homes4hipsters

No new listings or price changes for the Cliff May Ranchos this week. But, it will give me the opportunity to describe one of the listings in greater detail. The home at 3025 Roxanne is currently listed at $515,900; down from the original price of $549,900. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home of about 1,130 square feet. Let me give you my impressions of this home. The curb appeal is okay, that is to say you will want to stop the car, and at least check it out. I see a good potential to strip the “Grandma’s House” out of the yard and front door, and replace it with something a little more modern and cool. Read the rest of this entry »

So you just got a really swell deal on that mid-century jewel. Prices are low and interest rates are phenomenal! But the garage door is falling apart. The bathroom needs to be re-done. And what color are you going to paint the kitchen? You could consult your friends, if they had any taste. Or you could hire an interior decorator, if you want to give your Cliff May a “Tuscan Makeover”. Make your life easy, and check out this awesome website, Retro Renovation ! I could spend hours gushing about what a great resource this is for the mid-mod home owner. Or, you can spend hours surfing this highly informative, well designed, and really interesting website. ‘Nuff said.

Click the graphic above for the Cliff May Ranchos Thursday Market Update! 

Looks like there has been some movement in the Cliff May Ranchos market in the New Year. It looks like after 1 year on the market, the home at 6391 Spring Street finally sold! Originally listed for $699,000 waaay back in January 2008, this 1863 square foot home sold for $473,500. Lots of square footage and plenty of mid-century modern to work with. However, both the bathrooms and the kitchen need to be gutted and re-built. There is also a new listing in the Cliff May Ranchos at 3230 Stevely Ave. This 3 bedroom/1.75 bath home is 1350 square feet, and is listed for $669,000. Check back here every Thursday, and track the progress of these listings. If you are interested in scheduling an exclusive showing of any of these homes, please call Evan Gould @ 310-351-9798.

With the promise of a New Year coming, I would like to re-dedicate myself to Homes4Hipsters.com in 2009. But why wait until then? Today, I introduce a new weekly feature called the Cliff May Market Update. As you may know, Cliff May was the architect who developed the California ranch house. There is a neighborhood in Long Beach with a great selection of these mid-century modern homes. Every Thursday, check in here to find out the latest listings, price reductions, and recent sales of these homes. And if you want to schedule an exclusive showing of any of these homes, call my cell (310) 351-9798, or email evan.gould@homes4hipsters.com .

I just got an e-mail from Alexis, a partner at Alto Furniture, announcing the re-launch of their website www.thisisnotikea.com . While the rest of us toil away in offices, Alexis spends weekdays going to estate sales and auctions, collecting vintage and retro furniture and more. After seven years, Alto Furniture has over 1,000 items in it’s inventory, and it is all available online. Furnish your Mid-Century modern home or condo at very reasonable prices. Why waste your weekend and a tank of gas driving around L. A., looking for vintage furniture, when all you have to do is click!

How about that empty lot in your neighborhood? Why doesn’t someone build a home there? Because spec home building has completely dried up (mortgage meltdown). However, a person who wants to build a home and intends to live in it, can still get funding! Enter Marmol Radziner Prefab, and the new Skyline Series. Modern, modular, environmentally friendly, and at $272 per square foot installed, is a great way to afford a house, and fill in that empty lot.

Located at 3456 Via Campesina in Rancho Palos Verdes, this 5 bedroom/ 5 bath Lloyd Wright designed home is on the market, and could be yours for as little $1,890,500! What a price for a piece of architecture history. Seriously though, this home was built in 1965, and needs a serious amount of restoration. The good news is that all of the groovy architectural elements like the wood and colored plexiglass room dividers, luxurious wood panelling, stone fireplaces and terrazzo floors are still intact. The bad news is the ceilings have been “popcorned”, the guest house is a mess, and the whole place needs a thorough scrubbing. Read the rest of this entry »

Beginning this Saturday, February 16th, the Richard Neutra VDL Studio and Residence is open to the public for tours. Every Saturday from 11:00 AM-3:00 PM, the home will be open to mid-century modern enthusiasts for a measly $10. What a great price to tour Neutra’s personal residence and studio. I’ll see you at 2300 Silverlake Blvd, LA!

Today’s LA Times home and garden section features this lovely home in Palm Springs. Designed by William Krisel, this home is brand-new construction, based on a 50 year old design. What a novel idea! Maybe this could serve as a model for in-fill projects here in Los Angeles county? Instead of building a “Fake-o Mediterranean-Tuscan-o” blob, use some classic mid-century modern house plans and build something unique!

Just giving you the early warning for something you definitely do not want to miss: CABoom V. Yes, it is the fifth installment of the coolest design and architecture show on the planet, hosted in Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport. I’ve been to the last three shows and this event gets more amazing every time. It is a great collection of independent designers and architects. There are home tours, and dj’s spinning hipster music, and awesome product displays, and lectures by key architects, the best in pre-fab homes, and too much to jam into this little blog post. I’ll see you there!