how do u finde agood first apartment in la?
Answers:
First decide where you want to live and what you want to pay. I had a 40 unit townhome complex in the Cal-Tech area of Pasadena for about 15 years. It is a safe, walking area, close to shopping, public transportation and near great restaurants, parks and of course, on the Rose Parade route. That being said, one of the first things to do is get the newspaper (Pasadena Star will cover safe areas like South Pasadena, Altadena, Monrovia, Glendale) and check out the rental section.
Start making telephone calls. Ask what the parking arrangements are because you are going to be living in the car theft/break in capital of the left coast. Ask whether there is security and what it consists of (alarm, guard, gated, etc.) Ask what is included (i.e. mine came with water, trash, gardening, cable) what the ammenities are (dishwasher, disposal, microwave, AC, patio, balcony, laundry, parking garage), what the term of the lease is, the amount of rent, deposit (and what it includes and is it refundable and how).
DRIVE BY, check out the neighborhood, freeway access, check to see if businesses, houses or apartments in the area all have gates around them and on the windows. Check to see if there are a lot of homeless people. If you answer yes to either of these concerns, cross the apartment off your list it is a questionable neighborhood in terms of your personal safety.
If you see that neither of these concerns are issues, make an appointment to see the vacancy. Check out the people who are already residing there. Are they noisy, is there laundry hanging out all over, balconies filled with stuff that should be in storage, junky cars in the parking garage, think would these people be good neighbors?
I've owned property, been a landlord in many states and the one thing that makes LA so different from anywhere else is that good areas are in pockets that can literally change from good to very bad half way into a block, or from street to street. In most other cities, neighborhoods or cities in a particular area have high crime or bad reputations. Not so in LA. A street can cross over a boulevard and be a gang territory frought with crime and violence. Trust your instincts.
Other answers:
westsiderentals.com is good
craigslist is good too
westsiderentals.com is good
craigslist is good too