Vallejo Real Estate - Finding my Dreamhouse

Not only did I find my dream house, I found two -- fixer-uppers with panoramic river views, rooms galore, and spacious grounds, in the neighborhood of singing neighbors.  With the first, I was going to knock down walls, transform windows into French doors, build decks, add bathrooms and a new roof, just for starters.   I went nuts.  Unfortunately, a bid was already in place and I couldn’t do anything about it. The second one required even more work, but I was at it again, tearing down walls and building new ones in my mind; I even designed a Zen garden with lines to hang laundry.  But, before I had a chance to bid on the second one, I received a barrage of phone calls and emails from home-owner friends, warning me not to do it.  “Don't buy a house," they said.  "Enjoy your retirement, spend time with the grandkids, travel; don’t open that can of worms.”

They were right.  As Wharf Rat correctly observed, I was getting too shi shi.  I’d lost control and got carried away by my fantasies.  I’d caught a bad case of Vallejo real-estate fever, like quite a number of people I know around here.  My friends from other places brought me back to reality.  I am, after all, a woman of “a certain age,” and what I don’t need now is a junk-pile of renovation and upkeep troubles. 

By the end of January I was doomed to return to L.A. without finding my home in Vallejo, but I had a realtor who understood me and would keep on looking.  Two days before my departure, I got a call from one of my new Vallejo friends.  She knew someone, who knew someone, whose neighbor, she'd heard, had just moved out of a condo.   After a sleepless night of research, I found it & made arrangements through the neighbor to see it.  The moment I stepped inside I recognized it wasn’t what I wanted, but it was exactly what I needed: carefree living, with a view.  Forget the architectural charm and beautiful grounds I'd dreamed of; this had none of thatm but it had everything else.  

I’ve put out my mojo to get this little condo on the river, and with the help of my agent I expect that will happen.  As I’m a superstitious person and afraid to jinx my luck, I’ll write more about that later, when it’s mine. 

There’s no doubt the waterfront is my favorite territory in Vallejo.  I love to walk along the river from bridge to bridge, stop in at Panama Red’s, chat with the helpful young woman who works at the info desk in the Ferry Building, sit on a bench near the potted daffodils, and watch the ferries come and go.   Best of all, I love Vic’s Wheelhouse, what I consider the primo spot in Vallejo for afternoon tea, or a hand-made Bloody Mary, or a good glass of local white with a cool plate of fresh oysters on the half shell, while watching the sun set behind Mare Island.  I’d rather watch music videos than the ubiquitous football matches unrolling on their TV screen, but I doubt the regulars at the bar would agree with me.   I look forward to warmer weather when I can sit on their outdoor floating patio, and, the inevitable day when someone starts a concession of paddle boats to rent by the hour, I’ll bring my grandkids here.