A West Chester couple decided to downsize after their children matriculated into a gorgeous university in California. Jennifer and Scott Adams both immediately wanted to move to the West Coast when their first child started school at Pepperdine University in 2015, writes Livia Albeck-Ripka for The New York Times.  

But the Adams still felt tied down, their two younger children were still in school, and Scott had an executive director job at Comcast that kept him in Pennsylvania. However, the pandemic and their children’s aspirations changed everything.  

Their other children started to look at Pepperdine for school, and one began his semester in 2017. When COVID hit, Scott’s job went remote, and he was no longer tied to West Chester. The couple sold their spacious four-bedroom home for $742,000 and ventured out to Malibu to begin their next adventure.

The couple decided on a house in the quiet neighborhood of Oak Park. Although it was a one-story building with less space, it still exceeded the minimum requirement of bedrooms with four beds and two baths. It was also only 14 miles away from the university, so they could visit their children easily.  

The charming fireplace and lemon, plum, and pomegranate trees are what charmed the couple into choosing the cozy space. Even though they had to downsize, the Adams aren’t regretful of the sacrifice.  

“It’s taught us a lot about what we’re comfortable with, versus what we thought we needed,” said Scott. “We really don’t need as much space as we thought.” 

Read more about the couple’s house-hunting journey in The New York Times.  

Why Oak Park, California is a great place to live.