What You Get for $900,000 in California
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Pasadena | $895,000
A two-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage built in 1924, with a one-bedroom, one-bathroom detached studio, on a 0.1-acre lot
This house is a few blocks from the Bungalow Heaven neighborhood, on a wide, tree-lined street where most of the houses date to the 1920s and 1930s. It’s about half a mile from McDonald Park, with its softball diamond, basketball and volleyball courts and children’s playground, and from Marshall Fundamental Secondary School, which enrolls nearly 2,000 students in sixth through 12th grades. Caltech and Pasadena City College are five minutes away.
Driving to the center of Pasadena takes around 10 minutes; downtown Los Angeles is about 20 minutes away.
Size: 1,250 square feet
Price per square foot: $716
Indoors: The front door is at the side of the house, off a small porch.
Hardwood floors stretch from the entry into a living room with tall windows facing the street and a fireplace framed by Arts and Crafts tiles and flanked by two bookcases. A doorway at the far end of the room leads to a combined kitchen and dining area with new floors and appliances. There is room for a small table in front of a set of doors to the backyard.
A hallway off the living room leads to the two bedrooms and the bathroom. The primary bedroom is at the front of the house, with its own exterior entrance. A guest room at the opposite end of the hall has access to the backyard. The bathroom in between has a white bathtub and a vanity with green-tile accents.
A guesthouse attached to the garage has a kitchenette, a full bathroom with a claw-foot tub and a living area with space for a sofa and a desk.
Outdoor space: A brick patio adjacent to the guesthouse feels private, thanks to mature trees nearby. The garage holds two cars.
Taxes: $11,184 (estimated)
Contact: Katie Orth and Jan Greteman, DPP Real Estate, 626-355-2384; dppre.com
Credit…Open Homes Photography
Oakland | $895,000
A 1915 Craftsman bungalow with two bedrooms, one bathroom and a one-bedroom guesthouse, on a 0.1-acre lot
The Longfellow neighborhood sits near the border of Oakland and Emeryville, putting houses like this one within two miles of shopping centers and waterfront parks facing San Francisco Bay. The neighborhood is also popular with commuters, thanks to easy transit access: The MacArthur BART station is about half a mile away, and the trip to San Francisco takes about 20 minutes. Downtown Oakland, Berkeley and Piedmont are less than 10 minutes away by car.
Size: 1,150 square feet
Price per square foot: $778
Indoors: The front door, set in a covered porch, opens into a foyer. To the left is a living room with a street-facing window and a wood-burning fireplace with its original yellow-brick trim.
The dining room beyond has original built-in storage that includes a cabinet with glass doors. Behind the dining room is a recently remodeled kitchen with new stainless-steel appliances and counters. In an alcove is a small windowed space used as a home office.
There are two doors to the primary bedroom: One off the foyer and the other off a hallway that runs alongside the kitchen and dining room. The bedroom has hardwood floors and windows facing the side of the property. Next door is a full bathroom with a combination bathtub and shower. On the other side of the bathroom is a second bedroom, with a backyard-facing window and enough room for a double bed and a desk.
The guesthouse in the backyard has a full kitchen and a bathroom with a walk-in shower.
Outdoor space: A wood deck off the kitchen has space for a table, with steps leading down to the backyard. A stone path terminates in a small patio, framed by garden boxes and a few lemon trees.
Taxes: $11,184 (estimated)
Contact: Chris Clark, Compass, 415-298-5179; compass.com
Napa | $889,000
A 1942 ranch house with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, on a 0.1-acre lot
This house is in a quiet neighborhood developed in the late 1930s on what was once farmland, and the facade, with its arched window and covered porch, is similar to those of several neighboring houses. Today, the area is popular because of its proximity to the city center; Main Street and its restaurants and wine-tasting rooms are about a mile away. The Napa Valley Yacht Club is also within walking distance, as is a stretch of Riverside Drive that winds along the Napa River. Petaluma is about a 40-minute drive; Santa Rosa is about an hour away.
Size: 1,512 square feet
Price per square foot: $588
Indoors: The bright red front door opens into a living room with hardwood floors, a brick fireplace, a teal accent wall and an arched window that looks out over the front porch.
The hardwood floors continue into a dining room with orange walls that connects to a spacious kitchen with open shelving and enough space for another table. Off the kitchen is a bedroom that the sellers use as a family room; it has an en suite bathroom and access to the backyard.
Two more bedrooms are on the second floor, with a bathroom in between. The street-facing primary bedroom has a pair of orange accent walls; the guest room at the back of the house is painted blue. The bathroom they share has a combination tub and shower, as well as a washer and dryer.
Outdoor space: There are several spots for outdoor entertaining behind the house. Directly off the house is a patio that gets ample sunlight; a brick patio is a few paces beyond. At the far end of the backyard is a covered deck with an outdoor kitchen, including a sink and a wood-burning brick oven. The attached garage has one parking spot, as well as storage space and a bathroom.
Taxes: $11,112 (estimated)
Contact: Laura A. Sanchez, Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty, 707-337-8851; sothebysrealty.com
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