<p>"While the mother had mentioned her daughter’s job in LA and her living there, she was never really specific about the living situation, but I learned “through the grapevine” about this house. Maybe I should mention here that this is a fairly well-off area, and this family is rumored to be VERY well off though they are discreet about it. " </p>
<p>I think this is the heart of it - the mothers aren’t really even BFFs, they are just people who run in the same social circles. It’s no wonder that the mother “wasn’t specific” about her daughter’s living situation – because why would she? In a social setting, what more WOULD you say other than -yes, my daughter lives in LA now and is enjoying it? Indeed, it would be odd to add “in a large house with plenty of bedrooms and a guest house which sits empty” or “and we pay for the whole thing, we are that well off.”</p>
<p>Indeed, my niece, a 2008 college graduate, lives in LA. I have no idea how big her place is, does she have roommates, who pays for what (her family is well to do), how much extra space is there. It’s not my business and this is my niece; it certainly isn’t the business of the OP’s about a casual friend’s daughter.</p>
<p>Whenever I read a post like OP’s, a first-time poster with so many bizarre statements, I think “ah – the kids on the college threads are bored again and coming over to the parent cafe to have some fun.”</p>
<p>Looking up the house on real estate sites? Seriously?</p>
<p>I looked up the house I grew up in on a real estate site. They apparently were trying to sell it after all but gutting it, ripping out the cherry paneling, who knows what with the darkroom and they’d pretty much destroyed the landscaping during the “renovations”.</p>
<p>I know I should have bought when my mom moved to something smaller but I didn’t want to live in the suburbs!
But still I wish I hadn’t seen it.</p>
<p>I don’t think it is weird to look things up on the web, when I was growing up we used to go to open houses in new developments all the time. We weren’t thinking of moving, but I think my dad liked to get ideas that way. But now we have houzz.</p>
<p>I also had impression OP is an experienced poster who wanted neutral feedback after she was so surprised by the other parents reaction.
Not only that but finding yourself occasionally at the same large gatherings, doesn’t mean they travel in the same social circle. If they did, the OP would know about the California daughter without having to google her.
They obviously aren’t even Facebook friends!
;)</p>