A widely circulated chain e-mail includes a list of humorous made-up words from something called the “Washington Post Mensa Invitational.” In fact, there is no such thing as the Mensa Invitational, said Pat Myers, a copy editor at the Post.

Instead, the newspaper has a weekly humor and wordplay contest, called the Style Invitational, and in 1998 the newspaper held a contest in which readers were asked to change words by adding or deleting a letter, redefining the results.

Over the years, the column has been e-mailed around the globe, during which the false Mensa title was attached. Words have been added along the way. One such addition pertains to residential real estate: “cashtration.”

The definition: “The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.”

“It’s a great word,” said Stan Richman, manager and vice president of the Beverly Hills north office of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

So, are local real estate players noticing that clients are now “cashtrated”?

“Blessedly, no,” said Stephen Shapiro, chairman of Westside Estate Agency, a high-end residential brokerage. “Knock on wood, our fourth quarter is probably double what it was last year.”

Fresh Digs

Architect Douglas Hanson, design principal at DeStefano and Partners Ltd., has moved into his new home, which isn’t new at all.

The 1906 Craftsman home in the historic Western Heights neighborhood of West Adams has been restored by Hanson and his wife, Donna, also an architect. The Hansons who have four sons left behind their old neighborhood of Mar Vista.

“The neighborhood continues to evolve,” said Hanson, who has designed downtown’s forthcoming Concerto condo towers and the Glass Tower. “It is just on the edge of stuff that is a bit more urban. We actually prefer that better to where we came from, where everything is a bit precious.”

Hanson said he and his wife haven’t been able to determine whether the home was designed by a notable architect, but that doesn’t mean the property is without some interesting history. Most recently, it was used as a boarding house and was broken up into multiple living units.

“Somebody came by the other day and wanted to rent a room from me,” said Hanson, who added that a nearby home still acts a boarding house. “I said, ‘Go across the street,’ and she said, ‘No, I want your house.'”

Daniel Miller can be reached at

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