Hello Everyone!

So this week there are more homes on the market to talk about….but first I would like to talk a little about how rebuilding Altadena is progressing. As of now, half the homes destroyed have submitted plans and now there are nearly 1500 permits issued and a little over 700 in construction mode. I know it still sounds like a long way to go, but it feels like there’s finally some momentum! It seems like after a year, people are now deciding on their paths! On our little cul de sac, there has been a lot more activity in the past few weeks with compacting and grading starting on three different properties. It’s definitely encouraging!

One thing I found out and would love to spread the word, is that siding is not as unaffordable as I thought! I asked my daughter’s contractor how much more if we wanted siding instead of stucco and they said $15,000. Her house is a 1900 sq.ft single story rebuild and so I think that’s quite reasonable. Turns out siding is not as labor intensive as stucco so you save that way. Considering how much people are spending on building their home, I think paying that extra to get siding is so worth it! It will add so much curb appeal to the home!!

Let’s get on with my favorites for this week!

1436 Hillcrest Ave. Pasadena

$4,000,000 3bd & 3ba 4,295 sq.ft 32,555 lot

Open Saturday 2-4 pm & Sunday 11-1 pm

Not often do you get the chance to see a house in this neighborhood! Across from the Langham sits some of the most expensive and exclusive neighborhoods we have to offer. This home was originally designed to be more traditional, but it has been transformed into quite a stunning mid-century style home! They put up a wall and designed the water feature to also serve as a spa and plunge pool…thus creating a private front courtyard. It has simple lines with high ceilings and the best feature is the family room featuring the wall of glass overlooking the deck and tree top views….. just delightful! Don’t miss your chance to check out this wonderful home in this exclusive neighborhood

1450 Arroyo View Dr. Pasadena

$3,395,000 3bd & 2ba 4,003 sq.ft 25,590 lot

Open Saturday 2-4 pm

Most of Linda Vista was developed in the 40s and 50s with mostly different versions of traditionals, ranches and mid-centuries to choose from. This home built in the same era is quite unique in that it is paying homage to an Adobe Hacienda! This home has so many surprises with the plaster work, wood frame windows and beamed ceiling just to start. The owner has done a marvelous job remodeling everything with period style finishes! As you explore, you come upon secret gardens on all sides of the home. There is another structure nearly the same size as the main home with 3 bedrooms and a lower level with a living area and kitchen that opens to the pool. Around the other side is yet another structure that serves as a guest cottage. This would make a wonderful family compound or you figure out a way to connect the two larger structures and create one very large main house and keep the cottage. There are possibilities for sure!

2765 San Pasqual St. Pasadena

$1,699,000 2bd & 2ba 2,056 sq.ft 9,182 lot

Open Saturday 1-4 pm & Sunday 12-2 pm

No showings on this one till the open house today….but Southeast Pasadena is always very popular and this one seems well priced given its size, location and upgrades. Now it is only 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms so that may dampen the competition….it may not! What’s not to love about the huge living areas with a formal living room and family room along with that huge kitchen! The pool takes up a lot of the backyard, but it still feels green and lush and there’s enough extra space for entertaining.

51 Rancho Rd. Sierra Madre

$1,648,000 3bd & 3.5ba 2,221 sq.ft 13,972 lot

Open Saturday 1-4 pm & Sunday, 11-2 pm

This part of Sierra Madre sits on the Arcadia border and has homes that are larger than average on lots that are larger than average. This home is still in fairly original condition, but has been well maintained over the years. I love the living room with those expansive picture windows on either side. I also love the knotty pine in the kitchen and family room and with some creative upgrades you can have a really cool design.. The dining room & kitchen are a bit tight, so I would expand the kitchen into the dining room and open it to the family room which I would then use as the dining room. The floorplan would be quite open at that point, so I don’t think you need a family room in addition to the living room. One side of the house has 2 bedrooms and then at some point they converted a one car garage into the primary suite. When you redo the kitchen area, you definitely need to rework the access to the primary suite to make it feel more fluid and not like an afterthought.

1896 E Mountain St. Pasadena

$1,549,000 4bd & 2.5ba 2,144 sq.ft 8,700 lot

Open Saturday 2-4 pm & Sunday 1-3 pm

For just a bit more you get what I think is a better house in a better location. I like the more traditional features and I’m guessing that it was originally built as a 3 bedroom 1 bath home. At some point they added on 2 more bedrooms including a primary suite and I’m guessing they melded the 3rd bedroom into the addition creating a family room space. The upgrades are dated, but nothing that can’t be fixed further down the line. The one thing that needs to be done is the flooring! They put in new carpeting and I lifted a corner in the living room to find original hardwood flooring. So why they didn’t refinish the hardwood flooring instead…who knows? I’m pretty sure they don’t have hardwood flooring in the addition so maybe they just wanted consistent flooring throughout…..or the flooring in the original part of the house is in bad shape. Either way I would do whatever it takes to run hardwood flooring throughout the home…..a very good investment in the long run.

1420 Riviera Dr. Pasadena

$1,525,000 3bd & 2ba 2,011 sq.ft 7,198 lot

Open Saturday & Sunday, 1-4 pm

So Upper Hastings was the first development in Pasadena by the Coronet builders in the 50s. The ones on Riviera were generally larger and had more custom finishes. One of my clients lives one block down and has the exact same layout, but they went for more mid century finishes whereas this one is much more modern. Still it is a good amount of house for the money in a nice neighborhood with a spacious open layout and a sparkling pool!

1533 Coolidge Ave. Pasadena

$1,050,000 2bd & 1.5ba 1,288 sq.ft 7,004 lot

Open Saturday 1-4 pm

This one just hit the market and I think it’s a little high given the overall condition of the home by the look of the pictures. I would definitely get rid of the front porch enclosure….it doesn’t do the house any justice. Still it’s a very nice location for a more affordable price and definitely worth a peek if you are in the area.

646 E Sacramento St. Altadena

$960,000 2bd & 1ba 990 sq.ft 4,952 lot

Open Saturday 12-3 pm

I won’t lie…Sacramento is not my favorite street because of all the rental properties from Lake to El Molino and the street overall has a more disheveled look. Still this one is west of El Molino closer to Christmas Tree Lane and it’s a cute little house. I like the wood frame windows and hardwood flooring throughout. The original porch off the dining room has been enclosed and I like how it flows out onto this spacious deck on the side to add to your overall entertaining areas. The kitchen and bath are fairly original, but cute so you can definitely live with it until you save up the money for a proper remodel. The garage is 2 cars deep not wide, but they have finished it off so that it makes for a great office space!

$899,000 3bd & 2ba 1,863 sq.ft 7,933 lot

Open Saturday 2-5 pm & Sunday 11-1 pm

In 2024, you would never find anything in a decent part of Altadena for under a million and now here we are with a lot more selection because of the fires. This one has a fairly decent floor plan. The 2 bedrooms and bath off the main hallway are nice. I’m not a fan of the 3rd bd & bath on the other side of the house, but the enclosed patio is a decent space….not what you usually see with a long skinny room that is pretty useless. They did not professionally remediate the house, but you know in my opinion that is somewhat overhyped. I had a client clean their house themselves with the wet wipe method done by the remediation companies and the tests came back negative afterwards. He spent $4000 versus the $23,000 the remediation company wanted to charge.