Part 1
Originally from San Antonio, Texas, I’ve lived in California for the last 13 years and one of my absolute favorite things to do when I’m visiting my hometown is look at the architecture, especially in the historic areas (I dreamed of living in one of the huge houses in the Monte Vista/Tobin Hill district when I was a little girl). I don’t specialize in real estate, but as a person who reports on historic findings and pop culture, real estate is exciting to analyze: buildings have a story and their design have a cultural, socioeconomic, and political statement of the contemporary moment they are built and the eras they live through.
I’ve been following this home for a couple of years, seeing its potential and dreaming of what it could be as I walked the neighborhood with my son in his stroller. The foundation appears strong and the location is in the arts-meets college-meets old money area of Downtown San Antonio called the St. Mary’s Strip. The area is definitely a vibe, and if I wanted to live a slowed down but vibrant life, I would definitely move to this area of Texas. I mean, San Diego is slow, but San Antonio is definitely slower; the city’s energy has increased since I left in 2004 (but more on that later).
A few days ago, my family and I were visiting my mom who’s blessed to live in this flourishing area, and low and behold, my daydreams of what this house could be manifested into reality!
I’ll definitely miss the quirky graffiti art, but hey, now we’ve got a fancy-ish area modern home with a whopping 4 walls! The real estate gurus are slapping a $700,000 price tag on it, which, if you ask me, is a tad steep for the countdown city. But fear not, I’m venturing down the rabbit hole to unravel the mysteries behind this skyrocketing housing market. I’ll dig into the area’s history, its current buzz, and the vibes I picked up way back in 2004. Get ready for Part 2 – it’s gonna be a fun ride!
-Fiona Fox Ryan
Fiona Fox Ryan Writes 