apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I think what you really need to do is assess what's important to you guys. Beach living, or a newer environment. You SMO pad sounds ok, and your neighbors could possibly move. NoHo is up and coming but I guarantee you that rents will climb in step with that redevelopment.

I say talk to your wife before you do anything too impulsive.

I currently live in Hollywood with my loving boyfriend. My dream is to we a west sider. SM/ Venice. The beach is my life! I also work on 3rd St. For me, driving all the way to work is a major hassle in my life. By the time I get home from work, if I want to go out to the west side or visit friends or even go to the beach on my time off, its a PAIN! Most times I end up not going b/c of time/traffic.....My point is, you have to decide.... How far away is work from where you live? How far do you live from what you love? Im telling you now, if its too far, you will loose site of what you love.----I hope my rambling point helps you out!

I work at home, and my wife works in Valley Village...3 miles from the new apartment. Her life would be a lot easier.

Beach living is great, don't get me wrong. Its not as hot and smoggy, you can walk anywhere...but rents in this area prohibit us from getting the kind of place we REALLY want, like the one in NoHo..

ugh

Her commute can take 45 minutes to an hour each way right now, and she would love to be closer. BUT..its not the beach.

For those who took the survey, what reasons would you offer to move to the Valley? Just curious if it is anything I have not thought of.

Oh, and my wife is just as 50%/50% as I am !

By the way, here is the link to the new apartment building:

Gallery at Noho

I vote check out NoHo. you're RENTING so celebrate that fact and check out different things until something suits you as "just right" (or "just right enough"). that way your next place will either be back @ the beach because you'll realize that you were crazy to leave or someplace entirely new because "you still haven't found what you're looking for".......

I have experienced something similar in Newport Beach...and I chose to go with the apartment with the better amenities because of (1) the commute/congestion and (2) i don't like mold :)

You dont have to make the choice between the two... the other choice would be to continue to check out different areas. Personally, I would never want to live in the valley unless I worked there. The drive in and out of the valley during rush hour is horrible (to me).

Even if I did work there, I don't think I'd want to live there. The valley is (to me) too hot during the summer, and colder than where you are now in the winter.

My first, gut reaction is to stay at the beach, but it really depends on the commute.

This is LA, and everything boils down to the commute.

If the Noho place is air-conditioned, then that will save you from complete and utter hell.

Well, the only area we absolutely love is Santa Monica..but the place we are in now, if it were to go back on the market, would already be $400 more than what we pay for it. So there is no way we can move to another place down here. If we did, it would be even worse.

Commuting is fine, because my wife's job would be right down the street and I work at home.

We did live in the valley years ago, and yes, it is hot in the summer. But oh those amenities...and no more moldy bathroom!

But then again, the ocean...

As others have said, the way to choose is by YOUR priorities, not someone else's. If the beach rocks your world, you might want to keep it. If amenities make you happier, go there.

One thing I usually do when I'm in your sitch is to make a list of the pros and cons of each choice. Then I count how many of each there are for each option. This gives you a real visual of how things are shaking down. Then sometimes I still go ahead and choose the one that's not "statistically" smart, but at least I figured out I wanted to through this process.

The other suggestion: somewhere in your head, you DO know which you want--you're probably just judging it and saying it doesn't "make sense" or something similar. Do the thing where you just tell yourself you DO know and say out loud what you want, immediately without thinking. That's probably your choice.

One more possibility, that you probably don't want to hear about :P : wait for other choices. I know, I know, if you don't act NOW you'll lose this opportunity!!! But that's just THIS opportunity--there are a million other places. And just because it might be difficult or unlikely you'll find something else in your current location doesn't mean it's impossible. The pressure that's on right now is making things look a certain way, but remove that pressure and things might look different.

Just my $.02, ignore or use however you'd like. And best of luck!

I have lived at both the beach and the valley and have to say there are pros and cons to each. With the high rent right now, a ton of people (even companies) are moving to the valley - who knows it might be fun! Also, having a w/d in your place and an extra bathroom will be really nice when you have guests - especially when the in-laws come to visit!

I second everything everyone has said about how you have to decide based on your own priorities and desires. But I would also add that if the only thing drawing you to your current apartment is the beach, then you could also consider whether it's the beach itself you love, or whether it's certain qualities of the beach or beachside living that you might also be able to find elsewhere. For example, if you don't really go in the water that much, but you run along the sand all the time, maybe you could find hiking/running trails closer to NoHo that would also make you pretty happy.

Good luck! :)

I voted to stay on the beach, but I am a little biased, I want to live near Santa Monica beach so badly, but I am trapped in Sin City! Blehh!

Dont get me wrong woodt3, Santa Monica is a great place to live. We just cant afford the TYPE of place we want to live in, so we are considering moving...

I was recently in a similiar situation. Only I had to choose between cheap rent in a place I wasn't thrilled with or expensive rent in a place I loved (interesting location though). My boyfriend prodded to stay in the cheaper place so we could afford a vacation, etc. I told him that it's better to be happy 51 weeks a year than for one. I say the same to you. It's better to be happy in your home everyday than just being happy with your choice when you're at the beach (unless you totally live at the beach).

Ya know, the mold issue could be taken care of. If that is a major factor. It is possible to scour out a bathroom and fix it up, even in a rental. Tubs and showers can be recalked…floors can be retiled…

Just a thought…

I vote Noho. With the time you and your wife save in commuting and stressing, every day will be more enjoyable. Yeah, I love the beach, too, but it's too damn cold (and dirty) to swim right here, so it's not that big of a deal to me. The place you're looking at looks pretty damn swanky to me.

And if you miss the beach, you can always make a day of it on a nice beach up in Malibu or down in OC.

NoHo's nice, but do you really want to move away from the beach to rent? Just for the up-and-coming attribute, I'd say look to BUY over in that area, if it's possible for you. Who knows, maybe you can even afford a small house - there are plenty older homes still left with great character, and the prices are still somewhat reasonable over there. A good spot to be is actually closer to Magnolia and Lankershim. It's got restaurants, coffee shops, vintage clothing shops, and you can jog or walk in this great park off Vineland.

However, there are some issues with moving to a new, large complex that you might want to consider...

There would be little rent control on a new complex. I don't know what the rate each year is that your rent would be raised, but you can be sure it's not going to be what you saw in Santa Monica. Plus the same rent stabilization rules don't apply to new apartment buildings in LA County.

How many units are in that building? If it's a huge complex, you might be in store for more noise than you have now. Plus, a large building means there's likely to be less attention from the management when you have a leaky sink or other problem in your unit. Also, you might want to see what existing or past residents think of living there. I've use apartmentratings.com in the past, but you gotta be careful as there are some fake reviews. ;-)

I live in Sherman Oaks, and I think the Valley has a lot to offer. If you are willing to give up being close to the beach, you can find there are a lot of great trade-offs. Good luck!

Looks like my comments did eventually get added...eventually. Sorry for the redundance, folks. :-(

The beach is a big big big place.... it will always be there for you.

I live in the neighborhood you are considering in North Hollywood. If you do not have to commute to the Westside for work, Noho is a very nice place to live. It is totally awesome being right near the redline station. We take the train all the time to go out to dinner in hollywood and downtown, to concerts and the Staples Center. So if you like to do those things it IS a major plus toward making life after work great. Even though the neighborhood is still "Up & coming" there are good places to eat (and walk to) right now. Weekends hanging out on the patio at Pitfire pizza or Indie coffe, Poquito Mas mexican food.

Opening up in the next few months is a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf,California Pizza Kitchen, and a How's Supermarket in the NoHo Commons.

Another plus to living in the Valley is that traffic on the surface streets is MUCH MUCH better than on the westside. Getting around to do your errands, etc....is so much more pleasurable. To pop over to Silverlake to meet friends for dinner is just a 15 minute drive on the freeway instead of a 45 minute trek across the city.

I love the beach and go often, It just a drive away now and I appreciate it much more than when I lived on the Westside for 14 years.


Good luck with your decision!
Susie

If the Noho place is air-conditioned, then that will save you from complete and utter hell.

Until the light bill arrives, anyhow . . .

I say head to NoHo and USE THE REDLINE!!!!!!! The more people that are using the train system, the quicker it will expand!!! Can't wait til the purple line goes out to the beach!

so what happened? Did you stay or did you go?