My husband, daughter and I (with child) are moving to Santa Monica, California area in June, 2005. We currently live in NYC where the cost of living is astronomical. We were hoping to settle into a place (2-3 years) that would be a little easier to handle. But so far we’re a little worried. Husband will be working in Santa Monica, St.Johns/John Wayne Cancer Center and we’ve been trying to find a home no more than 5-7 miles distance from his workplace.
Living in Santa Monica is out of the question, but two areas have appealed to us so far. Mar Vista/Palms and Culver City have moderate priced condos and apartments. Initially we were thinking of buying, but have settled on renting a 2b/2b condo. My husband thinks that $1200/month rent is a safe amount considering we’ll have two kids and two cars, not to mention all the other expenses and bills that add up over time.
Does anyone have recommendations for living in a particular part of either Mar Vista or Culver City? Are these areas generally nice and safe for families? Does anyone have experience with foreclosed homes…or think it’s a bad idea to look into that? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks, Saima