— hi, friends :) i am writing this to you from topanga haus. aka, my little studio that i rent in topanga canyon. i am sitting at my teeny little desk inside. it's a cold morning here, quite chilly in fact. the canyon has been cooling down for winter these past few weeks. the lows have been averaging around ~44 degrees, while the highs barely crack 65. we're expected to get a few days of 75 next week, but … the vibes have shifted. it fees like such a privilege to experience these seasonal movements here. 

— for all my life, i've wanted to live up close to nature, to the wilderness. my childhood was spent in san francisco, in the beautiful dense urbanity of it all. while my adolescence was spent across the golden gate bridge in marin - which is definitely more wild - i never was really IN IT. never in those pockets of town that are just forest, that are on the edge of a national park. i grew up in lovely houses, to be sure, with wide streets and close to shops and all that jazz. but i always had this quiet longing … this longing to be wild. and now … for this year … i've had that, for the first time in my life. 

— at night, when the moon is full and it's a cloudless sky, the landscape outside my window is bathed in the milky glow. i take two hour long scalding baths in my clawfoot tub that could be ten or a hundred years old. and when i get home after dark, i have to run to my gate, because it's soooooo dark - not a streetlamp in sight. and these routines have shifted with the seasons, for sure. when i first moved here, the rainy months were downright magical. they brought frogs to my backyard pond, and i'd fall asleep to their hymns. the creek overflowed, shutting down the entire canyon for a day. and then a few months later, a rockslide completely shut us off from the rest of the world from one side. you could get out through the valley, but things were shifted, for sure, until the road opened in june. and then, summer … my personal favorite. waking up and knowing it was going to be 85 degrees and STUNNING. warm mornings padding over my brick patio, long runs on back roads and dusty trails. epic sunsets and cruising down to the beach with my homies, burritos and salt and tan lines. and now, this fall, rounding out my seasonal experience of the canyon. 

— when i leave early next year, i will definitely miss this - this keen sense of AWARENESS that folks in topanga have. being at the whims of nature, and quite literally having to alter your routines because of it, instead of the cityscape and concrete always being the one doing the altering. i'm going to miss so much. but ultimately, i will be moving back to northeast LA for a litany of reasons … among them being my work is over there; that's still where i sell the most houses. and honestly, i am having the desire to be in the mix again. to be able to walk to a local coffee shop or bar and just vibe. and if i'm being radically honest, the more comfortable i've become in my own skin - the more my outsides reflect my insides - the more i vibe with being around lots of peeps. 

— and that's definitely been a value of this year … radical honesty. just like … one thing i've learned, is that there is so much power in telling the truth. which sounds so easy but GAWD it is anything but. i think it's maybe the bravest thing we can do, right. be honest about who we are, what we love, what we value. how we actually feel about things in the messy middle. and ofc when someone asks you “how do you feel about wood painted white and shiplap?” HONESTY IS REQUIRED PEOPLE. lmaoooo. and … yeah. 

— in terms of work stuff, things are definitely slowing down for the year. many of my clients are looking into early 2025 as when they'll make their move, and i totally get it. my own plan to buy my first house has been moved to early next year as well (PS: if you're an agent and you hear of anything off-market in prime silver lake / echo park in the mid-$1M's with sam vibes, HMU! big + if it's a multifamily). this is the season of slowing down, evaluating, being with your close folks. however, there are still some banger houses on the market. 

— my favorite house of all time hit MLS a few weeks ago, and i haven't been okay since … here's the reel tour with a slice of practical magic whimsy. &&&, we got an architectural in pasadena from the iconic firm buff straub & hensman that is super yummy. our team has a sexy midcentury in los feliz overlooking all the glitz. and … yeah. i think that's all i have for ya today.

— as always, with the houses i feature below, if you're a serious buyer & interested in more details, hit my line. i included a bunch of bangers today ;)

— wonder what you're feeling this week. maybe respond and tell me.

— talk to you soon, and sending love.

 

xx,

sam