Relocating to Los Angeles
Relocating to Los Angeles is one of the biggest decisions a family or executive can make, and it deserves an agent who has done it at the highest level. I am Leegie Parker, a Compass real estate advisor specializing in helping individuals, families, and corporate executives relocate to Los Angeles from the UK, Australia, the East Coast, and across the United States. I cover the San Fernando Valley and the Westside, two very different sides of the city, and I help my clients land in the right neighborhood, the right home, and the right community for the way they live.
That is the part I love. Helping someone who has never set foot in Los Angeles arrive with a clear plan and a trusted guide. Whether you are coming for a new job, a new chapter, or a fresh start, here is how I help.
I Remember What It Feels Like to Be New Here
I haven't always lived in Los Angeles. I remember pulling into this city for the first time, looking around, and thinking, where do I even begin? LA isn't one place. It's dozens of distinct cities and neighborhoods stitched together, each with its own personality, its own rhythm, its own freeway exit you'd better not miss. Figuring out where you fit in all of that, on your own, from the outside, is genuinely overwhelming.
I had to learn the ins and outs the slow way. Which neighborhoods felt like home and which ones I was just passing through. Which streets to avoid at 5pm and which ones were a dream at sunrise. How the Valley is different from the Westside, and how Sherman Oaks is different from Encino, and how Brentwood and Santa Monica feel like neighbors but live very different lives. Nobody handed me a map for any of that, and there was no such thing as GPS. I figured it out by living it.
That is exactly why I love helping people relocate to Los Angeles. I know what it feels like to stand at the edge of this city and try to make sense of it, and I know how much easier the whole thing becomes when you have someone in your corner who knows the terrain.
A Specialty in Corporate Relocation to Los Angeles
Corporate relocation is not a side specialty for me. It is something I have been doing at a high level for years, including my time as the relocation agent for Westfield Corporation, the global shopping center company headquartered in Los Angeles before its acquisition by Unibail-Rodamco in 2018. I handled the relocation of Westfield's senior executives moving to Los Angeles from all over the world. Because Westfield was originally founded in Australia, a significant number of those clients were coming from Sydney and Melbourne. Others were moving in from London and across the United Kingdom, from New York and the East Coast, and from cities throughout the United States and Europe.
These were not simple moves. These were high-level executives with families, school-aged children, demanding jobs starting almost immediately, and almost no familiarity with Los Angeles. My job was to land them softly. That meant understanding what each family needed before they ever arrived, narrowing down neighborhoods that fit their life and their commute, walking them through the realities of the Los Angeles market, finding them the right home, and making sure the entire process felt manageable instead of overwhelming.
That work taught me how to anticipate the questions a relocation client does not yet know to ask, how to read between the lines on what a family needs, and how to coordinate with HR teams, relocation companies, and corporate timelines so nothing falls through the cracks. When you work with me on a relocation, you are getting all of that experience built in.
Matching You to the Right Los Angeles Neighborhood
Los Angeles is not one market. It is dozens of them, and the neighborhood that fits one family can be completely wrong for another. Before we ever start looking at houses, I want to understand how you actually live. Where do you need to be for work? How long a commute can you tolerate? Do you want walkable streets and a coffee shop on the corner, or quiet hillside privacy with a view? Do you have kids who need a yard, a pool, a particular school? Do you have dogs that need a park nearby?
Once I understand the shape of your life, I can narrow Los Angeles down from overwhelming to manageable. The neighborhoods I cover most often for relocating clients include:
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San Fernando Valley: Tarzana, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Woodland Hills, Calabasas, Studio City, Burbank, Velley Glen, Valley Village and more...
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Westside of LA and beyond: Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Santa Monica, Westwood, Beverlywood, West Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire, Pacific Palisades, Venice...
OO - I can tell you honestly which areas fit your life and which ones do not. No wasted weekends touring the wrong parts of town.
Schools and School Districts in Los Angeles
For families with kids, schools are usually the single biggest factor in choosing a neighborhood, and Los Angeles is a place where school boundaries can change everything. A few blocks in either direction can mean a different elementary school, a different middle school, sometimes even a different district entirely.
I can walk you through the public school landscape across the Valley and the Westside, including highly-rated districts like Las Virgenes (Calabasas), Beverly Hills Unified, and Santa Monica-Malibu, as well as the magnet and charter options that families love. If private school is on your radar, I can point you toward the schools my clients have had great experiences with and help you think through commute logistics. I am not an admissions consultant, but I can absolutely help you make sure the home you buy puts your kids where you want them to be.
Buying Remotely
Some of my relocation clients buy a home in Los Angeles sight unseen, before they ever live here. That sounds intimidating, and it can be, but it works beautifully when you have someone you trust on the ground. Here is how I make it work:
FaceTime and video tours. I walk every property personally and show you everything. The good, the not-so-good, the neighbors, the street, the noise, the light at different times of day. I do not just show you the listing photos.
Honest reads on neighborhoods. I drive the streets, I check the surrounding blocks, and I tell you what the listing agent will not. If a house backs up to a freeway or sits on a tough corner, you will hear it from me first.
Inspection coordination. I am at every inspection, every walk-through, and every contractor visit. I take video, I ask the questions, and I make sure nothing slips through.
A team you can lean on. Lenders, escrow officers, inspectors, contractors, movers. I have a vetted bench of people I trust, and I plug you into the ones who fit your situation.
My sight unseen buyers consistently tell me they felt as informed as if they had been here in person. That is the bar I hold myself to.
Relocation Discovery Trips:
Let Me Show You Los Angeles
For a lot of my clients, the single most valuable thing I do is spend a weekend (or longer) showing them Los Angeles in person before they ever commit to a neighborhood. I call these relocation discovery trips, and they are one of my favorite parts of this work.
Here is how it usually goes. You fly in, and I take you in hand. We map out the trip ahead of time based on what you have told me about your life, your job location, your kids, your priorities, and the neighborhoods you are curious about. Then we hit the ground. I drive you through the areas that are on your list, and the ones that should be on your list but are not yet. We stop at the parks, the coffee shops, the main streets, the school campuses, the grocery stores. I want you to feel each neighborhood, not just see it from a car window.
Along the way I give you the real story on each area. What it is like in the morning. What it is like at rush hour. Where the best pockets are within a neighborhood and which streets to be more thoughtful about. How the commute actually works, not how Google Maps says it works on a Sunday afternoon.
By the end of the weekend, my clients almost always tell me the same thing: they came in overwhelmed and they are leaving with a clear sense of where they belong. If you are flying in for a relocation trip, even just for a couple of days, reach out and let's plan it together
Temporary Housing While You Search
Relocation timing is almost never clean. Sometimes you need to be here in 30 days. Sometimes you need to wait until the school year ends. Sometimes you want to rent for six months before committing. I help clients think through all of it.
If you need a furnished short-term rental while you look, I can point you toward the neighborhoods and resources that make sense. If you want to lease for a year before buying, I can help you do that strategically, in a neighborhood that will help you understand if it is right for you. And if you need to coordinate the closing on your old home with the purchase of your new one across two states or two countries, that is something I do all the time.
The goal is no gaps, no double rent, and no stress. We will map it out together before you ever board a plane.
Why Relocating Clients Trust Me
Relocating is personal. You are not just buying a house, you are choosing a community, a school, a commute, a neighborhood coffee shop, and the place your family is going to come home to. I take that seriously. My guiding principle has never changed: I never gamble with your money and equity. I will tell you the truth about every house, every neighborhood, and every offer, even when the truth is something you may not want to hear.
And I do not disappear after closing. I am the agent who is still texting clients about their kids' first day of school, the best pediatrician in the neighborhood, where to get the good bagels, and which gardener to call. That is the part of relocation people forget, and it is the part that means the most to me.
Let's Talk About Your Move to Los Angeles
If you are thinking about relocating to Los Angeles, even if your move is months or a year away, the best thing you can do right now is start the conversation. There is no pressure, no sales pitch, just a chance to ask questions and start getting your bearings.
Call or text me at 310-739-9202, or email me at Leegie@Leegie.com. I would love to help you figure out which corner of Los Angeles is going to feel like home.
Frequently Asked Questions About Relocating to Los Angeles
How long does it take to buy a home in Los Angeles sight unseen?
For a fully remote, out-of-state buyer, the realistic timeline from our first call to keys in hand is 90 to 120 days. That range depends a lot on whether you've already narrowed down a neighborhood or two. If you have, we can move faster. If you're still figuring out where you want to land, we'll spend the first few weeks on neighborhood education, virtual tours, and helping you get a real feel for the differences between, say, Sherman Oaks and Brentwood before we start writing offers. I've walked many clients through this process remotely and it works beautifully when you have someone on the ground you trust.
What are some of the best Los Angeles neighborhoods for families relocating from out of state?
Here are some of the neighborhoods I recommend most often to relocating families, and why:
Brentwood is a very central Westside location with a range of distinct sub-neighborhoods, close to the beach, full of amenities, and genuinely family friendly.
Mid-Wilshire and Beverlywood offer beautiful architecture and character in the homes at a more accessible price point than some Westside areas. Very walkable, close to places of worship, lots of parks, and a central location.
Sherman Oaks is a great San Fernando Valley choice, especially if you'll be working on the Westside. Easy canyon access, tons of shopping and restaurants, and close to many of the top private schools.
Calabasas is a wonderful West Valley community with a real mix of condos, townhouses, single family homes, and gated communities. The Las Virgenes school district is excellent, and there are parks, shopping, and restaurants throughout.
Encino and Tarzana are two more Valley communities I love. Strong schools, a real sense of community, and they sit right along Ventura Boulevard with easy freeway access and everything you need close by. Tarzana has been my home for over 30 years, so I know it inside and out.
Do you work with corporate relocation companies like Cartus and SIRVA?
Yes. I've worked directly with relocation companies and I've also worked with employees one-on-one while their employer handled reimbursement on the back end. I'm very familiar with both processes and comfortable navigating whichever structure your company uses.
What surprises international buyers from the UK or Australia about the Los Angeles market?
In my experience, international buyers coming over for corporate moves are usually sophisticated business people, so the transactional side rarely catches them off guard. The bigger questions are the practical, real-life ones: finding the neighborhood that fits their family, securing temporary housing while they house-hunt, getting their kids into the right schools, and adjusting to daily life in a new city and country. That's where I focus most of my energy with international clients
What's the biggest adjustment for East Coast transplants moving to Los Angeles?
The car culture, hands down. The lack of public transportation and the reality of LA "drive time" is the single biggest mental shift. I coach my East Coast clients through this early, because where you choose to live in Los Angeles is largely a question of where you'll be driving every day. A neighborhood that looks perfect on paper can feel very different once you understand what a 15-mile commute actually means here. We talk through work locations, school drop-offs, and lifestyle priorities before we ever look at a house.
Can you help relocators find temporary housing while they
house-hunt?
Yes. I've found short-term rentals for clients myself, and I've also referred clients to specialists when that was the better fit. It really depends on what you need and whether someone else in my network can serve you better than I can. Either way, you won't be left to figure it out alone.
Do you help relocating families choose schools?
Yes and No. I do not weigh in on or choose what the best school is for your child, only you as a parent can do that for your child, but I help you explore your options. This is one of the most important parts of a family relocation. I highly recommend to clients that they consider all the school options, both private and public prior to coming to for a relocation trip. Most families follow this advice and have done their initial research before we meet, and from there I help them think through the right questions to ask, understand the location and commute for the schools they are considering, and encourage them to meet directly with the schools they're considering, and connect them with other families who have kids at those schools whenever I can. There's no substitute for hearing it from a parent who's lived it.
When is the best time of year to relocate to Los Angeles?
Spring and early summer are the best months to relocate, especially if you have school-aged kids. It gives you time to get settled, get the house in order, and have your children starting fresh in the fall. Los Angeles weather is forgiving year-round, so there isn't really a "bad" time to move here, but spring and early summer give families the smoothest runway.
How do I get started if I'm relocating to Los Angeles?
The easiest first step is a phone call. There's no pressure and no commitment, just a conversation about where you're moving from, what your family needs, your timeline, and what you're hoping to find here. From there, I'll help you build a plan that fits your life. You can reach me at 310-739-9202 or Leegie@Leegie.com.