This week I visited a townhouse in Woodbridge’s gated Arborlake community. At 2700 square feet, it is bigger than many townhomes; however, the layout is so confusing that all of the families touring it when I was there (three others) couldn’t figure out how it all fit together.

The basics:

Asking Price: $749,900

Bedrooms: 4 + extra room

Bathrooms: 3

Square Footage: 2,700

Lot Size: N/A

$/Sq Ft: $278

Days on Market: 22

Property Type: Attached Townhouse

Year Built: 1978

Community: Woodbridge

HOA dues are $497 per month and there are no Mello Roos taxes.

This townhouse has its own two-car garage facing the street and a gate leading to a private courtyard as you enter the property. The courtyard is large, with two separate stairways leading up to the building, causing many of the visitors (including me) to think it was a shared space leading to multiple units. However, both stairways lead to this home – the front one is the main entry and the one on the side leads to some of the bedrooms.

The main entry features a wall of windows and, as soon as you go inside, a newly-tiled travertine staircase takes you up to the first floor of the house. The living room is at the top of the stairs. A fireplace is surrounded by frosted glass half-walls that overlook the entry. On the opposite side of the room, sliding doors lead out to a long balcony that runs the entire length of the unit. The balcony overlooks the sports fields of Lakeside Middle School so, while it is a nice view, I imagine it gets noisy on school days.

The living room flows into the dining room, which has space for a large table and a huge window looking out to the balcony. A wetbar with granite counters and white cupboards line another wall.

A door from the dining room leads into the eat-in area of the kitchen, which has more sliding doors to the balcony. This space is so large that it needs to be filled with more than just a table to avoid looking empty. It could serve as a casual family room, a replacement for the formal dining room (freeing up that space instead), an office, etc. The kitchen has been recently remodeled, with granite counters and white cupboards matching those in the dining room. It features stainless steel appliances and travertine floors matching the entryway. It is a good size and well-laid out, with a small window to bring in some light.

Next to the kitchen is a laundry room (no sink) and, across from that, a small bathroom with a single sink and a small stall shower. The downstairs hallway has a coat closet and two sets of floor-to-ceiling linen cupboards. At the end of the hall is the first bedroom, currently set up as an office. Big double doors lead into the average-sized room. It has a small closet, a window overlooking the courtyard, and a door out the back.

A back door from the office leads to the side stairway that I originally saw from the courtyard. It has stairs going both up and down, as well as a door across the hall, which is why so many of us were confused and thought there were multiple units. The door across the hall actually leads to another large room that is part of the same house, but not accessible from the inside at all. It has a sloped ceiling that is very low on one side and a couple of big storage closets, that aren’t fully finished and have lower ceilings. The carpet was very dirty and would have to be replaced. This room could make a great home office, especially for someone who saw clients and needed a truly private space. A skylight helps to brighten the room.

The upper floor of the house is accessible from the outside stairwell and from an inside staircase in the main hallway. There are three bedrooms, including the master, and an additional bathroom. The two secondary bedrooms are a good size, one with bigger windows and a bigger closet. Both have standard, 6-paneled door closets. The bathroom they share has only one sink and a shower/tub combo. One of them has a door leading out to the side stairwell.

The master bedroom is big, with vaulted ceilings and a large balcony overlooking the middle school. The bathroom has travertine floors, granite counters, and two sinks. It also has a large bathtub, with a showerhead as well, but it lacks doors or even a curtain rod, so something would have to be installed to use it as a shower. The master has two large closets (neither is a walk-in).

The parts of the house that have been remodeled are really well done. However, the carpet throughout the house is dirty and definitely needs to be replaced. The side stairwell is also grungy and, since it does only belong to this unit, I would probably clean it up and make it nicer. The garage is extra long, so there is plenty of space for storage or a work area; however, it doesn’t have direct access to the house (only to the courtyard).

The windows are original and most don’t have any sort of window treatment, so people at the middle school would easily be able to see in the large, rear-facing windows. There are other units on both sides, so several of the rooms, including most bedrooms), share walls with the neighbors. The HOA fees are astronomical. On the plus side, it’s incredibly large for a townhouse, has an association pool, and is extremely close to the North Lake Beach Club and lagoon area. The strange layout and high HOA fees would keep me from making an offer, so I am curious to see how long this one stays on the market.

Discuss on Talk Irvine: http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,3505.0.html

Today I visited an older home (1979) that has been beautifully updated downstairs and offers plenty of living space.

The basics:

Asking Price: $850,000

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 3.5

Square Footage: 2,500

Lot Size: 5,200

$/Sq Ft: $340

Days on Market: 8

Property Type: Single Family Residence

Year Built: 1979

Community: Northwood

There are no HOA dues or Mello Roos taxes.

When I entered the house, a beautiful, curving staircase immediately drew my attention. It had wooden steps and banisters with black, wrought iron railings. Beyond it, I caught glimpses of the living and dining rooms.

Before venturing into the rooms, I explored the master bedroom just inside the front door. It is an average-size room with a big window facing the street and a walk-in closet. There is a large vanity area outside the bathroom and across from a mirrored closet. The bathroom has two sinks with granite countertops and a stall shower. The floors, vanity, and shower tiles are all newer and well done. The only thing I disliked is that the master bath can also be accessed from the hall, making it less private than a master bath should be.

Just before the stairway is a small, updated wetbar with granite counters that match the new granite surrounding the living room fireplace. The living room has angled, vaulted ceilings, attractive wood floors, and a sliding door out to the backyard. The window panels around the door can open sideways or can be pulled out from the top to create ventilation without providing easy access into the home. The living room flows right into the dining room, which has room for a big table and also looks out to the backyard. From the dining room, there is access to a large storage cupboard under the stairs.

A doorway leads into the family room and kitchen. There are tile floors, with large tiles set at an angle and more sliding doors out to the backyard. It flows directly into the kitchen, which has stainless steel appliances and black granite counters. A modern light fixture hangs above the island, which offers seating for four and storage on two sides. There isn’t really space for a casual dining table. The kitchen has plenty of cupboards and felt very wide and open, creating a very welcoming environment. A half bath and access to the garage are both located off the kitchen. The washer and dryer are in the garage.

The backyard is large and fully hardscaped, with small “island” patches containing trees and, in one case, a fountain.

Upstairs, there are three additional bedrooms and two bathrooms. While there isn’t a true master upstairs, one of the rooms does have direct access to a bathroom (the bathroom also has a door from the main hallway). All three rooms are quite large for secondary bedrooms and they have big closets (two with walk-ins, one with a standard slider). Each one has sloped ceilings that get somewhat low at one end and small nooks that make cozy areas for reading or playing. Both upstairs bathrooms have a vanity with one sink and several drawers. The one that has access from a bedroom has a shower/tub combo and the other one (at the opposite end of the hall) has just a shower. Both have new vanities, framed mirrors, and new tile floors, but the showers have not been updated.

This is a great layout with very little work to be done. Per the realtor, there are already multiple offers on the house, so an interested buyer should make an appointment to check it out ASAP.

Discuss on Talk Irvine: http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,3488.0.html

Since I haven’t had much opportunity to explore homes in the small community of Northwood II, I decided to visit a townhouse today at 20 Shadowplay. This corner unit is currently for sale, but the owners will also consider leasing the property. It is already vacant and in move-in condition.

The basics:

Asking Price: $749,000

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 3

Square Footage: 2100

Lot Size: N/A

$/Sq Ft: $347

Days on Market: 6

Property Type: Attached Townhome (one common wall)

Year Built: 2004

Community: Northwood II

HOA dues are $291 ($142 + $149) per month and there are Mello Roos taxes.

When you enter the house, you walk right into the living room, without having any true entryway space. The room is cut at an angle with a fireplace in one corner and has a cutout space for a TV. The dark hardwood floors offer a nice contrast to the white fireplace and light-colored walls.

Beyond the living room is a large dining room that includes a full wall of cabinets. These will come in very handy, as the kitchen is fairly small and doesn’t have a lot of storage. The dining room is wide, with space for a large table, and also has access to the side patio.

The kitchen is next to the dining room. It has granite countertops, dark wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances. It doesn’t offer a lot of storage space and has limited counter space available for prep work. It does have a large pantry and lesser-used items can be stored in the dining room.

There are two bedrooms downstairs – one at the front of the house and another at the back. The room at the front is a basic room, with dark brown carpeting, two windows, and a small closet. It is adjacent to a full bathroom that has a shower (no tub) and doubles as the downstairs powder room.

At the back of the house is the downstairs master bedroom. It has hardwood flooring and access to the side patio. It’s kind of an odd shape that doesn’t lead to many options in furniture placement, though built-ins in the walk-in closet may eliminate the need for a dresser. The bathroom is nice, with split sinks separated by a vanity, a large tub, and a good-sized shower. The counters and shower are tiled in basic white, but are clean and well-maintained.

Also downstairs are a laundry room (no sink) with access to the garage and a small coat closet.

At the top of the stairs is a large loft area with access to a balcony overlooking the street. It’s among the largest lofts I’ve seen and could probably be divided into a couple of different spaces. It has a built-in desk with two small work stations off to one side.

Beyond the loft is the upstairs master bedroom. It is long and rectangular and feels a little bit bigger than the one downstairs. However, it has a smaller closet and bathroom. The closet is still a walk-in with built-ins, but offers less hanging space than the one downstairs. The bathroom has two sinks, but no vanity, and a shower but no tub. The room is more private than its downstairs counterpart, but less elegant.

Overall, I felt like the living room and kitchen leave much to be desired. They are both small and the living room doesn’t really open up to the kitchen, so you are more secluded than in the wide open great rooms that are common in most new construction. Also, while I like having two master bedrooms, I wish the more elegant one was upstairs. I loved the large loft and thought it was a great added living space. Because it’s a townhouse, there are two sets of HOA dues, and both are higher than in many other communities. It is pretty big for a townhouse, but the high fees and overall layout would deter me from making an offer.

Discuss on Talk Irvine: http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,3475.0.html

With inventory in Irvine low and only a few open houses for the holiday weekend, I found myself visiting 24 Spyrock in Northpark Square. It has great proximity to the community park and swimming pool (just one house away) but its location isn’t ideal because it backs to one of the neighborhood’s busier, non-residential streets.

The basics:

Asking Price: $820,000

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 2.5

Square Footage: 2000

Lot Size: 3,920

$/Sq Ft: $410

Days on Market: 40

Property Type: Single Family Home

Year Built: 2006

Community: Northpark Square

HOA dues are $74 per month and there are Mello Roos taxes.

The entryway to this home has vaulted ceilings and a design in the travertine floors. The staircase is immediately to the right and a nice cutout in the left wall offers space for a bench or table to serve as a landing zone. The travertine floors extend through the entire downstairs, the upstairs hallway, bathrooms, and the laundry room.

At the end of the hall is the great room. It has a large window on one wall and a white, wooden fireplace with a mantle in the middle of another. A ceiling fan will help keep it cool in the summer. The room flows into the kitchen through a large, arched doorway. There is space between the great room and kitchen to put a large dining table.

In the kitchen, an island offers space for bar stools as an alternate, casual dining area. All of the Kitchenaid appliances are included in the sale, including a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer, an oven, a convection oven/microwave combo, five-burner cooktop and dishwasher. I really liked the shade of the reddish-brown cabinets and thought they were well coordinated with the granite and floors. There is more than enough storage space, though the pantry is somewhat lacking, with only one set of floor-to-ceiling cabinets. At one end of the kitchen is a small writing desk perfect for mail, bills, or a homework or computer center.

In the main hallway, there is a small coat closet and a half bath with a pedestal sink. The bathroom also has a large storage closet, filling the space under the stairs, and providing a good space for little-used and/or large items.

The backyard is completely hardscaped with small palm trees all around. There is a trellis at one end. It feels bigger than I expected based on the size of the lot.

Upstairs, all of the rooms come off of one long hallway and each bedroom has a ceiling fan. A built-in desk at the top of the stairs has two work stations and a granite-topped desk. There is a linen cupboard next to it.

The first room at the top of the stairs is the master bedroom. It is an average-sized room, with windows on two walls and crown molding around the top. Through the doorway to the bathroom are two, average-sized walk-in closets, one on each side. The bathroom itself features two sinks with a decorative tile backsplash, a bathtub, and a separate stall shower that is on the smaller side.

Further down the hall are the two secondary bedrooms. Each one has a two-door, mirrored closet and both are a good size with plenty of wall space to arrange the furniture. These rooms share a bathroom that has two sinks and a shower/tub combo. The laundry room is also upstairs and has large, Samsung appliances that are negotiable with the sale.

Overall, there is nothing remarkable about this home but everything is very well kept and in good condition. The only thing buyers will probably want to replace is the carpet in the bedrooms, which looked pretty dingy. Though the house is 2000 square feet, it is only five rooms (great room, kitchen, and three bedrooms), so each room is a good size and there is little wasted space. The owners have already moved out and are looking to close the sale quickly. While there aren’t a lot of homes for sale right now, there are a few in Northwood that are in the same price range (some even cheaper), and that have four bedrooms and as much as 800 more square feet. 24 Spyrock is newer than all the others, but it wouldn’t be my choice if I was in the market for a home.

Discuss on Talk Irvine: http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,3434.0.html

As of December 14, 63 Stowe is back on the market following a failed attempt at a short sale earlier this year. This home is now going to be a standard sale and has already dropped $11,000 since going on the market on December 14.

The basics:

Asking Price: $1,388,000

Bedrooms: 4 + loft

Bathrooms: 3.5

Square Footage: 2600

Lot Size: 3,411

$/Sq Ft: $407

Days on Market: 13

Property Type: Single Family Home

Year Built: 2005

Community: Woodbury – Milles Fleurs

HOA dues are $105 per month and there are Mello Roos taxes.

This home is elegant, featuring designer touches throughout. The front room would work well as a formal living room, a den, or an office. With French doors leading out to the front yard, it could be converted into a more private office with its own entrance.

Down the hall is a large, formal dining room with space for a huge table. It’s a great space, with numerous arched doorways leading to the kitchen and family room. Because the kitchen has a good-sized casual dining area, this formal dining room could be used for something else if desired. There is a good-sized courtyard off the dining room as well.

The kitchen features white cabinets and drawers, granite countertops, stainless steel Kitchenaid appliances, and a large center island. It has a big pantry by the breakfast nook, bookshelves in the island, and a few glass-fronted cabinets to create an attractive display area. The white cabinets are a nice contrast to the dark, hardwood floors found throughout the house, making the room feel much brighter. There is a built-in side-by-side refrigerator, double ovens, and a six-burner stove. The adjacent breakfast nook is spacious and has French doors leading out to the backyard.

It flows directly into the family room, which has windows on three sides and a fireplace at one end. It’s a good-sized room, though it lacks a space for a larger, wall-mounted TV due to all the windows.

A half bath with a pedestal sink completes the downstairs. The garage has three spots, two of them tandem, and a storage area in front of the single spot. There are actually two separate doors leading into the house.

The backyard is bigger than I expected it to be, though still not huge. It has grass in the front and, at the back, are two raised, stone patios. One has a fire pit and the other has a built in barbecue and is covered by a trellis. Between these areas is a large fountain.

Upstairs, there are four bedrooms and a loft. The loft is at the top of the stairs and has a door leading out to a tiny balcony that no one could actually stand on. The master is alone on one side of the loft, so it is nicely separated from the other bedrooms. Like the rooms downstairs, it has many windows with plantation shutters, including some with curtains as well. It is a big room with a small built-in cabinet/shelving area in one corner. The bathroom has a huge tub and a separate shower with a big bench seat. There are two separate sinks and a huge walk-in closet.

The other three bedrooms each have features to differentiate them from the others. One is significantly bigger than the others, with several windows and a big walk-in closet. The next room is actually very small, and a door in the middle of the back wall really limits where you can put the furniture. The door leads out to a big balcony overlooking the street. These two rooms are connected by a jack and jill bathroom that has two sinks and a shower/tub combo.

The last bedroom is in between the other two in terms of size (leaning towards the small side), but has a better layout than the tiny one. Like the small room, it has a standard closet that is also somewhat small. This room also has a private, en suite bathroom. The vanity area is through an open doorway, but then a physical door separates the rest of the bathroom, which includes a shower/tub combo. The laundry room is also upstairs and includes a sink and many cabinets.

This house is already vacant and is basically move-in ready. Most of the rooms are spacious and they all are bright, as many have windows on at least two walls. There was an almost immediate price reduction and there have been numerous open houses already. Following the attempted short sale in April of this year, the buyers must be eager to unload this house quickly. Down the street, 27 Stowe closed on December 13 (the day before this one went on the market) at $1,218,000. It has a smaller lot and is a different model, but the homes are comparable in size and number of beds and baths.

Discuss on Talk Irvine: http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,3422.0.html