Today I am reviewing a two level home in Northwood’s Park Paseo Community. It is the same layout as 40 Christamon West, which I reviewed in May. While 40 Christamon West had an oversized yard, 7 Ensueno West’s yard is even larger with a pool, spa, garden, large covered patio and space for a storage shed. 7 Ensueno is beautifully remodeled downstairs, but the biggest selling point is the 7,405 square foot lot located on a cul-de-sac street. 40 Christamon West sold for $880,000 and while each home has it’s different upgrades, is $918,888 a fair asking price for its upgrades and lot size?

Asking Price: $918,888

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 2.25

Square Footage: 2,190

Lot Size: 7,405

$/Sq Ft: $420

Days on Market: 9

Property Type: Single Family Residence

Year Built: 1975

Community: Northwood – Park Paseo

HOA dues are $89 per month and there are no Mello Roos taxes.

The home is nicely located on a cul-de-sac street. It does not sit across the street from the Elementary School, like 40 Christamon, which some people may prefer due to morning and afternoon traffic, but it is close enough that you can get to the school by following the walking path located at the end of the cul-de-sac. The street is L-shape with home sitting on the bend. A little island sits in front of the corner homes, which provides more privacy. Although the property has a small portion of its back wall backing to Park Place, the home is set back from the street and Park Place is a not a high traffic street. The home has a wonderfully remodeled kitchen, new flooring and has nice extras such as a whole house fan system, new windows, newer roof, HEPA filtration and SEER 16AC unit, ceiling fans in every bedroom and a wine closet.

The front door is located up a few steps. Once inside, new tile flooring flows throughout the entrance area, living room, dining room and kitchen. The entrance area is a step up from the rest of the main level of the home. There is an abundance of natural light coming in from the extra-large windows throughout the living and dining rooms as well as the glass French doors and sliding glass door leading to the yard. The cathedral ceilings provide an open feeling to the rooms. To the left is a wide carpeted staircase leading straight up to the second floor. There is also a hallway with one of the entrances to the kitchen and a 3-step down family room. To the right is the step down living room and dining room.

The kitchen layout is very different than the original model. The wall between the lower level family room and the kitchen has been added to provide extra pantry and wall space for the appliances in kitchen, while the wall between the dining room and kitchen has been removed. The kitchen has been completely remodeled with top of the line stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, an island with bar seating, and built-in speakers. There is plenty of cabinet space plus a pantry for additional storage.

Walking out the other kitchen doorway brings you to the top of the 3 stairs which leads down to the family room. Built into the wall at the top of the staircase is a climate controlled wine closet.

After walking down the three stairs, a small nook and short hallway with a coat closet, garage entrance and bathroom are located to the left. The nook previously had a wet bar, but currently has cabinets and shelving for books or décor. The family room has the original brick fireplace in the middle of the wall. There are two large windows in the corner and a large sliding glass door leading to the covered patio. The family room is partially carpeted with new neutral colored carpet.

The half bathroom sits next to the garage entrance. It has a long frosted window across the top of the wall. The bathroom has the same tile flooring as the rest of the first level, updated hardware and mirror. The original cabinets were painted white and the countertop looks original but in good condition.

At the top of the staircase is one of the two sets of linen cabinets located in the hallway. All bedrooms are carpeted with slightly different carpet than the staircase and hallway. To the right are double doors leading into the master bedroom. The room is a good size and the large windows overlook the backyard and into the street. The original two-door sliding closet that sat next to the bed was removed and the nook is used as a desk area. If someone desired to have extra closet space, it appears doors can be installed. A step-up bathroom is found to the right, directly across from the bed. The double sinks are visible from the sleeping area and with a lack of a privacy door so the light and noise may affect a person that is still sleeping in the mornings and evenings. The carpet runs up to the vanity. The old fluorescent lighting still sits above the double sinks and the painted cabinets are starting to chip. To the left is the separate toilet and shower. The floor is tile. The walk-in shower has a bench but the 4×4 tiles, which are also used on the countertop of the vanity, look a bit dated. On the opposite end of the double sinks is a walk-in closet.

The shared bathroom has tile floors, updated lighting and the cabinets and mirror frame are painted blue. The tub is original and the 4×4 tile in the bath/shower combo are clean.

The two secondary bedrooms on the right side of the hallway are similar in size. The second bedroom appears slightly smaller than the first one. At the end of the hallway is the third secondary bedroom. It has double doors leading in to the room. It is slightly larger with a walk-in closet.

The home’s yard can be accessed from three back doors: the French doors in the living room, the sliding glass door in the dining area, or the sliding glass door in the family room. Walking out the French doors you walk onto a wood deck which leads you out to the nice sized pool. As you wrap around the corner, the attached spa is nicely located near the dining room’s sliding glass door. Outside the family room’s sliding glass doors is a large covered patio which provides plenty of space for entertaining. There is still plenty of grass and they have planted a small garden in the far corner. On the other side of the home, there is enough space for a storage shed.

7 Ensueno West is perfect for any family. Mid-way down the street, heading down the cul-de-sac is a walking path leading to the elementary school and community amenities. At the end of the cul-de-sac is a bike/walking trail which also leads to the school and community amenities. A child would not have to cross any streets to get to Santiago Hills Elementary School. If you are looking for a large yard in Northwood, this home is a must-see.

Woodbridge Upgraded Townhome in Outer Loop

11 Glenhurst #8 $614,900

Turning off of East Yale Loop onto Briarwood takes you to this two level, end unit, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath townhome on Glenhurst. In June it was listed for $628,888. Now on the market just over 40 days, the price has been reduced to $614,900. Over the weekend the home was attracting a fair amount of traffic with people lingering to ask questions. The home’s closeness to the lake and sleek upgrades will be noted.

Significant Numbers: Built in 1979, this 1,601 sq. foot, two level townhome is $384 a sq. ft. HOA dues are $348 a month.

Close up: As you pull into Glenhurst there is a rather snug feeling in this nest of townhomes and the front landscaping could use some upgrading. But the feeling of space and overall appeal Improves when you open double doors and step into the Travertine entry and then down to the Berber carpeted living room with custom fireplace and cathedral ceilings.

Straight ahead the carpeted formal dining room is ringed with shuttered windows overlooking the patio.

To the left, the kitchen has breakfast bar, garden windows and laminate flooring. Otherwise, the kitchen looks to be original in appliances with tiled counters. More upgrades would be welcome.

Left of the kitchen the family room has a practical laminate flooring for lots of family use. The area accesses the garage where there is more storage and the laundry. (A sign indicates inside laundry is planned in a space opposite the powder room.) Sliding glass doors open to the patio.

The patio is nicely tended and relatively private with room for dining and relaxing.

To the left of the entry there is access to the family room on the main floor, and steps leading to all of the bedrooms. The upper hall has built in storage.

The master suite has two large closets, mirrored doors, high ceiling, oversized spa shower and dual sinks. There are two more fairly small bedrooms and another full bath.

In upgrades, Berber carpeting in the bedrooms, living room and dining room, Travertine tile, plantation shutters, wood blinds and recessed lighting work well for this home.

More specifics:

Townhome

End unit

Bedrooms, 3

Baths, 2.5

Attached, one common wall

Attached two car garage

Two parking spaces

Central furnace, central air

Laundry in garage

Association pool, spa

Irvine Unified School District

What should be considered? Buyers will be weighing the costs and benefits of townhome versus single family, and outer loop versus inner loop locations along with closeness to the lake in this property. They will also be assessing upgrades. There are more that could be done, but the ones applied are effective. Woodbridge’s rich array of recreational assets, including North and South Lakes, beach lagoons and boat docks will give this property an edge in Irvine added to Irvine’s usual top schools at all levels.

Who will move in? With all of the bedrooms upstairs, this home could attract younger families and working couples looking for a first home in Irvine. Woodbridge’s strong community appeal and excellent setting make it an investment possibility too.

Recent nearby listings: 8 Greenwood, $685,000; 5 BlackOak $670,000

Recent nearby sales: 144 East Yale Loop, $685,000; 33 Orangegrove, $675,250

Today I saw a two level, 4 bedrooms and 2 ½ bathroom home. It is nicely located on a quiet cul-de-sac street with Santiago Hills Elementary School’s green soccer fields just a few steps away at the end of the cul-de-sac. In March I reviewed the same model at 2 Entrada West. This home’s location is far superior to Entrada West’s although it is not as upgraded. 2 Entrada West ended up selling in May for $392 per square foot at $817,500.

The basics:

Asking Price: $843,888

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 2.5

Square Footage: 2,088

Lot Size: 4,357

$/Sq Ft: $404

Days on Market: 24

Property Type: Single Family Residence

Year Built: 1976

Community: Northwood – Park Paseo

HOA dues are $85 per month and there no are Mello Roos taxes.

With it being on a zero-lot-line there are no windows on one side of the home. This house has hard wood flooring and Spanish tile throughout the first floor. The staircase and bedrooms have carpet. The home has scraped ceilings, clean interior paint and a remodeled kitchen. The windows, parts of the bathrooms and some of the lighting are still original.

Without needing to cross any streets, the community amenities and elementary school are just steps away.

The front door is located on the side of the home. Upon entry, a short hallway and the stairs are directly in front of you and the living room is to the left. To the right, behind the open door, is the dining room, which fits a decent size table. The living room and entrance have vaulted ceilings. There is plenty of light in the rooms.

The kitchen and family room are at the back of the house. The kitchen was remodeled with new cream cabinets and granite countertop. The appliances are stainless steel. The old panel lighting still shines down from the ceiling and the kitchen lacks a pantry, although it has plenty of cabinets for storage.

There is a small casual eating nook that can fit a small table and a couple of chairs in front of a large kitchen window looking out to the backyard. The window runs up the wall and continues up, becoming a windowed ceiling in the eating nook.

The rectangular family room is pretty standard. The original brick fireplace has been painted white and is located next to the sliding door leading out to the backyard. In the opposite back corner is a small wetbar. It is a bit dated, but has a sink and lower cabinets.

The backyard is a nice size with a lattice covered wood deck surrounded by grass. The wood deck looked a bit worn but the yard is nice and flat with space to for kids or pets to play.

The half bath downstairs is located at the back of the family room, next to the garage entrance. It has a newer sink and the original cabinets have been stained and updated with hardware. A hall closet is found under the stairs.

Upstairs, there are four bedrooms. A set of linen cabinets sits outside of the master bedroom. The master is located at the front of home, above the garage. It’s a decent size room with cathedral ceilings. Two sets of large windows bring in an abundance of light. The bathroom is located through a large opening and has two sinks and plenty of counter space. The fluorescent lighting is original and the carpet runs up to the vanity, but the sink area is in great condition. To the left is a walk-in closet. To the right is the separate shower with plain white tiles and a toilet. There is no tub in the master.

The shared bathroom located outside of the master bedroom has newer sinks but the cabinets look original. There is plenty of counter space and the lighting has been updated. The tub/shower combo looks original.

The other three bedrooms are average in size and have carpet and clean paint. Two of the bedrooms appear slightly larger with a larger closet. The original windows have film on it which hinders the view into the backyard.

14 Delamesa West is a terrific home for a family. The home is in a prime location on a short cul-de-sac street and steps away to the schools and community amenities. The home has a mix of original and some upgraded features, but in comparison to the upgraded model at 2 Entrada West, this location is much more desirable with respect to privacy, noise and children’s safety when playing in the front yard.