Archive for September, 2007
September 30, 2007
Tucked between the hospital, college and a slug of shopping centers are several condo complexes. They have great access to shopping, schools (including Saddleback College) and the 5. What’s been selling there lately? Well, three of the same model sold and here’s the stats (plus one additional model for good measure!).
26971 GLENCOE #7
2 beds / 2.5 baths
1,233 Sq Ft
Sold For: $445,000
Closed On: 7.20.07
26976 STONEHAVEN #76
2 beds / 2.5 baths
1,233 Sq Ft
Sold For: $445,000
Closed On: 8.09.07
26931 STONEHAVEN
2 beds / 2.5 baths
1,233 Sq Ft
Sold For: $425,000
Closed On: 8.03.07
27672 FALKIRK #93
3 beds / 2.5 baths
1,472 Sq Ft
Sold For: $382,500
Closed On: 8.24.07
September 30, 2007
The quiet little city of Huntington Beach seems to be a perfect little tucked away community. Lazy residential streets with plush greenery makes this town an ideal spot to live in. A main street with many restaurants and quaint shops gives it that extra bonus. There are several homes on the market in Huntington Beach for those that desire to live by the water. Happy Hunting
21271 Rhonda: $1,919,000, 4 Beds, 4 Baths, 3387 SQ. FT.
16901 Concord Ln: $1,259,000, 4 Beds, 3 Baths, 2,884 SQ. FT.
17031 Newquist Ln: $1,2000,000, 5 Beds, 4 Baths, 3,000 SQ. FT.
9181 Colbreggan Dr: $949,900, 5 Beds, 3 Baths, 2123 SQ. FT.
8612 Lorraine Dr: $924, 000, 4 Beds, 3 Baths, 2538 SQ. FT.
9951 Baybreeze Dr: $739,000, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 1,642 SQ. FT.
16952 Red Rock Cr: $599,000, 2 Beds, 2 Baths, 1,442 SQ. FT.
16861 Limelight Cr: 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 1240 SQ. FT.
September 30, 2007
For those considering moving to the Newport Beach area, here are a few homes to take a look at. The prices have come down slightly. One of the best parts of looking at houses in Newport Beach is that you can actually make a day out of it. Enjoy the weather and enjoy the hunt.
1950 Port Cardiff Pl: $3,495,000 4 Beds, 4 Baths, 4,000 SQ. FT.
1756 Ocean Blvd: $3,199,000, 3 Beds, 3 Baths, 2,500 SQ. FT.
131 Agate Ave: $2,494,000, 3 Beds, 3 Baths, SQ. FT. not listed.
700 Bison Ave: $2,449,000 4 Beds, 3 Baths, 2740 SQ. FT.
1718 Port Margate Pl: $1,975,000, 3 Beds, 3 baths, 2583 SQ. FT.
74 Ocean Vista: $1,799,000, 3 Beds, 3 Baths, 2,557 SQ. FT.
10 Belcourt Dr: $1,775,000, 2 Beds, 3 Baths, SQ. FT. not listed
September 30, 2007
Some great new listings in Aliso Viejo have been discovered while a few older listings have recently dropped their prices and can be found easily by clicking the below links. Funny thing, the homes are either on streets that begin with “M” or “W.”
32 Wax Wing The list price was “$395,000″ and changed to “$389,900,” 2br/2.5 baths, CONDO
87 Whipporwill Ln The list price was “$399,990″ and changed to “$389,990″ 2br/2baths, CONDO
219 Woodcrest Ln. New Listing $610,000, 3 br/2.5 baths, CONDO
15 Mallard Dr. New Listing $729,900, 4br/2.5 baths, SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCE
11 Montara Dr. New Listing $524,000 2br/2baths, CONDO
September 30, 2007
Many of the homes in Southwest Costa Mesa are listed as near public schools, parks, and trails; having ocean breezes; and having quick access to the freeways. Others list that the homes are within walking distance to theaters, restaurants, and shopping such as Costa Mesa Courtyards and Triangle Square.
What is the best bargain in Southwest Costa Mesa? Here are some current listings to help you decide. It just might be that the more run down areas are more expensive than the better maintained area. Decide for yourself.
They are listed in ascending order according to the price per square foot.
TALBERT REGIONAL PARK
1953 Maple Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92627 (near Bernard Street)
Type: 1954 detached residence; beds/baths: 3/1.75
Price: $598,000; 1,370 sf; lot size: 6,600 sf; $436/sf
Ad states: custom-built home; longtime owner. From the pictures alone, this one looks in the best condition to me. Of course, a closer inspection would be necessary to determine if this is true.
1096 Glen Circle, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
1977 detached residence; beds/baths: 3/2.5
Price: $679,000; 1,534 sf; lot size: 4,142 sf; $443/sf
1939 Arnold Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
1955 detached residence; beds/baths: 3/1.5
Price: $584,000; 1,250 sf; lot size: 6,120 sf; $467/sf
578 Knowell PL, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
1954 detached residence; beds/baths: 3/2
Price: $678,765; 1,400 sf; lot size: 6,032 sf; $485/sf
Ad states: custom architecture (Video tour)
661 Seal ST, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
1955 detached residence; beds/baths: 4/2
Price: $574,765; 1,153 sf; lot size: 6,600 sf; $498/sf
645 Ross Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
1955 detached residence, beds/baths: 3/2.5
Price: $579,900; 1,153 sf; lot size: 6,600 sf; $503/sf
Ad states: property being sold in as-is condition
656 Beach Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
1955 detached residence, bed/baths: 3/1.5
Price: $598,765; 1,182 sf; lot size: 6,600 sf; $507/sf
Ad states: lots of privacy, gated, fruit trees
2093 Maple Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
1937 detached residence; beds/baths: 3/2
Price: $519,000; 998 sf; lot size: 7,332 sf; $520/sf
Ad states: fixer-upper
For more information on Southwest Costa Mesa, see yesterday’s post “Price Reductions in Southwest Costa Mesa.”
September 29, 2007
I just got back from an open house in North Tustin and I can’t believe how some sellers seem to turn a blind eye to obvious seller no-no’s. This house I just went to was beautifully redone. Upgrades throughout-new central A/C, new pool, new kitchen appliances, new tile floors, and more. But did the average open-house cruiser see any of it when walking through? Sorry owners, but no!
The sellers committed three major no-no’s in selling their house. The don’ts were all quick fixes, and yet, the sellers didn’t do them. First, carpet in the bathrooms! Gross. Okay, my parents have carpet in their bathrooms, so I have to be careful here. I know, I know… it feels good on your feet. The last thing a new buyer wants to deal with is bathroom kudos from people they don’t know embedded deep down in the carpet. Call it a mental thing, but it’s enough to scare people off. I say cheap linoleum is better than carpet in these grubby rooms.
The second major don’t this house had was in-your-face wallpaper. I could maybe overlook a little flowery wallpaper in a bathroom, but not a dark red-and-blue-stripped master bedroom. Even though I hate the idea of painting wallpaper, I think a nice neutral color would have made a world of difference.
The last major no-no this house had was massive and out-dated furniture. An old chair off in the corner, now that’s forgivable. An old heavy piece that takes up half (maybe more) of the master bedroom, I’m not so sure. In this case, this master bedroom was huge, but you really couldn’t tell. This oak headboard monster stood at least two feet from the wall and was right when you walked in blocking your view of the room. And, of course, it was accompanied by a matching set of chest of drawers, mirror, and nightstands. It was so tight, you almost needed to have turned sideways to walk between the end of the bed and the chest of drawers. Like I said, the room was huge. It was decent in width and very long, but you really had to step back and take notice.
While my husband and I were there, a few other families came through. We overhead comments of “Ewwwww! Gross! Carpet!” and “I don’t know, it seems kinda small.” It got me to thinking. While these are all easy fixes for a new buyer (and a seller!), this type of house might be a good deal. It’s likely that many buyers will quickly be turned off making the house hard to sell. And that’s when the best deals are to be had!
So, maybe seller’s don’ts really are what buyers should be looking for (and not running away from). My husband and I would have bought this house for the right price in an instant. The house had excellent bones and it had clearly been maintained well. All it needed was a new designer.
Sellers, don’t want buyers to run from your open house? Here are some articles to help you appeal to the average buyer:
How To Prepare Your House For Sale
Make Your Home “Anonymous”
5 tips to get your home ready for sale
Preparing your home through the eyes of a buyer
September 29, 2007
What better way to spend a nice fall morning than checking out open houses? Here’s a few you might want to check out while enjoying the crisp Autumn-like weather, heck two are on the same street so you don’t have to go far:
28751 Ricki Court $1.7 Million, 5 br/4+ baths, Open Sunday 12:30-4:30
29131 Pompano Way $824,900, 4 br/2+ baths, Open Sunday 1-4
29221 Pompano Way $729,900, 3 br/2 baths, Open Sunday 1-4
September 29, 2007
Still looking for that perfect home? Be sure to get out and check out a few Open Houses this weekend!
25202 Costeau
Single Family Residence
4 beds/ 3 baths
2,700 Sq Ft
$799,000
Open: Sunday 12-4
24925 Overland
Single Family Residence
5 beds / 3 baths
2,132 Sq Ft
$689,900
Open: Sunday 1-4
26701 Quail Creek #235
Condo
1 bed / 1 bath
700 Sq Ft
$259,900
Open: Sun 1-4
September 29, 2007
From the listings that I have looked at, the Southwest area of Costa Mesa seems to contain some decent middle class neighborhoods, some rather run down neighborhoods, and some neighborhoods with some interesting Craftsman and bungalow architecture.
MARINA VIEW PARK COURTESY CITY OF COSTA MESA
The largest price reduction that I found for this area was $60,000 (2135 Raleigh Avenue). Here is a list of what I found:
The list price was $560,000; changed to $519,000.
2093 Maple Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
3/2; 998 sf; $520/sf; lot size: 7,332 sf
Type: 1937 single family residence, fixer-upper, walking distance to Triangle Square
The list price was $589,000; changed to $575,000.
2269 Republic Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
3/2; 1,017 sf; $565/sf; lot size: 6,006 sf
Type: 1956 single family residence
The list price was $499,900; changed to $485,000.
600 San Michel Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
3/2.5; 1,182 sf; $410/sf; lot size: 1,403 sq. ft.
Type: 1983 condominium
The list price was $749,000; changed to $695,000.
1089 Stone Brook Lane, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
3/2.5; 1,814 sf; $383/sf; lot size: 1,600 sq. ft.
Type: 1978 single family residence, located in Sea Bluff Canyon
The list price was $465,000; changed to $455,000.
380 Wilson #B101, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
3/3; 1,543 sf; sf; $285/sf
Type: 1981 condominium
The list price was $679,900; changed to $649,900.
2076 Meadow View Lane, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
3/2; 2,000 sf; $325/sf; lot size: 1,890 sf
Type: 1978 single family residence
The list price was $759,000; changed to $699,000.
2136 Raleigh Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
3/2; 1,379 sf; $507/sf; lot size: 6,180 sf
Type: 2000 single family residence
For more information on Southwest Costa Mesa, see tomorrow’s post “Comparing Prices in Southwest Costa Mesa.”
September 28, 2007
Now that you have purchased the house and moved in, time to do some Do-It-Yourself stuff … but where to begin?
Just when you thought you could do it yourself, you can. With home improvements stores popping up left and right and television shows giving first class instruction on how to be your own carpenter, painter, etc., it’s now easier than ever to take care of your home on your own.
But, while the number of do-it-yourselfers who choose to perform home improvement projects on their own has grown dramatically over the years, unfortunately, so have the number of injuries.
Spending on home-repair and remodeling materials has grown to an expected $170 billion this year from about $105 billion in 1990. While doing that work last year, homeowners sustained more than 300,000 injuries.
Since do-it-yourself projects have increased so much in the last few years, many more people have begun working with tools for the first time. What sometimes begins as a dream home improvement project can end up as much more of a nightmare if homeowners aren’t fully prepared.
According to recent annual statistics from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 157,000 people were injured in incidents relating to using ladders in their homes. Nearly 100,000 received treatment for hand saw-related and power saw-related injuries. Screwdrivers claimed about 10,000 victims and hammers pounded wounds in more than 42,000 do-it-yourselfers. Bottom line: Do your homework before beginning.
Homeowners need to use their tools safely when performing home improvement projects. Whether it’s a simple “fix-up” task or an extensive project, it is always important to follow some key safety precautions. Here are some simple home improvement safety tips to keep in mind:
1. Always read the manufacturers’ instructions before using any equipment and heed all safety warnings.
2. Always wear safety goggles to protect eyes from debris.
3. When working around electrical outlets, shut off the electricity. Cleaning or working around these areas could result in an electrical shock.
4. Wear heavy gloves to protect hands when working with sharp objects.
5. Dress appropriately for the project. Long pants, long-sleeved shirts and proper footwear can help reduce injuries from flying debris. Also make sure long hair does not interfere with the work.
6. Increase the ventilation in the workspace to reduce fumes and dust.
7. Wear a mask to reduce inhalation of dust and other particles.
8. Keep tools away from children and pets.
9. Store tools properly and keep them in good, working condition.
10. Use tools only for the purpose they are intended.
In addition to using common sense, homeowners should also realize that using the right tool for the right job is also an extremely important safety issue.
Knowing the correct tools to use and how to safely use them are two things that every do-it-yourselfer should learn before beginning a home improvement project, so get your goggles ready before picking up that hammer!
