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Hi Barb,

Making a decision on where to live is an important one. It sounds like you are not very familiar with the LA area and my advice to you would be to take a drive around the various neighborhoods so that you not only get a sense of the distance in terms of home to work and vise-versa, but you can get a sense of the location as a whole. You may like Santa Monica better than Marina Del-Rey or Long Beach over Malibu. You can browse through my website and get some statistical data on the various locations that may be of interest to you. I would be more than happy to show you around the various locations if you are not currently working with a Realtor.

http://www.homefindster.com - Tue Jan 15 2008, 21:32

Hi Henry,

Well, January 4th has passed by, however, I just wanted to give my advice on the topic incase other people like yourself are in the same situation. First, it is always wise to have a Real Estate agent represent you. There are many laws/regulations that must be followed. Having said that, unless the seller has instructed his agent otherwise, all offers must be submitted to the seller as soon as the sellers agent is aware of them. If for some reason escrow does not close, the backup offers are reviewed by the seller. Depending on various points, the seller will then decide which backup offer he/she/they will choose. If you are still looking for a house and are not being represented by a agent, you are more than welcome to contact me so that I may assist you with your search.

http://www.homefindster.com - Tue Jan 15 2008, 21:18

Hi Abby,

The answers that were given below are all informative. I would also add to the comments that there is definitely a price difference between a condo and a house in LA. Since you mentioned buying a house, you may want to consider finding a place in the "Valley" (Sherman Oaks, Encino area) verses the LA vicinity (Westwood, Downtown, Century City, etc) . Depending on where you will be commuting to/from, the drive may or may not be as bad from the Valley. You can browse through my website and run some searches that will provide you with statistical data on the various locations.

http://www.homefindster.com - Tue Jan 15 2008, 21:04

Hi Cindy,

There isn't a specific place that would be looked at as being the best. There are various locations that consist of more homes verses condos and vise-versa. If you look at Sherman Oaks for example, you will find that both the northside and southside of Ventura blvd. have condos and townhomes. The price factor will also weigh in as far as the availability of locations that meet all your criterias. You are more than welcome to browse my site to see what is currently available through the mls system. My contact information is also available on the website and I will be very happy to answer any additional questions you may have.

http://www.homefindster.com - Tue Jan 15 2008, 18:35