What areas would you recommend for safe, affordable housing if working in North Hollywood, California?

Question

I may be relocating to the Los Angeles area soon from the midwest and would like some recommendations for safe, affordable neighborhoods. I will be working in the North Hollyood area, adn my wife and I would prefer a commute 1 hour or less, and a single-family home (not a condo or apartment). Any recommendations are appreciated.

I may be relocating to the Los Angeles area soon from the midwest and would like some recommendations for safe, relatively affordable neighborhoods. I will be working in the North Hollywood area, and my wife and I would prefer a commute 1 hour or less, and a single-family home (not a condo or apartment).
I realize the cost of housing is very high, just wondering where the bargains are. Any recommendations are appreciated.

Answer 1

IF you decide to look for a home in North Hollywood, make sure you stay as close to the NoHo Arts District as possible. This extends from the south side of Magnolia Blvd. down to Riverside Drive where it meets Studio City Between Cahuenga & Lankershim. Anywhere else in N. Hollywood gets really sketchy and definately less safe.

Otherwise, Burbank is a nice safe neighborhood, but as someone else said, it can get expensive and the police force gets really bored with not much "real crime". The housing here is made up mostly of post-war bungalows which are generally small in size but if you can find a fixer-upper, you're going to get a much better deal for the location. (burbank feels like suburb located much further away from the city than it really is)

You may also want to check out Silverlake as an option. It's one of the many "transitional" neighborhoods in L.A. Lots of character in the homes there since it's one of the older neighborhoods. It's less expensive and a really artsy, trendy neighborhood to buy into at this point. It's also close to Hollywood and Downtown LA. Travel time from Silverlake to N. Hollywood is generally 15 minutes or less but can increase to 30-45 minutes when there's traffic on the 134 fwy.

Traffic on the 101, 5 and 405 freeways can get pretty heavy so take the streets as much as possible.

The further north you go into the valley, obviously the more affordable the housing is. But stay away from certain parts of Sylmar, Van Nuys, Reseda & Sun Valley. However, Shadow Hills is a decent community tucked in the hills in the center of the valley. Simi Valley may be too far to go if you're trying to make it down to N. Hollywood in less than an hour- ESPECIALLY in morning traffic on the 5 FWY Southbound. My reccomendation is to stay as close to NoHo as possible without having to drive the freeways to get home. You can still find decent housing in some of the smaller, more trendy neighborhoods without sacrificing too much on cost- you just have to keep your eyes open :)

Answer 2

I would recommend North Hollywood. Most of it's more than acceptable.

You use the word "affordable housing." There is no such thing in LA. The AVERAGE home price in LA is half a million dollars. And that's an AVERAGE including South Central and converted chicken coops in Riverside county.

I'm assuming, therefore, you will be renting, because unless you're a millionaire, you won't be able to afford to buy Barbie's Dream House in LA, let alone a real house.

You may wish to consider nearby Burbank. But consider this first. B has no rent control, higher utilities fees, and bored cops that need to fill their quotas.

Otherwise, check out Sherman Oaks, Encino, Tarzana areas. If you really want the entire LA traffic experience, consider something farther afield, like the general Agoura/Thousand Oaks area , Santa Clarita Valley or Simi Valley,

I cannot recommend you try to commute from the westside no matter how desirable you think it is.

Answer 3

Middle class people earning average salaries live in apartments, maybe a condo, or they may make enough to buy a house. A nurse/firefighter, principal/cop, etc couple can make close to $200,000 a year after moving up the ladder. To buy a modest starter home in a nice area of LA (but not like Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, etc), or in a decent area of Hollywood (lots of crime all over Hollywood, I grew up there, I love it, but really, it's not nice), you need income of about $200,000 a year, maybe a bit less, depending on credit, debt, what you consider appropriate. If you have the money and credit, it's actually a good time to buy in a nice neighborhood in LA, before prices go up. (Not in areas where the neighborhoods are crowded with foreclosures and people bought at the top of the market.) Your standard of living will likely go way down in LA. Most people don't realize that our salaries are generally not much higher, if at all, than they are in cities with lower cost of living, even where rents are half or less than in LA. Your income would likely need to increase almost 50% to maintain a similar standard of living, but more for buying housing. And we have no jobs out here, and the job market is supposed to stay flat for years. The jobs that are popping up tend to pay much less than they did a few years ago. Good luck!

Answer 4

Gee this is a great opportunity to live close to work and avoid a long commute which is the number 1 complaint about L.A......Don't try to reinvent the wheel...Live in North Hollywood or points a little north ...Jezz, most people would love this chance...

Answer 5

Sorry to say but there is no "affordable" housing in LA, certainly not as a single-family home. You are looking at least $1,750 to $2,500 per month. I doubt you will find much at the lower end either.

Is that "affordable" to you?

Answer 6

affordable? no chance honey. be prepared to shell out at LEAST a half a million bucks here.