Blog Note

Big day today—today's the day! Later on today (or at least by tomorrow) I should have some pics up of the new house. I had appointments Thursday all the way until 9 p.m., and closing is today at 10 a.m.

Woo-hoo! Here goes nuthin'.

More soon.

Mike

P.S. Really sorry to be so late moderating all the comments. I just haven't had enough time.

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Comments

[Robert]

Woo-hoo.
Er -you're not the alter ego of that other photo blogger which I pass by occasionally are you?

[Dave Karp]

Congratulations Mike. :-)

[Chap Lovejoy]

Mike,

Congratulations. I hope your closing goes smoothly!

[Jim Kofron]

Good luck, Mike!

[Marcelo Guarini]

Good, I'm quite curious about the new TOP emperor's facilities ;-)

[James Weekes]

Woo- hoo indeed. Now comes the fun part! Once the agony of packing and the physical move is over the rest has always been fun for me. You unpack and decide where it goes. Then, you rearrange and get used to your space. Then things seem to find their correct place in the new rooms.

From what you have written over the years, you will finally have the space to put you books, stereo, pool table, printer and of course, the newly sprawling world headquarters of T.O.P.

Have fun, see you on the other side.

[steven Ralser]

Congratulations, now the real fun begins - the actual move.

[Albert Erickson]

Good luck with the closing and move.

[Joel H. Entin]

Congratulations on the new home. You closed on a very lucky and happy day. We were married 50 years ago today, August 22, 1964. Our best wishes for your continued success.

Eileen & Joel Entin

[Bill Symmons]

TOP's new headquarters looking good Mike. Congratulations!

[Richard Ripley]

Hi Mike:

A typical 3 bedroom, 2 bath house (didn't get square footage of your new abode) goes for about $675,000.00 t0 $725,000.00 depending on neighborhood here in Southern California, just east of Pasadena, CA. Zillow could certainly give you more of an accurate idea of housing prices here in S. California and elsewhere.

Congratulations on the new world headquarters for TOP! Wonderful.

RR

[Yvonne]

Fantastic, Mike. How lovely. I hope you and the doggies and your son (who no matter where he ends up will want to call his Dad's place home) will be happy here. I can't see why not: it's a gorgeous place. Well done!

[Henk]

Not bad, Mr. Johnston, I'd like such an upgrade too! ;-) Enjoy your new HQ.

Henk

[JG]

Yeah, that basement is nice and all, but where are the photos of the garage?! You know, the most important part of the house for those of us who fancy cars...

[Fred Haynes]

That is some BEAUTIFUL house!
Here on Long Island (NY state), such a house would go for anywhere from 800K to a million and a quarter,- depending on location. Maybe even more, especially when you consider the size of your property.
You should definitely grow something! Perhaps tomatoes?
Enjoy your new home, and continued good luck!
Fred

[Ned Bunnell]

Mike,
Congratulations! While the house looks great, living on a postage size lot in San Clemente by the ocean, I marveled at your expansive yard. And being an avid Heirloom Tomato grower forced to use boxes, I'll be happy to visit you next spring and help you set-up a garden area (probably raised beds) so you can grow some really tasty TOP Red's. Oh, regarding house values here's what the price of your house gets you in SoCal http://instagram.com/p/sAtEGSC2qG/
Cheers and best regards,
Ned

[jim woodard]

Congrats on the new home! I'm sure it will inspire TOP to even greater heights, if you don't spend too much time napping on that comfortable sofa and gazing into the flames of your fireplaces! :) Maybe they will stand in for those fleecy clouds you mentioned a few posts ago! This couldn't be happening to a more deserving person! And on my daughters birthday!

[Chris Y.]

Fantastic Mike - fill it up with art, music, books, and great furniture. Let your mind expand into it. Find a partner. I'm very happy for you. This blog is wonderful. Your personal touch is everything. Of course I always go through TOP on my way to Amazon, or B&H, etc. "Onward..", as we used to say in Austin, "thru the fog." - Your longtime reader, Chris Y.

[El Inglés]

That's a beautiful house, worthy of being a World Headquarters of anything.

Brussels is one of the cheaper capitals in Europe (despite/because of being the bureaucratic heart of the EU) but a similar property here would go for very comfortably north of $1m.

Congratulations.

[Dave Millier]

My house (a small 3 bedroom terrace - i.e. one quarter of a joined row of 4) in Bromley, a SE suburb of London is valued (online) currently at around £400,000 which appears to be about $663k USD.

Considering your house is a detached house with enough land to build a street on, I shudder to think what it would cost transplanted to here. That basement alone would probably be worth a million pounds...

When we moved in 3 years ago, we paid £290,000, so our little house has appreciated +1/3 in just 3 years.

The housing market in the UK, London and and South East in particular, is insane. Demand so far outstrips supply of properties that people will pay crazy money for a broom cupboard. I couldn't remotely afford my own house if I had to buy it today at its current valuation.

How can youngsters even begin to dream of places of their own when so much value is tied up in the homes of older people. It makes no sense....