Today I visited an older home (1979) that has been beautifully updated downstairs and offers plenty of living space.

The basics:

Asking Price: $850,000

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 3.5

Square Footage: 2,500

Lot Size: 5,200

$/Sq Ft: $340

Days on Market: 8

Property Type: Single Family Residence

Year Built: 1979

Community: Northwood

There are no HOA dues or Mello Roos taxes.

When I entered the house, a beautiful, curving staircase immediately drew my attention. It had wooden steps and banisters with black, wrought iron railings. Beyond it, I caught glimpses of the living and dining rooms.

Before venturing into the rooms, I explored the master bedroom just inside the front door. It is an average-size room with a big window facing the street and a walk-in closet. There is a large vanity area outside the bathroom and across from a mirrored closet. The bathroom has two sinks with granite countertops and a stall shower. The floors, vanity, and shower tiles are all newer and well done. The only thing I disliked is that the master bath can also be accessed from the hall, making it less private than a master bath should be.

Just before the stairway is a small, updated wetbar with granite counters that match the new granite surrounding the living room fireplace. The living room has angled, vaulted ceilings, attractive wood floors, and a sliding door out to the backyard. The window panels around the door can open sideways or can be pulled out from the top to create ventilation without providing easy access into the home. The living room flows right into the dining room, which has room for a big table and also looks out to the backyard. From the dining room, there is access to a large storage cupboard under the stairs.

A doorway leads into the family room and kitchen. There are tile floors, with large tiles set at an angle and more sliding doors out to the backyard. It flows directly into the kitchen, which has stainless steel appliances and black granite counters. A modern light fixture hangs above the island, which offers seating for four and storage on two sides. There isn’t really space for a casual dining table. The kitchen has plenty of cupboards and felt very wide and open, creating a very welcoming environment. A half bath and access to the garage are both located off the kitchen. The washer and dryer are in the garage.

The backyard is large and fully hardscaped, with small “island” patches containing trees and, in one case, a fountain.

Upstairs, there are three additional bedrooms and two bathrooms. While there isn’t a true master upstairs, one of the rooms does have direct access to a bathroom (the bathroom also has a door from the main hallway). All three rooms are quite large for secondary bedrooms and they have big closets (two with walk-ins, one with a standard slider). Each one has sloped ceilings that get somewhat low at one end and small nooks that make cozy areas for reading or playing. Both upstairs bathrooms have a vanity with one sink and several drawers. The one that has access from a bedroom has a shower/tub combo and the other one (at the opposite end of the hall) has just a shower. Both have new vanities, framed mirrors, and new tile floors, but the showers have not been updated.

This is a great layout with very little work to be done. Per the realtor, there are already multiple offers on the house, so an interested buyer should make an appointment to check it out ASAP.

Discuss on Talk Irvine: http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,3488.0.html