- 2 days ago
House Hunters S263E04 - Full
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00:00all the arches I love it Chuck and David have been living in Palm Springs
00:05waiting for the market to cool off in Los Angeles so they can buy there I
00:09really really can't wait to live by the beach this is beautiful David's ready
00:15for the beach lifestyle and doesn't mind trading off size for location I mean
00:19the beaches are backyard it's tiny Chuck would rather buy inland where they get
00:25more house for less including a big kitchen for his food blogging closer to
00:30the beach we never have this space again oh my god have you seen that range so far
00:35I'm in love but they're in for a wake-up call since LA prices are still as
00:40competitive as ever these are getting smaller and smaller I'm fine living with
00:44this but it's expensive
00:55so excited what we found at the market today I'm a cook and a director of inventory management at a
01:09specialty retailer and I'm an executive for a wealth management company all right we met 22
01:15years ago I walked into a department store to get a pair of pants and then I walked
01:19out with David's phone number so we got married two years ago we love adventure there's always
01:24something new to discover Charles and I have been called serial movers we both grew up in Quebec in
01:30Canada and then we moved to Ohio New York City San Francisco then we bought a home in Berkeley
01:36we're currently living in Palm Springs and now we want to have something on the coast we intend to
01:42keep this place in Palm Springs but we'll spend the majority of our time on the coast for sure I'm so
01:47excited living by the beach I know and being able to just take a glass of wine and watch the sunset
01:53we have friends in the Santa Monica area we started our journey looking for a home in LA three years
01:59ago however this is when the interest rate spiked and now it's not as hot of a market so really excited
02:06to resume this search at this point and I hope we can find a home that is on the beach and if it's not
02:12on the beach just a few blocks away I'm fine having a condo considering that having something right next to
02:18the beach will likely not be a single family home I agree but in the price point we're in I'm afraid
02:24we're gonna end up in a shoebox like I don't think we can be this close to the beach with our budget I
02:28think we can go all the way up to 1.4 maybe slightly above that I want a real beach lifestyle so I'd love to
02:35learn how to surf I could see myself going every morning I'm really more comfortable closer to a million
02:41I think that we should you know keep the savings the way they are I would say I am definitely the
02:47most practical one in our relationship and I have very very high standards I just pick whatever I want
02:53and and he will very often ask how much did it cost I don't even know what about just venturing out a
03:00bit more and get more space and as we think of a lower price point as we get closer to a million that
03:05leaves us so much more money to do cosmetic and structural upgrades I don't want that big of a project
03:10but I'm fine with cosmetic remodeling when we renovated our house I was in the Berkeley area it was
03:16terrible and not only did we have water intrusion issue everything needed to really be remodeled I'm
03:22fine tackling on a bigger project so what's important to me is that we have this space to
03:26entertain we love having people over we absolutely need two bedrooms but our remote working arrangement
03:32will need space to work yeah second bedroom could be an office and a guest bedroom I'm thinking clean
03:38minimalistic I want everything to be sleek that works what about my gourmet kitchen aspiration and
03:44my food blog something that really photographs well a gas range is essential for me through my blog I
03:50love to take food photo with different backgrounds it's really important to me that we have a nice
03:54spacious kitchen you remember this trip we took to Santa Barbara how gorgeous the houses were I have this in
04:00mind like Mediterranean looking I really want mid-century modern if we can get one I think our real estate agent
04:06Mike's going to be able to help us with that and I think that on top of being our real estate agent
04:10he's probably going to end up being our therapist that's very true
04:13but I'm very excited about spending a week here in LA just reconnect with our friends vacation oh wow I
04:25really really can't wait to live by the beach this is beautiful I'm sure you're going to be able to buy
04:30a surfboard on this little strip oh I'm sure yes and it's what four blocks away from the beach yeah that
04:37is prime location yes so the price point was definitely of interest to me I'm just concerned
04:42about the square footage in the space hey Mike hey Chuck how was the driver we drove in last night oh yeah
04:52mm-hmm we're staying at a friend's house I know Chuck you were looking for more of a Santa Barbara kind
04:57of Mediterranean vibe but it is retro 60s not too far from mid-century modern so it's not that bad you
05:04know I've been working with Chuck and David for quite a while it's competitive over here to find
05:08something in their price point under one four you know close to the beach you know and something
05:14that's palatial the way Charles is looking for it's a challenge I think this is a great option because
05:19you're four blocks from the beach it's been remodeled recently there is an HOA it's 500 a month
05:24oh this feels crowded I understand what you're saying it you know it feels a little bit crowded
05:34however it is two stories so let's go into this bedroom first it's kind of more of a guest bedroom
05:41you know office maybe for you guys reads dark it's not that big but it can accommodate probably pull out
05:47couch little desk in the corner here well you know me I love real material I don't think that I can live
05:54with fake wood yeah what material is this Mike yeah it's actually laminate it is white oak that I like
06:01the color you have a full back here has a newer vanity lighting it does seem it was remodeled but
06:08not exactly what we're looking for although it's not even real wood is this the primary bathroom it's
06:14tiny it is do you think there would be a way to make this bigger maybe by just pushing this wall in
06:21the other room we could see if there's maybe some space I'm not in for a very big project but right
06:27so the primary you can see a little bit bigger you get a bit more light here it it feels like oh wow
06:34that's a big walk-in closet well I think that we could extend the bathroom with this wall I'm not
06:40sure I'm on board with that but that could make it work let's go upstairs and take a look okay
06:45you do have a little bit of a balcony out there is that all there is in terms of entertaining space
06:55yes there is well I think for city living it's kind of big so maybe there's some sort of a big
07:01you know l-shape sectional couch kind of a leather laid-back surf vibe we'll be out and about the beach
07:10it's going to be our backyard I just wish it was larger that there was an rooftop or just more space
07:16outdoor and then the kitchen Charles it has been remodeled it's not exactly you know premium kind of
07:23material I like the color but I don't like that it's I call it fake wood let's address the elephant in
07:29the room the range no gas and do you know if it's possible to add gas I always want to recommend operate as
07:37that that's gonna be what it is this is this is the main issue to me I wish this was gas and I've
07:43never cooked with induction it's sort of interesting if I would have remodeled that myself like this I
07:48would have just extended this this way so that you enter like coming from the dining area because
07:54then you want the kitchen to open up to the dining area not to the living area do you have an additional
07:59hot bath oh so we don't have a full bath for our guests right but I can see the value in creating
08:07this the taking the space and creating a stem stem shower I think that would work great nice value
08:13add once again that would be a project I know you were not down for a renovation if we wouldn't move
08:18just a little bit further away from the beach we wouldn't have to deal with any of that yeah it's
08:23definitely something to think about I mean the beach is our backyard cue that the location is
08:29excellent but the range you know I really wanted a guest cooked up and that's not the case and when we
08:34begin this search I didn't picture myself in a you know thousand square feet and some change townhouse
08:39yes in a great location but I still want us to consider the opportunity of being a bit more
08:44inland and getting a nicer and larger space so they see a larger place more inland but there's a surprise
08:52this is not necessarily something that I was expecting I think it's been a long drive and I
09:03think we're very far from the beach I would agree but we're also looking at the larger home today
09:10Chuck and David are headed inland to century city to see a spacious townhouse but also at one too it would
09:17need to be moving ready for me turnkey oh here's the building I have the code from Mike so let me get
09:24into parking oh pretty landscaping look at the palm trees hey guys hey Mike I think this looks good
09:36I know we're a little bit further from the beach however it is only 20 minutes and we're super centrally
09:42located quick access to Beverly Hills the century city mall townhouse style so it's a little bit
09:48larger 1800 square feet homeowners dues are 675 let's come on it so when you first enter you'll see you
10:00got a half bathroom here huge advantage to have oh yeah needs some remodeling right minor it's kind of
10:08strange didn't carry the wood all the way to the hallway yeah that's right let's go take a look at
10:13the bedroom downstairs now this is great for the guest setup or you can use it as an additional office
10:20space in suite bathroom oh wow okay this is spacious it's a full bath forget that too large two large
10:29closets and they have their own living space and it's not even on the same floor as our primary yeah I
10:35would definitely remove the carpet yes I would rather have hardwood floor or tiles but again
10:40we're in a higher price point so this is not necessarily something that I was expecting that
10:45we would need to redo all the floors I'd probably change the carpet too which would probably brighten
10:50up the well I think the unit as well so Charles I'm really excited to see what you think about this
10:55kitchen here you're gonna see that there is a ton of counter space and a gas range exactly the double
11:01oven like this is a dream it's really large I really appreciate the counter space for cooking
11:07projects and stuff this range hood is very futuristic I've rarely seen one like this oh okay you know not
11:18my first choice of material but you know I can live with that same with that aesthetic like I'm not overly
11:23crazy crazy with it but you know it's looking more you know mid-century contemporary this reads
11:29more like a traditional kitchen not very mediterranean no let's take a look at the living space see what
11:35you guys think it's spacious it's nice everything's open looking at the balcony you know we're far from
11:42the beach here and that's all we have in terms of outdoor space it is
11:46okay okay lots of light it's a large primary bedroom feels separate from the rest of the of the house I love it
11:58yeah it's its own little enclave right yeah I like that storage is really super size here all right so two
12:05closets oh wow and organized okay that's actually very well done a full bath separate bath and shower closer to the beach we
12:15never have this space double vanity is a big plus once again a lot of potential I think with the
12:21right amount of work this could be an outstanding bathroom so what did you guys think large space for
12:27sure good floor plan I I think the kitchen is great I like the layout the gas range was important to me
12:35so and I love the open floor plan but at this price point I would have expected that everything would
12:41be pretty much turnkey but I think it's fixable it's probably just repainting the floors are too
12:47dark maybe we we sand and restain yeah restain but it is far away from the beach but in our day-to-day
12:54life would our quality of life be better because this floor plan is more spacious when we have guests
12:59they have their own space I love the bathroom they have in there I don't know that I can get over how
13:03far it is from the beach so it's back to the beach with something turnkey and mediterranean
13:11but there's a catch well how far away from LA are we that scares me a little bit
13:25I'm taking you guys to Long Beach today because it's so important to see what other communities offer
13:31as far as the value we are looking at something that's a single-family home that's super exciting
13:36I love this it is an incredible house it is within your budget and it's about four blocks from the
13:42beach so how far away from LA are we oh we're about in about 40 minutes to an hour depending on the traffic
13:49okay so that scared me a little bit a house like this if we were to go in Santa Monica talking about over
13:55two million dollars it's pretty incredible and it's completely redone it looks fantastic yeah
14:08wow I'm super mediterranean I love it and I love the front yard too look at the fire pit it's a
14:15single-family home I can see the beach at the end of the street I love this I'm gonna go get the key
14:21and then we go take a look inside now you're easing me into the 1349 price point Mike I feel
14:25I'm in Santa Barbara wow pretty awesome oh I love the door the front door looks great wow all the
14:32arches I love it and a big fireplace oh it's great I like the concrete finish of it it's very well done
14:41what do you think of the floor it looks good yes but I like the color this is moving ready there's
14:46nothing to do awesome you just bring your furniture and that's it this is great for parties we can oh
14:52my god have you seen that range this is the mother of all gas ranges Mike amazing there's eight burners
15:01and a double oven oh my god this is great oh and a wine fridge that's very nice space on the counter
15:08is great or I could totally see myself using this as proc for when I do my food blogging this is perfect
15:15so far I'm in love all right so that's the primary yes okay nice but it's a little on the smaller side
15:25yeah it's on the small side if we want to have a little desk it's probably not a king bed right
15:31it's probably more of a queen let's have a look at the half bath yeah okay but I wish it would have
15:36been a full bath but I wish it had a shower at the minimum but in this situation we're at the top of
15:43the budget already so I wouldn't want to spend more money making this into a full bath you have
15:48the full bath right across the way okay that's a big shower yeah so this is the only bathroom so
15:56think about this we have guests we need to share the shower it's one space for everyone not ideal yeah
16:03yeah okay well that's another small bedroom things are getting smaller and smaller I know
16:11is that a murphy bed what is that oh it is a murphy bed okay oh okay that's good that's convenient
16:18very convenient great use of space yes no that's clever yeah okay let's go take a look at the backyard
16:25wow wow and steam private I love the awning this is great could do like an outdoor dining situation
16:33here have the grill kind of a dining pavilion indoor outdoor entertaining I want to show you this yeah
16:39I was curious no way another wine fridge haha this is so cool okay you know I feel you've worked some
16:46like voodoo magic here an eight burner range two wine storage areas sometimes you just get lucky
16:53all right now that we've seen the full house what are you guys thoughts like this whole living area
17:01is gorgeous right this kitchen is exceeding all expectations this is a single family house it's
17:09I think just that in itself we're not sharing any walls I love that I obviously love that the beach
17:15is close by I'm at that price point in LA we'll never be able to find this but we're getting like
17:19higher-end appliances higher-end finishes granted this comes also with the cost of having smaller
17:25bedrooms and also like only having one full bathroom and I just think that the secondary bedroom setup if
17:32we constantly have people coming in wanting to enjoy the beach us entertaining them is not ideal
17:38I'm fine living with this but it's expensive I think this is still fine for us it's a good option for
17:45the price point it seems to be moving ready I'm uncomfortable like going this high I think this
17:50is one that we seriously need to think about
18:01can you get some cups please yep Chuck and David are finally buying in Los Angeles after three years
18:06of waiting on the market but now they can't agree on where okay so why don't we talk about the modern
18:12beach townhouse in Santa Monica it's the best location of the three options by far four blocks
18:19away from the beach I thought it was small bathrooms are tiny there's only one vanity in the primary bath
18:28and I'm sure you remember like how upset I was that was the only house that didn't have a gas range
18:34I was definitely not looking for a project we would redo the primary bathroom we would want to probably
18:40convert that powder room into a full bath then you know I'm always ready to take on a project and
18:45it's at a million dollar which is where I was hoping we would land the townhome in century city
18:53that had two and a half baths and it was you know almost twice the size of that home space is great for
19:00entertaining you get a lot of square footage for your for your money on the flip side that looks far from
19:06the beach 20 minutes we would really need to do some cosmetic remodeling for it to really be closer to
19:11what we were both looking for on the flip side that house was 1229 which is you know lower than the
19:17mediterranean beach home at the same time but it's the only single family home we visited that looked
19:25great I love the kitchen in that house the eight burner range the finishes were beautiful great flow for
19:32entertaining and that kitchen island was a dream but it's only one and a half bath and at 1349 I'm
19:38definitely like pushing myself to the top of the bracket I'm personally comfortable with you know
19:43whatever price point as long as it's the right house for both of us so we have a lot to think
19:48true to come up to the right decision
20:01I'm really excited to redo everything to like nicer standard that really will elevate the look and feel
20:06of the entire unit we picked the santa monica beach townhouse we picked this house because of the
20:12location and as I said before I love a nice remodel project so that really got me on board I didn't want
20:18to do a big remodeling project however for this house I'm willing to do it because it's the perfect
20:24location this house is four blocks away from the beach it's a five minute little walk I think we
20:30should have a little get together with all of our friends yeah no I love that idea this property was
20:35listed at 999 and Mike was able to negotiate it down to 947 being price conscious I feel even better to
20:43add this extra money to the renovation look who's here hi hey guys thank you so much for coming how
20:51are you the plan is a complete remodel we're going to begin with the structural electrical transforming
20:57this half bath into a full bathroom we want to upgrade the primary bathroom as well unfortunately we
21:03cannot run gas in the building so this whole idea of having a gas range is out the window however we
21:08will be remodeling the kitchen so hopefully it's going to be a good kitchen for him and Chuck and
21:12I have been now wanting to do what we've talked about is maybe it's just a separate island well not
21:18separate maybe it's an extension this side as opposed to having it here it feels amazing that we finally
21:25found a home right next to the beach in the LA area
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