Los Angeles | $889,000
A circa 1895 Victorian with four bedrooms and two bathrooms, on a 0.2-acre lot
This house, known as the John C. Hayes Residence, was moved to its current site in Boyle Heights in 1925 by Charles Lantz, a previous owner. Many of the original details, including the Douglas fir floors, are well preserved, and several rooms have period-appropriate light fixtures.
The property is about 10 minutes from the downtown arts district and the L.A. Live complex, and about 15 minutes from Dodger Stadium and the campus of California State University, Los Angeles.
Size: 1,774 square feet
Price per square foot: $501
Indoors: From the street, a wood gate opens to the front yard, which is landscaped with drought-tolerant and native plants. The house has a bright blue facade with green-and-yellow trim, a color scheme true to the era in which it was built, and the ornamental gable and decorative spindles adorning the wraparound porch are in good condition.
The front door, at the far end of the porch, opens into a living room with high ceilings, original hardwood floors and a fireplace with a simple mantel. The dining room beyond has built-in cabinetry and a door to the porch. This space connects to a kitchen with wood cabinets, a white porcelain farmhouse-style sink and a vintage white-enamel Wedgewood range.
The two largest bedrooms are off the living room. One, behind a set of double doors, has a bay window overlooking the porch; the other has direct access to a full bathroom with a claw-foot tub. Both have generously sized closets, an uncommon feature in late 19th-century homes.
The third bedroom is off the dining room; the fourth is at the back of the house, along with a full bathroom and a laundry room.
Outdoor space: The spacious backyard is landscaped with native plants and includes a sitting area around an outdoor fireplace and another space with raised garden boxes.
Taxes: $11,112 (estimated)
Contact: Benjamin Kahle, Compass, 310-779-4578; historicrealestatela.com
San Diego | $892,000
A two-bedroom, two-bathroom condominium in a 2005 complex
This unit is in a building near San Diego Bay, a few blocks from the piers and Waterfront Park, which has a play area and public art installations. It is also close to a popular weekly farmers’ market in Little Italy.
The Gaslamp Quarter, a nightlife destination, is about a mile away. The San Diego Natural History Museum and the Air & Space Museum are 10 minutes away, in Balboa Park. Driving across the bridge to Coronado Island takes less than half an hour.
Size: 1,336 square feet
Price per square foot: $668
Indoors: This unit is on the third floor. The front door opens into a foyer. To the right is a living room with white-oak floors and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the complex’s pool area and main entrance. Glass doors open to an additional sitting area on a covered balcony.
The living space flows into a dining area with large windows looking out on the balcony. This space is open to a kitchen with wood cabinetry, granite counters and stainless steel appliances, including a wall oven and a separate range.
The primary suite is at the end of a short corridor off the foyer. The carpeted bedroom is big enough to hold a king-size bed and includes a walk-in closet; the bathroom has a glass-walled shower and a double vanity.
The second bedroom, off the dining area, has room for a queen-size bed and a desk. It has the use of a bathroom off the foyer with a combined tub and shower.
Outdoor space: Building amenities include a pool and Jacuzzi, a 24-hour attended lobby and a fitness center with sauna and steam rooms. This unit comes with one parking spot in a secure garage, as well as a secure storage space.
Taxes: $11,668 (estimated) and a $1,197 monthly homeowner association fee
Contact: John Husar, Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty, 858-229-8277; sothebysrealty.com
El Cerrito | $899,000
A four-bedroom, two-bathroom Tudor Revival house built in 1929, on a 0.1-acre lot
El Cerrito, a city in Contra Costa County, just north of San Francisco, is known for its large stock of midcentury-modern homes. This house, however, is in Mira Vista, a neighborhood where the streets are lined with Tudor and Spanish Revival homes built in the 1920s and 1930s. It is a few blocks from Poinsett Park and less than half a mile from Mira Vista Elementary School.
Driving into downtown Berkeley takes about 15 minutes. Trains departing from El Cerrito’s BART station, about a mile away, make the trip to San Francisco in half an hour.
Size: 1,871 square feet
Price per square foot: $480
Indoors: The entrance to this house is off the front patio. The door opens into a living room with original hardwood floors, a wide, arched window facing the street and a fireplace crowned by a decorative niche.
The hardwood floors continue into a windowed dining room. A staircase to the second floor separates this space from the kitchen, which has sage-green cabinetry and a connected breakfast room overlooking the front patio.
Two bedrooms are on this level, at the back of the house; each is big enough to hold a queen-size bed. They share a full bathroom with black-and-white tiling and a combined tub and shower.
The primary suite, upstairs, has an en suite bathroom and a separate room that could be used as a home office or a walk-in closet. Next door is another bedroom, which has a glass door that opens to the roof deck, offering views of San Francisco Bay.
The partially finished basement has two storage rooms and a laundry room.
Outdoor space: In addition to the roof deck, which is big enough to hold a table and chairs, the property includes a patio paved with Spanish tile. Lemon trees grow in the backyard, which has been certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a friendly habitat for wildlife. The attached garage has one parking spot.
Taxes: $11,232 (estimated)
Contact: Declan Spring and Denitsa Shopova, Red Oak Realty, 415-446-8591; redoakrealty.com
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