Looking for affordable housing in California, consider a boat!

The original plan when I moved to California was to design and build a tiny house. A modest structure on affordable land.  I knew I could live comfortably in small spaces. I had practice. My ex-boyfriend and I shared a 530 sq feet one bedroom apartment twelve years ago and did amazingly well. It helped that Callys wonderful weather meant we could easily escape each others company when annoyed or feeling crowded. So I knew a small space would not present an issue.

Big surprise. The high cost of land, coupled with strict code and even stricter enforcement, made building a tiny house in Santa Barbara, California an impossible dream. But here’s the deal. I am a creative woman. Hardwired into my genetics is a big fat creative problem solving gene. Thinking outside the box is the norm. If one idea doesn’t work, can’t work, I quickly access the situation and move on to  a second, a third or a fourth option. That evolving option list  keeps me hopeful, mentally active and focused on the end goal. Here the end goal was to find an affordable place to live in Santa Barbara. One with enough room for a friend or two to stay overnight- which meant-ideally-two bedrooms. Once  the tiny house idea was nixed, I started to look at two bedroom apartments. One and two bedrooms are scarce. And expensive. I pulled this chart from a website on SB apartments to give an idea of cost. To live in a moderately safe area meant I would probably expect to spend-at least-$3, 000.00 per month. Yowzer. That is 60% of my total monthly income. Which meant renting an apartment was out. Of my range. Completely and totally.

The third option was senior housing. I am 74 and qualify for senior housing. Certainly affordable financially,  but I knew from personal experience when searching for housing for my elderly parents, those places had long waiting lists. Years long. Plus I knew I did not want to live in a single age community because of the age isolation factor. My friends range from young to old, and I wanted to live in a place where they would be welcome. And most of all I wanted to find a place where  the residents still looked for adventure. Excitement. Were open to change. Some members might be inspiring personalities, or seeking Inspiration. Were still curious. Believed in possibility. And…loved a challenge.  In my mind I had yet to see a senior community that had any of those desires on the menu. Grab bars, yes. Curiosity and challenge. No.

Okay, three big fat no’s. Tiny house:  impossible. Apartment: unaffordable.  Senior housing, affordable, but not me. What was left? A trailer? Another location-perhaps inland- like Los Olivas or Los Alamos? Plus, I was distracted. Getting ready to leave for six weeks in Costa Rica to see an old neighborhood friend, Lura Shopteau, owner of Bienestar Yoga Studio in Uvita. (For information on Lura’s studio go to https://www.bienestarlife.com/. )Distracted by trip stuff-nasty medical shots, brushing up on what little Spanish I remembered from one semester of language class circa 1964, finding the right out of the country call plan for my iPhone5s, and selecting a good travel  insurance plan-kept me from focusing too much on the looming housing question. 

I had scheduled a good-by lunch with a friend. We ate a wonderful spot right on the ocean- The Boathouse at Arroyo Burro. Day views of the Pacific are 20  feet from your table, and nighttime is total magic. Decommissioned oil rigs look like thousand karat diamonds sparkling on a black mirror. A chance comment “I would even consider living on a boat.”  made at lunch, led  to “I have a friend selling her boat” response.  I asked how much and heard $100,000.00. For just the boat.  I immediately brushed off that option thinking it was for just the boat, but quickly reconsidered, called the boat owner, and saw her-both owner and boat-the next day. The cost was for BOTH boat and slip. And one needs both boat and slip to reside in the harbor. The previous owner had lived on the boat on and off for four years, and described a somewhat romantic life on board. I fell for the idea-hook, line and sinker. An expression that totally matches event….

NEXT: HOOK, LINE AND SINKER

AFTER THAT POST: BUYING A BOAT IN SANTA BARBARA. COST. TOTAL COST.