3401 WOODCLIFF RD., SHERMAN OAKS—$899,000

5/1/09 UPDATE: Sold for $795,500 on Oct 3rd, 2008

Sunday, July 20, 2008 & Sunday, August 24, 2008.

MLS#: 08-289715

This is a 4 bed/3 bath home that hasn't met the 21st century. Hasn't even met the 1970s. It's somewhere stuck in 1950-1969 and needs a complete makeover. For that price I think at least SOMETHING should be finished. The kitchen is the size of a postage stamp, there is wall to wall carpeting everywhere, the backyard is small, the kitchen window looks onto the neighbor's satellite dish, and the bedrooms aren't the largest I've seen. Granted, older people had been living there a LONG time and had never updated it, but c'mon, $899k? Seriously?

The only thing going for it is that it's in the good Roscomare Elem. School district and at the top (hopefully quiet) end of a somewhat busy thoroughfare road.

The realtor/sellers aren't showing any interior photos. Now you know why.

3754 SCADLOCK LN., SHERMAN OAKS—$869,000

5/1/09 UPDATE: Sold for $1,015,000 on Sep 11th, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008

Update: We were right! The house WAS snatched up quickly. It sold shortly after we saw it. Sales price TBA. I hope the new owners do something nice with it.

MLS#: 08-296899

This 3 bed/2 bath large (2,182 square ft!) 1958 relic can be an absolute stunner with the right updates, the right decorator's eye, and a fat pocketbook. It's a complete re-do but the backyard and views (ahh...the views) make it worth the work. I see this redone as a modern, sleek show-piece house that can be featured in architectural magazines. The Dr. Seuss book that comes to mind is "Oh the places you'll go!"

As you can see from the photos, I wasn't lying about it needing some love and attention. The kitchen (not surprisingly no photo available) was downright frightening.

For the potential, the yad, and the view, we think it's well priced and that it'll be snatched up quickly.

2327 CANYON DR., LOS ANGELES 90068—$999,000

5/1/09 UPDATE: Sold for $865,000 on Oct 1st, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008

Update: (09/06/08) According to MLS, "Looking for Backup."

Price history:
$999,000
$899,000 (7/23/08)
$879,000 (8/28/08)

MLS#: 08-295807

I'm sorry to say, we walked out of this 3 bed/2 bath crumb-sized house laughing, thinking "Good luck." At $999k?! It's 1500 sq. ft. -- our current apartment is around that size! Nothing's been updated, the sellers couldn't be bothered to put away their clutter, and it's on Canyon Drive, a main thoroughfare street to Franklin. The house didn't show well, let's just say that.

The main photo they're using on the housing websites (second photo here) is actually the back of the house. The front of the house (first photo here) makes the house look small and unimpressive. I'd love to show you some interior photos, but alas, none are available. Hmm...why could that be?

Whomever in the realty office that was in charge of increasing the garden green color saturation on the photos in Photoshop...Bravo! (golf claps...)

5783 FOOTHILL DR., LOS ANGELES 90068—$989,000

5/1/09 UPDATE: Sold for $960,000 on Oct 2nd, 2008


Sunday, July 20, 2008

Update: Sold! Sales price TBA.

MLS#: 08-274983

This 2 bed/2 bath 1,680 sq. ft. house was recommended for us to see by our realtor. After we climbed the numerous stairs to get to the front door, we saw immediately saw that it was decorated (ahem, staged) very nicely. The kitchen had been updated and not too over the top (but I'm SO BORED of granite counter tops — enough already). The orange chairs around the kitchen table were a smart burst of color, but unfortunately don't come with the house.

The living room, complete with a fireplace, was spacious. It had three tall windows (in the far end of the photo) that let it lovely sunlight. But since this house is on a corner, the window overlooks the next street, and it's RIGHT on the street. A car passing by can easily throw an In & Out cup at the window and make a lovely splash pattern on your window. (damn kids...)

The bedrooms looked so inviting that I wanted to curl up and take a nap. So simple and homey, I imagined my great aunt in Iowa awaking me from slumber with freshly baked cookies. The bathrooms were lovely. Whomever updated the house did a nice job. But for a 2/2, with no dining room, a tile happy, small backyard, we felt the asking price was steep.

2247 BEECH KNOLL RD., LAUREL CANYON—$999,000

Sat., July 12, 2008

Update: Sold? According to Redfin: "The most recent listing for this property has gone off the market."

Price Update:
$1,098,000
$999,000 (6/24/08)
$989,000 (8/23/08) ($10k drop, how generous)

MLS#: 08-269723. Saw with our agent, whom I think the description came from best: "It seemed like a tract home that should be in Tarzana." I couldn't have said it better myself.

From the cheap SoCal stucco beige finish, to the florescent lighting fixture in the master bath (I can't think of a worst place for a florescent light), to the apartment-sized kitchen, to the second floor balcony off one of the bedrooms that had absolutely no shade. It was like sitting (baking) on the surface of the sun. Mmm...skin cancer. Didn't help the seller's agent seemed like a pushy used car salesman. He loved to point out the view of downtown Los Angeles, which could barely been seen through the thick layer of smog.

10430 CORFU LANE, BEL AIR—$845,000

Sat., July 12, 2008

Update:
SOLD for $750,000 on 8/15/08 ($95k below asking price).

MLS#: 07-206507. Saw with our agent, who thought it was architecturally more interesting than the house across the street (see post below). I think it has good potential to be a fantastic post-Modern home, but BOY would that take A LOT of money.

First we saw the downstairs "guest unit". Oh my, I thought I was going to puke. I could feel the mold starting to seep into my pores. Thank goodness for the sweet disinfectant smell (gag). There was an outside porch that was fenced in with chicken wire where it looked like multiple cats used to climb, sit, and have their way with it. Just...disgusting.

After one flight up the stairs it opened to a malfunctioning alarm system that was BEEP BEEPING through our entire visit there. The main living room had the most potential, and the kitchen didn't seem as bad as it looked in the photo. The rest of the house was forgettable. It hadn't changed since 1985, that includes the carpeting. The short few steps in the house weren't very child friendly.

9801 EASTON DRIVE, BEVERLY HILLS—$915,000

Sat., July 12, 2008

MLS#: 08-261591. Saw previously at an open house in March 08, as well as today (exterior only) with our agent. This is one of the weirdest houses we've seen. There is one postage-sized bedroom (with not a closet in sight) on the lower left side of the house, and there is one postage-sized bedroom (no idea about a closet) on the upper right side of the house. I pity the parents, with an upstairs 3am screaming child, who have to cross the entire length of the house just to reach their kid...THEN climb stairs.

This house was obviously some sort of cabin that was caught up in a real estate boom. The current owners paid $1.2M for it, and are a few months away from foreclosing. In our minds it's worth maybe $750k. We couldn't afford it with all of the work we would want to put into it...a second floor. The kitchen was recently redone, but, with no charm.

The living room is nice, albeit too small. It has like 20,000+ sq. ft. of land, but it's mostly unusable as the entire back area is a sheer slope of a hillside. Our agent said it's currently a fire hazard because the dead brush needed to be cleared away.

There's a guest house that's attached to a garage. I don't know if we'd rent it out or even use it. Just so...weird.

11704 SUNSHINE TERRACE, STUDIO CITY—$899,000

Sat., July 12, 2008

Update: Sold? According to Redfin: "The most recent listing for this property has gone off the market."

MLS#: 08-260243. Saw with our agent. It was our first house of the day, and it was just ok. The kitchen was small, so small that the washer/dryer was moved outside to accommodate a fridge. The backyard was split into two levels: ground level, and a walkway up to a grassy strip of land that would only be used for parties.

The house felt like our current 1930s apartment. The dining room was exactly the same, without the God awful red paint. The bedrooms were ok with views of the street and non-existent backyard. The bathrooms needed to be gutted completely. They were original from the 30s.

But we liked the beamed ceilings in the living room.

8817 LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN AVE., LAUREL CANYON—$950,000

June 2008

MLS#: 08-276359 This 3/3 was a strange one. It had lovely curb appeal, and only a few steps to the front door, which is odd for stair-happy Laurel Canyon.

Even when entering the front door, the living room was pleasant enough. The kitchen, however, seemed a little too close to the front door.

But once we traveled up the stairs to the second floor, it was a different story. (Literally!) It was very, very hot up there, lots of carpeting, and pet taxis if I remember correctly. Seemed as if the owners did a lot of home improvements by themselves. Needlesstosay, we'll keep looking.

8569 WONDERLAND AVE, LAUREL CANYON—$899,000

July 6, 2008

MLS# 08-289097 This small 4/2 is actually a 3/1. The teeny tiny closet of a guest house bumps the numbers up...but barely. The house hasn't been updated in 45 years, and that includes the kitchen and bathroom, which the realtor cheerfully introduced as, "preserved as vintage." Nice try.

The exterior had great curb appeal. However, there were many, many steps just to get to the front door, which we're finding is the norm in Laurel Canyon.

The three bedrooms were thimble-sized, and the master had one "walk in closet", which apparently was rare for the year the house was built (1939?), it was still too small for my tastes. And wardrobe.

The third bedroom was really an attic. The stairs to get to it led from the second bedroom, and boy was it hot up there.

The "backyard" kept up with tradition with the rest of the miniscule house and was doll house-sized. However, in the house's defense, there were many outdoor landings that were usable. Most of them were at the front of the house.

When the realtor walked me by the bathroom, he said, "isn't this gorgeous?" And I just had to nod, say yes, and think to myself, "uh, no, it's not. That would be the second thing I would bomb if I bought this elf house, after the kitchen."