apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

wha? i am totally astounded at the fact they had no idea what average housing costs are. Seriously, this is like a conversation you have with the stranger sitting next to you at the bar.

I've got to track down this show and watch it.

We'd settle for a one bedroom apartment that's 750 sq ft and less than half a million.

Might as well be hoping for a 2-bedroom at less than $800,000...

After owning two homes, and living many many many homes and apartments, I have about 30 different kinds of 'perfect' homes.

I would prefer something older.
High ceilings (I live in a house built in 1961, the ceiling is 7'8" tall)
built in nooks and crannys
2 stories
square footage isn't as important as layout, but I would love enough room to have two long walls without breaks for my studio (like a 7' wide hallway with shelving on one side and open wall on the other would be awesome, especially if it was 15' long)
Wood floors, already refinished in a dark stain
something that only requires cosmetic improvements to make it adorable. I'm sick of remodeling.

I'm in my second house now, and while I do love it there are things I wish were different, or that it had more of.

My house was built in 1921, so it has plenty of charm. It has big windows, and great light. I love that it's two-story, has hardwood floors, radiant heat, a big front porch, and interior French doors. I like that parking is around back, on an alley, rather than the street.

What really sold me on this house and neighborhood was that pretty much everything I need on a day-to-day basis, as well as several major bus routes, are within easy walking distance. So while I still own a car, I rarely drive it (I put a total of 4,000 miles on it last year, and that includes a road trip from Seattle to San Diego and back). I can't imagine being car-dependent ever again, now that I've lived like this for three years. This is my heaven. I can compromise on the rest.

The closet situation in this house is, however, godawful. I don't have many clothes, and I'm not big on storing a lot of junk I don't use, but the closets here are oddly-sized and wholly inadequate. So inadequate, I went ahead and turned what would have been the guest room into a combined walk-in closet, dressing room, and storage space (which still has room for a twin bed).

I wish I had more unbroken wall space for bookshelves and large pieces of art, as I'm both a bibliophile and a painter. I also wish I had one big room with ceilings higher than 8' for a studio, because sitting on the floor to work on the bottom of a 6' or 7' tall painting sucks.

I also wish the front yard was smaller, and the house closer to the street--even right up to the sidewalk, with no front yard, would be fine by me. I'd rather have more room for a private backyard than a public front.

If I were to build my ideal dwelling, it wouldn't have a huge kitchen, bathroom, or master suite. It would, however, have a perfectly-designed laundry room--one where I could leave the ironing board and drying rack up all the time, with a double sink for handwashing items, a counter for folding clothes, and plenty of storage for cleaning supplies. I want this so badly, I'd probably end up designing the entire house around the laundry room.

Laundry is enough of a pain as it is, and the fact that laundry rooms are either nonexistent or no better than a closet in just about any house or condo you walk into makes it even worse. Currently, my washer and dryer are at least in a clean, finished basement--unlike my last house, where I had to descend into a dark, cobwebby space under the basement stairs to do laundry--but as a working space, it still leaves a lot to be desired.

Our current place has everything we were after for The Arizona Years except that it was impossible to get hardwood, Pergo, or tile floors in the neighborhood/price range/age we wanted, and all contemporary condos here have a minimum of architectural character other than the dopiest ever pseudo-Colonial doors and molding. More expensive developments have real granite counters rather than granite-colored formica, but you pay with a smaller living room, and I can't say I care that much about granite.

So of course, I was so pleased with this condo that I didn't answer the question...

If having the MIL escape NY winters with us works out, the next place when we go back to the Bay Area has to have a second bedroom with its own bath, as far from the master bedroom as is architecturally possible (that's what we have now), and it has to be adjacent to a pretty and walkable shopping area. I suspect Fremont may be in our future, but I'm hoping for something off Broadway in Burlingame, as I like (and I think the MIL would like) the more down-to-earth, less chi-chi vibe there. Raising a baby in a one-bedroom in the city center is one thing -- baby doesn't know anything else -- but adding a third adult for more than a week requires some additional space.

Wende, come to Oakland. My nabe is the best: walk to Piedmont ave., good transportation, etc.. Excellent restaurants, Kaiser, Mountain View cemetary, Longs, Safeway, Piedmont Market...Please. Please.

ebrown, your neighborhood is now on the tentative list. The final decision will depend somewhat on the husband's access to jobs, but I do remember your neighborhood very fondly (and we could do stuff, hint, hint).

We are now looking for our second place here in the city. While we'd love to live in Noe Valley we can't afford it either but we are looking in the Avenues, Glen Park, etc.

Our housing list:
Must be in the city and near good transportation
at least 2 bedrooms (we have a child)
near a "village" i.e. (restuarants, shops, etc)
have some sort of outdoor space, either a yard or lg. balcony
a decent floor plan of open space
must be older than we are.

When we were looking to buy our first place we looked at homes with holes in walls because they were in good neighborhoods and had character. We'll be looking at more of those this time I'm sure.

there should be way more homes built around interior courtyards.

ha, ha, ha... those two were living on planet Fantasy looking for a 750K 2 bedroom WITH view and shopping and a yard in those neighborhoods... (or else, the show was scripted that way to make a point...)
Oh, we found ours for 620K. Not a condo but, a nice 970 sq ft. 1920's, 2bdroom bungalow with a yard up front and out back, a guest cottage, lots of sunshine and, a 3 car driveway plus garage and a view.... the compromise we HAD to make? We're in Oakland, baby! Yep, can't have it all but, I'm glad to say we got ~90% of our wish list...
Of course, my commute to the peninsula SUCKS but, c'est la vie!

I think I saw this episode. Their realtor wanted to get an idea of what they wanted and so he asked them what amenities and features their dream home would have, even if they thought it would then be out of their price range.

Speaking as an outsider, I found it kind of depressing to see what they got for $750M. A small condo unit in new construction with very little charm or character.

Location comes first for me. I also insist on hardwood floors, good natural light and a dishwasher. My current place is just about perfect except that I wish I were on the top floor (I believe my upstairs neighbor is an elephant) and had some outdoor space. I only do laundry once a week at most, so I don't mind that it's in the basement.

Oh, Chris, I made that commute from Alameda for 1.5 years and yes, it does indeed SUCK.

We've got 832 SF, 2 ba/1 br, 1920s Spanish cottage with a perfectly petite front and back yard. We got it for ... less than the median price in the area at the time. The tradeoff, of course, is that we'll be working on it for the next five years because previous owners made the windows smaller (why?), plastered over and filled in all the lovely inter-room arches (why?), paved over much of the front and side yards (why?), and covered over all the original redwood trim in 5 layers of paint (why?).

But we have location. Both of us work in SF, so the commute's easy, and that was the No. 2 priority. The No. 1 priority was to live in a great neighborhood with plenty of amenities within walking distance, and that is pretty much Alameda in a nutshell. I figure the wood floors (refinished after a flood) and the satisfaction of restoring an older place to a beautiful, functional home are tied for No. 3.

Their downpayment was $140k. How do people save that much living in SF? I have completely given up on the idea of ever buying here.

guttersnipe - They narrator mentioned that they saved for eight years (I think?) and that her parents were assisting them with the down payment.

I just bought my very first home this week! It ticked every single one of my boxes for what I think is a perfect home and I truly think I found a gem! It's a condo with:
- Three bedrooms, a living room, a formal dining room, a kitchen, laundry room, deck, and 1.5 baths, 1576 feet total.
- Top, full floor flat with tons of light and spectacular views.
- Built in 1912 so high vaulted ceilings, hardwood floors, split bath with claw foot tub, box-beamed ceilings, working fireplace, wainscoating, anaglypta, and molding.
- Also has mod cons like recessed/track lighting, central heating, laundry room, skylights, and a new huuuge back deck.
The asking price was $750,000 but we offered $786,000. It's right in the heart of San Francisco just 2 blocks east of Buena Vista Park.

BUT I truly believe that this was a sort of fluke and I managed to find a tiny little window of "affordability" in San Francisco. Now, only a short time later I look at the MLS listings and we can't really afford anything worth the money! I'm so happy I was able to buy when I did. . .

We just bought a house in North Oakland - could not find one in SF that was *affordable* AND would fit a family of 4 AND wasn't in a war zone.

So we got an almost totally renovated 1100 sf craftsman, 2 br/1 ba, living room, dining room, kit, bath with lots of cool built-ins, wood floors (took a little work), small yard and garage. The light in this house is fantastic. Amazing raised panel walls in the DR, glass doors on the fireplace surround and the DR built-in, built-in armoire in 1 BR, some attic storage, and a small basement with laundry.

We found a 1946 Wedgewood double oven that looks perfect in the house and have some painting to do before we move in, but can't wait to be in our new 'hood, and i will be commuting to SF 3 or 4 days a week, so will not be out of touch in "suburbia".

We compromised with a small yard, but don't have time for the upkeep now (not with 2 small children) anyway, would like more square footage, but in the future can build up and make it a 2-story, so for now, this is great for us.

hey, ebrown, you're my neighbor! wende, ebrown is right about what a great place this is to live. seriously. i just got into my top choice grad school and after visiting, i decided not to go-- because there weren't any neighborhoods like this one. i have a rent-controlled apartment here, so despite it being sort of a hellhole, i should probably never leave. you can't beat the location. piedmont ave is it.

They were definitely in lala-land with their expectations.

They didn't save the $140K; the episode said that came from their parents.

And they're still idiots getting an interest-only loan that they clearly can barely afford. How are they going to pay the much larger payments when principal kicks in?