Canyon Creek is a beautiful, gated community, featuring some of Northwood’s biggest homes and nicest floor plans. In 33 Sonrisa, I found a home with a great layout and a lot of potential, but definitely in need of some TLC.

The basics:

Asking Price: $858,000

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 3

Square Footage: 2,800

Lot Size: 6,240

$/Sq Ft: $306

Days on Market: 27

Property Type: Single Family Home

Year Built: 1980

Community: Northwood, Canyon Creek

HOA dues are $150 per month and there are no Mello Roos taxes.

From the entryway, the dining room is straight ahead and the living room is immediately to the left, one step down from the hallway. Both rooms have vaulted ceilings and newer carpet, though the carpet actually looked shabby to me.

Down the hallway, there is a bedroom and a full bath (not attached). The room is a good size and has a small, two door sliding closet. The bathroom has been partially remodeled, with a newer vanity, faucet, hardware and floor, but the stall shower still has the original 1980 tile.

A walk-in closet under the stairs provides ample storage. The downstairs laundry room has a small sink and doubles as a pass through area to the garage.

At the back of the house, the family room and kitchen flow together nicely. The family room is large, with a white brick fireplace and a slider leading out to the backyard. It has newer wood floors and a low railing that separates it from the kitchen. It is one step down from the kitchen.

The kitchen is big, with a large breakfast nook and an attractive window seat. Unfortunately, it still features the original cabinets and tile countertops. The stainless steel fridge and Viking 6-burner stove are newer, but the double ovens and dishwasher appear to be original to the home. It still has panel lighting in the ceiling, though there are also two recessed lights above the island. The kitchen is functional and clean, but definitely outdated. It has a nice layout, including a small walk-in pantry, and potential to be made into a beautiful, modern kitchen.

The backyard is much smaller than I expected it to be, given the lot size. A covered brick patio stretches the full length of the yard and large bushes line the edges. While it does have wider than average side yards, the grass on both sides is mostly dead.

Upstairs, the master suite features a large sitting area with a fireplace, a wet bar, and a built in bookshelf. The rest of the room is also quite spacious, including vaulted ceilings and lots of windows. The room felt bright and welcoming. It has two separate mirrored closets – one in the bedroom and one in the bathroom. The bathroom is large, but desperately in need of remodeling. The tiny white tiles surrounding the tub, shower, and counter scream 1980 and must be a nightmare to clean. It has a sunken tub, stall shower, and two sinks. The sinks, fixtures, hardware and flooring are new, but it creates an odd contrast to the old shower and tub. With high ceilings and several small windows, this bathroom could be remodeled into something very nice.

The two secondary bedrooms upstairs are pretty big. Both have sliding door closets. One also has vaulted ceilings, built in shelves and a narrow window seat with storage underneath. They share a bathroom with two sinks and a shower/tub combo. Aside from the floor, everything in this bathroom is original.

This house has a lot going for it: a great layout, a nice community, a newer roof, all new windows, spacious rooms, and lots of storage.

There are also several big negatives: original kitchen and bathrooms, outdated fireplaces, wet bars, and built-ins, and a backyard that needs a lot of work. It backs to a bigger street; however, the street dead ends only a couple of blocks farther down the road, so it doesn’t get too much traffic.

Another house of the same model, 3 Trovita, sold on November 5 for $858,000. That led these owners to lower their asking price to the same amount. The other house had zero upgrades, while this one does have new windows, newer carpet and floors, and partially upgraded bathrooms. While the price may seem high for an older home, it is obviously in line with recent sales.

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