Open House Review – 3 Alegria

A couple of weeks ago, I went to an open house at 3 Alegria. At the time, the home was in the midst of a remodel. The floors and carpets had already been replaced, the bathroom vanities were on site but weren’t all installed yet, and the interior had fresh paint. Since my visit, they put in new appliances and quartz counters in the kitchen and new windows throughout the home.

The Basics:
Asking Price: $978,800
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 3
Square Footage: 2,178
Price per Sq. Ft: $449
Lot Size: 5,580
Property Type: Single family home
Year Built: 1977
Community: Northwood – Woodside
HOA: $120 per month / Mello Roos: No
Days on Market: 4
Schools: Santiago Hills Elementary, Sierra Vista Middle School, Northwood High (Irvine Unified)

Continue reading

Open House Review: 9 Filare

Nicely located within Northwood’s Vista Filare Community, 9 Filare has a nice layout and sits across from the community pool, tot lot and basketball courts.  The location is the primary selling point of this property.  The home has been partially upgraded and is in clean, great condition.  It is a zero-lot-line property but with the high ceilings, bright rooms, and upgrades, it did not occur to me that it was a zero-lot line.

Asking Price:   $699,000
Bedrooms:       2
Bathrooms:      2.5
Square Footage: 1,425
$/Sq Ft:           $491
Lot Size:          2,400
Property Type: Single Family Residence
Year Built:      1981
Community:    Northwood – Vista Filare
HOA dues are $118 per month
Mello Roos:     No

Continue reading

Open House Review: 13 Cintilar

This week, I saw 13 Cintilar in the Woodside community in Northwood. The home is in a great location at the end of a cul-de-sac and bordering a greenbelt. A short walk takes you to the community pool, tennis courts, and tot lot. It’s also a short walk to the Hicks Canyon trail and a nearby shopping center.

The Basics:
Asking Price: $1,080,000
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2.5
Square Footage: 2,400
Price per Sq. Ft: $450
Lot Size: 4,500
Property Type: Single family home
Year Built: 1979
Community: Northwood – Woodside
HOA: $120 per month / Mello Roos: No
Days on Market: 9
Schools: Santiago Hills Elementary, Sierra Vista Middle School, Northwood High (Irvine Unified)

This house has a long driveway and a two-car garage. The front yard has a couple of rose bushes and a large grassy area. Inside, the house doesn’t have a foyer, but rather brings you right into the living room. The wall on the right has a small coat closet and a wide staircase.

The living room has vaulted ceilings with crown molding. There is tile flooring. A large window faces the street and is only a few inches off the ground. Another window above that one brings in a little more light.

The dining room is right behind the living room. Its windows face the backyard and the ceilings are also vaulted. It has one full wall that can easily hold a china hutch.

The kitchen is accessible both from the dining room and the hall. It has been fully remodeled, with laminate flooring, solid surface countertops, and lighter-colored cabinets. The five-burner stove and double oven are new. All of the appliances are white, including a warming drawer, but the dishwasher and trash compactor have cabinet paneling on the front. A full wall of windows above the sink overlook the backyard. There are two pantry-height cabinets in the corner of the breakfast nook. While most homes of this model have an open railing overlooking the family room, this one has a low, solid wall.

 

The family room is three steps below the kitchen. It is carpeted and has new, recessed LED lighting. It has a built-in desk where the wet bar used to be and a large built-in unit in the corner. One wall has a brick fireplace in the middle. There is one window next to the fireplace and a sliding door leading to the backyard.

A doorway off the family room leads to the powder room, laundry area, and garage. The powder room has a full vanity with the original cabinets but an updated faucet. The washer and dryer sit side-by-side across from the powder room and have cabinets above them. The garage also has built-in cabinets along both sides.

The backyard is mostly hardscaped, with a wide pergola for shade. There are fruit trees growing along the back edges of the yard.

All four bedrooms are on the second floor. The master is on the left at the top of the stairs. It has crown molding and a ceiling fan. There is one window facing the side and another overlooking the backyard. One wall has a built-in desk and shelving unit with recessed lights above it.

Three steps lead up to the closet and bathroom. The walk-in closet has a few shelves and poles for hanging clothes, as well as an access door to the attic. The bathtub is all original, with a white tile deck and old faucet. The shower has been updated with new tile and sliding doors with a brushed nickel frame. It has a full bench and soap dish. The L-shaped vanity has two sinks and a makeup area, with updated faucets but original cabinets and countertop.

The first secondary bedroom is next to the master. It has a double-door entry, recessed lighting, and a ceiling fan. One window faces the greenbelt that runs along the side of the house. There is a two-door, mirrored closet.

The secondary bathroom is in the middle of the hall. It has the original vanity and only one sink. The shower/tub combo has newer tile and hardware. There is a set of linen cabinets in the hall.

The other two bedrooms are at the front of the house. One room faces the greenbelt and has a bigger window than in the first bedroom. The two-door, mirrored closet is smaller than average and has gold trim. This room also has a ceiling fan.

The last bedroom faces the front of the house. It has a ceiling fan with lights and a huge window with plantation shutters. There are built-in shelves and cabinets on both sides of the window. This room has a walk-in closet with built-in drawers and shelves.

Overall, I think 13 Cintilar is in good condition. The bathrooms would benefit from updates and the carpet isn’t new. There is a whole-house water filter and reverse osmosis system. The owner of the house is representing himself, so buyers that aren’t working with a realtor may be able to negotiate a good deal on the commission.

 

Open Hous Review: 58 Hazelton

Located in Stonegate, this home has been listed since February with a $60,000 price reduction on March 8.  The home boasts a ground floor bedroom, panoramic patio doors and a large upstairs loft.  Although the home is only 150 square feet smaller than last week’s model, which was only one street over, there were enough differences in the layout and some of the upgrades, that I wonder which home will sell first.

The basics:
Asking Price: $1,329,500
Bedrooms: 4 + loft
Bathrooms: 4
Square Footage: 3,000sq ft
Lot Size:  4,008 sq ft
$/Sq Ft: $443
Property Type: Single Family Residence
Year Built: 2013
Community: Stonegate
HOA: $117/month
Mello Roos: Yes

Continue reading

Open House Review: 29 Belcanto

This week, I visited 29 Belcanto in Westpark’s Promenade neighborhood. The home, listed at $1,048,000 is currently accepting backup offers.

The Basics:
Asking Price: $1,048,000
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2.5
Square Footage: 2,341
Price per Sq. Ft: $448
Lot Size: 4,050
Property Type: Single family home
Year Built: 1988
Community: Westpark – Promenade
HOA: $43 per month / Mello Roos: Yes (approx. $55/month; expected to end in 2 – 3 years)
Days on Market 20
Schools: Westpark or Culverdale Elementary, South Lake Middle School, Woodbridge High (Irvine Unified)

The home has a small front yard with numerous plants and garden boxes. Inside, there is a small foyer with marble flooring and the stairs just ahead on the left. A hallway on the right leads to the family room while a doorway on the left leads to the powder room, a large closet, and garage access. The powder room has a large vanity with updated cabinets and marble flooring.

The living room is just beyond the foyer. It has vaulted ceilings with windows going all the way up one wall. A sliding door leads to a wide side yard. Across from the sliders, there is a fireplace with a white cast surround and decorative wall panels. The stairs form the third wall, while the fourth side is open to the dining room. The placement of the door and fireplace make the room somewhat difficult to furnish, and I heard another family express the same feeling.

 

The dining room can hold a large table and china cabinet. Windows and a sliding door to the backyard line two of the walls. A narrow window looks through to the kitchen. The room has plantation shutters, wainscoting, and crown molding.

A doorway from the dining room leads into the kitchen. There is a breakfast nook when you first enter the room, with pantry-height cabinets on one side and a slider to the backyard on the other. The island has cabinets on one side, open shelving at two corners, and cabinets and drawers on the far side. The five-burner stove is also in the island. The rest of the kitchen forms an L around the island, with the sink and dishwasher facing the backyard, and the fridge, built-in oven, and built-in microwave are on the side. There are granite counters, plantation-style cabinets, and new stainless steel appliances. Large windows above the sink face the backyard. The room doesn’t make great space of the corner cabinets, but has a lot of storage overall, including open space above the cabinets.

The family room is on the other side of the kitchen. It has French doors leading to the front yard. One wall has built-in cabinets with space for a TV and a fireplace, which is a two-way fireplace shared with the living room. The room is long and somewhat narrow, with crown molding and recessed lighting.

The backyard has a built-in grill at one end and an in-ground jacuzzi at the other. The spa has a new heater, filter, and system. It is mostly hardscaped, with some space for a garden along the back wall. It is very shady, with a large pergola and several trees.

All four bedrooms are on the second floor, off a long hallway that overlooks the living room. There are linen cabinets in the hall.

The first bedroom is a good size, with a single window and a chandelier. One corner juts out a little and another is angled. There is a two-door, mirrored closet.

The second bedroom is comparable in size but has a much smaller window. The mirrored closet lines a full wall and has built-in shelves and drawers throughout.

 

The third bedroom is toward the back of the house, but juts out farther, so it overlooks the front yard. It is also a good size, with two windows, recessed lights, and a light fixture. The walk-in closet also has a full organizer system. There is a cutout in the wall that is open both to the bedroom and the closet.

All three secondary bedrooms share a bathroom in the hallway. The vanity matches the one downstairs, with solid-surface counters and navy, plantation-style cabinets. The tile floors are old and the tile along the shower wall is old and bath hardware in the shower/tub combo appear to be original.

The master suite runs along the back of the house. It has angled, high ceilings and windows facing the backyard. There is not a door between the bedroom and bathroom.

In the bathroom, there is a walk-in closet with mirrored, sliding doors on the right. It has some built-in shelving, but also several hanging rods. The shower and tub are along the left wall. The shower is a good size, but has only a soap dish and no other shelf or seat. The sunken tub is adjacent and they share a deck. All of the tile is old and it looks outdated. The vanity has two sinks and matches the vanities from the other bathrooms. It has two sets of cabinets and three drawers.

This home has many upgrades, but could still use additional work. The windows haven’t been replaced and both bathrooms upstairs could use new showers and tubs. The hardwood and marble flooring downstairs are in good condition and the carpet upstairs is new.