nice apartment in cooler location or house?

[vash]

if i could get that kinda money for my house..i would rent it out, and get another.

good luck todd. i would get the comfy home. your GF is moving in, and i believe the extra space would be worth the premium.

[nostatic]

Jeff, Samohi is a great school. If I lived outside of Santa Monica I'd be looking at $2K/mo in private school costs. I want to stay near the ex for logistics simplicity so options are limited.

The lack of space is the main issue. The boy would have to take the bus or ride the bike to school but finding a place within walking distance is a crapshoot (we currently are in walking distance of his middle school). This place would have a music room that is separate from the living room so there is some degree of separation. Kitchen is a brand new refurb. Right now there are 5 houses listed for rent in Santa Monica. Two of those don't allow pets, only 3 have a garage. So it comes down to a gambling thing...take the place that is available now that is maybe a tad small but has a perfect garage and backyard or roll the dice and see what else comes up. The latter may result in ending up in an apartment. Not the end of the world, but when I was coming home late last night and walking into my apartment I was thinking that maybe the house wasn't such a bad idea...

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by nostatic

...take the place that is available now that is maybe a tad small but has a perfect garage and backyard or roll the dice and see what else comes up. The latter may result in ending up in an apartment. Not the end of the world, but when I was coming home late last night and walking into my apartment I was thinking that maybe the house wasn't such a bad idea...

I have never looked at square footage as a measure of livability...I always look at the ability to be able to separate, not in distance but in rooms, from others: privacy when you want.

If the boy gets a room of his own, your get a garage, she gets parts of it, and when the time calls for it, every one gets their own separate place to hang, then house.

[scottmandue]

For $1000 I will put up a tent under the avacado tree and you can park in the front yard

[Paul_Heery]

If I were you, I would stick it out a little while longer. It sounds like you are not completely sold on any of the options available to you now.

Plus, I would not go down to only one bathroom. A boy in high school and a female in the place will be tying up a bathroom for extended periods of time.

[fred cook]

south Georgia. My house (I had it built in 1985) is approx. 2700 sq ft, on a 2 acre lot and my mortgage payment is about $500 per month. There's a 17x34 in ground swimming pool and a two car garage with an attached shop/work room. I can get to Orlando or Panama City in about 4 hours, or can be in the mountains of north Georgia in about 6-7 hrs. We have mild winters and summers that can be pretty hot, but that's what the pool is for. There is good deer and bird hunting locally, and lots of good fishing holes. And, it only takes us about 3 hrs or so to get to Atlanta to see the GT Yellow Jackets play football! There's just too many folks trying to live on the left coast!

[Burnin' oil]

We have five kids - including four teenagers (two boys, two girls) and one bathroom in a small house. No big deal. It's not the size that matters, but how you use it.

Adapt, adapt, adapt.

[nostatic]

Just looked at another option. More expensive ($4K) and actually a smaller main house - 2br, 1ba and small kitchen. But, the garage has been converted to an office space with tile flooring - could fit the music gear and most of the g/f's studio tools (band saw, table saw, etc). There is a back yard with garden, deck off the back bedroom, a patio area, washer/dryer in the "crawl space" under the kitchen - separate entry and it is on a sloped lot. Also a second bath down in the laundry area. 7 blocks walk to HS, and about 10 block walk to the ocean. Not a ton of square footage but perhaps time to shed more stuff (again). The music room would be the escape area, or in the yard. Motorcycle would have to live outside but can cover it. Bicycles would fit in the laundry room. Being walking distance to HS is a big plus to me.

[tevake]

I am wondering if there is a better option out there, maybe keeping looking. If your price range can go up to 4K shouldn't you find something close to what you really want.
And wow folks from all most any where else must be shaking their heads at the cost of rental houses in SoCal. They seem high to me and its not exactly cheap here in Hawaii.

Good luck Richard

[nostatic]

SoCal is a series of micro markets. I could go a mile away and pay $1500 less for a larger place. But I'd be in a different school district and/or not in walking distance of things. Location is everything here...

[JavaBrewer]

Can't you get an inner district transfer to stay at the HS you desire for Calvin? As long as the area is still good 1 mile is nothing - 12 minute walk or a couple spins on a bicycle. Sorry but that last house you posted looks horrible. 1ba and small kitchen...

[nostatic]

I don't want to hassle with the transfer - easier to stay in SM and be a slam dunk. Actually it would probably be more than a mile away. Also depends on access to fwy and other issues. The key to a pleasant living experience in LA is having reasonable logistics for home/work/school. I think that living space is more of a willing compromise than location. Can be a tough compromise to figure out.

[peppy]

Wow homes are expensive on the other coast. Makes me glad I live in country.

Good luck.

On a side not it would have been nice to have been walking distance to HS.

[vash]

Can Calvin ride a bike to school?

[nostatic]

He can, but it can be sketchy around here. I've commuted by bicycle on and off for a long time and sometimes it freaks me out.

Decided to bail on both these places - just too many compromises. Have some more to look at, have faith that something will pop up that is a better fit.

[tevake]

Do you see houses for rent on craigslist there? I can understand now why your search is limited to a certain area. Have you checked with local realtors to see what they have?
Best of luck with your quest!
Richard

[look 171]

right now is a tough time to move because everyone is moving for their kids so they can settle down for school in Sep. If you have the time, keep looking and something will come up near the end of the year. the slow months are right around the holidays.


For those of you who don't know LA, specially Santa Monica, all the good housing are taken, if not, you will pay. If you are just a day or two slow, considered it gone.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Agreed - the best way to rent (although it does waste time) is to take a day or two and literally just drive/walk around and look at places - if you see one you like, put the deposit right then and there. That's what we did with both of the places we rented and it's the only way to nail down good deals.

Just a question but have you considered the cost implications of living somewhere less expensive/crazy and putting the money so saved into a quality private education for your son? Just a thought. For me I'd rather see my money going into an educational establishment than into some slum landlord's pocket.

[Bill Douglas]

Todd, are there other ways to find available houses other than the usual. Maybe ask buddys if they know of a place coming available, or staff at the school. When I'm looking for a place I drive slowly around the areas I want to be in looking for signs going up outside houses - anything to not have to compete with the other home buys/renters.

I'm painting a house at the moment and I've been approached by about four people asking if it is being tidied up for rental, so I guess that's another trick people are doing to be first in the queue.

[jyl]

Not sure what it costs in LA (more) but around here, a good private high school is at least $20K/yr, meaning it eats up pre-tax income to the tune of $30K/yr or so. And then your kid grows up with the private school set, which has its cons as well as its pros. We intentionally chose public HS for my daughter. She got into the best private HS in the area, but I think there is a time to start learning in, and about, the real world. If the public school is very good - and some are - I prefer that option.