Moving from Arizona to Los Angeles

Moving to Los Angeles can be a very scary prospect for a lot of people, especially those who haven’t spent a lot of time there.  Although it’s a different world in California, with a little planning and effort the move won’t be nearly as shocking as one might think.

With a higher cost of living in L.A., nobody should plan to leave their Arizona home without a few thousand dollars in their bank account. In the City of Angels, apartment rent is about 126% higher, the cost of groceries is about 4% higher, and the cost of public transportation is around 6% higher according to CNN.com's cost of living calculator. Ultimately, you would need around a 37% raise to afford the same lifestyle comfort that one can find in Phoenix.

First, find a car and a place to live.  The public transportation and hotel–living aren’t viable options in Los Angeles. Fortunately, there are a lot of directories both online and offline that makes finding apartments and cars in L.A. surprisingly easy. If nothing else, Craigslist will help a lot.

Before you find a stable place to live in your new town, it’s a good idea to leave your things in Arizona temporarily because there won’t be many places for you to store them in L.A. while you search. Uncle Bob's local storage in Phoenix would be an affordable place to keep items until you’re ready to move.

Los Angeles can only be a home when it's made into one. Make sure you spend some time walking around the neighborhood to scope things out.  Visit the local shops, talk to the people on your block, and find some community activities around the city so you feel more involved and included.  There are a lot of resources online to help you get around the city. Eventually, with time and patience, L.A. won’t feel so foreign.

At its heart, although massive and sprawling, Los Angeles is a community.  Everybody knows somebody close to you, so networking will go a long way to getting jobs, making friends, and finding valuable relationships.  While you’re walking around the city and seeing all the new places, talk to people and try to strike up some friendships. Loyal friends can greatly assist you whenever you need some help later on down the road. Friends will help it feel like home.

(Photos via here and here)

Consideration was received for the editing and publishing of this post.

Guest Post: Tips and Tricks for Staging Your Home

How you stage your home can determine whether or not it sells. It can also determine whether or not you will get your asking price. You want to make sure that your home appeals to the largest amount of potential buyers when staging.

1. Kick clutter to the curb. No one wants to go to look at a potential new home and be climbing over clutter. Your home should have the right amount of furniture and decorative items, but nothing extra. Think of staging like creating a show house. Clutter also makes a house appear smaller than it is. A good rule of thumb for staging is to remove half of what is in the home and then use the remaining fifty percent to stage the home.
 

2. Group the furniture. It is a common misconception that placing furniture against the walls will create the illusion of more space. This actually has the opposite effect and causes the space to feel smaller. Grouping furniture into conversational groups that flow well with the room will open up the room, make it easier to navigate, improve traffic flow and make it appear bigger.

 

3. Repurpose a storage room. If you have a room that is used for storage it needs to be cleaned out immediately. You want to be able to stage this room in a way that showcases its potential. Make it into a guest room, office, hobby room or something else what will apply to buyers. You can use furniture and accessories that you already have to create this room.

 

4. Use the right lighting. You need a good mix of ambient, accent and task lighting. The truth is, most homes do not have the right lighting. You want a home to be the perfect mix of warm, but still bright enough to be able to get things done. A good way to ensure that you have enough lighting is to make sure that for every 50 square feet, you have 100 watts.

5. Paint your home. Neutral and cool colors are the most appealing to potential buyers. If you have dark colors in your home, you want to go over these with a more neutral color. Neutral colors will fit the taste of most people and they can be painted over if a new buyer wants color changes.

 

6. Accessorize with a pop of color. The walls are neutral and so is most of the furniture. This allows you to have some fun with accessories. Do not be afraid of small accents of orange, purple, yellow, red or turquoise. These can draw the eye to things that you want to show off. For example, if you have a really great fireplace in the family room, add two small pieces that are colorful and eye-catching to the mantle.

7. Be more sporadic with wall hangings. Many people hang everything on their walls at pretty much the same height. This pretty much allows these items to get lost on the walls. Take paintings, mirrors and other wall decorations and hang them at different heights. This will keep the pieces visible and will give rooms a little spice.

 

8. Decorate in odd numbers. When you are decorating a side table, for example, place an odd number of objects on it. Most side tables will neatly accommodate three to five pieces. These pieces should be of different heights and shapes. For example, a short stack of books, a wide and shallow bowl, a picture frame or two that are different and a tall vase can be the perfect combination.

 

About the Author: Jennifer D’Angelo is a real estate professional who lives and works in the Chicagoland area. Check out Right Residential's site for more information about Jen’s work.

 

(Photos via here, here and here)

Art show

 

Last Saturday night I stumbled upon a gallery opening at Louis Stern Fine Arts in West Hollywood: James Jarvaise and the Hudson River Series which is now on view until November 10.



 

The contemporary artist said that "painting seems to come from an unknown source, which you have cultivated all your life... it’s part of me and my lifelong involvement with art and its creation." :)

Untitled (Man in the Room Series), 1967 

 Gallery-goers enjoying art and good convo -- and perhaps thinking about getting drinks after the show at nearby Smoke or Craig's.

Art enthusiasts Jocelyn (she works at the Skirball Cultural Center) and Elizabeth (she is organizing this upcoming exhibition) like going to gallery openings to network and meet friends.





Home Inspiration: Vintage finds

I really like this mid-century modern Danish stool and these vintage cameras over at One Kings Lane. That's all.

Guest Post: Decluttering Prior to Selling Pays Off Big Time in the LA Real Estate Market

 

So it's time to sell your home but you aren't quite sure how to maximize its value before listing with an agent. What's the best way to maximize the value of your home for pennies on the dollar? Research shows that cleaning and decluttering are far and away the best options for maximizing your return on investment (ROI).

Who Shot Rock & Roll Exhibit Comes To L.A.

 

Last Friday I went to see the Who Shot Rock & Roll art exhibit at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City. The show (until October 7) features 166 prints from iconic photographers such as Diane Arbus, Henry Diltz, Bob Gruen, Dennis Hopper, Annie Leibovitz, and more, as well as an original and exclusive documentary. In the film, Diltz says that being a photographer is like having a passport into people's lives...true and cool. :) You can watch the teaser trailer here...

(Frank Zappa photo by Jerry Schatzberg; Bob Dylan photo by Barry Feinstein)

Are you on Pinterest?

Here are some favorite pins for a mid-week boost of inspiration...

  Loft living.

White bathroom.

Rustic outdoor room.

Marilyn.

You can find me here on Pinterest.