Scouting Palm Springs
Apr. 10th, 2004 12:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drscottI spent the last week in Palm Springs tooling about with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
excessor -- we stayed in formerly-half-his beautiful Mid-Century Modern home with perfect rectangular pool, slate floors throughout, and palm trees dramatically lit from below.
As a real estate scouting trip it was fairly successful. The "48 @ Baristo" condos I had been interested in are now so high in price it wouldn't make sense to buy -- sold at $300 or so last year, they're now getting up towards $500K in resale. The new phases are starting at $500K and rising fast. The 3000-sq-ft-with-casita houses in Montage at Cathedral City went from $350K two years ago to $750K now. Given the low incomes in the area and the amount of flipping and speculation, it looks like an overbuilding boom and subsequent bust are imminent, and indeed there are rumored to be new permits for thousands of units in Palm Springs alone.
We visited Randy C (Andy's ex) at his new place in 48@Arenas. He's put in many thousands of dollars of custom cabinetry and finishes, power shades, builtins, etc. -- the application of money and good taste has made his the only unit I'd actually want to live in. His new life seems to be going well, and he regaled us with stories of his recent dates and massages. The talk would not have been complete without some group worrying about Andy, but given that he would not listen to anyone it is always an unproductive discussion.
We saw a lot ofqbear and rootbeer1 -- we first met them at the Sunday beerbust at the Barracks, which was crowded and warm enough to encourage shirtless men. Then we went to dinner with them -- charming Jack and puckish Steve, who I can finally see as younger than me despite his senior LJ status. We saw them again a few days later, when we went over to their friend Mike's house to hang out by the pool, then again Wednesday night for dinner with a few of their friends. I especially remember John, a big bearded schoolteacher who sat between excessor and me. I wanted to pack him in my suitcase and take him home with me, but I failed to give him the opportunity, alas. The food at El Mirasol was great.
I really look forward to getting to know Jack and Steve better. Jack's stories and Steve's smile are hard to resist. :)
My next scouting trip will be to Las Vegas. It will not be as fun withoutexcessor along to liven things up.
excessor -- we stayed in formerly-half-his beautiful Mid-Century Modern home with perfect rectangular pool, slate floors throughout, and palm trees dramatically lit from below.As a real estate scouting trip it was fairly successful. The "48 @ Baristo" condos I had been interested in are now so high in price it wouldn't make sense to buy -- sold at $300 or so last year, they're now getting up towards $500K in resale. The new phases are starting at $500K and rising fast. The 3000-sq-ft-with-casita houses in Montage at Cathedral City went from $350K two years ago to $750K now. Given the low incomes in the area and the amount of flipping and speculation, it looks like an overbuilding boom and subsequent bust are imminent, and indeed there are rumored to be new permits for thousands of units in Palm Springs alone.
We visited Randy C (Andy's ex) at his new place in 48@Arenas. He's put in many thousands of dollars of custom cabinetry and finishes, power shades, builtins, etc. -- the application of money and good taste has made his the only unit I'd actually want to live in. His new life seems to be going well, and he regaled us with stories of his recent dates and massages. The talk would not have been complete without some group worrying about Andy, but given that he would not listen to anyone it is always an unproductive discussion.
We saw a lot of
qbear and rootbeer1 -- we first met them at the Sunday beerbust at the Barracks, which was crowded and warm enough to encourage shirtless men. Then we went to dinner with them -- charming Jack and puckish Steve, who I can finally see as younger than me despite his senior LJ status. We saw them again a few days later, when we went over to their friend Mike's house to hang out by the pool, then again Wednesday night for dinner with a few of their friends. I especially remember John, a big bearded schoolteacher who sat between excessor and me. I wanted to pack him in my suitcase and take him home with me, but I failed to give him the opportunity, alas. The food at El Mirasol was great.I really look forward to getting to know Jack and Steve better. Jack's stories and Steve's smile are hard to resist. :)
My next scouting trip will be to Las Vegas. It will not be as fun without
excessor along to liven things up.
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no subject
Date: 2004-04-10 11:55 am (UTC)I tend to agree with your caution about pricing in the area. There are so many new units going up that paying for a new place is probably unwise, and paying a lot for even the older homes is questionable. I saw the same happen in Phoenix in the early 80s, in Dallas and Houston in the middle 80s, and Las Vegas in the middle 90s. It's not pretty.
Hanging out at Mike's house (where we first met Tony) was fun: that's what a modern, midcentury-style home could look like. He did a nice job decorating the house.
I suppose it's ok to tell you now that during dinner, when John the big bearded schoolteacher was sitting between us, his leg was rubbing mine the whole time. Did you see how hairy they are? [swoon] Anyhoo, we jostled throughout dinner—a lot of good it did me, because I certainly was under the impression that he had an interest in you. Still, I got a rush every time he spoke in his deep, booming voice. I love deep voices.
Thanks for the kind words. I suspect you'll have lots o' fun when traveling on your own.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-10 01:30 pm (UTC)I think "your" house is much nicer than Mike's, though his was more pure MCM. Like our Eichler, which is very late and therefore not quite as "Eichler-y" as most, I'd rather have comfort and higher-quality systems than a design statement suitable for a catalog.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-10 03:58 pm (UTC)I agree that modern function wins over older form. It's hard not to salivate when the two meet in a nice way. I liked Mike's house, but I prefer the house that was once mine. After all, Mike's didn't have ultra gay exterior lighting and I think it's important to send a message to one's neighbors, don't you?