View Full Version : Cheap California beach living
iris lilies
1-14-23, 5:34pm
https://www.onsitehomesales.com/idx/search/homes-for-sale/33.77405424107526,-118.09565584633586;33.77405424107526,-118.09177001443985;33.77432913804158,-118.09086056442241;33.773848067772846,-118.08375031882144;33.774122965400736,-118.08027787329594;33.77398551669947,-118.07606133230294;33.77137394944836,-118.07771487779074;33.75982711929598,-118.07796290961417;33.75989585503213,-118.09515978268894;33.77405424107526,-118.09565584633586_poly/1+_beds/price_sort
On another website Someone posted this beach community as being affordable and man she is right! Aren’t these units super Duper cheap for California beach community? They seem fairly cute to me.
The only catch seems to be that you have to be 55 years old which isn’t much of a limitation. I keep thinking about Catherine‘s brother-in-law and it would’ve been nice for him to hook up in a place like this.
I wonder if they have to irrigate the lawns in this community to keep looking green.
98% are in a stock cooperative and are not allowed to be financed. Must pay all cash.
Most purchases will require the buyer to PAY ALL CASH:
98% (6,442) of the homes are Stock Cooperative ownership and Leisure World Seal Beach will not allow them to be financed. Also they are not allowed to be rented
2% (126) of the homes are Condominium ownership and can be financed. Only 15 of these homes are allowed to be rented and a 1 year lease is required
Check out these other requirements too. https://www.sealbeach-retirementcommunity.info/paperwork-required-to-list-a-unit-for-sale?acnt=AR471203
iris lilies
1-14-23, 6:49pm
Ahhh, so that is the catch, all cash. But coming up with that amount isn’t all that difficult. And I applaud the rule of no rentals. That is the only way my charming old condo building keeps from becoming a flophouse due to its inexpensive units.
Fake grass is pretty widely used in SoCal; Ed Begley Jr. even had some installed.
catherine
1-15-23, 10:16am
I keep thinking about Catherine‘s brother-in-law and it would’ve been nice for him to hook up in a place like this.
Yeah, back then, even that price may have been too much for him; that being said the California thing never was what it should have been in many ways. I told him many, many times to sink any money he has into a nice mobile home community in a warm climate, but it fell on deaf ears. He has a thing about permanently being in one place, which is why for the past couple of years he's made the foolhardy decision to live out of hotels.
Anyway, Since December he's been in a nice month-to-month shared apartment within walking distance to downtown Burlington, and he's working at a very popular organic supermarket there. The management is great, and so are the benefits. We are all hoping that things work out for the long term.
Regarding the Seal Beach community, yeah, it looks great. I would consider it, as long as the HOA requirements were reasonable--the ones sweetana mentioned makes me think it could be too many rules for me. All-cash seems like it would keep some people out for sure.
sweetana3
1-15-23, 10:37am
Reading between the lines, I think the restrictions and surveillance are probably some of the highest. They write a lot about what is required to be provided to get in and I bet there is a whole rulebook to follow. The Villages in Florida is way over the top and this one is probably the same.
Frankly I thought they required enough info to really make identity theft a real possibility.
That's certainly a decent price for living in Orange County. But I'm leery of the coop ownership structure. I don't know about in California but in New York coops are legally able to be a lot more imposing on the owners than condos are. I found it interesting that they require everyone to get a formal doctor's note confirming that they are capable of independent living as part of the application process.
iris lilies
1-15-23, 11:58pm
This place in seal Beach fascinates me, I think it’s because it’s so 1960s retro, kind of like that TV show “the prisoner. “
It is giving me those vibes.
littlebittybobby
1-18-23, 2:10pm
Okay---All this chatter about Herman, Mo.(what a name)has gotten my attention. I'm interested in acquiring this old building there, to house LBB industries. Lots of room, not much grass, etc. to waste precious time cutting. But yeah---looks like just the tickkick.5100 Yup.
iris lilies
1-18-23, 2:27pm
Okay---All this chatter about Herman, Mo.(what a name)has gotten my attention. I'm interested in acquiring this old building there, to house LBB industries. Lots of room, not much grass, etc. to waste precious time cutting. But yeah---looks like just the tickkick.5100 Yup.
This is, as you well know, the building that is the bane of my existence. Once that monstrosity implodes, my property value will go up $20,000.
ApatheticNoMore
1-18-23, 3:48pm
It's a good deal, those catches don't seem like a big deal. I'm not 55 though. I suppose I could hope to get one when I'm 55, nice to dream. I could more easily afford those cheap places especially the less expensive ones all cash than I could the average mortgage in Southern CA (I'm not kidding). They are similar to my apartment, similar layout, single story building, maybe similar size. They are in OC, near the border with L.A. county. There are jobs commutable from there if one was not retired.
iris lilies
1-18-23, 7:38pm
It's a good deal, those catches don't seem like a big deal. I'm not 55 though. I suppose I could hope to get one when I'm 55, nice to dream. I could more easily afford those cheap places especially the less expensive ones all cash than I could the average mortgage in Southern CA (I'm not kidding). They are similar to my apartment, similar layout, single story building, maybe similar size. They are in OC, near the border with L.A. county. There are jobs commutable from there if one was not retired.
and you could even enter their flower shows! I could not get the sound to work.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1XUPm24DQ58
Some of those for sale at Leisure World have some of the original appliances. One had a turquoise oven and sink from the 60s.
littlebittybobby
1-18-23, 10:45pm
This is, as you well know, the building that is the bane of my existence. Once that monstrosity implodes, my property value will go up $20,000. So yeah---will that increase in property value lend more prestige to your "existence", or will it just increase your property tax assessment? See--I bet you like it when the local gummint has plenty of cash for make-work projects. But yeah-- That building you resent was probably there long, long before you came to town, and maybe before you were born. But yeah---it's a ho' lot better dan da hood you wuz in. Right? There's some people down the street from me that I guess inherited the old, old house, and moved here from out-of-state. I spoke to them, once, and they are not affable. They look kinda crusty, too. The guy wears sleeveless underwear, and doesn't shave, and she's a scrawny, gray-haired hag. I don't like their looks. But, their major occupation there is a large vegetable garden, right out in the yard. . It's not agricultural/farm land, it's a residential area. That said--- it's their own property. Property rights used to be the American Way, but those rights are being eroded. But anyway, it does make the place look kinda junky looking with all the buckets and gardening equipment and crap they have sitting around. An eyesore. They should just be normal, and tidy up & mow, and go play golf at the country club. But yeah---their choice. Yup. Hope that helps you some. Thankk Mee.
iris lilies
1-19-23, 11:17am
Some of those for sale at Leisure World have some of the original appliances. One had a turquoise oven and sink from the 60s.
I didn’t see any of those turquoise appliances. I would like those. Many of the unit have original kitchen cabinetry which I really like.
sweetana3
1-19-23, 11:21am
It is this one (plus I have seen white and olive green in the same model of oven. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/13741-Annandale-Dr-1-18A-Seal-Beach-CA-90740/2060135069_zpid/?mmlb=g,14
catherine
1-19-23, 11:26am
It is this one (plus I have seen white and olive green in the same model of oven. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/13741-Annandale-Dr-1-18A-Seal-Beach-CA-90740/2060135069_zpid/?mmlb=g,14
Love it!! I had a wall oven like that in Harvest Gold! That house is great.
iris lilies
1-19-23, 11:33am
It is this one (plus I have seen white and olive green in the same model of oven. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/13741-Annandale-Dr-1-18A-Seal-Beach-CA-90740/2060135069_zpid/?mmlb=g,14
Love it!
Those are delightful looking little places. It's too bad they aren't more common and in other areas, too. An uncle lived in Anaheim and worked at Boeing some time ago. It must have been the land of milk and honey in a certain era. Fresh air, fresh fish, produce, the ocean, good jobs, and a mild climate. In the later years his house was broken into 3 times and the cousins all moved away to get away from some sort of California pariah. I think the pollution, crime, high prices, traffic, and overcrowding. But it does look inviting and what do I know for sure. All the leaves are gone and the sky is gray here...
iris lilies
5-29-23, 10:15am
I continue to be fascinated with Leisure World/Seal Beach.
I LOVE the units from the 1960’s, they are so retro cool. I wonder if there is a covenant against replacing kitchens? So many of the cabinets and countertops are original. Many of the units have the new awful laminate flooring but the cabinetry is original.
The ornamental cement block on exteriors really makes this complex unique.
I watched a few videos about living at Leisure World and it is so antiseptic. I mean, what do you DO all day there? I cannot envision DH there.
sweetana3
5-29-23, 10:58am
IL, I feel the same way about The Villages in Florida. I cannot imagine the rules they all live with every day. Being "perfect" comes at such a price.
I continue to be fascinated with Leisure World/Seal Beach.
I LOVE the units from the 1960’s, they are so retro cool. I wonder if there is a covenant against replacing kitchens? So many of the cabinets and countertops are original. Many of the units have the new awful laminate flooring but the cabinetry is original.
The ornamental cement block on exteriors really makes this complex unique.
I watched a few videos about living at Leisure World and it is so antiseptic. I mean, what do you DO all day there? I cannot envision DH there.
OMG check out this one!
1500 Homewood Rd #94H-M5, Seal Beach, CA 90740 | MLS #OC23069620 | Zillow (https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1500-Homewood-Rd-94H-M5-Seal-Beach-CA-90740/2057941773_zpid/?mmlb=g,8)
Now I am hooked
It says its a stock cooperative. So is that like a co-op?
No one would ever approve us. We are way too weird and antisocial.
iris lilies
5-29-23, 1:25pm
OMG check out this one!
1500 Homewood Rd #94H-M5, Seal Beach, CA 90740 | MLS #OC23069620 | Zillow (https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1500-Homewood-Rd-94H-M5-Seal-Beach-CA-90740/2057941773_zpid/?mmlb=g,8)
Now I am hooked
I know! Retro-cute for sure. I know .flowerseverywhere lives in The Villages but they are just new enough to not quite capture my aesthetic interest. Since I’m only daydreaming anyway, I would probably rather live in seal Beach than humid Florida. I’m also hoping the traffic would be better in Seal Beach and is quite near the ocean and the beach. But then, it is surrounded by desert which I hate, so green Florida is attractive.
Such a daydreaming dilemma!
iris lilies
5-29-23, 1:27pm
It says its a stock cooperative. So is that like a co-op?
No one would ever approve us. We are way too weird and antisocial.
yes, you never own a unit, you own a share and are assigned a unit. I wouldn’t mind the rules since once I’ve decided to live there and give up all gardening and home improvements, it would be fine. I will say all the interiors of these places are quite plain so I wonder if there are tight rules against extreme decorating inside. Or, do these people just have no imagination?
I would guess it’s a combination of no imagination, or ‘it is perfectly functional’, and limited budget considering the finances of people who would be inclined to live there. We’ve gone to the open houses of other townhouse units in our development when they go on sale. They’ve all been units where the owners died and the kids (who likely grew up in them judging from the bedroom decor) are selling them. Everything is all original. The hoa president is thrilled that we, and a few other owners, are making improvements and is doing everything she can to fast-track board approval for things like the skylights we want to add to our staircase.
Skylights are a beautiful addition, JP1!
Skylights are a beautiful addition, JP1!
They will be great. We’re a mid-terrace unit so the stairway is always dark. This will solve that. And one of them is going to be operable so that we can get a chimney effect going to suck cooler air in from the windows and hot air out the skylight every evening to cool the place down overnight.
Teacher Terry
5-31-23, 10:40am
My little condo has vaulted ceiling in the living room with 2 skylights which makes it feel bigger and brighter. I love them.
iris lilies
5-31-23, 10:55am
Just be aware, the skylights are common source of leaking.
Our decades long nightmare roof leak was caused by a skylight. Even though DH replaced it, there still was a leak. . He refused to consider the skylight as source of leak. When the professional roofers came to fix it. They pointed out exactly where it was leaking.
Just be aware, the skylights are common source of leaking.
Our decades long nightmare roof leak was caused by a skylight. Even though DH replaced it, there still was a leak. . He refused to consider the skylight as source of leak. When the professional roofers came to fix it. They pointed out exactly where it was leaking.
That's my biggest concern. Supposedly the new skylights on the market are substantially better regarding that. And the contractor we found installs units with a 10 year warranty that he further backs up with a five year warranty on installation. And he is fully licensed, has the appropriate GL insurance blah blah blah. Interestingly, when SO called around to get quotes for this project the other four contractors he spoke with all said basically the same thing: "Call X. He's the expert for skylights in Marin County. It's all he's done for decades and you'd be smart to have him do it." He literally has skylights in his company name whereas the others who recommended him tended to be roofers even though they mention skylights in their descriptions. Fingers crossed that he lives up to his reputation.
And because of his warranty and sufficient insurance HOA approval should be no problem. The roof of our townhouse is their responsibility but the current roof is about six years old and came with a five year warranty so we're not at risk of voiding that warranty. At least that was the opinion of the HOA president when we chatted with her the other day.
The HOA’s architecture subcommittee just left. They were all very excited about the skylight project and unanimously approved it. I guess we’re about to become a construction zone yet again.
Teacher Terry
6-2-23, 9:58pm
Luckily if the skylight leaks it’s not my problem.
Yesterday I drove by a house in Bridgton, Maine that had the skylights open. It was a manufactured ranch on a foundation, metal roof, and it looked fantastic--can only imagine how that opens up the inside. Thought of your project.
We have a very dark interior middle section. The house is basically divided into horizontal thirds: "living area, " "eating area," and "sleeping area." The eating area has low dark ceilings (I would be tempted to paint them, but DH would never allow it as they are a beautiful natural honey pine). The lighting in this middle third is horrible. I've been thinking about recessed lights, but now I'm thinking, recessed lights are "so yesterday" and I'm sure I can find better solutions at a less permanent and more reasonable price. One thing I considered were tubular skylights similar to this one:https://solatube.com/residential/tubular-skylights/
Maybe it has just as much danger of leaking, but it's more affordable than a full-blown skylight.
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