Perfect. Let's go.
Home Tour #501
(I exaggerate, but it feels like 501 by now)
We should have known something was off when we walked in the door, and we were greeted by an elderly lady with pink hair. She was the owner. The first thing she tells Tim and I is that she needs to explain a couple of things to us..... Okaaaaay. We hestitantly follow her to the master bedroom. I am afraid. Are you afraid? I am afraid noticing along the way that every wall in the condo is painted some dark color of purple, grey, or navy blue. We arrive at the master bedroom. Four of us line up single file and enter behind the owner. She holds out some ropes tied to the wall near the bed.
"These are for pilates," she says.
We took her word for it. I do pilates and well..... 'nuff said.
We file back out of the master bedroom noticing now that every room had different flooring in it- hardwood, tile, marble, travertine, but was hard to see it clearly because it was so dark in the place. The owner opens the door to the second bedroom. We are hit with blinding light, and suddenly realize where they were hiding it!
As soon as our eyes adjust, we realize how small the room is. I have honestly seen closets bigger than it. The lady asks us all to stay outside the door and she walks up to the wall and pulls it down. Out from the wall pops a murphy bed. The owner is now standing flush against one side of room and the bed is now literally the entire room- it was a bedroom. No doubt.
Awesome.
We left.
****
Home Tour #10,000(We get around)
The MLS listing advertised that this condo had an ocean view. Because Tim and I recognized the building from our long walks in Palisades Park, we were super excited about this one. We love the ocean view from that park.
After Tim found a miraculous parking spot on 2nd street and then pulled a mind-boggling move to squeeze into the space with an inch on each side to spare, we walked three block to the front of the building.
Now, I don't know when the building was built, but it smelled like 1960. Don't ask me how I know what 1960 smelled like. I am well aware of my age, but it smelled like 1960.
We took the creaky elevator ride to the 3rd floor. Creaky elevator and smells aside, the third floor was a good sign. Coming out of the elevator, Tim and I turned right heading towards the beach side of the building. Our agent stopped us.
"Oh... no no no ... The unit is this way." She motioned toward the back end of the building where all the light in Santa Monica seemed to die. I looked at the listing again to make sure it really said "ocean view".
The agent opens the door and the first thing we see is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, half- million- dollar-view of the alley and crappy condos on first street. Tim and I walked toward the only light we could find in the place - the balcony. One at a time, we each took turns stepping out onto the ledge and seeing the "ocean view". Wow.
We decided to see the bedrooms for the heck of it. While the agent and I viewed the three-quarter bathroom that you could barely fit three quarters into, I hear Tim's voice come from the guest bedroom.
"I like this place."
"What?" The agent and I say at that same time and walk down the hallway to make sure it was really Tim that utter those words. We walk into the bedroom to find Tim with his cheek pressed against the window glass and one eye closed.
"Yeah, I can just see my father coming to visiting from Florida. 'Hi Dad, you can stay with us. We'll give you the room with the ocean view. Just close one eye and lean into the window."
Along with the fact that we can't fit a bed in the bedroom, the agent and I began to laugh so hard we were near tears.
I'll close with a proverb for the Home Buyer:
"Buying a house is like kind of like adopting a dog..... they don't tell you that it's been shot a few times until you get there and are wondering why it looks like that."- direct quote from my husband.
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