Monthly Archives: August 2013

17 Ninos: A different persective

For the first time, we have two of our writers reviewing the same home for sale. I found it interesting to read two perspectives on this home.

Today, I saw a home in Northwood’s Park Paseo neighborhood that features a downstairs bedroom and a large bonus room upstairs.

The basics:

Asking Price: $888,000

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 3

Square Footage: 2,549

Lot Size: 4,356

$/Sq Ft: $348

Days on Market: 21

Property Type: Single Family Home

Year Built: 1977

Community: Northwood, Park Paseo

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

The house is nicely situated on a cul-de-sac and very close to a greenbelt. Children can walk to Santiago Hills Elementary School without crossing any streets. The home is also very close to the community pool, tennis courts and clubhouse.

This house has a lot of potential, but can use a lot of work. The carpets are very dirty and the floors and walls are scuffed in many places. The ceilings have not been scraped and most rooms still have old windows. While all of the bathrooms have new faucets, no other upgrades have been made to the bathrooms or the kitchen.

The first floor has a bedroom at the front of the house. It is currently used as an office and has large shelving units on two walls. The room has a small closet with mirrored doors. The adjacent bathroom has a single sink and a stall shower.

The living room is a small step down from the rest of the house. It has vaulted ceilings and a white brick fireplace. French doors with access to the backyard were added.

The living room opens to the dining room, which has space for a large table. A big bay window was added overlooking the backyard.

The biggest downfall of this model house is the kitchen. It is small, closed in, and really feels cut off from the rest of the house. The ceiling is low and still has the original panel lights. It also still has the original oven. The counters are white tile and the cabinets are very plain. A garden window looks to the side of the house and doesn’t bring in much light. There is a small breakfast nook directly across from the kitchen that could hold a very small table, but it feels really cramped. It has a pantry, but the pantry is hard to access if you have a table and chairs in that space. I have seen this model redone with the kitchen opening up to the family room and it makes a huge difference.

The family room is at the back of the house. Like the living room, it has a white brick fireplace and doors to the backyard. One wall has a huge built-in unit that can’t accommodate a TV.

The backyard is fairly small for the neighborhood and is awkwardly divided into several areas. There is a covered patio area, a fountain surrounded by rocks, a raised area with a low wall around it, and an uncovered patio section with a step in the middle of it.

Upstairs, there are three bedrooms and a large bonus room. The master faces the back of the house and is a good sized room. It has vaulted ceilings and, currently, bright pink walls. There are two different closets, each with mirrored doors. The master bath has two sinks with a vanity area in the middle. The shower is done in the original white tile and, though it technically doubles as a bathtub, it feels more like a shower.

One of the other bedrooms has double doors and high ceilings. One wall is taken up by a three-door closet with very dark doors that make it feel very drab. The other bedroom also has high ceilings and there is a small closet in one corner with mirrored doors. Both rooms face the side of the house and just have one window.

The upstairs bathroom has one sink with a fairly small counter and a shower/tub combo. It’s pretty small and somewhat cramped.

The bonus room overlooks the street and also has vaulted ceilings. Windows on three sides bring in a lot of light. There is a wet bar in one corner with an open storage space above it. The room offers a lot of flexibility and is a great extra space in the home.

Looking at current listings and recent sales, the price for this house seems high. While I realize prices are going up, this one is not in line with the others, especially considering it has no upgrades. With a lot of work, this home could be really nice. It is big and the downstairs bedroom will appeal to many buyers.

Do you think it’s worth the money? Would you be willing to invest the time and money to fully upgrade this house?

A Look Inside the City of Irvine: Fall Events and Activities

A city is more than a collection of houses, condos, apartments and businesses. It is also a community in which the residents are connected in numerous ways. One of these connections is the activities that are available. And as shown by the fall edition of Inside Irvine, Irvine has many. Inside Irvine contains information on upcoming special events, a catalog of class that residents and non-residents can register for, and a message from the city manager.

Some of the upcoming events that help to connect Irvine residents are the Northwood Community Park reopening ceremonies, which will highlight the new LEED-certified features, updated amenities intended to serve multi-generations, the Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial, and Irvine’s agricultural history; the Global Village Festival, the city’s annual festival which features numerous multicultural activities, foods, entertainment, crafts, and exhibits—and is attempting to become a zero waste event; the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, which will feature a display at the Orange County Great Park of energy-efficient homes built by teams from national and international colleges as well as an XPO highlighting visionary businesses, products, and educational opportunities.

Do you see a trend here? Yes, all these events have sustainability aspects. Perhaps I’ll write more on that in some future posts, but for now, on to a look at the classes that will be available in the fall.

To view the fall classes that are available for registration, see the online catalog of classes. And for an online look at all the information included in the fall issue of Inside Irvine including the city manager’s message, click on the links below. Note that you can also pick up a hardcopy of Inside Irvine at City of Irvine facilities such as city hall and Irvine libraries.

· Page 1: Table of Contents

· Page 2-20: Inside Irvine Editorial

· Page 21-52: Inside Irvine Activity Guide

· Page 53-91: Inside Irvine Map and Registration Information

· Page 92-96: Inside Irvine Map and Registration Information

· Entire Inside Irvine

Open House Review: 17 Ninos

17 Ninos

Asking Price:

$888,000

Bedrooms:

4

Bathrooms:

3

Square Footage:

2,549

Lot Size:

4,356

Price per Square Foot:

$348

Property Type:

Residential, Single Family

Style:

Two Level

Year Built

1977

Community:

Northwood

HOA Fees:

$85

Mello Roos:

No

The location of this home, at the end of the cul-de-sac and just a half block to the elementary school and Clubhouse, is great for any family. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a large bonus room are located on the second level, while one bedroom and one bathroom are located on the first floor.

Upon entering, there is space for a small table which sits along the side of staircase. To your left are a small full bathroom and a bedroom. To your right is the living room and dining room. Behind the dining room wall is the family room and kitchen.

View of Entrance. Living Room is to the left in this picture.

Front Entrance and Living Room

Living Room, Dining Room

This home, unlike some of the other models with the same layout, has a fireplace in the living room (in addition to the family room). The living room has a sunken floor and French doors leading to the back yard.

Downstairs Bedroom and adjacent bathroom.

The bathroom has original cabinets and lighting, but is clean and the shower looks newer.

Although the ceilings have the original popcorn texture, the vaulted height and large windows creates a light and open feel. Apart from the carpeted bedroom, the floors downstairs are hard wood. The sliding glass door and window facing the back are new, while the rest of the house has original windows.

The backyard has no grass but has a lattice patio cover on entry outside of the family room.

There is also a sliding glass door for entry to the back yard from the family room. The family room has built-in shelves that span the entire wall.

Angle from Entrance into Family Room. The kitchen is behind the wall on the left

View from Sliding Glass door looking into Family Room/Kitchen. Built-ins are along the left.

The kitchen has fluorescent lighting in the ceiling and original cabinets. On the right is the oven and an open wall with overhead cabinets and counter for a couple of bar stools.

Garage entry is off of the kitchen. Laundry hook up is found in the garage.

Upstairs has vaulted ceilings as well. The small landing comes with built-in cabinets running along the side of the staircase. Note that the staircase has the original ballusters. All bedrooms and the staircase have carpet, which may need to be cleaned or changed. Immediately to the right are double doors leading into the Master Bedroom. The windows face the back yard. The bathroom is large with an open solution, not having a door separating it from the bedroom.

Upstairs landing with built in cabinets. Entrance to Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom and entrance to bathroom sink/vanity area. Large mirrored closet.

More closets in vanity/sink area of bathroom.

Sunken bathtub/shower. Toilet located in own private area.

View coming up stairs into first bedroom.

First bedroom upstairs has a double door entry and appears slightly larger than the other upstairs bedroom. The larger bedroom also has more closet space with an extra third sliding door.

Second upstairs bedroom.

Hallway Bathroom upstairs.

Adjacent to the hallway bathroom and at the opposite end of the hall from Master Bedroom is a large Bonus room which faces the front of the house. It sits above the entire garage.

View walking out of Master Bedroom. Opposite end of hallway is the Bonus Room.

Bonus Room

View from Bonus Room

The house could use upgrades to modernize it. However, someone has the opportunity to add their own personal touches and choose how they want to re-model their own house. Someone looking for a bedroom downstairs would like this model, especially considering the fact the house has the extra large bonus room upstairs that they can use as a guest room/office/playroom.

The low HOA fee includes Park Paseo’s two tennis courts, walking distance to a large pool, baby pool and large Jacuzzi as well as access to the Clubhouse.

Open House Review: 11 Heron

Woodbridge Single Family Home with 3 Car Garage

11 Heron $1,199,000

Turning onto Heron, this property looked familiar. Several months ago I attended an open house a couple doors down and I remember the same package of very functional assets. At a glance this is a good sized single family home in a quiet spot near North Lake and Lagoon in Woodbridge with quite a few nice options.

Significant Numbers: New to the market, a little over 20 days, this 4 bedroom, 3 bath 2 level detached home has 2,350 sq. ft. on a 4,792 sq. ft. lot. The $/sq. ft. is $510 and HOA dues are $82. The home was built in 1977.

CloseUp: Stepping into the slate entryway, an open floor plan offers a sweep of light filled space that includes a formal living room with fireplace and vaulted ceiling, formal dining room, and gourmet kitchen with breakfast bar. The crown molding, high ceilings, shutters and hardwood floors give the area unity and elegance. The family room with fireplace and master bedroom and bath with glass block Travertine shower and dual vanity are also on the main floor. The master suite includes a mirrored door walk in closet.

The kitchen blends well in the open space with dark granite counters, and recessed lighting. There are Canadian birch cabinets, upgraded stainless appliances and a garden window overlooking the backyard, which has a large grass area, and large bricked patio.

The other bedrooms are upstairs. And the three car garage is attached.

Specifics:

Bedrooms, 4

Baths, 3

3 Car Garage

3 parking spaces

Detached, No Common Walls

Association Pool, Spa

Central furnace, central air conditioning

Irvine Unified School District

What will be considered here? The size and location of this single family detached home near Lakeside Middle School and North Lake & Lagoon in Woodbridge will be evaluated along with the price. The convenience of three garages, the overall layout and privacy and space within the home and in the outside areas, will be part of the evaluation.

Who will move in? A family looking for a great lake location with all of its attractions in Woodbridge, along with the community’s top schools will be attracted to this home. The location on a quiet street and the open floor plan make this home a great choice for a family and for entertaining.

Recent listings: 77 Nighthawk, $999,950; 30 Meadow Grass, $950,000

Recent sales: 71 Nighthawk, $1,149,000; 2 Mallord, $1,200,000

Irvine Housing Overview: July 2013

According to Altos Research, the Market Action Index (MAI) for Irvine’s single-family housing market is 37.21. That is down from the 42.57 MAI that was recorded about this time last month. However, as defined by Altos, this still puts the Irvine single-family housing market in the seller’s market category. (Above 30 is defined as a seller’s market; below is defined as a buyer’s market.) Altos also states that the average single-family home in Irvine has been on the market for about 80 days as of August 16, 2013.

As pointed out last month, the Irvine MAI was making a steady climb upward since the beginning of the year. However, this is the second month in a row that the Irvine MAI is trending downward. Is this the beginning of the end of the boom in the Irvine housing market, or just a temporary downturn? Time will tell.

Note: In spite of the downturn in the MAI for single-family homes in Irvine, the month-over-month asking prices are continuing to increase and the year-over-year selling prices are still increasing.

Following is Irvine’s July 2013 housing market data as provided by Redfin

Type List Price/# Homes Listed Sold Price/# Homes Sold List Per SF Sold Per SF % Chg Y-O-Y Sold Price/SF
Houses
13-Jul $1,125K/210 $900K/122 $459 $435 16.90%
13-Jun $1,112K/186 $855K/99 $462 $414 16%
13-May $1,030/167 $890/113 $457 $411 21.60%
13-Apr n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
13-Mar $1,020K/101 $904K/62 $443 $381 13.40%
13-Feb na/109 na/272 $415 $354 n/a
13-Jan na/113 na/274 $409 $357 n/a
Condos
13-Jul $588K/295 $522K/135 $416 $394 28.80%
13-Jun $585K/235 $540K/130 $418 $391 24.90%
13-May $599K/177 $539K/144 $406 $386 30.40%
13-Apr n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
13-Mar $570K/111 $476K/88 $375 $344 21.60%
13-Feb na/100 na/301 $369 $325 n/a
13-Jan na/106 na/324 $377 $327 n/a
All
13-Jul $709K/545 $659K/283 $423 $401 24.10%
13-Jun $734K/456 $638K/249 $422 $395 20.80%
13-May $750K/371 $659K/274 $416 $393 26.80%
13-Apr n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
13-Mar $703K/219 $588K/151 $392 $359 18.90%
13-Feb na/209 na/573 $389 $334 n/a
13-Jan na/219 na/598 $389 $338 n/a