Jennifer and Scott Adams fell in love with California in 2015, when their daughter started attending Pepperdine College in Malibu. The couple, who lived in West Chester, Pa., liked it a lot that they floated the thought of following her there.
However their two youthful kids have been nonetheless at school in Pennsylvania. And Mr. Adams, an government director in cybersecurity for Comcast, was tied down by his job.
Then, in 2017, their center son additionally left for Pepperdine. By 2021, their third little one, a highschool senior, hoped to do the identical.
The pandemic, too, had modified the panorama: Mr. Adams was largely working remotely and was free to maneuver. What had as soon as appeared a pipe dream — the solar and the proximity to the seashore and, in fact, to their kids — started to really feel as if it is likely to be doable.
“There was nothing actually preserving us in West Chester,” Ms. Adams mentioned. “I used to be tremendous excited to simply do one thing new.”
They knew they wished to reside close to Pepperdine, a school identified for its picturesque spot on the Pacific Coast Freeway. However they realized they must accept a smaller house, at a better worth.
In Pennsylvania, the couple had a 2,400-square-foot, four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom house with a two-car storage and a large yard that their canine liked to roam. Their mortgage cost was $2,600 a month. “We thought, are we going to have the ability to swing it?” Ms. Adams mentioned. “That is why we initially thought we’d lease, and never purchase.”
Renting was additionally interesting as a result of it could give the household extra time to discover neighborhoods in Southern California, they mentioned, they usually didn’t wish to rush into shopping for a house.
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In April 2022, after greater than twenty years as householders, the couple put their home available on the market. It bought for $742,500 — greater than $100,000 above asking worth — after drawing 15 presents. They started their seek for a rental that very same month, specializing in areas north of the college, together with Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Oak Park and Thousand Oaks. Their center son, Matthew, 23, was at regulation college, and deliberate to maneuver in with them. Their youngest, Henry, 19, can be beginning at Pepperdine, dwelling on campus, that fall.
“We would have liked to be close to Pepperdine,” Ms. Adams mentioned, including that different necessities included ample parking (the household has a number of automobiles), cupboard space and a yard. However they have been open to residences close to a park the place they might stroll their canine. Additionally they wished at the very least three bedrooms, two bogs and sufficient house for Mr. Adams to work at home.
Amongst their choices:
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