From Condo Life to Room to Grow
When my clients moved from Utah to chase the California dream, they didn’t have it all figured out, who does? They landed in a 2-bedroom condo with a loft and two garages (bonus!), in the charming hillside community of Portola Hills. Nature, trails, and one of the best elementary schools in town sealed the deal.
Fast-forward a bit… and life happened. Babies, grew to Pre-Teens
But then, the mortgage gods dropped a 3% interest rate, and moving felt illegal. Who wants to give up that golden ticket?
More time passed, and that once “spacious enough” condo started to feel like a clown car. Stairs, tight rooms, and no yard just weren’t cutting it anymore. So they called me.
One Year, Many Showings, One Perfect Fit
From the first “maybe we should move” call to closing, it took nearly a year. Why? Because when you love where you live, it’s hard to leave... even if your kids are growing like weeds and you’ve turned the loft into a work from home office!
We searched until we found the one. Just down the street in Rancho Santa Margarita, they found the right-size single-level home. Not a mansion. Not a fixer. Just the right mix of:
No stairs 🙌
A driveway (condo people, you know how rare this is)
A yard for the kids and the dog
No HOA fees—goodbye $570/month!
That last one? Huge. That savings alone will now cover dance class, soccer, or maybe an upgraded bottle of wine for mom.
Not a Forever Home. A First Home Win.
This move is the perfect example of what I always say:
You don’t need to buy your forever home first.
Get in the game. Build equity. Learn the ropes of ownership. Then use that equity as your stepping stone when the time (and square footage) is right.
This sweet family didn’t wait for perfect. They started with possible, and now they’ve grown into more. It’s the beauty of real estate and the gift of homeownership, equity growth, options, and a place to grow roots.
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