California Real Estate

California is the home of celebrities, movies, and Disneyland. And that is only southern California. In the north, there is the San Francisco Bay area, with the Golden Gate Bridge and the Oakland Raiders. California is the third largest state and one of three to meet the Pacific Ocean. This state has entertainment, the beach, several mountains, and lots of space. With those qualities the real estate market is wide open to be developed in whatever way possible. So what is the real estate like in California? What has been done with this bountiful real estate that flows with opportunity? What must-see homes, entertainment buildings, and commercial offices have been built?

            Finding a good real estate agent is first and foremost, and then the search begins. When on a tour of California real estate the obvious starting place is Los Angeles. After all, it is the city of angels and has many, many celebrities. The huge draw of this magical city has created a largely diverse population and therefore a diverse architecture scene. The real estate in Los Angeles follows no rules, themes, or uniform styles. Everything here inspires everything else, making a talent pool for real estate home and commercial development.

            Frank Lloyd Wright came to Los Angeles for a number of years and set to work designing new homes around the city. His works include the Hollyhock House, the Charles Ennis House, and the Samuel Freeman house. The Charles Ennis house has been featured on numerous movies, including: Twin Peaks, Thirteenth Floor, and Predator 2. It was built in 1923 and the exterior is famous for in the movie The House on Haunted Hill. Also located in Los Angeles is Disneyland. The Disney family sponsored a Los Angeles landmark in the Walt Disney Concert Hall. This concert hall is very large and features huge, curved, silver plates. Although initially criticized by locals, this real estate development is now a cherished landmark. It was built in 1987 and designed by Frank Gehry. The Ghetty Center is another brilliant piece of real estate in Los Angeles. It was built in 1997 to house the Ghetty museum. It is over sixty-four acres and sits nicely eight hundred feet above sea level. The lead architect of this project was Richard Meier.

            Hundred of miles north of Los Angeles is San Francisco, and this city definitely has a lot to offer as far as real estate, both residential, commercial, and federal. Federal? Yes, one of the must-see real estate spots in San Francisco is Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz has served as a fort, a prison, and now as a national park. Yes, a prison, but the guarded walls and the buildings used to house prisoners are long gone. Obviously another place to go to in San Francisco is the country-wide marvel that stretches 1.7 miles from one piece of real estate to another. I am talking about the Golden Gate Bridge of course! It was built in 1937 and named after the strait leading to the San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Strait.

            A final must-see piece of historic real estate in California is the Hearst Castle. As you might have concluded based on the name, this castle belonged to William Randolph Hearst himself. Hearst inherited the huge (250,000 acres) piece of real estate from his father. After making his fortune in publishing, Hearst teamed up with Julia Morgan to build a dream house for him and his family. He nicknamed the castle “La Cuesta Encantada” or The Enchanted Hill. The home features almost two hundred rooms and over a hundred acres of gardens and outdoor landscaping. This magnificent real estate exists in the town of San Simeon.

            Perhaps you aren’t a tourist though, and while you enjoy the fantastic real estate housing developments of northern and southern California, you are more interested in what the real estate listings have you offer you. If you are one of those people looking to move to California and want a California native real estate design, you should look into the Mid-Century Modern architecture style. Mid-Century Modern is a style started by Frank Lloyd Wright around 1933. The style is associated with California so much that it is sometimes called the California Modern. Most of the homes built in this style were constructed in the1950s or 60’s. These houses usually play with shapes and angles. The style seems to be more space age and attempt to be very modern and futuristic.

            Another very Californian style of real estate, one often seen in the real estate listings, is the Craftsman. What does a Craftsman style house looks like? This architectural movement started at the very beginning of the twentieth century, around 1905. These real estate creations are basically bungalows after someone with an artsy flair has had their way with them. A Craftsman home will have a slow sloping roof, ending with wide eaves and exposed rafters. The exterior will always feature a rather deeply inset porch with room for seating and plants. Faithful to the style, square pillars will line the porch. These homes will only be one story, but may include a small attic. The interior of these residential home designs continue with exposed beams and many built-in cabinets and seating. Detailed touches are applied to the real estate property as often as possible by way of lighting. Lighting fixtures are painstakingly chosen, window panes (often stained glass) are carefully contemplated, and typically these charming homes are oriented to greet the sun. These houses are meant to be constructed using local woods and materials, giving it a humble but tasteful appearance.

            Whether tourist or future California home buyer, or even current home owner, the richness of California architecture can be appreciated, especially with the help of a great real estate agent. Particularly through the last hundred years, there have been some truly amazing real estate developments along our large western state. A lot of talent and beautiful designs have been realized in all areas of California by several famous (and many brilliant not-so-famous) architects. It doesn’t seem to matter if it is residential, commercial, industrial, or for entertainment, California is able to turn real estate into art.