The dude and I went to visit this home for its open house on Sunday. In my mind, we were just going to scope it out, not so seriously, but as we rounded every built-in planter, metallic wallpaper clad bathroom, or wood-paneled built in bar – well, I fell deeper and deeper in love. Now I’m all wanty.
One of the coolest offerings, this midcentury ranch style home backs right up to a trailhead that leads through the Santa Monica Mountains and right up into Topanga State Park. I can really get down with the idea of hitting the side yard for a 6 mile hike. Its packing a ton of atomic quirk that I’m super into, but I think Heffe gives it the side-eye as he counts up the renovation dollars. He is always so stoic and he is almost always so right. As much as I think I’d like to live with grasscloth wallpaper that is still in tact from 1956, truth of the matter – I really want to update. I immediately start making exceptions in my mind when I see something that I like, and since this home is at the tippy top (actually it’s over) a newly established budget amount, I’m trying to pretend like it’s move-in ready and we don’t have to replace the museum worthy pink oven and stove, like immediately.
But, the great thing about viewing this home is the new hope that I feel – that the giant sleepy market may slowly be awaking from it’s long holiday nap, and soon there will be interesting homes available for us to consider. We have a new budget amount and a new resolve to stick it out Westside. Now that I’m growing more and more familiar with the Palisades, I’m finding that it has every bit to offer us that Altadena appeared to have (albeit at twice the price.)
If we can find something similar to this classic midcentury at the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains, something that is either a little lower on the budget spectrum, or a little higher on the actual move-in ready-o-meter…. well, maybe we’ll finally have found our dream after all.
The pink stove is not ok, the less than impressive exterior is also not ok. The location is great obviously. I say bust the bank for the more move in ready Pacific Palisades home that needs very little.
The pink stove even had a sign on it that read “Do not use the far left burner… EVER!!!!”
So, yeah, def not ok. I also agree that the exterior isn’t full of crazy charm, but I didn’t even think about it too much b/c I want to live by a hiking trail head so bad that it makes me blind to charm.
I don’t think anyone is going to pull the trigger here, but man it was a really fun one to visit. This one needs work AND it busts the bank. I’m holding my breath for the right thing. It’ll come eventually, right?