Cost of Living
Living costs in Los Angeles is are 33% above the national
average. One of the major reasons is the costs included in having a car
which is practically a necessity. The price of basic household items can also
deviate wildly from area to area. Movie stars and multimillionaires call some
of Los Angeles's finer neighborhoods home and the stores prices reflect that.
Choosing your neighborhood will define your costs. If you live in low-key Westwood
your commute to work may add up, but local restaurants and housing will be reasonable.
If you choose to live in upscale Beverly Hills, housing, dining and living in
general will cost a fortune.
To get the area you want for a price you can live with a simple formula may
be employed. Divide your monthly income (after tax) income by three. Not much
more then a third of your income should go to rent to insure that you can pay
for the cost of living. If this figure doesn't net you the desired lifestyle
you still have options. Make more money, consider a different neighborhood,
or consider a different living arrangement by taking a roommate.
There are many different apartments and many different ways to search and rent
one. Here are a couple of options:
BROKER- If you are arranging a rental from out-of-town or have more
money then time, using a real estate broker can be a pain free way of getting
the job done. A brokers is responsible for finding apartments that fit your
criteria and making appointments to fit your schedule. This convenience has
a price, usually in LA one can expect to pay about a half month's rent as a
fee, but this varies and it is recommended to shop around before selecting a
broker. To find a broker you can check newspaper advertisements or online classified
ads. Listings are also common in the yellow pages in the phone book. If you
are employed with a company they may have a broker they work with and you may
be able to use them by contacting your human resources department to use the
broker your company uses. Pay attention to reviews by former customers to make
sure you get your money's worth.
ON-LINE LISTING- There are a variety of on-line forums and community
listings in which people will list their places or larger companies offer their
apartments. One of the best is Craigslist
rental listings.
APARTMENT GUIDE: A magazine of listings is available for free at local
shops and grocery stores. While there are many listings, they usually have more
large apartment complexes listed.
LOS ANGELES TIMES: The classified section has a variety of listings
in the paper and is also accessible on-line. Unfortunately, the on-line
listings refer to another online apartment listing when you try to see details
of the classified ads so the easiest way to check out listings is buying the
paper. LA Times
THE DAILY BRUIN: This large campus newspaper frequently has well-priced
listings and is available for free on the UCLA's campus. Many of the listings
are centered around the location of the university in western Los Angeles, but
are always worth a look. Daily
Bruin
BULLETIN BOARDS: On college campuses, churches, grocery stores, schools,
bus stops and outside community centers there are often boards available for
posting local ads. This gives you an idea of the neighborhood as well as some
useful leads on apartments.
DRIVING AROUND: Many places are listed by simply placing a sign in front
of the apartment. Sometimes only a number is listed so it can be helpful to
write notes about the place and call the number on your cell phone.
Flatsharing
An important trait in any roommate situation is having boundaries and a clear
understanding of what each roommate requires. To protect yourself against potential
problems should the worst happen, try to arrange it so that your roommates co-sign
the lease. This makes all the roommates responsible for whatever happens to
the property. If the worst was to happen, such as your roommate losing their
job and not being able to pay rent, they will be held financially responsible-
not you.
FLATSHARING : A NEW WAY OF LIFE
Instead of living in a pokey attic room with huge rent, why not try
shared accommodation? Frequently associated with students, sharing is
spreading nowadays towards older established workers and covers people
from 18 to 49 years old. Without falling into a community style of life
such as in the 70's, you can choose to share an accommodation for a
bigger space, less expense.
Flatsharing is a way to meet more and more followers who choose to
break a lonely life, save money or just find an affordable acommodation
in a difficult market. This way of life has numerous advantages in term
of money, practicality or social life. EASYEXPAT
in partnership with EASYROOMMATE
number one for flatsharing, offers this service to its users to present
all the chances to find the ideal flatmate or to join an existing household.
If you've got a room to rent, you can put a free ad for house/flatsharing.
If you look for a room or a flatshare, it's free to search into
the database with thousands of offers.
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Here are some others websites to find a roommate:
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