Single Family Detached 4 Bedroom, 3 Bath Woodbridge Home Inside Loop

205 Fallingstar $869,000

Drive down West Yale Loop until it turns into East Yale Loop and then make a quick left on Fallingstar. There, in the first house on the corner you have a hint of what the ‘inside the loop’ designation does to the price. This 4 bedroom, 3 bath home is just barely inside the loop, sitting on the corner of Yale Loop, but its price is similar to several homes that I have seen in the outer loop recently that have more options and more upgrades. The question the buyers have to ask is what counts the most for them. Over the weekend, open house visitors were coming through, some talking about planning purchases in time for school in the fall. The broker was also suggesting the property could be an excellent investment rental.

Significant Numbers: This two level, 4 bedroom, 3 bath home has been on the market a little over 20 days. It is 1,900 sq.ft, sitting on a 3,485 sq. ft. lot at $457 per sq. ft. HOA dues are $82. The home was built in 1984.

Close up: From the curb the home has a strong presence with green lawn overlooking Yale Loop. Inside, four bedrooms and three baths on two levels seem a little condensed in space with the back patio being private but also a little snug. The first impression is almost condo like instead of single family.

To the left the living room with brick fireplace opens to the paved patio.

The dining room is also to the left of the entrance.

Straight ahead, the good sized family room overlooks the patio and pairs with the kitchen with breakfast bar. The kitchen has granite counters, stainless sink and black and stainless appliances. There is an inside laundry.

The paved patio with brick planter, wall and fencing is a secluded space nicely defined for barbecue, fire pit, dining and relaxing. Although it is snug it has a nice indoor/outdoor room effect that opens up the rest of the home.

To the right of the entry there is a downstairs bedroom with full bath and double vanity with walk-in closet.

Upstairs there are three more bedrooms and two full baths.

Laminate wood flooring, travertine tile, plush carpeting, high ceilings and recessed lighting work well throughout. There are new double paned windows and sliding glass doors. The home is currently occupied by an active family that makes good use of the space.

More specifics:

Single family home

Bedrooms, 4

Baths, 3

Detached, no common walls

Forced air heating, central air

Two car garage

Two parking spaces

Inside laundry

Association pool, spa

Irvine Unified School District

What should be considered? Location and detached single family designations obviously effect price and the buyer has to decide how much that impacts what he wants and what he gets in square footage and effective upgrades. Outside space is quite private but rather snug. The Woodbridge lakes, community atmosphere and top schools are available inside and outside the loop, leading to the question of how much inside the loop location counts particularly when it is right on the edge, as this property is.

Who will move in? This is obvious family material with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths and a family with active middle school or teens would benefit from Woodbridge’s many community, recreational and local school assets. As the broker suggested, it could also be an effective investment rental property. With a downstairs bedroom included, the property may attract families with older members too.

Recent nearby listings: 24 Chenile, $898,000; 4 Whitecloud, $859,000

Recent nearby sales: 15 Hazelnut, $775,000; 9 Warmspring, $899,000

This home is the largest plan in the Lakes Community of Northwood and has a rare attached two car garages. It is a two level condominium, with kitchen, dining area and living room downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs with a jack-and-jill bathroom. I have reviewed other units in the community, but none had an attached garage.

Asking Price: $464,888

Bedrooms: 2

Bathrooms: 1.75

Square Footage: 1,366

Lot Size: 1,307 square feet

$/Sq Ft: $340

Days on Market: 65

Property Type: Condominium, Residential

Year Built: 1978

Community: Northwood, The Lakes

HOA dues are $310 per month and there are no Mello Roos taxes.

The home is a middle unit, sharing walls with neighbors on each side. Unlike some of the other homes in the middle of the tract with an open patio, 180 Pineview is at the end of the row of condominiums so it has more of a private patio with walls on the left and right and opens in the front to the stream. This home is move-in ready with an updated kitchen, wood floors throughout, fresh paint, updated bathrooms, and laundry hookup located in the attached garage. The downside of the home is it has original windows and the deck upstairs need to be replaced. It also seemed that it lacked some natural light due to the trees and placement of the home.

Upon entering, you walk onto a marble floor with the garage entrance to the left and half bathroom straight ahead. Immediately to the right is the kitchen with a walk-through into the dining room that looks out to the stream through large windows. The kitchen is galley style with wood floors, a small eating nook which faces out to the front, upgraded neutral cabinetry, granite countertops, white appliances and a small pantry.

At the end of the kitchen is the dining room. It is a good size area with floor to ceiling windows that look out to the stream and trees.

The living room is next to the dining room. With the cathedral ceilings, large sliding glass door and a large window that sits above the slider, the room seems spacious and airy. On the backside of the kitchen is the living room’s fireplace. The sliding door opens up to a tiled patio. It is partially enclosed with walls on each side, but is not completely private with access to the neighbor’s patio through some bushes.

The half bathroom is updated with marble flooring, new sink and lighting.

Once upstairs, there are two doors on opposite ends of the hall leading to the bedrooms. The first bedroom has an opening in the wall with shutters to close for privacy. With cathedral ceilings and large windows, the room is light. A walk-in closet sits next to the bathroom. The bathroom is remodeled with marble flooring, new sink, lighting, mirror and Jacuzzi tub. There is another door next to the sink, leading into the other bedroom’s vanity and closet area.

The second bedroom is a good size. It has a large sliding glass door leading out to a wood balcony. The balcony is in need of repair and I did not feel comfortable standing on it, but I am not sure if it is the HOA or the owner’s responsibility to repair it. However, once repaired it is a beautiful, tranquil area that overlooks the stream. There are two mirrored sliding closets in a short hallway with a single sink at the end. There is a sliding door that leads into the other bedroom’s bathroom. It would have been nice if the closet/vanity area had a privacy door in the case someone from the other bathroom opened up the sliding door. The privacy door would also be nice for noise and light in the mornings and evenings if someone was still in bed trying to sleep. I would prefer if a toilet was added so the one bathroom would not need to be shared as often.

The updated condominium has back on the market after it fell through escrow. The home sits near the entrance to the community, and is just down the street from Santiago Hills Elementary School and walking trails. There is plenty of street parking outside of the entrance for guests to park The home seemed to lack some natural light downstairs but it had a nice view of the stream and trees. The only other things I would want to update the home with is a full second bathroom upstairs and a new balcony. The biggest selling point is the attached two car garage with laundry hookup and the semi-private patio.

At the beginning of the month I reviewed the same layout as 1 Clinton at18 Prescott, less the loft. You can read it to get a comparison of the two properties. 1 Clinton is a two level townhome with two bedrooms. It is located in an area with very low traffic due to surrounding cul-de-sac streets. Unlike 18 Prescott, I did not notice any street noise from Irvine Boulevard, but 19 Prescott made small changes to update the home. This home is an end unit which brings in additional light in the staircase and provides more privacy in the patio area. The price has recently dropped from the $549,000 price to $529,000

Asking Price: $529,000

Bedrooms: 2

Bathrooms: 2.5

Square Footage: 1,424

Lot Size: 2,178

$/Sq Ft: $371

Days on Market: 59

Property Type: Townhome Two Level

Year Built: 1980

Community: Northwood – Sheffield Manor

HOA dues are $245 per month and there are no Mello Roos taxes.

Upon entry the staircase is immediately to the right. To the left is the living room with cathedral ceilings. A short hallway with a coat closet and bathroom is straight ahead which leads to the kitchen and dining area.

The home has glossy laminate wood flooring, cream carpet in the living room, staircase, upstairs hallway and bedrooms. The carpet looks worn and has lumps upstairs. With this being an end unit, it is a light and bright home with multiple large windows in the front and back. The windows are original.

The living room has cathedral ceilings, which provides a sense of spaciousness and a large window bringing in a lot of light. The fireplace is located next to the front windows.

The bathroom has been updated with a new pedestal sink and mirror. The flooring is a basic tile.

The kitchen has original cabinets with no hardware, white appliances and clean 4×4 tile countertops. The original fluorescent lights have been replaced with recessed lighting, partially raising part of the ceiling. The kitchen has an open solution with a peninsula long enough for some bar seating. It overlooks the dining area. There is plenty of cabinets and counter space but it lacks a pantry. 18 Prescott’s kitchen also had original cabinets, but they were painted white and had added hardware.

To the left is the indoor laundry room. On the left is space for a side-by-side washer on the dryer. On the right are additional lower and upper cabinets for more storage, which is a nice feature.

The dining area sits in front of the sliding glass door. It is a nice spacious area. The back patio is large for a townhome. It has a small area for entertaining. The garage entrance is located in the patio. Although 18 Prescott had grass and fruit trees, it is nice that this patio only has one neighboring wall, so it creates more of a private and open feel to the back.

On the wall of the staircase is a large frosted window that brings in additional natural light into the home. Once upstairs there is hallway lined with some linen cabinets on the right hand side.

The master bedroom is to the right. The ceilings are high and a large window looks out to the patio. The bathroom is located through a large opening. Without a privacy door into the master bathroom some of the light and noise may travel into the sleeping area in the morning and evenings, but there is a curtain that currently hangs at the opening. There are two sets of mirrored sliding doors in the bathroom. To the left is a single original sink. The counter top and painted white cabinets look original, but the hardware has been updated. Next to the sink is the separate shower and toilet. The shower base looks a bit worn, but the original 4×4 tile walls are in good condition.

The secondary bedroom is a standard size with double mirrored sliding closet doors . Next to the room is the shared bathroom. It has tile floors and a new pedestal sink. The tub/shower combo is original but has new glass window sliding doors.

1 Clinton is a basic townhome with a nice sized patio. In comparison to 18 Prescott, there are trade-offs. There is the extra small loft in Prescott and a nicely landscaped patio, but 1 Clinton is an end-unit. The home feeds into great Irvine schools: Brywood Elementary, Sierra Vista Middle School and Northwood High School.