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00:00All the arches, I love it.
00:03Chuck and David have been living in Palm Springs, waiting for the market to cool off in Los Angeles
00:08so they can buy there.
00:10I really, really can't wait to live by the beach.
00:13This is beautiful.
00:14David's ready for the beach lifestyle and doesn't mind trading off size for location.
00:19I mean, the beach is our backyard.
00:21It's tiny.
00:23Chuck would rather buy inland where they get more house for less, including a big kitchen
00:28for his food blogging.
00:29Closer to the beach, you would never have this space.
00:32Oh my God, have you seen that range?
00:34So far, I'm in love.
00:36But they're in for a wake-up call, since LA prices are still as competitive as ever.
00:41Things are getting smaller and smaller.
00:43I'm fine living with this.
00:45But it's expensive.
00:58I'm so excited what we found at the market today.
01:06I'm a cook and a director of inventory management at a specialty retailer.
01:10And I'm an executive for a wealth management company.
01:12All right.
01:14We met 22 years ago.
01:15I walked into a department store to get a pair of pants,
01:18and then I walked out with David's phone number.
01:20So we got married two years ago.
01:22We love adventure.
01:23There's always something new to discover.
01:25Charles and I have been called serial movers.
01:28We both grew up in Quebec and Canada.
01:30And then we moved to Ohio, New York City.
01:33San Francisco.
01:34Then we bought a home in Berkeley.
01:36We're currently living in Palm Springs.
01:38And now we want to have something on the coast.
01:41We intend to keep this place in Palm Springs,
01:43but we'll spend the majority of our time on the coast for sure.
01:46I'm so excited living by the beach.
01:49Being able to just take a glass of wine and watch the sunset.
01:53We have friends in the Santa Monica area.
01:56We started our journey looking for a home in LA three years ago.
02:00However, this is when the interest rate spiked and now it's not as hot of a market.
02:05So really excited to resume this search at this point.
02:08And I hope we can find a home that is on the beach.
02:11And if it's not on the beach, it's just a few blocks away.
02:14I'm fine having a condo, considering that having something right next to the beach
02:18will likely not be a single family home.
02:21I agree.
02:22But in the price point we're in, I'm afraid we're going to end up in a shoe box.
02:25Like, I don't think we can be this close to the beach with our budget.
02:28I think we can go all the way up to 1.4, maybe slightly above that.
02:32I want a real beach lifestyle.
02:34So I'd love to learn how to surf.
02:36I could see myself going every morning.
02:38I'm really more comfortable closer to a million dollars.
02:41I think that we should, you know, keep the savings the way they are.
02:45I would say I am definitely the most practical one in our relationship.
02:49And I have very, very high standards.
02:52I just pick whatever I want and he will very often ask,
02:55how much did it cost?
02:57I don't even know.
02:58What about just venturing out a bit more and get more space?
03:02And as we think of a lower price point, as we get closer to a million,
03:05that leaves us so much more money to do cosmetic and structural upgrades.
03:09I don't want that big of a project, but I'm fine with cosmetic remodeling.
03:12When we renovated our house, I was in the Berkeley area.
03:15It was terrible.
03:17And not only did we have water intrusion issue,
03:20everything needed to really be remodeled.
03:22I'm fine tackling on a bigger project.
03:23So what's important to me is that we have this space to entertain.
03:26We love having people over.
03:28We absolutely need two bedrooms.
03:30But our remote working arrangement will need space to work.
03:33Yeah.
03:34Second bedroom could be an office and a guest bedroom.
03:37I'm thinking clean, minimalistic.
03:39I want everything to be sleek.
03:40That works.
03:41And then what about my gourmet kitchen aspiration and my food blog?
03:44Something that really photographs well.
03:46A guest range is essential for me.
03:49Through my blog, I love to take food photos with different backgrounds.
03:52It's really important to me that we have a nice, spacious kitchen.
03:55You remember this trip we took to Santa Barbara, how gorgeous the houses were?
03:59I have this in mind, like Mediterranean looking.
04:02I really want mid-century modern if we can get one.
04:05I think our real estate agent Mike's going to be able to help us with that.
04:08And I think that on top of being our real estate agent, he's probably going to end up being our therapist.
04:12That's very true.
04:18But I'm very excited about spending a week here in LA.
04:21Just reconnect with our friends.
04:22Vacation as well.
04:23Oh, look at this.
04:23Oh, wow.
04:24I really, really can't wait to live by the beach.
04:27This is beautiful.
04:29I'm sure you're going to be able to buy a surfboard on this little strip.
04:33Oh, I'm sure, yes.
04:34And it's, what, four blocks away from the beach?
04:37Yeah, that is prime location, yes.
04:39So the price point was definitely of interest to me.
04:42I'm just concerned about the square footage in the space.
04:48Hey, Mike.
04:49Hey, Chuck.
04:49How was the drive?
04:50Sure.
04:50We drove in last night.
04:52Oh, yeah?
04:53We're staying at a friend's house.
04:54I know, Chuck, you were looking for more of a Santa Barbara kind of Mediterranean vibe.
04:58But it is a retro 60s, not too far from mid-century modern, so it's not that bad.
05:03You know, I've been working with Chuck and David for quite a while.
05:06It's competitive over here.
05:07To find something in their price point, under 1.4, you know, close to the beach,
05:13you know, and something that's palatial, the way Charles was looking for, it's a challenge.
05:17I think this is a great option because you're four blocks from the beach.
05:21It's been remodeled recently.
05:22There is an HOA.
05:23It's 500 a month.
05:28Ooh, this feels crowded.
05:31I understand what you're saying.
05:32It, you know, it feels a little bit crowded.
05:34However, it is two stories.
05:36So let's go into this bedroom first.
05:38This is kind of more of a guest bedroom, you know, office maybe for you guys.
05:44Reed's dark.
05:44It's not that big, but it can accommodate.
05:46Probably pull out couch, little desk in the corner here.
05:51Well, you know me, I love real material.
05:53I don't think that I can live with fake wood.
05:56Yeah, what material is this, Mike?
05:57Yep, it's actually laminate.
05:59It is white oak.
06:01That, I like the color.
06:02Do you have a full back here?
06:03It has a newer vanity lighting.
06:06It does seem, it was remodeled, but not exactly what we're looking for.
06:10Although it's not even real wood.
06:12Is this the primary bedroom?
06:14It's tiny.
06:14It is.
06:16Do you think there would be a way to make this bigger?
06:19Maybe by just pushing this wall in the other room?
06:22We could see if there's maybe some space.
06:24Uh, I'm not in for a very big project, but...
06:26Right.
06:27So the primary, you can see a little bit bigger.
06:30You get a bit more light here, it feels like.
06:33Oh wow, that's a big walk-in closet.
06:36Well, I think that we could extend the bedroom with this wall.
06:39I'm not sure that I'm on board with that, but that could make it work.
06:43Let's go upstairs and take a look.
06:44Okay.
06:49You do have a little bit of a balcony out there.
06:52Is that all there is in terms of entertaining space?
06:55Yes, there is.
06:56Well, I think for city living, it's kind of big.
06:59So maybe there's some sort of a big, you know, L-shape, sectional couch.
07:04Kind of a leather, laid-back, surf vibe.
07:08We'll be out and about.
07:09The beach is going to be our backyard.
07:11I just wish it was larger, that there was a rooftop or just more space outdoor.
07:17And then the kitchen, Charles, it has been remodeled.
07:20It's not exactly, you know, premium kind of material.
07:24I like the color, but I don't like that it's, uh, I call it fake wood.
07:28Let's address the elephant in the room, the range.
07:31No gas.
07:32Do you know if it's possible to add gas?
07:35I always want to recommend operate as that that's going to be what it is.
07:38This is the main issue to me.
07:40I wish this was gas.
07:42And I've never cooked with induction.
07:44It's sort of interesting.
07:46If I would have remodeled that myself,
07:47designed this, I would have just extended this this way so that you enter,
07:51like coming from the dining area.
07:53Because then you want the kitchen to open up to the dining area,
07:56not to the living area.
07:58Do you have an additional hot bath?
08:01Oh, so we don't have a full bath for our guests.
08:05Right, but I can see the value in creating this,
08:08taking the space and creating a stand shower.
08:10I think that would work great.
08:12Nice value add.
08:14Once again, that would be a project.
08:16I know you were not down for a renovation.
08:18If we would move just a little bit further away from the beach,
08:20we wouldn't have to deal with any of that.
08:22Yeah, it's definitely something to think about.
08:25I mean, the beach is our backyard.
08:28The location is excellent, but the range, you know,
08:31I really wanted a gas cooked up and that's not the case.
08:33And when we begin this search, I didn't picture myself in a,
08:36you know, thousand square feet and some changed 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.
08:48So they see a larger place more inland, but there's a surprise.
08:52This is not necessarily something that I was expecting.
08:54I think it's been a long drive and I think we're very far from the beach.
09:05I would agree, but we're also looking at the larger home.
09:09Today, Chuck and David are headed inland to Century City to see a spacious townhouse.
09:15But also at 1-2, it would need to be moving ready for me, turnkey.
09:20Oh, here's the building.
09:21I have the code from Mike, so let me get in the parking.
09:30Oh, pretty landscaping.
09:31Look at the palm trees.
09:32Oh, I like the palm trees.
09:33Hey guys.
09:34Oh, hey Mike.
09:35I think this looks good.
09:36I know we're a little bit further from the beach.
09:39However, it is only 20 minutes and we're super centrally located.
09:43Quick access to Beverly Hills, Century City Mall.
09:47Townhouse style, so it's a little bit larger.
09:491,800 square feet.
09:51Homeowner's dues are $675.
09:52Let's come on in.
09:58So when you first enter, you'll see you got a half bathroom here.
10:01Huge advantage to have.
10:03Oh, yeah.
10:04Needs some remodeling, right?
10:07Minor.
10:08It's kind of strange you didn't carry the wood all the way to the hallway.
10:11Yeah, that's right.
10:13Let's go take a look at the bedroom downstairs.
10:15Now, this is great for the guest setup, or you can use it as an additional office space.
10:21In-suite bathroom.
10:23Oh, wow.
10:24Okay, this is spacious.
10:25It's a full bath.
10:26For guests, that's perfect.
10:28And two large closets.
10:30And they have their own living space, and it's not even on the same floor as our primary.
10:34Yeah, I would definitely remove the carpet.
10:36Okay.
10:36I would rather have hardwood floor or tile.
10:39Yeah.
10:39But again, we're in a higher price point, so this is not necessarily something that I was expecting,
10:45that we would need to redo all the floors.
10:47I'd probably change the carpet too, which would probably brighten up the unit as well.
10:51Well, I think you're right, Mike.
10:53So, Charles, I'm really excited to see what you think about this kitchen here.
10:56You're going to see that there is a ton of counter space.
10:58And a gas range.
11:00Exactly.
11:00The double oven.
11:02Like, this is a dream.
11:03It's really large.
11:05I really appreciate the counter space for cooking projects and stuff.
11:08This range hood is very futuristic.
11:11I've rarely seen one like this.
11:14Oh.
11:14Oh.
11:15Okay.
11:17You know, not my first choice of material, but, you know, I can live with that.
11:20Same with that aesthetic.
11:21Like, I'm not overly crazy with it, but, you know.
11:25It's looking more, you know, mid-century, contemporary.
11:28This reads more like a traditional kitchen.
11:32Yeah.
11:32Not very Mediterranean, no.
11:34Let's take a look at the living space, see what you guys think.
11:36It's spacious.
11:37It's nice.
11:38Everything's open.
11:39Looking at the balcony, you know, we're far from the beach here, and that's all we have
11:44in terms of outdoor space.
11:46It is.
11:49Okay.
11:51Okay, lots of light.
11:52It's a large primary bedroom.
11:54It feels separate from the rest of the house.
11:57I love it.
11:58Yeah, it's its own little enclave, right?
12:01Yeah, I like that.
12:02Storage is really super-sized here.
12:05All right, so two closets.
12:07Oh, wow, and organized.
12:08Okay, that's actually very well done.
12:10A full bath, separate bath, and shower.
12:14Closer to the beach, we would never have this space.
12:16Double vanity is a big plus.
12:18Once again, a lot of potential.
12:20I think with the right amount of work, this could be an outstanding bedroom.
12:25So, what did you guys think?
12:26Large space for sure.
12:28Good floor plan.
12:30I think the kitchen is great.
12:32I like the layout.
12:33The gas range was important to me.
12:35So, and I love the open floor plan.
12:38But at this price point, I would have expected that everything would be pretty much turnkey.
12:42But I think it's fixable.
12:44It's probably just repainting.
12:46The floors are too dark.
12:47Maybe we sand and...
12:49Restain, yeah.
12:50Restain.
12:51But it is far away from the beach.
12:53But in our day-to-day life, would our quality of life be better?
12:56Because this floor plan is more spacious.
12:58When we have guests, they have their own space.
13:00I love the bathroom they have in there.
13:02I don't know that I can get over how far it is from the beach.
13:07So, it's back to the beach with something turnkey and Mediterranean.
13:11But there's a catch.
13:12Well, how far away from LA are we?
13:15That 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
13:30offer as far as the value.
13:32We are looking at something that's a single-family home.
13:35That's super exciting.
13:36I love this.
13:37It is an incredible house.
13:39It is within your budget.
13:40And it's about four blocks from the beach.
13:43So, how far away from LA are we?
13:45Oh, we're about 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the traffic.
13:49Okay.
13:50So, that scared me a little bit.
13:52A house like this, if we were to go in Santa Monica,
13:54talking about over $2 million.
13:56It's pretty incredible.
13:57And it's completely redone.
13:59It looks fantastic.
14:01Yeah.
14:08Wow.
14:09I'm so...
14:10Super Mediterranean.
14:11I love it.
14:12And I love the front yard, too.
14:13Look at the fire pit.
14:15It's a single-family home.
14:17I can see the beach at the end of the street.
14:19I love this.
14:20I'm going to go get the key and then we go take a look inside.
14:22Now you're easing me into the 1349 price point, Mike.
14:25I feel I'm in Santa Barbara.
14:27Wow.
14:27Pretty awesome.
14:28Oh, I love the door.
14:29The front door looks great.
14:30Oh, wow.
14:32All the arches.
14:33I love it.
14:34And a big fireplace.
14:36Oh, it's great.
14:37I like the concrete finish of it.
14:40It's very well done.
14:41Oh.
14:41What do you think of the floor?
14:42It looks good, no?
14:43Yes.
14:44But I like the color.
14:45This is move-in ready.
14:46There's nothing to do.
14:47Awesome.
14:48You just bring your furniture and that's it.
14:50This is great for parties.
14:52We can...
14:52Oh, my God.
14:53Have you seen that range?
14:55This is the mother of all gas ranges, Mike.
14:58Amazing.
14:59There's eight burners.
15:01That's a good thing.
15:01And a double oven.
15:02Oh, my God.
15:03This is great.
15:04Oh, and a wine fridge.
15:06That's very nice.
15:07Space on the counter is great.
15:08Or I could totally see myself using this as prop for when I do my food blogging.
15:14This is perfect.
15:15So far, I'm in love.
15:17All right.
15:19So that's the primary?
15:20Yes.
15:21Okay.
15:22It's nice, but it's a little on the smaller side.
15:23It's on the smaller side, yes.
15:25Yeah, it's on the small side.
15:27If we want to have a little desk, it's probably not a king bed, right?
15:31It's probably more of a queen.
15:32Let's have a look at the half bath.
15:34Yeah, okay.
15:35But I wish it would have been a full bath, but...
15:38I wish it had a shower at the minimum, but in this situation,
15:42we're at the top of the budget already.
15:44So I wouldn't want to spend more money making this into a full bath.
15:48You have the full bath right across the way.
15:50Okay.
15:51That's a big shower, yeah.
15:53So this is the only bathroom.
15:56So think about this.
15:57We have guests.
15:58We need to share the shower.
15:59It's one space for everyone.
16:01Not ideal.
16:02Yeah.
16:04Okay.
16:05Well, that's another small bedroom.
16:08Things are getting smaller and smaller.
16:10I know.
16:11Is that a Murphy bed?
16:12What is that?
16:12Yes.
16:13Oh, it is a Murphy bed.
16:14Okay.
16:16Oh, that's convenient.
16:18Very convenient.
16:19Great use of space.
16:21Yes.
16:21No, that's clever.
16:22Yeah.
16:23Okay.
16:23Let's go take a look at the backyard.
16:26Wow.
16:27Wow.
16:28And stay in private.
16:29I love the awning.
16:30This is great.
16:31You could do like an outdoor dining situation here.
16:34I have the grill.
16:35Kind of a dining pavilion.
16:36Indoor, outdoor.
16:37Entertaining.
16:38I want to show you this.
16:39Yeah, I was curious.
16:40No way.
16:41Another wine fridge.
16:42Haha.
16:43This is so cool.
16:44Okay, you know.
16:45I feel you've worked some like voodoo magic here.
16:47An eight burner range.
16:49Two wine storage areas.
16:52Sometimes you just get lucky.
16:54All right.
16:54Now that we've seen the full house, what are you guys' thoughts?
16:59Like this whole living area is gorgeous.
17:02Right.
17:02This kitchen is exceeding all expectations.
17:05This is a single family house.
17:08It's, I think, just that in itself.
17:10We're not sharing any walls.
17:12I love that.
17:13I obviously love that the beach is close by.
17:15Right.
17:16I'm at that price point in LA.
17:17We'll never be able to find this.
17:19But we're getting higher-end appliances, higher-end finishes.
17:22Granted, this comes also with the cost of having smaller bedrooms and also only having one full
17:28bathroom.
17:29And I just think that the secondary bedroom setup, if we constantly have people coming in wanting to
17:34enjoy the beach, us entertaining them, is not ideal.
17:38I'm fine living with this.
17:40But it's expensive.
17:41I think this is still fine for us.
17:44It's a good option for the price point.
17:45It seems to be moving ready.
17:47I'm uncomfortable, like, going this high.
17:49I think this is one that we seriously need to think about.
18:01Can you get some cups, please?
18:02Yep.
18:03Chuck and David are finally buying in Los Angeles after three years of waiting on the market.
18:08But now, they can't agree on where.
18:10Okay, so why don't we talk about the modern beach townhouse in Santa Monica?
18:15It's the best location of the three options by far.
18:19Four blocks away from the beach.
18:21I thought it was small.
18:23Bathrooms are tiny.
18:25There's only one vanity in the primary bath.
18:28And I'm sure you remember, like, how upset I was.
18:31That was the only house that didn't have a gas range.
18:34I was definitely not looking for a project.
18:36We would redo the primary bathroom.
18:38We would want to probably convert that powder room into a full bath.
18:43And, you know, I'm always ready to take on a project.
18:45And it's at a million dollars, which is where I was hoping we would land.
18:49The townhome in Century City, that had two and a half baths.
18:55And it was, you know, almost twice the size of that home.
18:58Space is great for entertaining.
19:00You get a lot of square footage for your money.
19:04On the flip side, it looks far from the beach.
19:0620 minutes.
19:07We would really need to do some cosmetic remodeling for it to really be closer to what we were both looking for.
19:13On the flip side, that house was 1229, which is, you know, lower than the Mediterranean beach home.
19:20At the same time, it's the only single family home we visited.
19:24That looked great.
19:25I love the kitchen in that house.
19:27The eight burner range.
19:29The finishes were beautiful.
19:31Great flow for entertaining.
19:32And that kitchen island was a dream.
19:35But there's only one and a half bath.
19:37And at 1349, I'm definitely, like, pushing myself to the top of the bracket.
19:41I'm personally comfortable with, you know, whatever price point, as long as it's the right house for both of us.
19:47So we have a lot to think through to come up to the right decision.
19:54I'm really excited to redo everything to, like, nicer standard.
20:04That really will elevate the look and feel of the entire unit.
20:07We picked the Santa Monica Beach Townhouse.
20:11We picked this house because of the location.
20:13And as I said before, I love a nice remodel project.
20:16So that really got me on board.
20:17I didn't want to do a big remodeling project.
20:20However, for this house, I'm willing to do it.
20:23Because it's the perfect location.
20:24This house is four blocks away from the beach.
20:27It's a five minute little walk.
20:29I think we should have a little get together with all of our friends.
20:32Yeah, no, I love that idea.
20:34This property was listed at 999.
20:37And Mike was able to negotiate it down to 947.
20:41Being price conscious, I feel even better to add this extra money to the renovation.
20:46Look who's here!
20:47Hi!
20:47Hey, guys!
20:49Thank you so much for coming.
20:50How are you?
20:51The plan is a complete remodel.
20:53We're going to begin with the structural, electrical, transforming this half bath into a full bathroom.
20:59We want to upgrade the primary bathroom as well.
21:02Unfortunately, we cannot rent gas in the building.
21:04So this whole idea of having a gas range is out the window.
21:07However, we will be remodeling the kitchen.
21:09So hopefully it's going to be a good kitchen for him.
21:11And Chuck and I have been now wanting to do what we've talked about.
21:15It's maybe just a separate island.
21:17Well, not separate.
21:18Maybe it's an extension.
21:18It's on this side as opposed to having it here.
21:23It feels amazing that we finally found a home right next to the beach in the LA area.
21:28Long form our clothes now to start on the roof.
21:30Long form our traveling foods ofvik приход,
21:35and usелs expletive without bed.
21:36We'll be having the first-time floats!
21:36There is also one room here.
21:37We're going to have a transcript as well.
21:39We'll pop it.
21:41We'll pop it.
21:42Let's go!
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