This house is in Lakewood and currently has a pending offer, but is accepting back up offers.
The stats:
3 bedrooms
1 bath
1,313 square feet
5,000 square foot lot
Central air
partial copper plumbing
Built: 1951
Asking price: $420,000
The front door opens onto a living room/dining room combo, with the dining area currently used as an office.
On the other side is the living room.
[the window and door are west facing]
[There is carpet on all the floors, but the listing says hardwood underneath.]
The kitchen is by far, the nicest feature of the house.
It has been completely remodeled with very nice cabinetry and drawers. The countertops, which are extensive, are formica, not granite.
There is a laundry room next to the kitchen.
[Here the water heater is properly secured and vented]
There is an eating area next to the kitchen, which can be used as an informal dining area.
[There is a light tube over the table]
The hallway in the back leads to the bathroom and the two smaller bedrooms. The door on the right leads to the large bedroom (which is an addition to the house).
Here's the bathroom. It too has a light tube (it probably lost it's window with the additon).
[According to the listing, the pedestal sink is new, but I noticed it had a prominent drip]
I didn't photograph the two small bedrooms (they are filled with beds), but I took several of the addition, this this is the room I would use.
[There's no chance for hardwood floors under this carpet. Because the final step is taller than the first two, that may be a sign that the addition was not permitted]
[This odd hole in the ceiling might have been from a Swedish heater]
[sliding glass doors onto the back yard]
The back yard is a little small, but still nice.
[The window is from one of the smaller bedrooms]
There is also a door from the laundry room to the garage.
[We were a little concerned about the state of the roof]
The Bottom Line:
Good points: a fabulous kitchen, a large bedroom, nice landscaping in the front
Bad points: possibly unpermitted addition, no way of knowing the state of the hardwood flooring, small single bath some ways from master bedroom.
let me be frank: omg, where do i begin? first of all, that bedroom is unacceptable with steps that you have to go down to get to it (i can't imgaine the drunk accidents that would occur. oh wait, that would be me, not you.) and those mirrors! horrific. as for that office, could they PUT anymore furniture in that room? thank goodness it doesn't come furnished. and there appears to be more wood on the ceiling than on the floor! as for the renovations, it basically looks like a glorified apartment. generic, generic, generic. and how much more could they have going on in that back yard? i'm giving it a 1.5.
ReplyDeleteDebbie, I think you're being overly critical. Sure, a sunken bedroom (and mirrored closet) aren't ideal (though the closet doors are a relatively easy fix). I'm more concerned about the distance between the bathroom and the bedroom and particularly more concerned about what's under the carpeting in the rest of the house.
ReplyDeleteAs for the "generic" looks, new paint, hardwood floors, and new window treatments make a world of difference.
This house has the most promise and least problems. After spending near half a million on a home I would hate to face extensive remodeling. The stuff here is relatively minor.
ReplyDeleteAs to your observation to a small yard--do you want a large yard to take care of Jeff? Remember they will constantly be putting watering restrictions on. Lots of green yard means lots of problems to solve when drought conditions are in force.
The possibly unpermitted addition is a big concern. California does not look kindly upon such things. They could make you remove it.
The strip house is nice as well. But that airport approach could be a long term problem--remember airlines are getting bigger (though it is true, somewhat less noisy). How would that impact you in the future?
I hate to bring this up but the community I have recently moved to had a 3,000+ square foot house with three car garage which sold for $55,000.00. I also missed a home (which it is true needed lots of work) that sold for $14,000.00. That is not a typo. 14K for a house!
Good luck Jeff! Looking forward to following your search.
Location, location, location. Even with the collapse of the market in So Cal, we're still much higher priced than the rest of the country.
ReplyDeleteAs for the yard, I intend to go with drought resistant, native plants.