// the mood & vibes this week
— hi, friends :) writing this to you from my airbnb in portland, oregon. YES! I AM FINALLY IN OREGON!!!!
— i say “finally” because those who know me off the screens know that i am an oregon fangirl fiend. ever since i visited the coast in a partnership with a midcentury sea cabin in september 2023…i've been capital d capital b Down Bad. there's just something about the pacific northwest that calls me - and every second here since verifies that i will probably be spending significant time here in the future. SHE JUST HAS THE BEST JUJU. and this week in portland!?!?!? are you kidding me!?!?!??! for one, it's super gay, and i feel SO SAFE AND WELCOMED. like, the restaurant we went to on thursday had a sign out front that encouraged folks to use they/them pronouns with staff. like WHAT?!!??! i live in freaking LOS ANGELES and have NEVER seen this. and like, on the way to lunch we counted 4 pride flags hanging from houses. and everywhere people put up signs like ‘resist fascism’ and 'there is no LGBT without the T." BRUH. OKAY I HAVE SO MUCH TO TELL YOU BUT LET ME FANGIRL A SEC. lmaooooooo.
— so yes, it's been amazing in oregon. but let me back the truck up a sec. i haven't written to you since late may. there's been A LOTTTT going on so let's go back there real quick.
— the biggest update: GUESS WHO BOUGHT A FREAKING HOUSE. YES THAT IS RIGHT YOU HEARD ME. A HOUSE!?!!?!?!?!?!??! NOT JUST A HOUSE! a midcentury modern TRIPLEX (3-unit) in the heart of silver lake (one of the coolest & queerest neighborhoods in LA). badabing badaboom holy sh*t i'm a homeowner. AND A LANDLORD!?!?!??!?!?!?! insanity. ya'll know that i've been dreaming about buying a house at a relatively young age for like, ever. and ever since career things started taking off in 2023, i've been seriously looking. and i FOUND THE ONE.
— we closed at the beginning of june, and ever since it has been HGMUTHAFREAKINGTV up in this. as in, renovation station. 2 units are occupied, and i'm renovating the vacant unit to move into, along with some major exterior modifications. how can i put this gently: the past owners were Sh*tty Paint Over That Sh*t Landlords. so, there's a lot of drek to undo. we literally gut renovated my unit which was so much $ but i'm moving in on monday! wtf! so exciting. i will also be finessing a cool roomie b/c ya girl needs help with this giant mortgage!
— in terms of exterior modifications, there's many. we are exposing a balcony from the original ‘68 plans that was covered over in the 90s. we are repainting everything. we are redoing the landscaping replacing the gate adding plants good lord can’t ya just see the 00s getting bigger and bigger. my designer carla and i frequently joke about how we'll need to start planning our bank heist after this renovation is done. but i'm doing my best to hold onto the vision: in no time at all, i will be the owner of a period-correct, midcentury modern multifamily in an incredible area with strong rents. HECK THE FORK YES.
— my long term plan is to live here for a few years, then rent it entirely out and buy the next. and rinse/repeat this a few times in the next decade, then use those properties to get the vineyard estate of my dreams. what can i say, the capricorn in me has all this sh*t planned out. and even if the plan changes, i feel SO FREAKING RELIEVED to FINALLY have a foot in the door. to start the ball rolling on compound interest, wealth generation, and just like, serious financial security as a minority who is actively being persecuted by the government. big moves, am i righttttttttt. (side note: my friends and i have joked that i might be the only trans girl landlord in LA. IF ANYONE KNOWS ANOTHER ENBY OR TRANS LANDLORD PLZ CONNECT ME ASAP!)
— so yeah, the house stuff has been ALL ENCOMPASSING. not to mention that i've also been in one of the biggest escrows of my life AT THE SAME TIME. and, have been helping my real estate team push out hot listing after hot listing like we're a freaking bagel shop in new york city. WHILE working with my other buyers and hunting for good houses, AND trying to enjoy my summer at the same time (the first summer i've been blonde for, AND the first summer i've had after bottom surgery in december).
— after all that madness in june, i high-tailed it out of LA for the north. spent a week in my native marin county san francsico bay area for general good family time and a granola trip at the russian river for the 4th. that was a long and clunky sentence but it is 11:31PM and i have to be up at 8AM for MORE river rafting so CUT ME SOME SLACK OY VEY! and before getting to PDX, my sister and i spent a few blissed-out days on the oregon coast in a c. 1979 airbnb. the tour is going live this morning on my IG and she's sexy as helllllllll. the perfect backdrop to catch up on one of my favorite tv shows, the summer i turned pretty.
— normally i would wordsmith my way into a segue to talk about how the market is doing, BUT LET'S JUST GET INTO IT. to be honest, things are weird in LA real estate right now! the consensus among myself and other baller agents is that it is a capital b capital m BUYER'S MARKET. and i felt that myself in my own recent acquisition. i bought my house for $150,000 under asking price because nobody wants to touch multifamily with a ten foot pole right now. and honestly, they don't wanna touch overpriced single family either, or single family that isn't completely dialed. the good houses are still going for over asking, like usual, but we're just seeing a bit of an overall lull. we've had quite the tumultuous year in LA. but i've been telling my buyers as of late that there is HUGE opportunity to be found right now. the good ol' warren buffet quote really holds water — “be fearful when others are greedy, but be greedy when others are fearful.” that is — snap up these muthafreaking good houses right now at sale prices you WILL NOT SEE again. if there's one truth i know, it's that los angeles real estate goes exponentially up over the long term. buy and hold baby, buy and HOLD!
— despite the lack of activity, there are some good houses to be found. namely, MY LISTING in beverly glen canyon!!!!! she just got a 100k price reduction!!!!!!! ya gotta come through. her & others are linked below just for you!
— in terms of what's coming up … continually on the hunt with my slew of buyers. prepping houses with the team to launch.
— if you're looking to buy a wood house elsewhere in CA + the US, there's a good chance i can refer you to an agent in your city. referrals are a great way to support me. whenever i send a client to one of my cool out-of-area agent friends, i actually receive a portion of that commission! and like most things in life, a recommendation from a friend is the way to go. if that's you, respond to this email and i'd be happy to connect you.
— as always, with the houses i feature below, if you're interested in more details, respond to this email.
— talk to you soon, and sending love.
xx,
sam
