So, I’m starting to think about buying a condo.

It was only natural, I suppose.  I’ve lived in Los Angeles for almost 6 years now [shudder] and my position at my company seems pretty secure, what with having survived a buyout (and being 1 of maybe 20 out of 80 who did) and actually gotten promoted twice in the process.  I rather like what I’m doing, and I can see myself doing it for a fair amount of time, if they’ll let me.  So I figured it was probably time to stop flushing money away by paying rent every month and maybe starting to invest in something that’s actually mine, plus it’ll (hopefully) appreciate over the years.  Not only that, but everyone keeps saying that the housing bubble has finally popped, so within a few months, I should be able to get a decent place at a halfway decent-for-Los Angeles price.

The question is where.  I’d like to get a place in an area that has “stuff"… you know, a supermarket within a decent distance, some restaurants, maybe some bars, maybe even a movie theatre or some other cool area.  I’d also like to be in an area where I wouldn’t be afraid that my condo or my car would get broken into or that I wouldn’t get mugged and/or beaten on the street at night, as well as some place that’s not way the eff out and makes my commute an hour each way.  However, I’d also like to be in an up-and-coming area so the condo has a chance to seriously appreciate over a few years, rather than an area like Santa Monica or Brentwood, where there’s really not too far upwards that it could go.

So, my Los Angeles-based readers… any suggestions on where to start?