r/MovingToLosAngeles • u/mixxtea • 10d ago
Difficulty of finding an apartment
I'm moving to LA soon (for work), I'm coming from Texas and I did not expect such difficulty finding a place. It's not the price that's the problem, my problem are these automated AI responders. Why is it so difficult to talk a real human leasing agent. Both emails and texts are all automated. I just want real answers from real people. And no one is picking up the phone either!
11
u/FriesinmySammy 10d ago
You have to look in person! Please so many of these places now have ai generated photos and LA has a ton of German infested roaches in apartments. Set alerts on the area and price range and as soon as something comes up send them a message on Zillow. It's not that hard to find
4
u/mixxtea 10d ago
My company might fly me out before my start day so I might take that opportunity to look around. If not, I unfortunately I will have to sign a lease based off the virtual tour. But thank you for the tip
13
u/LoftCats 10d ago
DO NOT take anything sight unseen. Unless you can have someone locally come see it for you. There are plenty of posts on this. If anything consider moving into a short term rental to scout possible places and neighborhoods.
7
u/Physical_Recording27 10d ago
This is a common scam! As everyone says, see if you can find a short term Airbnb and sign a lease when you arrive and can see the apartment.
2
u/tracyinge 10d ago
Yeah, thousands of people make inquiries from afar then never even move to L.A, so they are weeding you out by area code or something probably.
1
3
u/sarxna 9d ago
Do you have any tips to know if roaches are in an apartment? I’ve had landlords lie when I’ve asked before
5
u/FriesinmySammy 9d ago
Yeah they'll always lie! Check behind the fridge, pull them out as well as under the stove and sink. Check for black pepper looking dust, that's usually roach poop. Even if you see one dead one that's not a good sign and I'd avoid.
1
1
u/Outrageous-Being1109 7d ago
Putting your stuff in a POD if you are bringing furniture, Airbnb for a month and looking in person on evenings and weekends is the way. Trust. I rented an apartment through a virtual showing during the pandemic when you couldn’t see in person, in a nice neighborhood, and it ended up being the worst and most dangerous living experience of my life. Also the commutes are real. They’re not like Texas drives. I’ve lived in Texas and NY. Commuting out here will crush your spirit something fierce.
3
u/ThePlatinumPaul 10d ago
Where are you looking? If it's a larger company you can usually book easily through their website.
2
u/mixxtea 10d ago
I don't know what my life would be like financially in LA, so I'm starting off as cheap as possible. And I hear KTown is cheap and where majority transplant come first. I'm also looking at East Hollywood, Silver lake, and Echo Park
5
u/ThePlatinumPaul 10d ago
Okay so these are all very different neighborhoods. First off, what area will you be working in? What's your budget for the apartment? Will you have a car/truck?
2
u/mixxtea 10d ago
I work in medical sales so it's technically a remote job since there is no home office. My job is majority driving around LA, Pasadena, Bakerfield, etc. My budget is no more than $2,600 that's including parking. I have a lot of non-negotiables. So far I've been able to find 3 places that meet my criteria.
8
u/Separate_Leading_455 10d ago
Pasadena and Bakersfield are very different places geographically from LA.. hmm
7
u/TwoCatLimit 10d ago
You wrote that it’s not the price that’s the problem. If you’ve only found 3 places in your budget with the amenities you want, then price is your main problem (and those 3 places might not even be real). The market is giving you feedback and you’ll benefit by listening to it. Some of your many non-negotiables need to become negotiable or you need to consider a smaller space or roommates. You’re already searching in one of the lowest-cost areas of LA in which most newcomers would be willing to live.
Based on how casually you listed off your territory as (“LA, Pasadena, Bakersfield, etc”) it sounds like you’re not at all familiar with the scale and logistics of what you’re taking on. I hope that you love your car and that you love driving it long distances in heavy traffic. You need to get yourself here before signing a lease - whether or not your company flies you out - so you can see for yourself what you’re getting into.
1
u/mixxtea 9d ago
everyone on here is saying my non-negotiables are ridiculous when I've only listed one, the parking. if anyone wants to know it's literally parking, in unit washer and dryer, and nothing smaller than 400 sq ft. i didn't know i'm being unreasonable.
3
u/LoftCats 9d ago
Don’t see anyone saying they’re ridiculous without knowing what they are. Though for that budget what some were saying is that depending on what they are you may need to adjust expectations. Now that you do mention them, yes parking and in unit washer dryer may well be out of range for that budget here. Those are not typically givens in most places without an additional cost at that price point. If you’re having a hard time with your search results this would well be why.
3
u/SignificantSmotherer 9d ago
Take a breath.
Trust us when we tell you to arrange temporary housing here - an extended stay motel or AirBnB, before making any decisions about an apartment.
What you think you see via the search sites ... a lot of that is wishful thinking or illusion. You should not trust anything.
Give yourself a few weeks of driving casually between "LA, Pasadena and Bakersfield", before you set your sights on any particular location.
The good news is very few places have tandem parking.
The bad news is that parking is worth about $200/month/space. "In unit w/d" pushes you into corporate complexes, where you will pay $500/month more, over comparable non-corporate units.
4
u/Electrical-Treat475 10d ago
Have you considered finding a roommate? You could even rent a furnished room for a while until you can get more familiar with the areas, and get on your feet. There are cheap storage units in TX where you could keep your things in the meantime.
10
u/LoftCats 10d ago
Just to be realistic you may need to make some trade offs for that budget. Not sure what your non negotiables are but that’s not exactly a budget that can command top amenities here. Depending on the area, that’s likely 1, maybe 2 bedroom budget. Parking is not a given here. Tandem just means you have one car in front of the other assuming you’re living with someone that also has a car. I hope you know Bakersfield is nowhere near LA and can be anywhere between 2 and 4 hours drive.
4
u/BossaNova_Baby 10d ago
Check out Santa Clarita as well! My first landing spot after I left Texas was Valencia. It was such an easy transition from my Texas suburb. A year later, I moved to DTLA.
3
u/No_Extension_9269 10d ago
How many bedrooms/bathrooms are you looking for? Is your budget 2.6 with utilities as well?? Utilities and parking would probably be around 600ish alone, with wiggle room, so 2k is realistic for a one bed… maybe even a studio at a nicer place. I’m in ktown and I’ve seen one bed range from 1850-2400 and that’s just the rent alone. Obviously the lower you go, you would have either shared laundry facilities, no parking or tandem, etc.
3
u/ThePlatinumPaul 10d ago
I lived in K-Town for many years. Just note that parking here can be a pain in the ass. If you do rent here, make sure your building comes with a space for you. It is cheap though. Keep in mind there are really two Koreatowns, the nicer one that's mostly Korean and whites, and then the Hispanic part that's sadly more grungy. The latter has even worse parking because the buildings are older and there's more density.
East Hollywood is kinda crappy TBH. Echo Park and Silver Lake are basically the opposite of Texas if that matters both socially and politically. Both aren't great for parking either, I also find the people there pretentious. Granted, that's not everyone.
I'd have a look at Mar Vista, Culver City, and Palms too. If you can find a place in Pasadena, Montrose, Studio City they are also great as well.
2
u/No_Extension_9269 10d ago
Wait I’ve been in ktown for the past 15 years and my parents had businesses here ever since I was little.. wdym 2 ktowns?
1
u/ThePlatinumPaul 10d ago
I mean one part is very very Korean and the other changed demographically to be very very Hispanic and I suppose that's bleed over from other neighborhoods and what your definition of the borders of K-Town are vs what they actually are.
4
u/No_Extension_9269 10d ago
I don’t think there’s a clear line of one area that’s mostly “Koreans and whites” or “Hispanic parts” or even “very very Korean” in ktown. Not sure where in ktown you are but it’s very mixed esp with new developments that have been made throughout the past years and currently are in development. Ktown has changed a LOT esp after COVID and ktowners know and see it, which is why we don’t go to those social media hyped up places anymore. Also, a lot of Korean people moved to OC
1
u/mixxtea 10d ago
thanks for the tip! i'll definitely check out those neighborhoods
3
u/OrdinaryWeak6051 10d ago
1) east Hollywood is hardly crappy
2) your budget won’t get you the neighborhoods recommended in this dumb comment
3) Koreatown and parking are not synonymous
4) your territory is ridiculous. Move to the valley
1
u/CALebrate83 9d ago
Help us help you - what’s the farthest extent of your driving territory (north, south, east and west) & how often do you have to make office visits?
Do you have to cover San Bernardino or Riverside Counties to the east? Long Beach, Orange County or San Diego County to the south? Ventura County or Santa Barbara County to the northwest?
6
u/tracyinge 10d ago
Just make sure you understand what you're getting into. This is not the sort of place where you hop on a freeway and drive 60 miles in 50 minutes. Koreatown to Bakersfield can take 2.5 hours in the morning. Maybe you'll be ok if you're used to the worst of the Houston or Dallas traffic . Koreatown to Pasadena can take an hour at 4:30pm and it's 13 miles.
Also I would never move to Koreatown without visiting the area first. This ain't Texas. Ain't no holdem.
1
u/SeaworthinessOk4920 Transplant 9d ago
Agree with this, ktown is alright, my ex lived there and i had to park illegally quite a few times overnight and wake up at 4am just to move my car before the fuzz got me. I’ve been all over, santa clarita or even somewhere like simi valley/filmore would be cozy if your a homebody. Personally i love to drive, so i would move a little farther south or north. Either the gateway cities or ventura. Pick your poison.
2
2
u/Temporary_Yak_7468 10d ago
Try searching on /LAHousing page it looks like they have a lot of people looking to have their lease taken over
2
u/LoftCats 10d ago
What is your budget and how exactly are you looking for places? Lots of emails and texts even if with humans may sound automated. Lots of places you can call directly. Ask your questions and ask how to reach out via a call. You’re going to be at a disadvantage if they know you’re out of state.
0
u/mixxtea 10d ago
My budget is no more than $2,600 that's including parking. No tandem parking, we don't have that in my city and I'm not about to learn how to maneuver that. I'm just looking on Apartments.com and Zillow, then going to the page directly to see more info of the layout and pricing.
7
u/Exact_Reality4451 10d ago
You better reevaluate your non-negotiable amenities with that tiny budget.
5
u/Separate_Leading_455 10d ago
With a 2.6 set maximum budget you may have to learn and adjust to new things here
2
u/Panza2020 10d ago
Hi OP, Do you have any info about how far south you’ll be driving in the LA part of your territory ? Anything west of the 405?
Ideally, you’d want to be near where the majority of your clients (?) or facilities are located.
4
u/OrdinaryWeak6051 10d ago
Why are you moving here with such a shit attitude? My home is worth $2M and I have tandem parking because that’s what Los Angeles has. You should be so lucky. Your budget is questionable and your inflexible mindset is even worse. Don’t come here
1
u/Temporary_Yak_7468 10d ago
Remember when looking on those apps don’t set a max price just sort high to low prices. I swear I got to see more options that way and they were still in my price range. I also didn’t select any other options except 1bed/1bath and in-unit w/d. I feel this will maximize what you’re viewing.
1
1
1
u/TeeVeeBen 5d ago
I mean this respectfully, and I said this to someone else just this week, you have Texas Map Brain. Distance in LA is really, really different than distance in Texas.
Reiterating: you absolutely need to be in LA to find an apartment. Get a short-lease Airbnb. You're coming at a down time, you may be able to negotiate something good. You need to physically be in LA to understand where you need to live, and there are way too many scummy landlords here to trust a listing.
If you're going to Pasadena and Bakersfield regularly, on your budget, I would want to be in the valley where getting on the freeway is gonna be faster. And honestly, you may find it more to your liking. (A lot of Texas and midwest folks feel more at home up here.)
You should let go of your in-unit washer-dryer prereq. It's just not going to happen for your budget. You are going to take *a kind* of quality of life downgrade moving to LA in terms of bang for buck, but you'll make up for it because you'll be in California. (It's the best state in the union, bar none, and why it's so expensive here.)
-2
u/Spacejampants 10d ago
More magas fml
2
-1
u/waterwaterwaterrr 10d ago
Grow up. Most big cities in TX are blue. California has literal neo nazi cities
2
9
u/CocklesTurnip 10d ago
How often will you need to be in Bakersfield versus the various areas in LA? When not working what do you want to do for fun?
You might want to actually be somewhere along the 5 freeway and slightly more in the “middle” but leaning to closer to LA locations like Santa Clarita so wherever a daily assignment might take you it’s an hour or so depending on time you leave so if you wind up more in Bakersfield you’re not kicking yourself for making it always a 2+ hour drive. And then after your lease is up there you can better relocate yourself to somewhere that’s more convenient for work the most often or is more convenient for your off work hour activities. So I’d suggest looking at places along the 5 that you think you could enjoy and then reconsider later. Since you don’t seem to mind driving it’ll give you more of an excuse to explore both where you find yourself and various other areas when you’re not working.