Why does the proverbial grass ALWAYS look greener on the other side! Why must I always be looking to complicate my life?
I have unequivocally wanted a Historical Home. Preferably a Victorian.
In my Pursuit of a Historical Home, it’s interesting how opportunity has a strange way of knocking when you least expect it.
I’ve been living in the San Fernando Valley for about 3 years now.
I was sucked into how much home and land you could get for your money in the valley. It is an upscale neighborhood, very private, hence, I never really see my neighbors.
It is lonely.
My home sits on a 1/4 acre lot with lush landscaping and a large, sparkling pool.
Sounds like the California dream, right?
Do you know how much it costs to keep a pool???
in LOS ANGELES?
In the face of WATER RESTRICTION?
And let’s not forget that I am not getting any younger, therefore, trying to maintain a quarter of an acre is exhausting.
Yes, I have the mandatory gardener whose primary job is to mow and blow, but I am restricted to a designated portion of the yard that his services cover. That means a lot of work for me, UGH!
(OK, I know, those of you who live outside of the city of L.A. are laughing at my reference to a 1/4 acre, but in my old neighborhood, lots average about 5000 to 6000 square feet.)
I was considering moving out of the state. There are amazing historical homes available for very little money.
Sounds good to me! Look at the square footage on some of these beauties!
5,128 Square feet for less than 400k? Not in Los Angeles!
Look at this adorable house. 4000 sq feet for 191k? HUH? I wish!
This was one of the homes I almost put an offer on. It won awards for it’s incredibly charming porch. The home was completely redone. It was perfect and walking distance to the Erie Canal. I loved it!
My plans were to move back East to be with family, where I had this fantasy of opening up a bed & breakfast in an old Victorian home…like this one below.
Thus enabling me to bestow my charms on all of the guests and dazzle them with my hospitality.
Small Town USA B & B on Main St. (of course), in Cooperstown, NY
And so, I was a victim of watching too many movies on the Hallmark channel.
Thanks MOM!
I was longing for that small town USA community.
Thank you Hallmark Channel!
This all sounds great
In Theory…but…
I NEEDED A REALITY CHECK!
I needed a PLAN!
Mom had a lot to say about this.
She was known to let little pearls of wisdom escape her lips.
It went something like this:
“Please DON’T move to New York!”
Why not mom?
“You WON’T like it”
Why not mom?
“It’s COLD”
Yes?
“Your family is HERE!”
Ok
“It’s REALLY cold!”
Got it!
In addition, this little gem, WHICH REALLY GOT ME THINKING:
“Don’t move to be near your children…they will just end up moving away from you and then you will be ALONE!”
OUCH! Hmmm, ok mom…
thanks for that LAST little pearl.
Good to know…yes, darn it, you are ALWAYS RIGHT, Argh…now what?
I am a California girl, born and raised, therefore, California is in my blood. No matter what, you just can’t take it out of this girl.
So Many Historical Homes In Los Angeles
I had done many searches for homes in New York and even follow a great website, “Old House Dreams”, however, I never thought to just do a more specific search for my area.
A simple little keyword typed into a real estate search engine for Los Angeles changed everything!
“VICTORIAN”
Imagine that!
I hit enter….BOOM! Many Victorian homes in Los Angeles popped up. Some were incredibly expensive.
Certainly out of my price range!
Does my dream to stay in Los Angeles and own a Historical Home die here?
NO WAY!!!
Amazingly, 2 popped up in San Pedro, CA., an area I had been interested in.
OMG! What??? Really? Holy cow!
Both homes were pending sale. One was out of my price range, however, 1 was below my price range…and she was a Queen Anne.
Be still my heart!
But…she’s pending! Now What?
Why do I always miss out on these opportunities?
But wait! Tiny print at the end of the listing description: “Subject to Court Confirmation AND Overbid”
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN???
It means I still had a chance..and consequently, so began one of the longest probate sales! Read about my Challenging PROBATE SALE soon (check back).
Find out about My First meeting With The Queen.
Spoiler alert: SHE IS MINE!
