hills, and the slew of cities in between, to try your luck. Some areas you want to avoid (very obvious upon first glance); others are hard to tell so to help narrow down the odds, here are some things to look for:Grass
The number one thing! You wouldn't think that such a small thing could mean so much but believe me, it speaks volumes. In LA, one street will look pristine when one block over, it looks like Ross after a 50% off sale. The one thing that you will consistently find in a decent neighborhood is grass. Greenery is such a rarity in LA that any strip of Astroturf is coveted--until you reach the neighborhood that has more dirt plots than Hollywood Forever Cemetery. In this neighborhood, grass is the last thing people are thinking about and if that doesn't tell you something, the abandoned shopping carts and shoes hanging on the power line should.
The forest from the hedges
If you are in an area with high hedges and a canopy of trees, enjoy the scenery and keep going. Chances are you are in Brentwood or on Highland and will not be able to afford a weed much less an apartment in any of these areas. Besides the occasional park, this much green is reserved for the more expensive parts of town; the higher the bush, the higher the price. These well-maintained areas are either for show or for hiding.
Major highways and busy streets
Although the price may sound right, the apartment will not. Unless you plan on getting earplugs that are so tight they need to be surgically removed, do not reside near these areas. The apartments in LA are built of the cheapest material to begin with and believe me, no money was spared to even think of installing soundproof glass. Trust someone who spent over a year on Cahuenga near the 101, earplugs don't work. Not to mention that getting in and out of your complex will become a Houdini act in itself during rush hour or a HW party or premiere.
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Now how can you find these pristine (snicker) living conditions without going crazy? Two ways—for free or for a price.FREE!
Classifieds
LA Times, LA Weekly, Penny Saver, etc. FREE. Enough said.
LA Craigslist.org, Recycler.com
Everybody's doing it, join in. But just like everything else, check it out. [Of course do a drive-by. More below.] If you are going to use these listings to have a potential roommate, interview them like they have access to your bank account. Find out their history, their spending habits, their bill-paying habits. Give them a personality quiz, eHarmony compatibility test, take long walks on the beach, pick up a latte, anything. Find out as much as you can about this person and whether your personalities (and bill-paying habits) will click or not. There is nothing like being stuck with a roommate who is Death Incarnate, who sneaks into your room to watch porn tapes, and engages in mold growth experiments with the dinner dishes. Contracts are for a year minimum and are damn near impossible to get out of. Some say both parties are responsible for the rent; others it's all or nothing. Even if you do find that someone special, draw up a contract between you and them so if something happens, you can take them to People’s Court if they "forget" to pay the rent.
Other online sites
Move.com (formerly Rent.net), and 4rentinla.com are some sites to check. They are good for getting a visual but usually the prices are off (you always have to "call" for pricing. Pain in the ass.)
Here is also a link that lists several sites: http://www.at-la.com/@la-re/rent.htm (warning: some of links are out-dated.)
Apartment Complexes
All complexes are managed by some sort of company, agency, leasing firm, etc. If you drive by a place and it is all rented out, check out the name of the management company (most are displayed out front). The complex or the manager usually has a list (or knows of) other properties that the company owns. (If not, you can look up the company yourself online.) The company tends to have properties with similar “perks” so many of the features you liked in one place may be duplicated in another.
Drive-bys
Grab a friend (if you can) and just drive around. Scope out the "for rent" signs; if you find one you like, pull over, and give them a call. Some of the best ones are found by accident.
PAID
There are several "for rent" and "roommates wanted" sites that are out there. Two that I found with a good list of places are "Westside Rentals" www.westsiderentals.com and "EZ Rent List" www.ezrentlist.com. It helps if someone can go in with you on the cost. (Some people try to sell leftover access time on Craigslist. Beware of scams).
The published version of the Recycler lists some rentals that are not available online. This paper comes out on Thursdays and is published according to the area of LA (Valley, etc). You can look online to find stores to buy the paper (usually at a 7-11 or Savon).
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Other things to consider when scoping out an apartment:DO A DRIVE-BY!!
If you have an address, take the time to drive by the place to see if it is truly habitable (I once saw a place with the room falling in), is in a decent neighborhood (with grass, no weird graffiti), and you feel safe going to. [If there are more Mickey D’s wrappers on the ground than in the restaurant, keep driving.] Then, and only then make an appointment to see the inside. (I cannot tell you how much time I wasted setting up an appointment to see a place that I KNEW as soon as I got there, it was not a place I wanted to live.) If you really like it, check it out at night as well.
KNOW THAT A STOVE AND A REFRIGERATOR IS NOT A GIVEN.
Who would have thunk-it? A stove and frig not included? Even if you are paying $1500 in rent a month? Yep, welcome to the nonsense of LA. Know that these two appliances do not come standard. Most have some sort of stove but fewer have a frig. This is why appliance stores are so abundant in LA. Personally I don't trust something without a warranty (who's to say a person didn't drop the fridge and then try to pass it off to you?) so do not get an appliance without one. The only exception is someone is trying to move in a hurry and is giving one away for free (or practically for free) on craigslist. [Hey if you can clean it, what's not to love about free?] Oh, and stoves run on gas so have fun learning how to cook all over again without burning the spaghetti sauce.
A few last things about a potential apartment:
**Utilities are not included besides water and sewer. In some places, if you go over your "limit" be prepared to see it in your next bill. An apartment with a gas stove and an electric heater/AC are not uncommon.
**No place in LA County can raise your rent more than 3% a year (except select cities like Burbank so make sure to check it out). Prices have bordered the ridiculous in LA so to help control the gouging, this law was instituted in most areas.
**Know that any place you apply to, expect to drop $20 or more on an application fee/credit check. Also know that you will paying first month’s rent, last month's rent, and a deposit (which can be as big as your first month's rent depending on that credit check) before you even think of signing on the dotted line.
**If at all possible, find a place with central heat and air. Several LA apartments are not that up-to-date. In the Valley, some places still have wall or window units to heat/cool an apartment or worse, only fans. Know that in the dead of LA heat, these units will become sluggish and lethargic and will go on a cooling (or heating) strike just when you need it most. After spending many a day staring at the ceiling in a sauna-like stupor, I cannot emphasize what a difference central heat and air makes.
Estas todos. That’s it for now. More low-down on H-town continues…
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