Hopes dashed AGAIN!

Our price range keeps creeping up and so do our expectations. Sunday we went to see yet another house- this time in lovely Sunset Park in Santa Monica. $1,695,000 is asked for a "custom remodel" on busy 34th st. The location is ideal as we could place a large rubber band in the back yard and slingshot the primary breadwinner into his work parking lot, but OY! the house is one of the strangest remodels I've ever seen. No thought was given to maximizing the lot, so the house kind of rambles over the 9600 sq ft lot, leaving the back yard dedicated to driveway. Landscaping seems intended specifically to hide the children's play area from the watchful eyes in the living room at the back of the house. The center of the house is a laundry room/office combo with a long, narrow galley kitchen to one side. The original living room and dining room remain at the front of the house.

We were prepared to walk in with an offer, but the layout was so odd and the traffic so depressing that we went back to the car post haste. For $1,695,000 we need the house to have superior schools, great commute, flaws that can be corrected by paint and drapes and a yard big enough for birthday parties.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Is 34th Street a major throughfare? I thought Centinela was, but not 34th....saw that house on the MLS...looks nice from the outside, and 9600 sq foot lot is plenty big....good luck to you...I live in Sunset Park and LOVE it....schools,markets, walkability,neighbors are cool and eclectic....move on over...we'd love to have you!

-EK on Ashland
April 1, 2008 at 9:13 PM
Terri said…
Thanks for commenting EK. We also went to see the palace on Ashland- we are happy that it is in escrow- it's not us.

A 9600 sq ft lot is plenty big, but if it isn't maximized, you could "spend" all the available square footage on areas that you cannot enjoy- like driveways, house footprint and front yard.

34th St. had plenty of traffic on Sunday and there were many, many cars parked on the street- reflecting owners/tenants with no garage or driveway parking.
April 2, 2008 at 8:43 AM
Anonymous said…
Ohhh honey...I saw that McMansion thingy on Ashland and 23rd....very unfortunate looking house. Glad it wasn't your style. Keep looking in SP....we could use a smart gal like you in the 'hood!

-EK on Ashland
April 2, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pointing and laughing

For the people who have screamed out about "catching a falling knife", I hear ya, really I do. But the uncertainty of living in a rental or buying at a (what we consider a reasonable price) greatly reduced (think early 2004) price in a superior school district at 6.5% interest on our loan really influenced our decision. We will be in a neighborhood that we love (even at night) with parks, superior schools and a grocery store within walking distance. The backyard has room for the swingset of doom. The guest room is sufficiently removed from the rest of the house so my mother in law doesn't have to listen to my children at odd hours of the day and night.
Read more

Getting the FBI Background Check

Start now. No really. Even with the expediter ($79.99) and using Livescan to deliver the fingerprints ($39.99) turnaround time to get the FBI letter into my hands was 9 business days. Then Federal Express to Washington DC expediter to get the Apostille (otherwise 6-8 weeks). Arrives at expediter on Monday. Enters system on Tuesday AM, returned to expediter on Friday PM. Federal Express to Cyprus because the documents will not be in my hands before we fly there.  Even with the expeditors on both ends of the transaction, an FBI Background check can take 4 weeks. You cannot "save time" by having your background check sent directly to the expediter in Washington DC to be carried to the counter for the Apostille. They can't accept it. You need it sent to your attorney, who will forward it to you (or directly to the expediter), then to Washington, DC to the Department of State counter, then 3 -5 days later, back to the expediter and on to courier service. So TL;DR Start pro
Read more

Is that the Expo line in your backyard?

Hello 10631 BRADBURY RD , LOS ANGELES 90064 Your newly reduced price of $1,599,000 is truly impressive considering that your lot size is the minimal Cheviot Hills/Rancho Park 6,600 sq ft. Your close cousin on Dunleer Place (with a bigger lot) is now listed at $995,000 and still not moving, so perhaps the value is a touch inflated. Really, how much is it worth to you to have commuter train hurling through your back yard on its way to Santa Monica and back?
Read more