Open House Review:  28 Miners Trail, Irvine, CA 92620
March 24, 2014 by Joy

Today I saw a two-level home at 28 Miners Trail, which is located on the corner of Goldrush and Miners Trail in Northwood.  It is a property with a private pool and spa in the backyard and sits at the entrance of a small community comprised of 4 short cul-de-sac streets. 

Asking Price: $768,000
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2.5
Square Footage: 2,150
Lot Size: 4,356
$/Sq Ft: $357
Days on Market: 14
Property Type: Single Family Residence
Year Built: 1977
Community: Northwood – Willow Creek

There are no HOA dues or Mello Roos taxes.

The home is one of the lower priced properties of Northwood, at $357 per square foot.  Why the low price?  This 1977 home does not have central air, still has most original features in the bathrooms and has ceilings that have not been scraped.  Carpet throughout the house is worn and the exterior of the house needs to be repainted.  Only a few windows downstairs have been upgraded.  The home backs to Northwood (a non-residential street) and I could hear the occasional cars driving by. This house sits on a corner with Northwood behind it, the entrance to 4 cul-de-sac streets (Goldmine) on the side, and Miners Trail in front of it. 

On the plus side, it has indoor laundry (uncommon in many Northwood homes), and a nice size pool and jacuzzi. The tiled flooring in the home (most of downstairs and bathrooms) is updated and clean.  The kitchen is updated, and although it may not be up to par as newer homes, it is clean and has plenty of cabinets for storage.  The house is located across the street from Northwood Town Center Shopping Center and is close to a nice walking trail and Northwood Community Park. 

The entrance is located on the side of the home, along Goldmine.  To the left of the double front doors, is a small front patio with space to sit under a lattice. The windows in the living room and dining room are the only new windows in the home.  Upon entry, the stairs and hallway leading to the family room are directly in front of you.  Immediately to the right is a step-down living room and to the left is the dining room. The first floor, apart from the carpeted living room has nice tiled floors.

The step down living room has vaulted ceilings and plenty of light.  The carpet is light colored and the room is standard. 

The dining room has vaulted ceilings and an abundance of natural light.  A sliding glass door leads out to the front sitting porch area. The windows on the perpendicular wall look out to the backyard.

The dining room has an open doorway that leads into the kitchen.  The kitchen has been partly remodeled and opens up to the family room.  There is space for a couple of bar stools on the family room side of the peninsula. The old panel lighting was removed and recessed lighting was installed, partially raising the ceiling.  The countertops are 4x4 white tiles, the original cabinets are painted white and the appliances are all white.  There are pantry cabinets as well as plenty of upper and lower cupboards and drawers.  If you like a lot of counter space then this kitchen would work well for you.  The double sink sits in front of a window that overlooks the backyard.  It is a split sink, so one sink is along one counter and the other side is on the peninsula, facing the bar stools.  Additional natural light comes through a narrow window which runs across the counter top, under the cupboards. 

The family room is a long rectangular shape.  A single glass door, with a large window on each side of the glass door, leads to the backyard.  At the other end of the family room are a wet bar, laundry room and garage entrance.  There is not a lot of natural light since no windows are located on the far wall between the two ends of the room.  The fireplace is brick and the wall it is located on has wood paneling covering the wall.  The wet bar has a single black sink and original cabinets painted white above the bar and below the counter.  Next to the wet bar is the laundry room with space for a side by side washer and dryer.  Cabinets are located above the laundry machines.  In front of the machines, on the back wall is a rack to hang up some clothes. 

The backyard is a nice size, but comprises mostly of the pool and jacuzzi with concrete surrounding it.  If you are looking for a private pool, this is a great property.  However, there is no grass and I did not see any type of safety fencing around the pool.  There is space for narrow tables or seats around the pool, but there is not a large area to set out a large table with seating for entertaining. 

The half bath downstairs has new fixtures and the original cabinets are painted.  The counter top is original but the lighting has been replaced with recessed lights.  The same tile flooring is found in the bathroom as the rest of the first floor.  It is in clean condition.  A big coat closet is found across from the bathroom, under the staircase. 

The staircase, landing and bedrooms upstairs are carpeted.  The railing is original so it currently has netting placed along the railing at the top of the landing for safety purposes. Three bedrooms are found on the second floor. On the right are the two secondary bedrooms. The first bedroom is found through double doors.  It is a spacious room and slightly larger than the other bedroom.  It has a walk-in closet versus the second bedroom’s double sliding door closet.  The second bedroom is the only room with scraped ceilings.  Both bedrooms look out towards the front of the home. 

The shared bathroom has many original features; fluorescent lighting, original counter top, bathtub and tile surround in the tub area.  The cabinets have been painted white and the tub/shower combo has newer sliding glass doors.  The tile flooring looks newer.

Outside of the master bedroom are cabinets for linens.  The master bedroom has double doors leading into a standard size room.  The room has vaulted ceilings and plenty of natural light coming in through two large windows and a sliding glass door leading to a small balcony.  The balcony looks like it could use some fresh paint.  A room air conditioning unit takes up some space on the right hand side of the balcony.  The view overlooks the backyard, Northwood and the shopping center across the street.  Dual sliding closet doors are next to the bedroom entry. 

An open entry to the bathroom leads to another set of mirrored closet doors, dual sinks, a tiled bathtub and a separate toilet.  The bathroom is carpeted, and in original condition with paint on the cabinets chipped and the tub/shower completely lined with 4x4 tiles, which definitely dates the tub.  There is plenty of counter space and a spot at the countertop to place a chair underneath and sit in between the two sinks. 

This is a nice layout but a buyer may want to consider the location and would have to desire a private pool.  Having a neighborhood comprised of small cul-de-sac streets is an advantage if you have children.  There are plenty of things that could be done to make it more modern but does the lower price make it worth buying and upgrading to your own liking?