The Home Page | Sailing into the New Year

This edition of The Home Page was originally emailed to subscribers on December 31, 2023. To receive Sarah Sinclair’s real estate newsletter in your inbox each Sunday, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

I’ve had a pretty minimalist holiday this year. No tree, very light on the gifting, and almost zero shopping. I shifted traditions to include spending more time outside and less, well, spending. I spent Christmas Day sailing, and another afternoon this week at the Getty Museum. Even there, we enjoyed more time outdoors wandering the grounds than inside admiring the art. It hasn’t been easy to swim against the tide this holiday season, but the results feel wonderful.

So as we slide into the new year, I’ve only got a wreath to take off the front door and put away. However, if you’re faced with a ton of holiday un-wrapping, or larger than life nutcrackers as seen above, never fear. The Nester blog has ideas to minimize the stress of picking up and packing up your piles of holiday decor. They offer this podcast to listen to before taking down the Christmas tree, to make next year’s holiday season even brighter.

This might be the first Sunday all year in which there are zero open houses listed in our real estate section. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t any – you can drive around town looking for open house signs if that tickles your fancy – but I couldn’t find advance notice of even one. I’m still going to leave you with one last real estate note for the year, and this one is pretty cool.The one & only Big Yellow House in Summerland is for sale. Not the restaurant, but the house itself, which is actually way more than a house. Built in the late 1800’s by the founder of Summerland, and purported to be haunted, the property offers 3400 square feet of space on the main floor, a huge basement that was formerly the wine cellar, three residential units and a patio on the third floor. The site also includes plenty of parking, which is a coveted commodity in this hillside community, and the iconic pole sign which is arguably one of the most recognizable signs along this stretch of the 101. Offered by John Henderson for $6,950,000.

If you’re looking for more reading on this New Year’s Eve, check out our Indy staff’s picks of some of our favorite books in 2023, all part of our annual Year in Pictures issue – a review of the year that was, as we bid adieu to 2023 and prepare to ring in the new year. Best wishes to all!