Welcome to my neighborhood! And by “neighborhood,” I mean the greater 20 miles surrounding my little condo. The peninsula south of San Francisco is full of old homes that are bursting with charm.
1. It’s not even a house feature, but I still can’t get past how beautiful that tree is. The steeply pitched roof and castle-esque front door also give the place a lot of charm.
2. Off white paint and navy trim? Yes, please! Plus I’m in love with the million windows, as well as the wisteria growing over that side porch.
3. A lot of the homes around here have a little Spanish flare, like this one. I love when people work with the architectural style of their home instead of trying to cover it up.
4. Robin’s egg blue paint with black shutters, white trim, and a white picket fence. Love it. But my favorite feature is that pretty archway to right, which leads to a small detached garage.
One of the things I like most about my area is that homes are generally small and cozy. The lots are small and close together, and many of the homes were built in the 50s (although plenty have been renovated extensively). Single paned windows, shingled roofs, and lush, manicured landscaping abound!
The hard-to-overlook downside?
None of these homes are worth a penny less than 800,000 dollars. And some of them are worth considerably more.
So when I say “house dreaming,” I really mean dreaming! Oh well! Which one is your favorite?
Mine is a tie between numbers two and three! I’ll be visiting San Francisco in July and I’m SO excited! So many beautiful things to see! I think even driving through one of these gorgeous neighborhoods would make my trip worthwhile! Outside of Minneapolis and it’s immediate subarbs, you can’t find homes like these! It’s such a bummer. But don’t worry…I’m dreaming right there with you. These homes are beyond GORGEOUS!
How fun, Sarah! You will love San francisco! Thanks for all the thoughtful comments!
Oh my! I can tell we have very similar taste. These are gorgeous! Have you looked up their addresses online to see pictures of the inside? Haha… I’ve been doing that lately. There are some darling, old, charming ones around here and I’ve been in the mood for house dreaming lately too. It might be a waste of time, but it’s fun! Have you seen the Property Brothers on HGTV? I’ve been watching that lately with visions of buying an old, charming house and totally renovating it. Oh one can dream, right? 🙂
I would LOVE to buy an old charmer and fix it up too! And yes, it never hurts to dream! I will have to look up that show – I’m sure i would love it!
It looks like you were taking a walk through Palo Alto. I agree–such beautiful homes there, but a bit out of the price range!
I love in the Bay Area! And yes, major downside is the price of the homes. We are still on the fence with buying… sigh. But I’m so tired of renting. These homes are adorable!! I’m guessing Palo Alto area? When do you move in? 😉
Oops. I meant “live in.” Although, I also love it so it may have been a Freudian slip.
Oh, wow, what a beautiful neighborhood. For me it’s a tie between #1 and #2. If I lived in your neighborhood, I’d definitely be dreaming, too! $800,000, really?!? I don’t suppose you’d like to move to Wisconsin? Become my neighbor and you can buy a beautiful home for less than half that! (And still I dream about those houses, too!)
They are all so fantastic! I think number three is my favourite. I love all those windows. And navy trim? How sweet!
Number three is probably my favorite too. Either that or the first one. Love that navy trim. Thanks for commenting, Ash!
What a beautiful blog! And, I will take the cottage with the amazing tree in the front yard. It looks like something from a story!
Erica, What a lovely blog! It’s so fun reading up on you and your cute family.
The addition of our little girl has me itching to move to the burbs…enough to spend (waste) time on real-estate sites. Isn’t it awful how expensive these homes are?! GORGEOUS and CHARMING, but so, so expensive. 😐
SO great to hear from you, Rachel! I know – I’m starting to wonder if I will every get outta my job managing our building, because even though I am plenty ready to move on, what are our options? It’s so tough here for young families! When you most need the house and garage and yard, it is pretty much out of reach! Oh well, joy in the journey, I suppose!
I would love it if you guys moved down here! We have a really social group of moms here in our ward. It’d be so fun to have you join us! Do it! 🙂