Traded or Drafted to Los Angeles?

What now? Where do I live?

When you play professional sports there is no question it can be exciting, it can be profitable, and at the same time it can be stressful. Whether you are single or have a family, moving to a new city meets with many challenges. SportStar Relocation works hard on reducing the stress of those moves.  SportStar Relocation is a company within the family of The Kaminsky Real Estate Group which was established over 30 years ago. Its founder, Ed Kaminsky, points out that in addition to their large contracts, come many challenging off field issues that the players have to deal with.

Los Angeles is one of the most highly sought after destinations in sports for many players. Whether it’s a chance for a championship, other opportunities outside of their chosen sport or just the glitz that LA offers, Los Angeles is definitely an exciting destination.

BUUUUUUT, where do you live? it’s so big!  it sprawls out for miles and miles. To simplify the choices Ed describes what he calls the triangle. Not the offensive play design of the Los Angeles Lakers but the triangle of where to live. If you focus on the airport you frequently travel to and from, the place where you play and the place where you practice (if it is different than where you play) then living within this triangle will shorten your daily commute.

In professional sports travel distance can be a priority but just like other young families it is also important to have security, privacy, good schools, and certainly the best chance for solid appreciation in real estate values when possible.

We will quickly address the most common cities and communities nearby Los Angeles based teams and their preferred places of residence but may not suit every player, coach or team personnel equally.

Where the Pro’s Call Home

The highest concentration of the Los Angeles Kings hockey family chooses to reside in the South Bay, specifically Manhattan and Hermosa Beach homes.  It is a 10-15 minute drive to the practice rink in El Segundo and about the same to LAX. During non traffic hours after games, it’s about a 30 minute freeway drive home from the Staples Center.  The beach cities are known for its casual environment away from the paparazzi, great beaches and restaurants, beautifully new constructed custom homes and most importantly one of the best public school systems in all of Los Angeles. Since the late 80’s Ed has personally placed Kings players in homes and helped them sell the same homes for a hefty profit. Rob Blake, the General Manager of the Kings, is a prime example of a player who struck it rich in real estate and bought at the bottom of the market. He purchased a new home on the beach and although he was eventually traded, he never sold the home and the increase in value of that one piece of property itself is more than most players will make in a career. Many other players have done extremely well financially by owning, building or investing in beach area real estate. A word of caution though, timing is everything and if you are here for a short visit and it’s a downward trending market, you still can lose money.

Of all the cities I have sent players to across the United States more athletes end up calling Manhattan Beach home, including retired Los Angeles athletes as well as players that have not played for a Los Angeles based team. The privacy, the beauty, the schools and the camaraderie that pro-players are able to find here amongst their professional peers is second to none. Manhattan Beach is home to many great active and retired players including MLB greats – Nomar Garciaparra and David Wright, Lakers Coach – Luke Walton, Tennis Pro – Maria Sharapova, Ryan Kalil of the Carolina Panthers, QB Matt Cassel, Dodger great Eric Karros. Even a bit of Hollywood calls Manhattan Beach home, Vince Vaughn, many writers and directors.

The South Bay has certainly been the choice of homes for both the Los Angeles Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers, whether they buy or want to rent while here. It does offer affordable choices and communities as well as luxury furnished homes to fit budgets anywhere from  $3,800 a month to $30,000 a month. It is not cheap to live in LA but there are always choices depending on your flexibility. We have also placed several Lakers in Palos Verdes homes, they tend to offer more space, privacy and views of the ocean but does add at least a 30 minute commute to the airport, practice facility and the Staples Center. The Lakers seem to put less importance on living in the same community as their teammates and therefore you will find players as far away as Calabasas, home to the Kardashians, Brentwood, the current choice for LeBron James, and lifelong Laker Kobe Bryan chose to live down the coast in the Newport Beach area of Orange County.

The Los Angeles Clippers practice facility is currently in Playa Vista, a newly built area with several housing options. It borders Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, Venice and Westchester. The entire area is now becoming known as Silicon Beach due to the mass influx of Tech companies including Google, Snap Chat and others that are recruiting thousands of new employees to the area. It is one of the newest areas of Los Angeles offering newer construction homes, town homes, condos, and of course shops and restaurants. It is also a short 15 minutes to LAX for easy travel. The area is not known for its school system as they a part of the Los Angeles Unified school system but it is close to the beach and an easy commute to practice.

The Los Angeles Dodgers play at Dodger Stadium which is located just north of Downtown Los Angeles. Downtown LA is making a recent surge in development of high rise condominiums and although it has not been a preferred living destination for any players, it is making a comeback. The closest residential communities remain to be La Canada Flintridge and Pasadena and a few other nearby cities that have become quite trendy. The Dodgers, like the Lakers, have also lived throughout the Los Angeles market including Manhattan Beach, The Valley, Calabasas and the already mentioned locations above.

The newest teams to Los Angeles are of course The Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. They will be playing in the new stadium in Inglewood but most players prefer to live near the practice facility when possible. Because both practice facilities are currently temporary until it’s determined that they will be permanent or they build their own permanent facility, it remains to be seen where the bulk of players will reside. For now the Rams practice in Thousand Oaks which consists of many nearby communities in all price ranges making the choices for residences ideal. The Los Angeles Chargers currently practice in Costa Mesa which is located in Orange County. There are many choices of communities in Orange County to pick from and currently is the preferred location to live for Chargers players.

The Los Angeles Angels play in Anaheim which is also in Orange County and players for the most part live within a reasonable driving distance from the Stadium and choose their communities based on budget, schools and privacy.

There are of course the Los Angles Sparks, LA Galaxy and other sports franchises in the Los Angeles market and again living within The Triangle is important to all of them when possible. For an update on locations to live, distance to practice and playing facilities, check in with your personal SportStar Relocation specialist with any question or need.