Our house hunting journey over the last month can only be summarized as a cross between two of my favorite TV Shows..."Say Yes to the Dress" and "House Hunters"
In "Say Yes to the Dress" brides go to Kleinfeld's in NYC to hunt for their perfect bridal gowns. Most brides have to try on countless dresses... the good, the bad, and the ugly, before coming upon "THE" dress. They have their "aha" moment, tears flow and the fairytale journey ends.
On House Hunters, the couple look at several homes all of which have "pros" and "cons". At the end of the 1/2 hour show the couple have to determine which home they will purchase.
Over the last 3 weeks, I have come to the conclusion that searching for a home to rent in the greater Los Angeles area is much like searching for the perfect wedding dress. You have to see a lot of properties to have your "aha" moment. Some homes are plain, some are ornate, some are on the low side of the budget and it is NEVER a good idea to see a home that is out of your price point. As what happens on the TV show, the bride will ultimately fall in love with the unattainable dress and walk away discouraged and heartbroken.
House hunting for a RENTAL, not even for a purchase, has been all of the above things... we must have seen over 30 homes and competition is fierce! Who would have known that in L.A. there are bidding wars on rentals?? Most people can't afford the outrageous home prices out here for a home, so costs of rentals are at a premium. The first home we saw was a nightmare.. NOT what we expected and not a place I would ever consider living in. When we walked out my son turned to me and said, "That place was bad to the bones!" And it was. Lesson learned... ALWAYS do a drive by of a property before scheduling an appointment to see it. Pictures can be deceiving and you never know if the surrounding area is good or not. It may be a McMansion with a shack next door to it. Another townhome we saw was perfect! It was modern with tons of space and storage and could easily accommodate all of our things. It was priced right, but was in the wrong part of town..even though it was gated, there was no way we were going to live in that neighborhood.
In the end, much like on the show House Hunters, we had to choose between two homes... the dream 3 story beach townhouse that had ocean views, a modern floor plan, a HUGE kitchen, but an awkward layout and not enough space for all of our furniture which meant we'd have to pay for storage. Option 1 was what I think everyone would expect to see when coming to visit us in CA. Totally unlike anything we've ever lived in.
Option 2 was a single family, older ranch home with a huge living room, new carpets, small kitchen and small bedrooms. It fit our needs as far as space, but could use some updating. The home itself was in great condition, in the school district we wanted.
In the end we said "yes" to Option 2 and are so glad we did. Although an older home, I am sure we are going to have no problem putting our stamp on it while we rent it. It's in a great neighborhood located 2 miles from the beach and 2 miles from great shopping and 5 short blocks from Chris' new school.
So thankful to God for helping us through this often tiresome experience and leading us to the home we know he had meant for us.
