3584 WOODCLIFF ROAD, SHERMAN OAKS—$1,195,000

UPDATE: Price reduced to: $1,149,000

Sunday, August 24, 2008

We stumbled upon this 3 bed/2 bath, 2,166 sq. ft. open house by accident, just driving up Woodcliff Road. We weren't expecting much as the house was very ordinary looking from the front. Upon entering, we were pleasantly surprised. The broker insisted on leading us around the house. He went into minute detail about the kitchen cabinets ("All custom built by the owner! You won't find details like this anywhere else!") then led us out the side door to show off the dog run and his barking dog, then led us inside to the powder room/laundry area. The kitchen was actually very nice. However, I feel like I would be paying for this guy's cabinet handy work.

Next we were led into the guest bathroom — my dream bathroom. Two sinks, white tile on the walls, separate modern tub, walk in shower...I was at home. The bedrooms were nice. Can't remember anything about them, honestly.

The broker then went into detail describing how the owner had no intention of moving out, except now he wants to...but he hasn't finished upgrading the house.

"See, if you look at the molding on the ceiling and the floor here, it isn't carried through, but it can be. Same with the master bathroom. For $30,000, you can have this bathroom look just like the other bathroom.") I guess the owner could pass on the name of the contractor that he used.

The living room and eating areas were very nice. Broker Man led us outside to the deck and pool, which were again, lovely. "Look up at the ceiling here on the deck. See the, what's it called, tongue and groove woodwork? It's all hand done!"

Overall, if the house were cheaper, we might consider it.

1760 ALTA CREST DRIVE, ALTADENA—$979,000

5/1/09 UPDATE: Sold for $899,000 on Oct 16th, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008

MLS # 08-303879

This 3 bed/2 bath, 1,816 sq. ft. house was actually very nice. Right up my modern-house-already-done-alley. It had a wide open floor plan with dark wood floors and a fabulous kitchen (more on the kitchen in a second). It was decorated (sigh...staged) perfectly, not too much or too little, to show off the architectural look of the house.

Now about that kitchen. From the photos that I saw on the Internet, hovering above the stove/oven/range/whatever you want to call it looked to be some sort of glowing orb. I was fascinated and HAD to know what it was. Was it the sun? The soul of Julia Child? The moment came when I walked up to it! ...and it was just a boring round serving dish perfectly situated under a lamp. Such a let down.

We were just about done with the house when I noticed a garage in the back of the house, yet no driveway around it. Because the Feng Shui Master of a real estate agent made us take of our shoes when we entered the house, I practically burned my feet to a crisp just trying to get out there. Feng Shui Master called it a "guest house", I call it a concrete floor garage with a futon laying in the middle of it. To each his own I guess. The old driveway, before the owners let the weeds grow, used to wrap from around the side of the house and through the middle of the backyard. The garage was located on the opposite side where the driveway was. Weird. What a way to waste yard space.

My favorite part of the house was the two sinks in the master bathroom. EVERY HOUSE should have two sinks in the master bathroom. Such a simple yet often overlooked concept.

This house became a turning point for us. We realized we can't live in Altadena because it was too hot. So much for that one day idea that lasted only two open houses. Back to looking more on the westside/Sherman Oaks area.

1965 E. ALTADENA DRIVE, ALTADENA—$1,150,000

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Last weekend we visited friends up in Mill Valley, CA...and we fell in love. We realized we can't find a house we like because we're living in the wrong city. But because we both have jobs in LA it makes it kind of hard to pick up and leave, so we have to stay put for now. We tried to think of towns around LA that were most similar to Mill Valley's woodsy feel and came up with Altadena. Now, we've considered Altadena before, but never went to an open house until today. We thought we'd see something big, something that we couldn't afford (don't ask me why because I don't know). This was our first of two open houses in Altadena that day.

This "Beautiful Altadena Spanish Charmer," 3 bed/4 bath, 2,376 sq. ft. house was a real... home. A home that one would find in the midwest, with both parents playing with their 2.5 kids in the front yard on the tire swing and throwing water balloons. It had the traditional kitchen, small dining room, lovely living room that was separate from the TV room. The downstairs powder room was darling. Upstairs we found the bedrooms, although the master didn't have it's own bath, and was small.

For the perfect midwestern house that I had built up in my mind, the backyard was disappointing. Too small for my tastes (maybe that's why the family I pictured was playing in the front yard). In the backyard there was a guest house that looked like a motel room. Standard motel chair, drapes, carpet, TV, kitchenette and bathroom. Nice, but decor was definitely random. My mother would love to have her own space like this when visiting (but she'd redecorate).

My favorite part was one of the bedrooms. I affectionately called it the train room. It obviously belonged to a train-loving kid and had train stuff everywhere. So cute. I think I saw his name spelled out somewhere. Tommy. Tommy the train kid.