Another Historic Home To Drool Over

We got to check out Maria Jose's home last weekend. (You may recall that she's our new friend from wine club, the one who works as the regional marketing manager for Disney on Ice.) Built in 1922, it's another renovated stunner thanks to its high ceilings, exposed brick, original tile floors, beautiful wooden doors/windows, rooftop terrace and colorful stained glass.




Luckily, Maria Jose pulled out all of her savings in early 2001 to buy the place - right before the economic crisis. So unlike other Argentines who saw their dollar-based savings accounts sliced to a third of their original value overnight, her money was safely invested in real estate. Today a renovated historic home like hers is highly sought-out by home buyers, so she's in good shape for a very profitable resale.



Here's another interesting tidbit about Maria Jose. I believe I mentioned that she speaks English fluently. I should add that she speaks English without a hint of an accent and has the most impressive bilingual command of English/Spanish of anyone we've met. Thus it wasn't surprising to learn that she worked as a translator for visiting celebrities for many years. What was surprising was finding out her favorite American clients: Charlie Sheen and George Hamilton. She says they were by far the nicest, funniest and most down-to-earth of all the people she worked with. She also developed a great bond with Deepak Chopra, who she still translates for as a personal favor whenever he comes to Argentina.