What to Inspect When You're Expecting (to buy a house)

Today I had a 3-hour inspection for my house - which I now feel comfortable calling mine because I know I definitely want it. I was worried that the inspection would tell us that the house was a disaster and I'd have to back out of the sale. But it went very well and I learned a lot about my house, the history of California building codes, etc.

Inspections are daunting because it is the job of the inspector to tell you exactly what is wrong with your house, from the outside in. When I purchased my last condo in Cambridge, I knew what I was getting into because I bought it from my brother. And even then the inspection was terrifying! You leave with a laundry list of things to fix, repair, or just hope they won't explode while you sleep. Walking into this situation I know nothing about the house's history (although I think I can get some juicy gossip out of my neighbor who has lived next door for 40 years). But luckily, there was nothing unexpected or of major concern. And with a good inspector, they will be honest about what is urgent, what is good to address down the line, and what would be good for living in comfort. My inspector was all of these!

There are a lot of cool historical details about my house. There are built-ins in the kitchen and bedroom closets, beautiful glass door knobs, cool architectural details on the ends of the roof (I forget what she called those). The house has redwood siding, which sounds very fancy to me as an East Coaster. There are some areas which need work, but for a 90 year old house, she said it's doing great. I have copper plumbing, my electrical was done properly, and the roof was well constructed and doesn't need to be replaced. Those were my major concerns and there's nothing to be concerned about.

One problem I was glad to hear about was the foundation under the bathroom needs some repair. Which means...bathroom renovation!! I was going to hold off on this until Phase 2 of my home repair, since it wasn't urgent. But all structural repairs get put in Phase 1 so yay! Here's my inspiration:

I love the dramatic color of the clawfoot tub, the hexagonal tile on the floor, and the subway tile on the walls. What a way to start the day showering in this room? Time to start pricing projects out...Closing day seems so far away!

Status Change...Pending

Hello Interwebs,

I apologize for my absence. It's been almost a month since my last post. I've been crunched at work by day and house hunting on nights and weekends, obsessively checking RedFin and visiting open houses. I didn't make it through the Whole 30 - I did about a Half 30. But I continue to eat about 85% paleo, with a few exceptions like my birthday dumpling crawl of the San Gabriel Valley! We hit up 3 tasty places and I will say that by far my favorites were the giant meat pies at Beijing Pie House in Monterey Park. They were almost like British or Aussie meat pies, but when you bite into them they are filled with delicious savory broth. Yummmmm.

But enough about food! and on to an update on house hunting. The market in LA has been crazy. I started looking in mid-February, after coming back from Boston and realizing that the Game of Thrones prophecy, "Winter Is Coming", was not a metaphor but a real life disaster in my hometown. I was never going back. My first 2 weekends house hunting I saw a few really cute places, but I still wasn't sure about exactly what I wanted. Then as the weeks progressed, fewer and fewer houses came on the market, and they became smaller yet more expensive. Every house seemed to end up at least $50K over the list price. My realtor told me that the common strategy is to list low to get more people in the door and start these crazy bidding wars. (I know this is a good strategy because that's how I sold my Cambridge condo. Karma is a bitch). So I had to adjust my thinking - either go with a smaller place without all the "must haves" that I wanted, or go way out of my budget and eat dog food for the next 10 years. And not the fancy organic kind Puppy gets. I made a few offers but got quickly outbid, and in one case was beat by some Mr./Ms. Moneybags with bags full of cash.

I started to give up hope. Maybe it wasn't my time. Maybe it was a sign I shouldn't put down roots in LA. There are earthquakes! drought! Kardashians! Going through RedFin listings was starting to feel like reading OKCupid dating profiles - taking the fun out of a major life choice and making it kind of sad and creepy. Every day my RedFin updates read "Status Change - Sold" or "Pending", and had very few new properties. Finally, I thought, "If I don't see something this weekend, I give up. I'll rent for a few more years till I get my own bags full of cash."

Ah, me of little faith. Last week, I found a listing that looked potentially promising, or potentially disappointing. The pictures were terrible, there was no staging, and it was a 2BR with a "bonus room off the master bedroom." I had already seen a few places where the "bonus room" was in fact the 2nd bedroom, and would have been barely big enough for a hobbit. But it was in a great location and it had a red door - and I'm a sucker for colorful front doors!

I went to the open house, and the listing agent never showed up. But my brilliant agent encouraged me to go back and we went to take a look the next day. I walked in skeptically, not wanting to be disappointed. But after just a minute, I knew. This was The House. This was The One. It had a good amount of space, great location, built-ins in every closet, a detached garage to convert someday, and character! So many of the houses I saw were cookie cutter flips which looked slick but sterile, often with terrible fixture or decor choices. The kitchen and bath weren't great, but they weren't unlivable, and I knew it could make it my own.

Actually, I know I can make it my own. Because the day after we saw it and put a bid in, my offer was accepted! On my birthday! It was the best present I could get. And it was well within my budget with room to spare for renovations. So you know what that means? This blog is about to Blow. Up. With some home renovations. Who's ready to do a little light demo?

Although I shouldn't get ahead of myself. The home inspection could reveal major problems that aren't worth dealing with. So it's not in the bag. But if I do want it, flaws and all, it's mine.

And the best part of my week was seeing my RedFin notification today featuring My house - Pending!

Mucho thanks to Heather D, my fabulous agent!!! We still have a ways to go, but she has been an amazing guide through this process. Check her out at her blog, The Good Life LA. She's also got a great post about where to find the best pastrami sandwiches in LA!

Househunt Week 2

I had another fun weekend of house hunting. Saturday I found a cute, renovated 3-bedroom in an up-and-coming neighborhood in Mt. Washington, which borders Highland Park. It was 80% perfect, which was good but not quite good enough. The common space had an awkward layout which couldn't really accommodate a living room and dining space well, and the closets were small. But I was really excited by the outdoor space which was completely bare. I could envision my little grill and dining patio, a vegetable patch, some fruit trees and a hammock, and xeriscape drought resistant plants...But I think I can find something better which already has most of that stuff in place. And a place for my tv.

Today I looked at some condos around Culver City, which is on the West side of Los Angeles. One of the units was really nice, but it was in a huge complex which I didn't love. I live in a big complex now, and while it's nice to feel kind of cloistered, it has its inconveniences as well. Plus, I really don't like carpet and all the places I saw on the West side had beige carpet. 

I also like the idea of living in an area which is in transition. The last few places I've lived went through major development while I was there - Red Hook Brooklyn and East Cambridge. It's exciting to see a neighborhood changing before your eyes, and NELA feels like a real community. Yesterday there was a street fair on York Street with local artists and vendors, kids and dogs running around, etc. What's not to love?

Chalk art

Yarn bombed bike rack

Househunter Los Angeles

Spring is in the air in Los Angeles. While it is pretty much 70 and sunny all the time, December-January had a somewhat "wintery" feel at night. Cooler temperatures, more rain and overcast skies...I know this is nothing compared to what my hometown of Boston is experiencing right now so I'll just be quiet. But this week I definitely felt a slight seasonal shift. Cherry blossom trees suddenly exploded with pink and white flowers, and I almost hit a hummingbird on my way to work! I didn't even know hummingbirds lived here!

With spring, comes real estate season. After spending a week at home in the cold, snowy climes of Boston, I realized I was ready to a.) never live another winter and b.) find a real home to settle down in. Originally I was planning to wait another year. I wanted to try renting somewhere on the West Side to try out a new neighborhood and test the commute. And who knew? Maybe I would start to hate LA like many people do. But after seeing all that snow back home, I decided I'm ready to take the plunge. Plus interest rates are at an all-time low, so if I buy now, I can afford more home than if I wait another year. 

So this weekend I checked out my first round of open houses. The housing market in LA is crazy right now. A house will go on the market one day and be gone the next. Prices are pretty outrageous depending on neighborhood, but at least you can get more for your money here. For instance $500K could get me a nice 2BR condo or house with decent amenities, whereas I don't think I could even find that in Brooklyn now.

Of the 8 places I saw this weekend, only 2 caught my fancy. And both demonstrate the decisions I need to start making:

1. Condo or house? Do I want to deal with maintenance? Or do I want to pay an HOA fee (which range from $300-400)
2. Urban or Suburban? Do I want to feel like I'm in the middle of the action? or do I want a private oasis away from the traffic, noise, and griminess of LA?
3. Beach or Mountains? This is the best part about LA. You can live close to beautiful beaches or have spectacular mountain views. The closer you get to the beach, the pricier it is.

The first place that I saw and liked was a brand new development in Eagle Rock - an up-and-coming neighborhood between other more up-and-arrived neighborhoods in Northeast LA. The interiors were gorgeous, spacious, and modern. And there is the option to design some of your own fixtures (at extra cost). And the price was right. BUT it was on a really busy 3-lane boulevard and next to a small freeway. So while it was perfect on the inside, once you step outside or even open a window, you feel like your on a highway. Puppy and I did not move to LA to stay inside.

The second place I saw was a charming cottage which needed some updating, but it was a private oasis with amazing mountain views and outdoor space. I actually liked the vintage kitchen since it suited the character of the space. And I could really picture myself kicking back and relaxing in front of my picture window with a glass of wine and Puppy on my lap. But it was a little on the high end of my price range considering it needed work, and it was on top of a mountain with very narrow streets. This doesn't affect me too much, but I think it would be tough for car-less visitors or roommates. It was also a bit further off the beaten path in Mt. Washington, which is next to the hip neighborhood of Highland Park.

Not bad for my first weekend though. Here's hoping I can find something inbetween these two to call home!