The Beginning
Naiveté, a lost job and a sickie
I’ve always been interested in investing in a second home - somewhere we can get away from the LA noise and chaos. We first heard that Joshua Tree was the spot to buy... relatively inexpensive fixers, etc. So we set out on a Sunday to check it out. It was... hot :), and didn’t really speak to my/our soul.
After that, I spent more time on Zillow (the real estate app) and discovered Crestline! I hadn’t even known it existed. And, only 1.5 hours away from LA! I fell in love with the images of the homes for sale that I saw on the site, so we got in the car and headed up to Crestline for the day. It didn’t disappoint - the trees, the cabins, the lake access, the mom & pop restaurants and shops - are incredible! We drove through the neighborhoods, parked at the lake for a bit, went to the local McDonalds, and headed back home to LA.
For the next handful of weeks, I focused on finding a home in Crestline that ‘spoke’ to me and was within budget. And, that’s when I discovered the cabin eventually to be known as Buck & Hound. I/we fell in love with it immediately. She’s a bit rough around the edges (I can relate) with beautiful high ceilings and little loft sleeping area. The trees on the lot are AMAZING. The proximity to LA, ideal.
An offer was made and accepted in October.
Inspections and appraisal were set and we felt naively confident that we were looking at a Thanksgiving weekend close.
Nope.
In time for Christmas maybe?
Nope.
A bunch of stuff happened during that stretch of time… new inspections, unplanned construction… and our 11 year old fur buddy, Basil’s, cancer diagnosis. Up to that point I had been extremely anxious and excited about closing, but when we learned about Basil… I honestly didn’t care one way or the other anymore. Most days nothing mattered except the health and comfort of our main dude. (I had been so looking forward to having the dogs - Basil & June - experience snow for the first time!).
Fast forward to February (one employment layoff and tumor removal surgery later)
and finally… escrow closes.
And now, here we are… excited and nervous to get this little cabin back to her best self.
We are not professionals - far from it. We have not done this before. So, what could possibly go wrong?
PS - We have lived in our current home for 10 years and have yet to finish projects around the house. So, this may be a long journey. Ha! Be patient.
PSS - Basil’s doing well… got to experience snow… and, yes, he’s the hound.
- Buck & Hound
