With the rapid approach of my high school reunion (never mind which year), I have been strolling down memory lane and marveling at the simplicity and innocence that life once had.  How was it that we were able to sum up our classmates in just a few words? How did we choose, in a graduating class of over 500 people, who had the “best eyes” and who were the “most likely to succeed”? And what does that even mean? In high school, future success was definitely equated with a beautiful spouse, a fast car, and a killer house.  Well, I can’t help you with the spouse or the car, but I can tell you about a few killer houses, in high school yearbook terms.

Best Smile You know the category –  maybe it’s “Best Eyes” or “Best Legs”, but it’s the idea that you have one feature so great, you should be in the yearbook for that accomplishment. In theory, someone could actually have the ugliest legs but the best smile and still be featured for that spectacular smile alone. Of course, it never really worked that way, and if you saw the pictures without the captions, you wouldn’t really know which of the superlatives they captured. This week’s “Best Smile” house is 17271 Chatham Lane in the Brightwater area of Huntington Beach. The standout feature of this house is the outdoor space: the backyard and side courtyard.  This particular housing tract doesn’t have the most plentiful outdoor space, so it’s even more impressive what they’ve done with this yard! The whole house is nice, well-decorated, and very livable, but probably wouldn’t win Best Anything in your high school yearbook. But when you combine an attractive home with a Standout Backyard, you suddenly have everyone wanting your autograph.  In this backyard, there was a pool with a baja shelf, a spa with a waterfall into the pool, a built-in barbecue with an eating bar, a lowered fireplace area with built-in seating, and the side courtyard had a built-in raised table, with a fire and ice bowl in the center, and water that cascades down the sides of the base. Impressive! If outdoor living is a priority for you, you enjoy entertaining, and want an extremely low-maintenance exterior, this is your home!

I wish this home were just a tiny bit bigger, with just a bit more space in the side yards between houses, but for the price, I think it is a spectacular buy. I give it an easy 7 hearts out of 10, plus the award of “Best Feature”.  ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Most Likely To Succeed Does this honor ever go to someone who hasn’t already succeeded? After all, isn’t past success the best indicator of future success? So the “weird” guy that no one really understood but everyone said was super smart is far less likely to have his picture in the yearbook than the kid who was class president for 3 years running and was captain of the debate team.  3181 Remora Drive in Huntington Harbor is already a winner. It’s on the water with a 40′ boat dock and is in immaculate condition!  However, what really sets this property head and shoulders above the rest is the incredible potential for the price.  Someone is absolutely going to snap this home up and turn it into a masterpiece. This is a lovely home, with lots of outdoor space for entertaining or relaxing. The bedrooms are all upstairs, two with high ceilings and a direct view of the water. The kitchen could use updating, but really has some exciting potential.  This house was sparkling clean and appeared to be in excellent condition.  I need to make friends with whoever latches onto this success story. I’d love to spend some time on that deck, enjoying the water and watching the boats go by.

I give this house 7-1/2 hearts, many of them for pure potential for Success. I would have gone up to 8 if the neighborhood weren’t so tight, and the guest parking situation were a bit easier.

Best Dressed   Ah, my favorite… best dressed. This one is controversial because it’s a matter of taste and one person’s Gucci may hold absolutely no appeal for someone else. That kid in Junior High who got “Best Dressed” was soooo preppy (::eye roll::) and all of the surfers were not having it!   I am a huge fan of gallery white walls. White, white, white with pops of color totally makes my day.  I was walking through a boring (in my opinion) taupe-y home with my dad and he said “This is a nice color. At least it’s not that ‘punch-you-in-the-eye white’.” and I was thinking “this just looks dirty”.  So to each his own.  You can’t please everyone.  My winner for Best Dressed of the weekend is 1001 Hampshire Lane in Newport Beach.  I adore absolutely everything about this house, but I really admire that they didn’t “dress it down” for sale and take away the exciting and different touches that make it unique.  If someone doesn’t like a feature, they can change it once they own it, but in the meantime, lets all enjoy the daring unique style of this masterpiece.  I encourage you to look at the listing for the professional shots of this one. My snaps don’t do it justice.  It has bright white walls, dark floors, touches of gold, and really daring wallpaper! Some of my favorite features are the niche for the firewood behind the fireplace, the all glass front door and ingenious front “doorknob”, the onyx fireplace surround (so intriguing you can’t help but touch it), and the spectacular dream backyard.

I love this one immensely, and if it were in my price range I would live there without any hesitation whatsoever.  I give Hampshire Lane 10 hearts out of 10 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

What sort of personality traits does your house show? Is it winning any awards?  Is it time to look around for one that does? Give Ross a call!

Have a good week and get lots of signatures in your yearbook! I hope you’re having the best summer ever!  Stay sweet,

Ophelia