Houses of the weekend, or not

I've seen a bunch of new properties in the San Fernando Valley in the last few days and here's my take on them.  In some cases, here are my clients' takes on them, too.

3833 Ridgemoor, Studio City (pictured above) is a 2 bed, 2 bath + den in the hills for $549,000.  It has been listed for awhile.  The setting is gorgeous and green and I love the organic look of the wood siding.  But the house seems a little precariously pitched against the hill.  There are some signs of displacement and the floors slope, which is not uncommon in this area.  But that's not what my clients were looking for.

14312 Califa, Sherman Oaks but really Van Nuys is a 3+2 plus bonus room for $569,500.  This area is tricky, as are many SFV areas -- the major artery streets look beaten up and a little scary, but once you get off those and into the residential areas, the neighborhoods get very nice and peaceful.  Anyway, this house has been professionally redone and looks really nice.  It may be a flip.  We were a little put off, however, by the Realtor's flyer -- "On the Market Three Days and Already has Offers!"  That's really not what first-time buyers want to see, especially when, as in this case, it's not true, as the agent later confirmed.

12414 Albers, Valley Village is a 3+2 for $598,000.  Great neighborhood and a nicely updated done house with a great floorplan.  Some of the countertops and other finishes look like they're from the last remodel.  Nothing wrong with that, just saying. 

5732 Wilkinson, Valley Village is a 3+2 with a pool for $579,000.  This was my clients' favorite.  It has really pretty light wood floors, a custom remodeled kitchen and a stand-alone fireplace separating the living room and dining area.  The backyard is all tile, and while the pool looks recently redone, the yard slopes towards the house.  Needless to say, this is bad for drainage -- the last thing you want is a pond of water up against your foundation.  Fixable? Very likely, but for a price.

11641 McCormick in Valley Village is a 3+2 for $519,999.  It, too, has been nicely redone and just had the price reduced.  However, the location is really less than ideal.  You can hear the 170 Fwy, there is plane noise overhead, and you can see North Hollywood High (yikes! teenagers!) at the end of the street.  The backyard needs to be sodded, too.

One of the houses had a bidet (!) but I can't remember which one.  If a bidet is on your housing wish list (is it? be honest), call me and I'll put my memory hat on.

My house of the week, however, is another Burbank townhouse at 230 Bethany #119.  It's an REO and is listed for $347,000.  It has two huge patios, and nobody above or below it.  Plus, a bonus room has been designed to be a third bedroom or den.  This is a very popular complex in Burbank and in my opinion, this is a killer price for a unit this nice in this location.

 More later!