There are a couple of houses for sale in Northwood’s Woodside neighborhood right now.  This week, I looked at 34 Alegria, a four bedroom home that just came on the market last Friday.

The basics:
Asking Price: $900,000
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2.5
Square Footage: 2,404
Lot Size: 4,792
$/Sq Ft: $374
Days on Market: 6
Property Type: Single Family Home
Year Built: 1977
Community: Northwood - Woodside

HOA dues are $97 per month and there are no Mello Roos taxes.

This home is fully upgraded and currently vacant, so buyers will be able to move in quickly with little to no work.  In addition to remodeled kitchen and bathrooms, the home has new wood floors, newer carpet, new windows, scraped ceilings, and a new roof.  The biggest downfall I saw is that the house is located on a corner near a main entrance to the neighborhood, so there will be a lot of cars driving by.  Noise shouldn’t be an issue, since it’s not backing to any big streets; it just isn’t a great location for kids to play outside.

Dark walnut, distressed floors were the first thing I noticed when I entered the house.  The front living room is large, with high ceilings, so the floors just seemed to stretch on and on.  The living room flows directly into the dining room, which also has a vaulted ceiling.  At the back of the room, a window was converted to a French door that leads to the backyard.

The kitchen is bright, with multi-colored tile floors, updated white tile counters, and light wood cabinets throughout.  The appliances are mostly stainless steel (the fridge is white), and include a completely flat stovetop for easy cleaning.  The kitchen has an eat-in area with space for a six-seat table.  There is not an island, but there is plenty of counter space and a large garden window brings in lots of light.

The family room is three steps down from the kitchen, but a large opening between the two rooms allows for easy visibility and doesn’t make the kitchen feel closed off.  The railings in this area look a bit widespread to me, so this may be an issue with small children.  The family room has a built-in entertainment center in one corner, and the large, flat screen TV and surround sound speakers come with the house.  The room also has a white brick fireplace, French door to the backyard and a small bar area with light green cabinets.

Also downstairs are a half bath and a laundry area.  There isn’t a door to the laundry area, so noise from the washer and dryer may be a problem to someone watching TV in the family room.  The backyard has a small grassy area but otherwise is mostly hardscaped.

A wide staircase leads to four bedrooms off of one long hallway.  The master is to the left.  It is a big room with newer carpet and a ceiling fan.  There are two steps leading up to the large walk-in closet (complete with built-in organizers) and the beautifully remodeled bathroom.  The upgrades include granite counters, tile floors, and many drawers and cabinets that offer ample storage space.  It has double sinks plus a vanity area.  An old-style, stand alone bathtub sits in one corner.  The separate stall shower is nicely tiled and has a seat built into one corner.

The other three bedrooms are all comparable in size.  Two are carpeted, with ceiling fans and two-door, mirrored closets.  The third bedroom was converted to an office, but still has a walk-in closet so it could still be used as a bedroom.  It has hardwood floors that match those downstairs, a ceiling fan, a large built-in desk and many different built-in cabinets.  This room also has a bigger window than the other two and faces front, rather than the side of the house, so it gets more light.

The secondary bedrooms share a nicely remodeled bathroom with a single sink and a shower/tub combo.

The house is just down the street from the community pool, spa, tennis courts, and tot lot.  A greenbelt leads to the Hicks Canyon Trail and it’s also a short walk to Sierra Vista Middle School.  Northwood continues to have a lower price per square foot than most other Irvine neighborhoods.  Do you think this one is a good buy?