It's time once again for my semi-annual prediction that real estate prices just can't possibly get any higher, and this time I really mean it.
We went to an open house last week for 94-1022 Upai Place. It's in a decent neighborhood with a good elementary school and OK higher schools, a bedroom community not too far from town and not too bad for traffic. (But not too great, either.) The area's not too noisy. 3BR 2BA, 1800 sq ft on a 5800 sq ft lot (around here that means "big lot"), a garage instead of a carport, tile roof, central A/C (~$200/month electric bills), cathedral ceilings. Its assessed value is $425K with $1400/year property taxes.
Inside it's like a museum. Both toilets are dated 1978. The water heater, what's left of it, is original (?!?). The kitchen and both baths are original flooring, original Corian, original porcelain, even the original cabinet doors & mirrors (with a two-inch band of corrosion along the bottoms of the mirrors). The stove & fridge are newer but the dishwasher is (*shudder*) original. The rooms have their original light fixtures. The carpet has been updated but not this millennium.
The house needs painting. The siding's fiberboard is crumbling at the bottom edges. Moldings are chipped. Drywall corner beads are exposed & rusting. Paint had been applied directly over some of the receptacle covers. "Drapes" are original and the blinds haven't been cleaned since Reagan left office. Dust and dirt fill the corners. No one had made even the faintest beginnings of an attempt to clean up for the open house, let alone spend time primping for curb appeal. The popcorn ceilings have collected dust along the lines of the roof trusses to give it a brown & white striped look.
No one put any effort into getting the place ready for sale, but they don't have to care. It's listed at $615K. Click on that link quickly because it won't have a second open house!
We went to an open house last week for 94-1022 Upai Place. It's in a decent neighborhood with a good elementary school and OK higher schools, a bedroom community not too far from town and not too bad for traffic. (But not too great, either.) The area's not too noisy. 3BR 2BA, 1800 sq ft on a 5800 sq ft lot (around here that means "big lot"), a garage instead of a carport, tile roof, central A/C (~$200/month electric bills), cathedral ceilings. Its assessed value is $425K with $1400/year property taxes.
Inside it's like a museum. Both toilets are dated 1978. The water heater, what's left of it, is original (?!?). The kitchen and both baths are original flooring, original Corian, original porcelain, even the original cabinet doors & mirrors (with a two-inch band of corrosion along the bottoms of the mirrors). The stove & fridge are newer but the dishwasher is (*shudder*) original. The rooms have their original light fixtures. The carpet has been updated but not this millennium.
The house needs painting. The siding's fiberboard is crumbling at the bottom edges. Moldings are chipped. Drywall corner beads are exposed & rusting. Paint had been applied directly over some of the receptacle covers. "Drapes" are original and the blinds haven't been cleaned since Reagan left office. Dust and dirt fill the corners. No one had made even the faintest beginnings of an attempt to clean up for the open house, let alone spend time primping for curb appeal. The popcorn ceilings have collected dust along the lines of the roof trusses to give it a brown & white striped look.
No one put any effort into getting the place ready for sale, but they don't have to care. It's listed at $615K. Click on that link quickly because it won't have a second open house!