New Chapter.

Today marks a new chapter...

When I woke up this morning, I had no idea the day was going to pan out the way it did. All I knew was that at 1pm, I was going to meet with the Plant 51 sales rep to put in an offer on our second choice loft unit. The brick loft I posted about a few weeks back was unfortunately snatched away from us by another buyer. Jenny and I had the option to proceed with our second choice unit or continue to keep looking for places. We decided that we weren't going to find any place like the lofts at Plant 51, so I told the sales rep I was ready to purchase.



So, today when I went to the sales office, the rep divulged some new information. The person who reserved the brick loft never followed through with the paper work. This meant that starting that day, unit 2131 (the one Jenny and I loved) was back on the market. In the back of my head, I was thinking "April Fools, right?" Nope. Just lucky timing.

Jenny and I were at a standstill. We didn't know what to do. The brick loft was a bit more money, but it was our first choice to begin with. The only way to make a final decision was to do a final walkthrough. It was one of those moments where when you walk through the door, it just feels right. It was meant to be.



A few hours and 200+ documents later we had put our offer in. We were able to agree to a 55 day escrow, which meant that we would have close to two months to save up for furniture and such. As awesome as today was, nothing is guaranteed. We are not out of the woods quite yet. Our purchase is contingent on us getting financing. Based on what the mortgage broker said, we should be just fine, but nothing is for sure. So until then, fingers crossed.

If it's meant to be, it's meant to be.

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.



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.





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.







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.