Tag Archives: househunting

A New Home Awaits Us in Summer 2018

Yet again, a few months or so without an update, and I have little in the way of an excuse except much like before, I’ve not been all that motivated to post.  Plenty of pictures have been taken and fun adventures enjoyed, but the days when I thought people read this site are over.   Yet I do enjoy having a log to look back at, and so with that in mind, a big ass life event is occurring:  Larry & I are buying a house!

Yep, we put a deposit down yesterday on a home that is getting built as we speak.  It’s in the community called TheGlenLA – you can visit their website here:   http://www.theglenla.com/.  It’s located in ‘The Valley’ which is a shock to both you and me as I’d never have guessed I’d buy a home there…but, when the price is right, you can get something new and to your liking, and you don’t have to spend a shitton of money to renovate it the way you really want it…it’s hard to sniff.  Happily, Valley Glen is right next to North Hollywood, close to Burbank, and just north of Ventura Boulevard, so there’s lots of cool things for us to do.

We’re buying the “Home Plan #2” version, which suits us really well.  It’s bigger than the #1 plan, but not as big as #3.  Normally I’d be like buy as much as you can afford, but the main variation in #3 is that there are 2 guest bedrooms and a Master on the bedroom floor rather than just one guest room.  For our needs, we really don’t need 2 guest rooms.  Anyway, here are the floor plans from the website:

Floor 1
2nd Floor
3rd Floor
Roof Deck

Here are some videos we took while walking through the model home of Plan #2 as well.  Marvel at how photogenic and magnetic we are on video!

Walking Through the 2nd Floor:

Walking Through the 3rd Floor:

Walking on the Roof Deck:

There is a lot of time between now and when we actually get to move in to the house.  Expectations are that we’ll move in around August 2018, meaning we’ll have to extend our lease at our apartment for another 6 months.  Not the worst thing, I guess.  Also will give us time to continue saving and increase our down payment.   As of now, we look to be able to hit 20% down which is a-freakin’-mazing.

Almost immediately, we will need to make some design decisions too!   That’s the cool part about this whole experience, as we can get it customized to how we want it.  Options of course cost money, but there are some things like flooring and electrical systems that make sense to get done the way we want now before having to rip apart walls later on.  The first appointment, for electrical, is this Friday!  CRAZY.

Anyway, here are some pictures we’ve taken from our various trips to the site.  Expect more pictures as we continue visiting the site and stress unnecessarily about things out of our control!

Possibly, Maybe

So owning a home in LA may take a few more years for us, so we’ve decided to look at apartments again.  Actually, today was a pretty cool day as we saw a few places in Glendale, and MAN, there was one that just blew us away over near the Americana area.  I think we’re going to go for it.  We spend so much time in that area of Glendale already it will just make sense to be right up in that scene.   And the amenities in this complex we’re looking at are just stunning.  It’s like a boutique hotel.  Anyway, stay tuned to this space to see if we end up going through with it!

Carless

We’re off to Vegas for a few days and my car is not around for the fun.  Joan’s about to get that terrible scratch removed and I’m optimistic about how wonderful she’ll look when I get her back at the end of the week!

Besides that though, not much else is going on. We are heading to Vegas to have some fun, bringing mom along and meeting up with Michancy while out there.

Yesterday we went to a few more open houses – these had a LOT of potential, with the first one that we went to a heavy favorite.  It’s a huge, open floor-plan in a great quiet neighborhood and close to amenities.  It’d be nice to be able to move on these but we’re not able to just yet.  And I think we’re both having nerves about actually putting our money where our dreams are….buying a house is a big and permanent step.  It’s not the “bigness” of the step that makes it daunting, it’s just such a big decision.    Here’s the house I think we both liked the most, from yesterday:

1132NeolaStIt really is a neat house though, and honestly what we’re looking for.  Again, this is all dreaming for the time being until some stuff gets taken care of on our end.  But it’s so NICE to dream.

Got the Time Now, So Why Not?

This horrific terrible no-good scratch on the back of Joan will not sit idly by and be ignored!  For no longer will this travesty against the beauty that is my Mazda 3 persist!

Okay, well, I did manage to tell myself mentally to ignore the scratch on the back of my car as it’s easy to ignore.  But now that I have both the time and the money to take care of it?  It’s time for you to go, Scratch.

Of course, I went to get an initial estimate from the body shop that my dealership uses and it’s going to be a smooth $850.  Insurance deductible is $500 so it’ll be $500 out of my pocket, but it’ll be worth it.  I’d rather fix it now and enjoy the smooth surfaces while I have this car as opposed to getting it fixed only right before I sell.   I swear to God though- if the fuckface who did this scratch does it again….there will be blood.

And it’s time to pour one out for the home I was soooo ready to picture ourselves in:  Roderick Ave, you had a nice place in my future plans, but alas, someone else who had eyes also wanted you and was willing to pay $106K MORE than asking price.  GEEZ LOUISE.

Visited by Fran and Other Photo Stories

Fran made a Los Angeles visit at precisely the right time, as she was able to be out here while the pretty intense snowstorm / blizzard went on back east.  That storm didn’t end up dumping a ton of snow on NYC and New Jersey but it definitely hit Boston and New England pretty hard.  She was originally due to go home on Monday but because of the storm, she was delayed until today.  I’m glad that she had the chance to stay longer as I really thought she was going to anyway?   I’m posting the pics from the visit that I took below – the last few days we didn’t really take many pics, but what can you do?  Below these Fran pics, I am also posting some random photos that apparently I’ve neglected to post from things like going to the Pantages with mom to see Wicked and the Broad City Season 2 Premiere Party we hosted two weeks ago.  So lazy of me!

22 Jan 2015 – Fran’s Arrival / Dinner at the Dresden

Larry picked Fran up at the airport and took her to a few places before I got home from work, so I don’t have pics from their endeavors going to a bagel place and walking around Sunset Junction.  But I did get the photos going once I got home and then when we went to the Dresden for a fantastic dinner.  It’s still surprising how good the food is while also being very decently priced.

22-Jan-2015 17:22, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 10.591mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 400
22-Jan-2015 20:00, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 800
22-Jan-2015 20:00, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 800
 

23 Jan 2015 – At the Grove

I was working this day so I entrusted my camera to Larry so he would take pictures.  He actually did good!  They visited Fran’s cousin Kathy over at the Grove in West LA and by all accounts had a memorable time.  When they got back, and when I was at home, we walked over to Esperanza, the restaurant right up Hyperion from here.

23-Jan-2015 12:04, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 200
23-Jan-2015 12:07, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 400
23-Jan-2015 12:09, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
 
23-Jan-2015 12:10, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
23-Jan-2015 13:59, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.5, 6.699mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
23-Jan-2015 13:59, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.5, 6.699mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
 
23-Jan-2015 13:59, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.5, 6.699mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
23-Jan-2015 14:00, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.5, 6.699mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
23-Jan-2015 18:23, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 2000
 
23-Jan-2015 18:24, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 1000
23-Jan-2015 18:25, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 2000
23-Jan-2015 18:25, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 2000
 

24 Jan 2015 – Universal Studios day!

Fran hadn’t been to Universal Studios since the 1970s (or so she claimed!) and was excited to get a chance to go again and see how different it looks now.  It was a perfect day to do this as the weather was spectacular.   We made it to pretty much all the attractions, with Fran being a true sport and getting on everything.  We didn’t make it to the Simpsons Ride, but that’s fine.  We got on the Studio Tour which was entertaining as hell and slightly different than other times I’ve been on it – it seems that’s the case for every time you go on it that it will be slightly different.  Also went on Minion Mayhem, Shrek 4D, ate at Mel’s Diner for lunch, then down to the Lower Lot for Jurassic Park (Fran loved that ride), then The Mummy (she wasn’t such a fan of that, understandably), and Transformers The Ride, which had been closed all day but suddenly reopened while we were killing time in the museum.  We also watched the Waterworld Stunt Show and that was pretty damn cool!  After that it was a good time to go home, and after resting a bit, we went out for some delicious dumplings at Dim Tai Fung at Americana.  Very full day.

24-Jan-2015 09:17, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 11.0, 4.5mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 160
24-Jan-2015 09:17, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 11.0, 5.35mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 200
24-Jan-2015 09:18, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.5, 7.549mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
 
24-Jan-2015 09:19, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.5, 7.549mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 160
24-Jan-2015 09:27, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 10.591mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 160
24-Jan-2015 09:27, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 6.319mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 200
 
24-Jan-2015 09:27, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 6.319mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100
24-Jan-2015 09:27, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 6.319mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
24-Jan-2015 09:28, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.6, 18.691mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
 
24-Jan-2015 09:28, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.5, 7.549mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
24-Jan-2015 09:29, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 200
24-Jan-2015 09:29, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200
 
24-Jan-2015 09:30, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100
24-Jan-2015 09:30, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.5, 7.325mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100
24-Jan-2015 09:33, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200
 

25 Jan 2015 – Day of Open Houses

We had a nice Sunday Brunch at Edendale before spending the following 3 hours going all over Glassell Park, Mt Washington, Highland Park, Burbank, North Hollywood and then Los Feliz/Silver Lake to look at Open Houses I’d found on Trulia.  There were some very great houses that are actually kind of within our price range, including the following (you can click on the images below and the Trulia page for the listing will pop up in a new window):

3651RoderickI think I liked this one the absolute most.  It wasn’t especially huge, but it’s been gorgeously finished and the price is much more right than others I’ve lusted for previously.  It’s actually very much in the price range I’m looking at.  The views are stunning and the location is pretty awesome.  If this sticks around on the market until February or so, I may have to think seriously about this one.  Also other things have to line up too, but I’m counting on things working out for the best.

There was another house we saw amongst the 7 that I also loved.  This one was in Burbank and is just stunning.  Not as affordable as the one above, and the bathroom situation is a little janky (the master bedroom’s bathroom is a 1/2 bathroom, while the guest bathroom is the only full one), but still….everything else about this is just amazing.  The neighborhood in Burbank is also pretty great.

1320WOakThe others we saw were okay but nothing to really freak out about and post screenshots of!  It’s exhausting driving around town though – at the end we were trying to find this condo development in Silver Lake and the address was COMPLETELY wrong on Trulia, as it sent us on to Edendale Dr.  I think Edendale Dr may be the most steep fucking street I’ve ever been on.  It was frightening.   Anyway, we weren’t too adventurous about dinner that night so we went up to Barbarella.  They’re going to be converting their Lago Pizzeria section into a BBQ joint in a week or two.  Larry & I are really looking forward to seeing how good the food is.

25-Jan-2015 11:11, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 2.65mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 32
25-Jan-2015 11:11, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 32
25-Jan-2015 11:11, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 32
 
25-Jan-2015 11:12, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 32
25-Jan-2015 11:13, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 32
25-Jan-2015 19:00, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 500
 
25-Jan-2015 19:05, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 2000
25-Jan-2015 19:06, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 2000
 

The last two nights (Monday & Tuesday), we’ve kind of kept things pretty simple.  Monday was a rainy day and we went to Target during the day (exciting!) and for dinner, we made it back to the Morrison.  Also got Larry to see Fiddler on the Roof and he loved it, as he should.  Such a good movie!   Yesterday I went to work but when I got back in the afternoon, we had dinner at Cafe Beaujolais where we went for my birthday.  REALLY good French food.  Le sigh.

Fran left this morning to go back home.  It was a wonderful visit and it was nice for her to be here during this kind of stressful time, and I know Larry loved getting to see his mom.  Hopefully we’ll be back east sooner than later to see the whole extended family.

In Other News!

I realize that I’ve been derelict in my duties concerning posting pictures from other festivities.  In all honesty, it’s been a fairly hectic January in that every weekend, we’ve had something planned to do.  That’s a nice thing but it’s also an exhausting thing.  It also means I get a little backed up in posting pictures!

10 Jan 2015 – Wicked at the Pantages

First up is that Larry and I took my mom to go see Wicked at the Pantages the day before we went off on our Disneyland 2-day trip.  I had only seen Wicked on my birthday back in 2007 when I first moved to New Jersey.  That time, I went with my roommate Shelly and it was a lot of fun.  I can’t say the musical blew me away and I won’t say much different about it now, but it really is an entertaining show.  The big numbers like “Popular”, “Defying Gravity”, and “Something Good” knock you out and are worthy of all the praise.  It’s just that the rest of the songs are fairly meh, at least to me.  The actual plot of the musical is fantastic though and that’s what keeps you interested.  It’s fun to see how the threads of the movie start popping up in the show.  It was also cool that Madame Morrible was played by Kim Zimmer, who my mom and I both know from her days as playing Reva Shayne in Guiding Light, the now-cancelled yet extremely long-running daytime soap that was on CBS.  She was wonderful in the role.  The woman playing Galinda was absolutely killing it too – her comedic timing was pitch-perfect.  “Defying Gravity’ is still stunning as the Act I ending.  I’m glad to have gotten a chance to see it again.  One day soon I’ll re-evaluate my rankings of Broadway shows to consider this as well as all the new shows seen since my last iteration.

10-Jan-2015 13:17, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 11.272mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 160
10-Jan-2015 13:17, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.5, 9.07mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 125
10-Jan-2015 13:18, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
 
10-Jan-2015 13:24, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 800
10-Jan-2015 13:24, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 400
10-Jan-2015 13:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1250
 
10-Jan-2015 13:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.5mm
10-Jan-2015 13:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
10-Jan-2015 13:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
 
10-Jan-2015 13:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
10-Jan-2015 13:37, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
10-Jan-2015 13:38, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 15.939mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 1600
 
10-Jan-2015 13:39, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 14.96mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
 

14 Jan 2015 – Broad City Season 2 Premiere Party!

The return of Broad City is always a reason to celebrate, so we did!  We had a special guest in the form of Rekha, who had been out here to do some project turnover with Nicki while also visiting family.  Additionally, everyone came over and it was wonderful.   Best thing was that Broad City came back very strong and was ridiculously good and funny.  Here’s hoping to a continued strong sophomore season.

14-Jan-2015 19:04, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 500
14-Jan-2015 19:04, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 500
14-Jan-2015 19:18, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 500
 
14-Jan-2015 19:18, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 800
14-Jan-2015 19:18, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 640
14-Jan-2015 19:34, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.059 sec, ISO 250
 
14-Jan-2015 19:43, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 250
14-Jan-2015 19:43, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.042 sec, ISO 250
14-Jan-2015 19:49, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 500
 
14-Jan-2015 19:49, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 500
14-Jan-2015 19:51, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 500
14-Jan-2015 19:51, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 500
 
14-Jan-2015 20:39, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 500
14-Jan-2015 20:39, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 250
14-Jan-2015 20:39, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 400
 

Alright, I think that’s everything.  Like I said, January has been nuts and I’m hoping that things calm down and resolve themselves soon in February.  That would be great.  Also great?  If we can find a new place to call home, especially one that is something we buy.  I’d love the hell out of that.  Anyway, first things first.  Crossing fingers for a fabulous February.