Irvine Housing Blog

Posted: 30 Jun 2014 04:00 AM PDT

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 4x4 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 4x4 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.

Irvine Housing Blog

Open House Review: 2 Alameda

Posted: 27 Jun 2014 04:00 AM PDT

Today I saw a two level home featuring a bedroom on the ground floor. 2 Alameda is in Northwood’s Park Paseo Community. It sits on the corner of a cul-de-sac street with Santiago Hills Elementary School and the community pool, clubhouse and tennis courts at the end of the cul-de-sac. Children can walk to Santiago Hills Elementary School without crossing any streets.

Asking Price: $850,000
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 3
Square Footage: 2,271Lot Size: 3,920
$/Sq Ft: $374
Days on Market: 16
Property Type: Single Family Residence
Year Built: 1978
Community: Northwood – Park Paseo

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

Prices in Northwood have been on the rise. In the past 3 to 6 months houses in Northwood have sold at an average of approximately $387 per square foot. This house is in very clean condition and has been partially upgraded. There are some original features, such as the windows, cabinetry and some of the lights, but the ceilings have been scraped, floors replaced and kitchen and bathrooms remodeled. The yard is smaller for the neighborhood, but there is a patio and a little bit of grass at the end of the patio. Being on the corner of Alameda and Park Place, there is some noise from passing cars on Park Place, but Park Place is an internal street in the neighborhood and Alameda is a cul-de-sac street. The home feeds into Santiago Hills Elementary School, Sierra Vista Middle School and Northwood High School. The elementary and middle schools are walking distance from the home.

The double front door is located on the side of the home. Once inside the cathedral ceilings provide a sense of spaciousness. Directly in front of you is the side of the staircase and a hall leading to the back of the home. To the right are the living and dining rooms. To the left are the bathroom and bedroom. An abundance of natural light comes in from the large windows throughout the entrance, living and dining rooms. The tile flooring in the entrance area continues back through the hall and into the kitchen and family room. The rest of the rooms have wood laminate floors.

The first floor has a bedroom with cathedral ceilings at the front of the house. It has double doors leading into the room. It is bright with three windows, one being high up on the wall. The room has a small closet with sliding doors. The adjacent bathroom has a single sink and a stall shower. The flooring and sink hardware have been updated but the original fluorescent lighting still sits above the sink. The cabinetry has been painted white, but is also original.

The living room is a small step down from the rest of the house. It has vaulted ceilings and is a good size. The windows look into the backyard.

The living room opens to the dining room, which has space for a large table. A short rail separates the two areas. I have seen models with the railing removed to create an open flow between the rooms. The large window looks into the backyard.

The coat closet sits in the hallway leading back to the kitchen and family rooms. The family room has a white-painted brick fireplace and French doors leading to the backyard. It is a decent size room and there is an open solution into kitchen. On the back side of the kitchen wall, at the end of the peninsula is a built-in bookshelf.

The kitchen has been partially remodeled with a mix of white and stainless steel appliances and granite tile countertops. The pantry is to the left of the doorway, located across from the main kitchen, with space in front of the pantry for a computer table or small eating table. The garage entry is located next to the pantry. To the right is the kitchen with the counter in a U-shape. The refrigerator and electric stovetop sit on the back wall, next to the garage door entry. The sink, with a garden window, looks out to the side of the backyard. The counter wraps around onto a peninsula with space for bar seating on the family room side. Cabinets sit above the peninsula which provides plenty of storage, but hinders some of the open feel to the area. At the end of the peninsula is a short wall with the built-in microwave and oven. The kitchen still has the original panel lights and the original cabinets which have been painted white.

The backyard is small for the neighborhood. Outside of the French doors is a narrow covered patio with a high retaining wall on the backside. To the right is a small grassy area.

The stairs have the original railing but are updated with laminate wood flooring. On the landing is a set of lower linen cabinets. The master faces the back of the house and is a good sized room. It has vaulted ceilings. There are two sets of closets, each with mirrored doors. One set is located in the bedroom while the other is in the bathroom area. The master bath has two sinks with a vanity area in the middle. The cabinetry is original but has been painted white. The flooring has updated tile and the shower area is remodeled by removing the tub and creating a large shower with a bench. A large window sits above the shower, bringing in a good amount of natural light. Without a privacy door into the bathroom area, the light may disturb someone who is still in bed, but they have hung decorative curtains to block out most of the light.

One of the other bedrooms has double doors and high ceilings. The window faces the side of the home. One wall is taken up by a three-door closet. The other bedroom also has high ceilings and there is a closet in one corner with mirrored doors. The window faces out to the front of the home.

The upstairs bathroom has one sink with good counter space and a shower/tub combo. The cabinets are original but have been painted white. The floors have new tile and the shower/tub combo has been remodeled with a new tub and updated tile surround. A window sits above the vanity mirror which brings in natural light into the area. The high ceilings create a spacious feel to the space.

Looking at current listings and recent sales, the price for this house seems reasonable. The flow is nice and the downstairs bedroom will appeal to many buyers. The only downfall is the smaller backyard and location on the corner with cars turning onto the Alameda in front of the home. But the home’s location, being so close to the elementary school and community amenities will appeal to many families.

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