I came across this little gem while searching for a client. I am a huge fan of Craftsman style homes. I love their elegance and attention to detail. Ideally if I can the fund I would go victorian but realistically a Craftsman is more in my immediate means. Click on the link below to check out these pictures there insane. This home have been kept in amazing condition.
The seller is a 5th generation San Diegan, whose respect for the heritage of t
LEED for Old Homes
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScRf8NV-aAU]Preserving the Past by Todays Standards
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7TojvrYmB8]
Yesterday I was part of a home tour that was showing new clients the different areas of San Diego. On the tour we visited North Park, Golden Hills, Mission Hills, Normal heights and Hillcrest. I really love these areas. With the old architecture and great neighborhood feel, these parts of town have been have always been desirable locations for home buyers. As we were popping in and out of homes it dawned on my that I should do a little piece on San Diego’s older neighborhood home styles….
The Craftsman Style
Craftsman’s Style homes can be found all through out the older hoods of SD, for example the majority of North Park and South Park are craftsman. The big surprise from yestrdays tour was the Golden Hills area. I don’t spend a lot of time here but after yesterday my radar is definitely on for this neighborhood.
Some signs of Craftsman Style Homes include…….
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkg_FMNsbD4&w=480&h=390]Signature Inviting Porch
Typically a battened door with wrought-iron strap hinges welcomes guests paired with the signature wide, inviting porch unique to Craftsman style homes. The front porch typically spans the width of the front exterior facade supported by heavy square or round columns contrasting the bold exterior stone chimneys.
Details Increase Functionality
Inside, Craftsman style homes offer airy open floor plans with few hallways but lots of windows to let in light. Stained or leaded glass windows provide a special touch while beamed ceilings, dark wood wainscoting moldings, built-in cabinets, shelves and seating create a cozy welcoming retreat for family activities and casual entertaining.
Low-Slung Roof
Related to Bungalow, Prairie, and Pueblo homes, Craftsman style house plans feature wood, stone or stucco siding, a low pitched roof, and wide eaves with exposed wood rafters. The low-slung roof; often with multiple projections gives the home a “built-in” feel.
This past couple of weeks I have been on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) a lot. I have a couple of clients right now that are first time home buyers and they are looking to buy ASAP. They people are not rich, they don’t have amazing jobs, they have ok credit and they have moderate savings. If these same people 5 years ago would have been looking to buy they would have ended up settling for a 1 bedroom condo out in some seedy part of San Diego (the kind of place where you couldn’t go walk your dog at night).
However, in today’s market they are still qualifying for the same amount but now that dollar is buying them a whole lot more. Lets us $200,000 as our amount. If we search in the 175-210 range in areas like (Pacific Beach, Hillcrest, Mission Valley, North Park) and you would be amazed at what is popping up. Take this place for example.
Sweet 1 bed 1.5 bath in Mission Valley. Great complex and easy access to the freeways, beach and downtown. $130,000!!!!!! This is amazing to me. With good credit and moderate qualifying credentials you could own this home for less than $1000 a month. That is less than I pay for rent right now.
The point of this blog was to show any one in that phase of their life where they are renting for more than $1200 a month, thinking to them selves “it would be great to own right now but I don’t have enough yet, i guess i will just save some more”. There is hope out there. My thinking on this is….. why would you write a check each month to someone you don’t even know, when you can write that same check and invest in yourself. Maybe I’m alone on this but we are in an amazing time right now and I would hate to have anyone miss out on home ownership because they didn’t know they had options.
Chances are you are in a better position than you think.