Okay: you just moved to LA to live to California Dream but now you are faced with one tricky dilemma: finding the perfect, safe apartment at an affordable price.
An article done by Southern California Public Radio states that the average Los Angeleno needs to make $33/hour just to afford a 1 bedroom.
“An apartment is considered affordable when you spend no more than 30% of your paycheck on rent,” the article says. “
Just check out this infographic I found from RadPad with prices for an average 1 bedroom and the best days to find a place:
Here are some other great resources for finding your dream apartment:
Westside Rentals.
This is probably the ultimate go to. Since 1996, Westside Rentals covers areas from Santa Barbara all the way down to San Diego. Just enter your destination, price range and what type of rental you are looking for and you will get a ton of great places to choose from!
The Rental Girl.
I have never used this site but it looks darling upon first glance! You can search by the neighborhood or branches broken down by the designated Rental Girl agent: Alexis, Jenny, Victory, Missy, Jen, Danielle, Jules, Julie, Robyn and Jasmine. The site contains an overview of the property, price range, features, photos/map and showing times.
Craigs List. I know I know, Craigs List can be a horror because you never know what or who you are going to get. This is actually how I got my two locations in Thousand Oaks (with a roommate) and my current studio in Oxnard. I must’ve gotten lucky because I had no bad experiences!
The thing I like the most about Craigs List is that you can make the search very specific with your price range, pets, laundry, parking, square footage and how many bedrooms and bathrooms.
Trulia. Whether you’re looking to buy, sell or rent, I like that Trulia uses a map with pinpoints that shows the location throughout the city and the price along with many photos, agents, nearby schools past history, crime reports of the areas, etc…
Zillow. The only difference between Zillow and Trulia is that it doesn’t show the price range on the pinpointed map, just how many openings there are. Once you click on a pinpoint, a blown up pop up screen appears.
Apartments.com. When you click on the map pinpoint, a small pop up window shows the apartment complex, price range and what types of rooms are available. It then gives an overview of the property along with photos and reviews.
Airbnb.
If you just moved here and need a quick stay while you find an apartment, Airbnb is a great resource. Search by the type of room, price range with a map, the check in and out dates and view photos, reviews and house rules. I always use Airbnb when I travel, it is so much cheaper than a motel/hotel and I have met so many friendly hosts along the way!
Happy hunting! 🙂
