Meet Victoria Parks-Murphy from Dublin/London who moved to LA four years ago to pursue home ownership!
Was there a particular reason you chose LA?
I’m originally from the States, a small town in Illinois called Galesburg, but I spent 15 years living in Dublin and then London. After my son was born I had a yearning to come back to the States and be closer to family after living abroad for so many years, however small town life wasn’t really going to be a good fit for my husband and me. He was gaining lots of success with his TV writing career and was spending more time in LA on work trips. I was working a corporate sales job for Apple in London at the time and was starting to burn out due to all the travel. We were desperately trying to buy a home in the Ealing area and just kept hitting obstacles every time we tried to buy something. After a trip to LA my husband pitched the idea of a move, complete with a web presentation of homes we could afford to live in that had large back gardens and swimming pools. I had never been to LA before but it looked amazing. I’ve always been one for an adventure so I quit my steady job, we packed up the cat and the baby and headed to LA! The first day I had ever visited LA was the day we moved here! We were so lucky to have wonderful friends here who loaned us their home for several months while we took time to buy our house. The first year felt like a constant holiday and we haven’t looked back since.
What do you miss most from home?
We have wonderful friends in London, but we still get back once a year for regular visits, which is great. I also miss shopping on Regent Street. My office was right in Oxford Circus and on my lunch break I would often have a quick wander through H&M, Liberty, Esprit or one of the shops on Carnaby St.
What was your first impression of LA and has it changed since?
LA was magic from the moment we arrived. The mountains, the sunshine, the palm trees…of course we’ve settled more into the reality now. There is the high cost of living, traffic and the totally messed up healthcare system. One thing I’ve realized living in three countries over the years is that you’ll always have trade-offs no matter where you are. You just have to prioritize what matters to you most. Those things change over time so who knows where we’ll end up, but we are still loving the LA life right now.
What do you find the biggest difference is living here versus London?
I loved the public transport system in London. I know Londoners complain endlessly about it, but after living in LA you have to admit that the underground is a minor miracle. We didn’t own a car for the first four years we lived in London. We did buy one eventually, but the fact that it was possible to exist without car payments, insurance and petrol costs… Distant memory these days!
Do you have a hidden gem in LA that you want to share with us?
There are so many! We love Blue Jam cafe in Sherman Oaks. It’s only a block from our house so we walk up there almost every weekend for brunch. If you’ve little ones I recently discovered “Giggles n’ Hugs”. There’s one in Glendale and one in Thousand Oaks. It’s an indoor play center where you can actually get a GLASS OF WINE!!! (I believe that bottles of wine should be standard issue at play centers.)
What would you suggest to others who are thinking about making the move here?
Plan carefully. You’ll end spending more money in the first few months than you initially plan on. Research housing costs and where you want to live. I know everyone wants to be in the hip areas of Hollywood, Silver Lake and Los Feliz but I have to say that the Valley has been an amazing place to be while raising my two sons. Great restaurants, diverse population, affordable housing and good public schools – what’s not to like? We’ve also carefully constructed our lives within a five mile radius of our home so that we don’t go mad sitting in traffic. Lots of our members join our group Brits in LA seeking out words of wisdom – what is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
During our brief time living in Hollywood I did cling to Bette Davis’ famous words of wisdom about the best way for a young woman to get into Hollywood – “Take Fountain”
Lastly, how can we find out more about you ? Are you working on anything at the moment?
Since moving to LA I’ve changed careers and now work in the real estate industry for Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. I’ve loved helping other ex-pats navigate the home buying and mortgage process so they can realize their dreams of home ownership just like we did. You can find me at www.lahomes101.com or on Facebook: Victoria Parks-Murphy Real Estate @lahomes101
I have a lot of great videos on mortgages, interest rates and pre-approval so be sure to check it out!
