Monday, July 13, 2009

Playing real estate

We are not in the market for real estate for three reasons:
  1. We just had a wedding (happine$$!)
  2. We just put one of our cars out to pasture and got something new with a warranty (now known as the Best. Word. Ever.)
  3. We don't know where we're going to live happily ever yet. Hint: it's probably not here.
So for all these reasons and more, it makes sense to rent. We love our apartment and love our neighborhood even more, and have nothing to complain about. But all that said... it's still really fun to look at our options. A favorite habit is looking at places with a completely different design sensibility than our own and imagining it infused with our character. Yesterday, we were in the mood to play real estate, and promptly fell in love with two places that couldn't be more different from each other. (As you'll soon see, we have a lot of big life questions to figure out before we buy... which part of the country to buy in is only the tip of the iceberg.)


Option A: The High Roller


This brand-new high rise is so stunning inside, it has to be seen to be believed. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer sweeping views of downtown Dallas that put every other showcase view I've ever seen of this city to shame. The entire interior of the building is designed by Philippe Starck - from the biggies down to your bathroom's hand towel hooks. An outrageous owners' room opens up to the pool, outfitted with a full catering kitchen, fireplace, lounge furniture, and more. And oh, the pool! Plus, full-on urbanity right outside the building. And one more time... the views! The patios! The ability to pre-game before hopping across the street to a game or a concert! Just amazing. The following rendering does absolutely nothing to suggest the luxury of this place:



Option B: The Oasis

My favorite kind of house - it looks small and unassuming from the outside and is a world unto its own inside. Currently owned by an adorable gay couple having a major love affair with all things Louis XV, the mind has to strip it down to really see it as it could be, with fewer ostentatious antiques and more of our humor. Perfectly sized rooms, one leading to the next. Completely calming inside, with big windows that fill every room with light. A true cook's kitchen... I would be in heaven in there. A cozy little office. A steam shower. A backyard that would breathe life into even the biggest hermit's capacity for outdoor entertaining. An intimate pool. A small guest house/studio. Space to garden. Still walkable to all the walkable destinations in our current neighborhood, but its own little world. Whereas The High Roller invigorates you when you step inside, The Oasis makes you take a deep breath and slow down. Sigh...


Gotta figure out this life stuff so we play this game for real.

7 comments:

  1. Honestly, that's the first house I've ever been to in Dallas that made me think "Yeah, maybe I could find a place here I'd be happy in for years." I've fallen for apartments before, but that's the first house. We have to make sure to welcome whoever buys it to the neighborhood...

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  2. we own a house but always enjoy stopping into the sunday open houses in our neighborhood... especially the gorgeous houses that we covet every time we drive by. our curiosity always gets the best of us. the other fun part is asking the question, "if that house has this many square feet and is this much, what do you think we'd get for ours now?" comparison shopping, of course.

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  3. We are Sunday Open House Whores. Usually we stop in while on a long walk - so we are ugly and sweaty and sometimes towing a terrier behind us. Real estate agents hate us.

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  4. Hahaha... Going sweaty and toting a dog is probably braver than what we do. We're more like: "Off to explore million-dollar condos? Better polish the bling!"

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  5. These houses are gorgeous!

    We're actually in the same boat. We're renting a house right now...would really love to buy...but we don't want to stay in Cleveland. The South is calling my name!

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  6. Oh please ~I am all about dream real estate shopping!

    Ever since @JenerationPR posted a link to www.redfin.com I have been exploring my options in the Hollywood Hills. (We live in NYC!) Mr. D hasn't even got a job offer - but whenever he even gets an interview, I check out the options. I know what you can get for your money in Seattle, Portland, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Just for kicks, when we were in France over the 4th, I looked into homes for sale on the Cote Azur.

    It is like trying on hats. Eventually, one will suit you!
    ABCD

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  7. Oh Amy - we stalk redfin all the time - but for DC! It is THE BEST for real estate stalking!

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C'mon, make my day...

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