Open House Review: 180 Pineview

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.