We decided that it was time to own property, but what kind of property? We considered every option we could think of, weighing out the pros and cons of each. Ideally, we would stay in California and continue that West Coast lifestyle we were so happy living, but the reality of owning property in California was quite unrealistic for us. We had never considered owning property up until this point and had not planned accordingly with any long term financial goals. We are both the kind of people who like to live in the moment and see where life takes us, both having started over in our lives many times before. It had worked in our favor thus far! But again, that mirage of security was fading once the world came to a halt... the security we thought we had living in our current situation became clear that it really only provided short term comfort.
Owning property in California was out of reach for us, as we did not have any savings stashed away for a massive down payment that came along with California real estate prices. We did consider the possibility of moving inland, as prices dropped the further away from the coast you found yourself, but we moved to California to be by the ocean, so it wasn't very appealing to us to go that route. So we considered going north, but the more we looked at properties online, the reality was that no matter where you looked, prices were highest along the coast.
So, if we couldn't afford a house along the Pacific Coast, how about we build out a camper van and live anywhere we wish! This was always an option in the back of our minds, not only now, but in many stages of our lives. We were both handy and could definitely make a beautiful, comfortable home on wheels, but the more we investigated this path, the more expensive we found it to be. You could easily spend $100k on a van once it was built out and livable. Not to mention, the time it would take to build it out.. Time we did have, but only a few months remained on our lease and we had already decided we weren't going to extend it, as it was a money pit. Our monthly expenses were roughly $7k living in Santa Barbara... we were ready to start spending our money more wisely.. So the van idea started to feel like it wasn't worth the upfront costs, especially because a vehicle always goes down in value, the more you use it, the opposite is true for a house. Then of course, there is a whole list of costs involved once you live in the van, fuel, parking, maintenance, parking tickets, the list goes on... It seemed a bit more stressful than it was worth, living in a van in an overcrowded coastline.
Ok, so if we weren't going to move inland, North, South, or in a van, where else could we go? At this point during early days of the pandemic, I mentioned before, our priorities began to shift focus, and the things in life that brought real meaning to our lives were family, love, good food a comfortable home. One thing we both left behind when pursuing our dreams in California was family. I'm originally from Chicago and Mike, Atlanta. Both of our families still resided in those places, so we of course considered moving closer to family. I left Chicago mainly because of the harsh winters, and although I do love Chicago for many reasons, those long, cold, dark winters still wasn't something I was ready to make a part of my life again, if ever! So we considered Georgia, with a more mild climate, still having seasons, but much shorter, much milder winters. Mike told me stories of the lush forests in Georgia and the green covered hillsides of the Appalachian Mountains, with more rivers than you can count. Now that was somewhere that I could see myself happy!
There is a big film industry in Atlanta as well, so the promise of working in the industry was still very bright. We could always hop on a plane and work anywhere in the country, Nashville was close, NY, Miami, Chicago and the occasional job in LA was still on the table. The more we talked about it, the better the idea of moving to Georgia sounded! Mike grew up there, so he knew of all the places that he found to be beautiful and inspiring to him, that he knew I would also enjoy. At this point, I had been to Atlanta a handful of times over the 5 years we had been together. I knew I liked the city of Atlanta, but I was ready to explore the Blue Ridge Mountains a bit more in depth. After all, if we weren't going to live at the beach, the mountains were next best in my mind.
It was now June 2020, we decided to take a trip to Atlanta and feel it out a bit more, before fully committing to this idea. Our lease ended Aug 1st, so this gave us enough time to at least test the waters. We hopped on a plane, Gunther in tow, and spent the next week driving all over Georgia, imagining a life there. Realistically, we knew that in order to be able to buy property, we would need to save up some money for that down payment, so while we were there, we looked at a few rentals that would help buy us some time. The rental market was much more affordable than in California, so we would still be able to rent AND save, unlike in California.
We toured a handful of converted loft buildings all over the city, and I truly loved each one in a different way. There were so many little neighborhoods in Atlanta that had their own little vibe going on. So much street art, so many delicious restaurants and music venues that I could only dream of going into, if that day ever came again. To get a clear picture of all of our options in Georgia, we had to check out the countrysides. So we drove all over North Georgia and I absolutely fell in love with the landscapes. It was hot, humid, lush and green, with flowing rivers and waterfalls! A stark contrast to California's dry riverbeds and orange, dusty hillsides.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE California and it's rocky mountainsides and arid landscapes. The muted colors in the plants were very therapeutic to my soul, but my skin begged for moisture and Georgia had lots of moisture. In a time where abundance was felling short, my soul was craving a life force that only comes with fresh water sources. It's hard to explain, but after 6 years in the desert, my mind and body was feeling parched, even living by the ocean... that salty, salty ocean. Not to mention, the ocean was so cold that we barely ever wanted to even go in it! That's not the ocean either of us dreamed of living near, especially not for those prices. I have traveled the world many times over, and the beaches that I truly found peace at, were the warm, teal waters of tropical beaches, like in Mallorca, Fiji, Thailand and Bali. We did consider walking away from everything we had built in the film industry and running away to a place like that, but with the state of the world as it was, we didn't feel like this would bring us that sustainability we were craving, not yet at least... maybe one day.
After a fulfilling week in Georgia, it was time to go back to California and start making some concrete plans. We went back to Santa Barbara, and with the thought of leaving this beautiful beach town, we only appreciated our days there even more. The secluded, raw beaches in Santa Barbara were like none other. The water was crisp and clear and around this time, we were spotting whales off the coast every day. That was one of the most beautiful things I had ever witnessed!
Our house was one block from the water, all you had to do was climb down 250 stairs to get there. It always felt like an adventure. The best part about that beach was it was dog friendly, unlike anywhere in LA County... We always joked around that we moved there for Gunther, as he absolutely loved running on the beach with other dogs. That was pure freedom.
Anyway, we spent our days enjoying California, torn between somehow making it work there, and making a smarter choice to leave and truly create a long-term, sustainable situation for us. Ultimately, we knew moving to Georgia was our best option at this point in our lives especially because Mike's parents were in their 70s and we knew that it was important to be with family right now more than ever. So... Georgia it is! We decided we were going to move across the country, again. There were a ton of things to set this plan into motion, with only 1.5 months before we had to leave, which also meant we had 2 weeks to tell the landlord... Meanwhile, let the vision boarding begin!
Comments
Post a Comment