The Hunt
Two Lifelong Floridians Bolted for Los Angeles, but What Could They Afford?
A couple of empty nesters, tired of the humidity and politics in the Sunshine State, headed west to be closer to their daughter. Which L.A. neighborhood would be right for their retirement years?
Alice Vickers is a sixth-generation Floridian who has spent most of her life in Gainesville and Tallahassee. Florida is where she and her husband, John Davis, raised their two children and built careers as lawyers. But a few years ago, the state’s increasingly fractious politics — not to mention the humidity and the bugs — convinced them it was time to leave.
At the time, they were living in a four-bedroom brick cottage in central Tallahassee. Their twins had grown up and left the state, and a short time later Mr. Davis’s parents passed away.
He and Ms. Vickers, both 66, had always liked the scenic West, and briefly considered moving to Seattle or Boulder, Colo. But their daughter lived in Los Angeles, and they loved visiting her. Mr. Davis, a cyclist, was drawn to the mountains there. And the couple hoped their son, who had worked in San Francisco and now lives in Dallas, might someday return to the West Coast.
They connected with Brita Kleingartner, a Los Angeles real estate agent who had helped them buy the East Hollywood home where their daughter lives. “They really wanted to put their own touch on something,” Ms. Kleingartner said, adding that Ms. Vickers and Mr. Davis weren’t “your typical retirement people — they were very much wanting to be in the mix.”
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Last spring, the couple sold their Tallahassee home for $810,000, giving them enough cash to buy their next place. In September, they drove out to Los Angeles with their dog Boosie and a budget of around $1 million. They were in search of a house of up to 2,000 square feet, ideally with a fenced yard for Boosie and enough space to host their son and other guests. It had to be move-in ready, but with the potential to be remodeled, and they didn’t want anything that had been cheaply flipped.
“So many of the houses, they do get that flip,” Mr. Davis said. “They all look alike. We wanted a house we could do the renovation on.”
The ideal neighborhood would be walkable, with restaurants and bars. But when Ms. Vickers and Mr. Davis arrived in Los Angeles, they found its sprawl and size daunting. “We had no idea of any parts of it and where we would want to live,” Ms. Vickers said.
When they discovered the undulating landscapes and mountain views in the northeastern part of the city, they were smitten. “You think of L.A. as being flat,” she said. “So when we started seeing these views, we were kind of like, ‘Wow, this is so different from Florida.’”
But the Los Angeles market was low on inventory. “I told them that it was probably going to take them three months, if they were very serious and actively looking,” Ms. Kleingartner said.
Among the properties they considered:
No. 1
Two-Bedroom in Glassell Park
This 1,380-square-foot house in Glassell Park was built in 1940. It had two bedrooms and one bathroom; a spacious living room with carpeting and a fireplace; a large patio; and a detached garage. The mountain views from the neighborhood were breathtaking — although they weren’t visible from the house. The nearest shops were around a mile away. The asking price was $899,000.
No. 2
Two-Bedroom With Covered Deck
This 1,140-square-foot house was built in 1923, in the hilly Mount Washington neighborhood. It was divided into a one-bedroom, one-bathroom space of 640 square feet above a one-bedroom, one-bathroom studio of 500 square feet. The house had recently been renovated, and had oak flooring and stainless steel appliances, but the main draw was the large covered deck with a view. Still, the divided interior felt small, and they had to go outside to access the studio. The asking price was $999,000.
No. 3
Three-Bedroom With Downtown Views
This 1,940-square-foot home, with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, was also in Mount Washington, with views of downtown Los Angeles and the mountains to the north. It had two stories, a large, sloping yard, new hardwood floors and a fresh coat of paint. But the kitchen wasn’t new, and the upstairs layout felt awkward. The asking price, at $1.45 million, was above their budget.
Find out what happened next by answering these two questions:
Which Would You Choose?
Two-Bedroom in Glassell Park
Two-Bedroom With Covered Deck
Three-Bedroom With Downtown Views
Which Did They Buy?
Two-Bedroom in Glassell Park
Two-Bedroom With Covered Deck
Three-Bedroom With Downtown Views