Los Angeles Home Tour
It’s been almost three years since I moved back to Los Angeles so I guess it’s time to give you all an official home tour. And if you missed it, you can take a peek at what our home looked like when we first moved in. I’ll be honest, if I could turn back time, I probably should’ve waited another year before moving back from New Orleans. I made some rookie mistakes as a first-time home buyer.
First, my lender recommended me to hold off for a year, but I insisted on moving forward with it. I desperately wanted to get out of New Orleans so I just said, eff it, let’s do it! I wanted to be near my family and friends again. I was struggling with depression at the time and my relationship with my boo was falling apart. I needed help and didn’t know what to do. So typical me, I tried to run away from my problems. I thought pouring all my savings into a downpayment would fix everything. It was a risky move. If I had waited, I would’ve been more financially ready. And looking back, I should’ve shopped around for better lenders. I used Quicken loans but we just refinanced with a better lender here in Los Angeles called First Republic.
Second, I didn’t have my own realtor. I made an appointment to see this house alone and decided to go with the listing agent. For some reason I thought that this was the right move but I realize now it was probably a big mistake. You should always have your own realtor who you trust and who will represent your best interests and help you navigate the whole transaction. I ended up spending more on this house than I initially wanted. I overlooked a lot of the issues this property had.
This house was flipped by an investor and what they did was very sloppy. I had to slowly update everything. I basically bought a fixer-upper but at a flipped price. On the flip side, I reconnected with my dad who I had lost touch with for over 15 years. He pretty much helped me update our entire house. And that was quite an emotional experience!
I think the first year of owning a home is always scary and stressful. Even though it was a rocky start, everything worked out in the end. No regrets! We love our home. And I also started seeing a therapist and that helped a lot. I’m grateful that we have a house especially during the pandemic. I definitely learned a lot in the process. Anywho, let me give you a tour!
Our home was built in the 1950s and it’s about 1,500 square feet. We tore the old laminate floors and installed herringbone engineered hardwood floors. That alone changed the feel of the whole house. The floors add so much richness to the space. We had a ceiling fan in the living room which I immediately swapped out for this Jonathan Adler Caracas light. Yellow Jasper sofa from Room & Board. Antique Chinese Rug was from Overstock. The large paintings are by Leroy Miranda Jr. Coffee Table. Pink chair (background). Accent table from Jungalow. Riley sconces from Mitzi.
We also opened up the hallway opening to create an arch. It immediately gave the house so much more character. It honestly feels like a different house!
You know how I feel about grey (#anythingbutgrey). Haha! Maybe one day, I’ll repaint those cabinets. The backsplash is so wonky it drives me nuts. But it’s totally fine and I can style the hell out of this space to make it look cute.
