Museum Addicts Anonymous

Every one from a different museum. 

Housing v. Household Income Necessary

I don't believe it but this is the graphic (click for larger readable):

Here is the Website:  How Much?

More Vaca Pics

Classic coastal marshland.

Museum stuff.

Love the Sail and powerboats on the top deck. 

Time to head south?

Overcast.

Accidental selfie. 

Power tools sorta. 

The loves their seafood.

Scenic. 

Dangerous With a Camera

 A few pics.  You'll be begging me to stop before long. 

This lil feller greeted us at the fish docks.

A real libarry.

Chatham is shark obsessed. 

We ate in a lot.  This was omelets and fried potatoes. 

Water everywhere.  This dock can be yours for $4.5m.  You get a house too. 

The P-Town Lesbians beat the Cape cod gay Girls in grab football. 

Early GPS. 

Colors are very late this year. 

A brook. 

It isn't a vacation without off roading in a rental. 

Sometimes the traffic felt like this. 

Back From Fall Vacation

Bob Lee Knows What Endures

Bob Lee is an architect.  His works aren't steel towers but they are signature and worth consideration.  Here is a listing near the Dawghaus:

1263 Vista Del Cima

Camarillo, CA 93010 

4 beds 5 baths 4,910 sqft 

$1,999,000

 

 Welcome to this amazing Bob Lee contemporary, on a sprawling one acre with mosaic tile pool/spa, pool house with bath and loft, and putting green, at The Summit, in Las Posas Estates. The moment you walk through the front doors, your eyes will catch the most exquisite views, from every room, through enormous picture windows. Soaring high ceilings, corian countertops throughout, tasteful contemporary architecture including a 42 foot long sky light, and marble floors, seamlessly guide you through the 5,100 square foot home. Enjoy gorgeous views from the master suite, complete with ample built in cabinetry, his and hers walk in closets, jacuzzi tub, and large walk in shower. More amazing views from the giant great room, featuring a large fireplace with marble all the way to the ceiling. The dining room features incredible views through large picture windows, a built in buffet for entertaining, built in glass cabinetry, and gorgeous glass and marble dining table with eight chairs, specifically designed for the home will be included in the sale. Island kitchen includes built in Sub Zero fridge, Viking double oven, Gaggenau range with deep fryer and grill, walk in pantry, and more of those fabulous views of Camarillo. There is a den/office close to a powder room, and two large guest bedrooms with large ensuite baths down the hall. Large garage has upstairs playroom with closet. 11 flatscreen tv's mounted throughout the home included. Live happily ever after in Camarillo.

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What makes a "Bob Lee" notable?  Low density, high quality, single story, accessible.  Jim the Raeltor can tell you about the premium those often command.   Click on the address for more.  Note also; built in 1987.  First resale 1997.  This is only the second resale in 31 years. 

I Can Guess McCaskill's Vote

Happy 100th Holst's The Planets

100 years ago, a symphonic blockbuster was born in London. The Planets, by Gustav Holst, premiered on this date in 1918. The seven-movement suite, depicting planets from our solar system, has been sampled, stolen and cherished by the likes of Frank Zappa, John Williams, Hans Zimmer and any number of prog-rock and metal bands.

Read and listen at NPR.  

Pricey, Immobile, and Unequal

Housing in America may be a microcosm of the nation itself: a bit less dynamic, far more costly and uncomfortably more unequal than we’d like.

More at:  https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-state-of-the-nations-housing-stagnant-unequal-far-too-expensive-2018-06-19

Ventura County BioRegions

Not really a topical post so much as a backgrounder for people who don't have a clear idea of where I live.  This is a rough map of the microclimes and ecosystems of Ventura County. 

 

The Dawghaus is on the northern slope of what is here called "Camarillo Hills."   I've been to many of these biomes.  With lots of overlap they are as unique as Boston accents. 

CA Proposition 10

CA Prop 10 (2018) Repeals the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act (Costa-Hawkins), thus allowing local governments to adopt rent control ordinances—regulations that govern how much landlords can charge tenants for renting apartments and houses. Proposition 10 would also state that a local government's rent control ordinance shall not abridge a fair rate of return for landlords. Costa-Hawkins enumerates the statewide limits of local rent control ordinances. The consequence of passing Prop 10 is that many localities will move to implement new more aggressive rent controls. Here is the official ballot statement in favor. It's all you need to understand that this is a bad idea:

The rent is too damn high! Voting YES on Proposition 10 will free our local communities to decide what rent control protections are needed, if any, to tackle the housing crisis. Prop. TEN protects TENants. Too many families spend over half their income on housing. That’s simply unacceptable. Living paycheck to paycheck means it’s difficult for these families to make ends meet, much less save for an emergency. Seniors on fixed-incomes have less to spend on food and medicine. Many of the people who should be the foundation of our local communities—the teachers, nurses and firefighters— are forced to move far away from the communities they serve because corporate landlords are doubling or even tripling the rent. With so many families struggling, many are driven to move away from California altogether, leaving jobs, relatives and schools behind. Even worse, many are forced into homelessness and living on the streets. With every 5% rent increase, 2,000 more people are forced out of their homes—a devastating blow to them and an even worse homeless problem for California to cope with. Voting YES on Prop. 10 will allow cities that need it to pass laws limiting rent increases. Prop. 10 does NOT mandate rent control. It does NOT force any community to adopt any rent control measures that would not be a good fit for their own housing situation. It does NOT force any one-size-fits-all solutions on any city. Instead, Prop. 10 simply allows communities that are struggling with skyrocketing housing costs to put an annual limit on how much rents can be raised. Communities are free to bring more fairness to housing, ensuring that tenants have protections against huge rent increases, while ensuring that landlords receive a fair rate of return with reasonable yearly increases. Voters have heard a lot of confusing arguments about Proposition 10. Don’t believe the attacks. Wall Street corporations like the Donald Trump-linked Blackstone have spent millions of dollars to fight this measure because they are terrified this will cut into the huge profits they make from the thousands of foreclosed homes they buy. They don’t care that California families are being crushed by high rent. It’s time to take a stand FOR affordable housing and against greedy Wall Street billionaires and corporate landlords by voting YES on Prop. 10. Prop. 10 is a limited measure that answers one question: who decides housing policy—local communities or Sacramento special interests and powerful real estate investors? It doesn’t establish new housing policies, it just lets local communities—which are closer to the people—decide what works best for them. It’s time we had the power to tackle the problems of homelessness and skyrocketing rent within our own communities. California nurses, teachers, seniors, organized labor, including SEIU State Council, housing advocates, civil rights groups, clergy and faith-based groups and other organizations you trust all urge YES on Proposition 10. Remember, Prop. TEN protects TENants.

And meet the minivan that replaced the Expedition:

You Don't Have to Like Golf

Just enjoy this video of a course in New Zealand.

Video Link

It's been a wild week.  Apologies for neglecting my friends. 

Thursday Diversion

This is my middle kid doing her job.  How cool is that?  For the less nature in tune, those are big cat paw prints. 

That's one big kitteh. 

Time Warp In The Flume Canyon Museum

If you guessed built in 1980 you'd be right but come on. How hard was it with these pictures?  
More time warp pics and details at

23306 N Flume Canyon Dr Wrightwood, CA 92397

Australia 2018 = USA 2006

No the following is not about SoCal in 2006, it is about Sydney Aus 2018.

…A couple asked him to sell a two-bedroom weatherboard home in Veron Street in Wentworthville, 27 kilometres west of Sydney, for $950,000 when it was only worth about between $820,000 and $830,000. They bought the home for $790,000, two years ago.
“I asked them where they got that number from and they said that was the number they need to pay back the $200,000 they borrowed from family to buy the home as well as repay their interest-only loan,” he said.
“A lot of them initially paid $2000 to $2500 a month on their interest-only loans, and now they have to pay $4000.”

We all know how that ends.

Read the whole article:

Western Sydney ground zero in interest-only mortgage bust

 

 

Here Come the Real Reductions

Seems the sellers are waking to their asking for a price too far.  Both of these are also examples of lower prices per square foot. 

MASSIVE Price Reduction?

Remember this cute little cottage featured a few weeks ago?  The cabin with ZERO bedrooms listed as TWO bedrooms?

1015 Robin Ln Wrightwood, CA 92397

New Asking: $230,000

 

The $5,000 reduction has made an 80 cents per day reduction in the mortgage.    Deal maker!  

Nothing Says Curb Appeal Like...

Welcome!

4426 Oil Well Rd Phelan, CA 92371

$399,000 Pending

4Beds 2Baths

2,392 Sq. Ft.

$167 / Sq. Ft.

6ac.

 

Located In A Majestic Valley Of Joshua Trees. Beautifully Remodeled Custom Home With Everything New  

 

As they say location, location, location. 

 

Flip It Flip It Good

1015 Robin Ln Wrightwood, CA 92397

Recently updated and fully furnished (Everything inside is included) located in the Acorn area of Wrightwood with a level entry off the street. This property has new paint, flooring, appliances, furniture and even a washer and dryer. Ready to move in or rent out with an approval from the County for short term rentability...

Very nice kitchen remodel. 

 And how is this sweetie represented?  

2 Beds  1 Bath

836 Sq. Ft.

$235,000

$281 / Sq. Ft.

 

Let's check out the "bedrooms."That's right.  ZERO bedrooms, just a loft.