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If you are planning to buy real estate in Los Angeles, whether for your own use or as an investment, one of the first things that you should do is consider where you want to live. The city is so large, that simply getting from one side to the other can take several hours, so even if you can find a fantastic bargain in one side of the city, it is not worth investing in it if it is going to take you four hours to drive to work and back.

Some areas of Los Angeles are particularly up market and desirable. The Beverley Hills and Bel Air neighborhoods attract the very wealthy including actors and industrialists, and offer high end accommodation in villa style houses and gated communities. There are still bargains to be had in the more urban areas of both neighborhoods, but expect to pay a much higher price than you would in other areas of LA.

Beachfront areas including Malibu and Santa Monica are terribly popular, and correspondingly pricey. If you are unable to afford wither area but still want to enjoy seaside living, why not consider areas outside the city including Ventura or even San Fernando.

Downtown Los Angeles is a mainly commercial area, but still has many residents in its large apartment blocks. You can enjoy fantastic local facilities including great shopping and nightlife within easy reach of your home, while the convenience of living and working in the same area is great for the environment.

Many people actually buy real estate in downtown Los Angeles as a pied a terre and then live out of town in a pleasant suburb at the weekend simply to avoid the unpleasant daily commute into LA from the surrounding area, so property prices are slightly higher than in similar cities elsewhere in the world.

It is worth mentioning both South Central Los Angeles and Compton. Both of these areas gained a bad reputation thanks to gang activity in the 1980s and 1990s, but are now enjoying something of resurgence. High prices throughout the rest of the city mean that many professionals are moving into the area, and prices are rising. This in turn is leading to many improvements, and the zero tolerance policing has helped to improve the area further.

East LA is away from the beach and less popular, which means that many property prices there are depressed. It is worth considering East Los Angeles if you want to live in a larger house, and do not mind a commute to either the beach or the city. Other similar out of town areas include Orange County, where prices are higher thanks to the beautiful countryside and excellent local facilities on offer in the communities that are closer to villages than towns.