Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Dream Lofty Dreams.

I've been bit by the loft bug... bad.

Since as far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to live in a loft. One of those old, rustic looking buildings with exposed brick and metal support beams. One with hard wood floors and oversized windows that pour in sunlight. You know the kind of place I'm talking about. The hard part is finding the perfect place.

Minimal Loft - 3D


I'm not sure exactly what attracted me to the loft style living space originally, but I know seeing this guy's toy collection in his space sure guided my interest. The toy collector's name is Pirovino, and he has one of the most epic KAWS collections I've ever seen. Come on now, all six 4 foot Companions. This guys is oozing money.









For the last six months, I've been legitimately looking for lofts of all shapes and colors throughout all of California. From Los Angeles to San Francisco. Don't get me wrong, I've found plenty of amazing loft units for sale, but none are in the price range that's feasible for me. I found a few that are so-so in San Jose (where I'm currently living), but nothing too special. I thought all hope was lost, until I stumbled upon a newer condo complex through a random google search.

The complex is called Plant 51 and was converted from the old Del Monte pineapple cannery into high end lofts and living spaces. How cool is that? This place isn't one of those fake loft complexes that are made to look old and aged. This is the real deal. This is one of those complexes that has history, and that's what I love.

Courtyard // Plant 51

Workout // Plant 51


As a sort of spur of the moment whim, Jenny and I decided to head down to Plant 51 to check out the units for sale. Most of the units were just above our price range, but there's no harm in ogling. The sales rep showed us three level lofts, two level lofts, and a few flats. They were all awesome. Jenny and I were obviously leaning more towards the two level loft, but that fact that none of the available units had any exposed brick walls was a huge letdown. It was still great to see the units in person.

A few weeks later, we returned to Plant 51 with Jenny's mom and our pug Coco. This time we wanted to get some different reactions. We wanted to see how our dog liked place, since their "pet friendliness" is one of the big perks. This time around, we saw a lot more units than the first time. There was one corner unit that we saw for the first time, and Jenny and I instantly fell in love. I was under the impression that there were no two level brick lofts, but I guess there was still one left. This unit had two huge brick walls, black metal support beams running through the unit, and floor to ceiling windows. Needless to say, it was perfect. The only downside was the small upstairs bedroom. We saw some other units that day, but nothing stood out to us like that corner loft. Below are some photos of the unit.

Loft Living Room // Plant 51

Floating Stairs // Plant 51

Aloft // Plant 51


Now, a week later, Jenny and I are still talking about how much we love that unit. With all our tastes and things we already own (vintage cameras, toys, art, etc.), everything would look perfect in that loft. It is very much our style. Not to mention, it's a few blocks from the HP Pavilion, right next to the train station, and a block from a dog park. Can you say perfect?

I am currently going through the mortgage financing phase, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up. Having only worked for 6-7 months after graduating is what's really hurting me right now. Mortgage brokers like to see borrowers working for at least a year before lending to. I'm hoping that having my mother as a cosigner will help things happen, but only time will tell. I'm going to try my hardest to get this dream home. For now though, it is just a lofty dream.

2 comments:

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

Does your equity help at all with the brokers?

-Ben