Credit: Will McGowan

TRAVELING BACK IN TIME

I have a soft spot for authentic adobe homes, and this week’s Make Myself at Home column features an extra-special one. The house at 421 East Figueroa Street was built in — or possibly earlier than — 1852, and it is steeped in local history. I toured on a recent afternoon with two sisters who had lived in the house. I don’t often get to meet the owners of a home, so I was grateful for this leisurely visit, sitting in the sunny courtyard, soaking up the ambience, and listening to them reminisce and compare stories. I even garnered a few gardening tips before I went on my way.

TRAVEL TIME

Credit: Sarah Sinclair

Like many other folks, after happily hermitting for over a year, I’ve now got a pent-up travel bug inside me that’s bursting at the seams. Since May, I’ve visited Tucson, Palm Springs, Oakland, and San Francisco. Everywhere I go, I check out the homes in the neighborhood, imagining what it would be like to live in the locale rather than visiting. Last week I spent a few days in our big-sister-to-the-south: Los Angeles. The three-bedroom, three-bath house shown above is right across from where we stayed in the Mid-Wilshire area, listed for rent for $7,000/month. I wouldn’t relish the traffic and the crowds for long, but it sure was a fun change of pace to play in the big city for a spell.

This edition of The Home Page was originally emailed to subscribers on February 4, 2024. To receive Sarah Sinclair’s real estate newsletter in your inbox each Sunday, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.


WHEN YOUR LANDLORD SHINES BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND

Credit: realtor.com

If you love L.A. but need a more posh place, check out this Coldwater Canyon mansion owned by Rihanna. The singer owns at least five multimillion-dollar properties in the Los Angeles area and has this 7,600-plus-square-foot home listed for rent at a cool $80,000 per month. 

IF YOU FANCY THE IDEA OF BEING A LANDLORD

Credit: Eugeniu Frimu

Check out this week’s article by our columnist Marsha Gray. She provides a cautionary tale on the business — certainly not a hobby — of being a landlord, including some dos and don’ts for those toying with the idea of buying rental property.

SPEAKING OF FANCY

Sarah Sinclair

Guess who had a birthday this week? Scout turned 8 years old. All she got for her special day was a misty morning walk on the beach, and that’s just fine with her. Enjoy your Sunday, and may you be as content as Scout on her birthday, sunny or not.


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