Today I saw a house at 13 Carlina.  It is a two story, zero lot line property with a nice flat back yard.  Finding large secondary bedroom sizes, especially for this area, was a pleasant surprise.

Asking Price: $789,900
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2.5
Square Footage:  2,061
Lot Size: 4,356 sq ft
Price per Square Foot: $383
Property Type: Residential, Single Family
Style: Two Level
Year Built 1979
Community: Northwood, Amberwood
Days on Market: 29
There are no HOA Fees or Mello Roos.

The house is nicely situated on a quiet cul-de-sac but backs to Park Place which has some residential traffic (Speed Limit is 40).  A small covered porch with room for a couple of chairs leads up the front the door. 

Although the house has many upgrades such as scraped ceilings, crown molding and wood flooring downstairs, 6 paneled doors, some new windows and recessed lights, I could not help but notice a musky scent in the family room and hallway.  It appears there may be a pet residing at the house so I am not sure if is due to the pet or if it was just a temporary scent.  The kitchen and upstairs bathrooms have original cabinets and could definitely use remodeling, but are functional with good amounts of storage.  Some of the windows are still original and the master bathroom needs to be updated. 

Upon entering there is a small coat closet and the staircase directly in front of you.  To the left is the living room and dining area which shares one large rectangular space.  Off of the living room is a small hallway that leads to a small powder room, one entrance to the kitchen and the family room.

There is plenty of natural light shining through the multiple windows located in the entrance area, living room and dining area.  The living room has built-in bookshelves and cabinets built under the staircase.  A good sized dining table can be accommodated in the dining area..

One of the two entrances into the kitchen is located off of the dining room. With original cabinets and a 4x4 tile countertop, the kitchen could use updating.  The painted hinges and cabinets shows chipped paint.  The appliances have been upgraded to white appliances and the original fluorescent lighting has been replaced with recessed lighting. The kitchen felt a bit narrow and foot traffic may crowd the are when multiple people are utilizing the area.   To the right of the entrance is the double oven and stovetop, while the left had side had the refrigerator, dishwasher and sink.  Straight ahead is a breakfast peninsula and pantry, with the family room located on the other side.  The second entrance to the kitchen is to the right, which leads you to the small hallway.   The location of the powder room is awkwardly placed directly across from the entrance to the kitchen.  It’s a tight space but fits a small toilet and pedestal sink. 

The family room appeared a bit darker since it only consisted of one sliding glass door leading to the backyard.  The garage entrance is found at the opposite end of the room.  An original brick fireplace is located to the right of the sliding glass door.  On the backside of the kitchen pantry are storage cabinets facing the family room.

The backyard is a nice flat rectangular shape.  Accessible through the dining room french doors or family room sliding door, the patio is covered and provides a nice little area for entertaining.  There is enough grass to play on and/or for a pet. Park Place is the street backing to the yard.   

Upstairs to the right you will find a secondary bedroom adjacent to the master bedroom.  To the left are two secondary bedrooms, linen closets and bathroom.  Some people do not like the lack of separation between the master bedroom and secondary bedrooms.  By sharing a wall, a sense of privacy is lost.

The secondary bedrooms are all large in size, with 3-door closets and plenty of room for extra furniture pieces in addition to a double or queen sized bed.  There is space for kids to play in their rooms.  One of the secondary bedrooms faces the backyard, thus overlooks Park Place.

The linen closets are located across from the bathroom door.  The bathroom has a single sink and tub/shower combination. It appears to be outdated and some of the original features could use remodelling. 

Double doors lead into the nice sized master bedroom.  There is plenty of sunlight coming in from the large bedroom window and the two bathroom windows, which all face the backyard/Park Place.  The walk in closet is in the sleeping area, next to the bed.  It was surprisingly deep and provided ample hanging storage. 

The bathroom is an open concept solution and the carpet continues into the sink/vanity area.  There is no bathroom door separating the bathroom sink area from the bedroom, which can be a disturbance if one person is sleeping and the other is getting ready in the bathroom.  Currently the countertop runs along two perpendicular walls, and there is only one existing sink which sits outside of the separate toilet and bath/shower combo.  The bathtub is large, but the entire tub is tiled with 4x4 white tiles, which dates it.  There is plenty of storage next to the toilet for towels and bathroom supplies.   Overall there is a great potential to remodel the bathroom into an amazing area. 

If you are looking for a home with larger secondary bedrooms, a yard to play in and a safer street for kids to go out to bike/play on, 13 Carlina would be a good house to look at.  One downfall is the layout of the second floor, with the master bedroom amongst the secondary bedrooms.  The price seems high for the amount of work that is required in the bathrooms and kitchen, but at the right price, this would give the buyer the opportunity to customize it with their own design and tastes.

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