Southeast Rollercoaster

A new week, and some new houses to see. It is abundantly clear to me that the fixers - even the "light" or simply aesthetically-challenged ones - are NOT moving unless they are true bargains. At the same time, I am equally convinced that the turnkey, pretty ones that are not priced above 2007 numbers are selling fast, at least in the close-in east side neighborhoods.  Reviews of three new listings follow:

1.  Tabor Sweet Tooth 4844 SE Grant St. $289,900 3BR/1+BA Pretty much the quintessential Craftsman bungalow, with a hard-to-find 3rd true BR on the main floor, that still harbors room for improvement - such as a better exterior color scheme (it's too WHITE at the moment, ugh) and one or two egress windows put into a valuable full footprint basement already extensively decorated/furnished to appear as living space - yet presents itself as a good-vibe turnkey sweetheart. I note the tidy, clean & upgraded mechanicals (A/C! new vinyl windows) and a friendly, private low maintenance yard. The dead end street could be prettier, but who could complain about this location? Will go fast at this price.

2. Woodstock Wiener 5530 SE 45th Ave. $229,875 3BR/1BA The price, location and description were so appealing that I raced over to see this one, even though the pictures weren't up online yet. Yikes! The exterior took down my expectations one notch on arrival (worn-looking up close) but I was still overcome by the smoker smell and appalled by the kitchen, whose cabinetry and overall state would not be move-in satisfactory for anyone I've ever met. The bath was forgettable, the closed staircase going up was awful and beat to heck; I didn't linger upstairs because the carpet and configuration up there was depressing and wholly unappealing. What do you want for $229K? More than this. Should be $195K.

3. Nice, But Painful 4837 SE Lincoln St. $375,000 3BR/2BA A blooming example of Why You Shouldn't Hire a Low Fee Agent. This house has enough location, curb appeal, yard size and amenities to sell for about $395K quickly. Why won't it? Because the absentee Broker isn't saying/doing what the seller needs. For $0, the home should have been cleaned, top to bottom. It was dirty, dusty. Furnishings were depressing or glaringly absent where they were sorely needed. And the yard looks like the "After" photo of a meth addict who was once a pretty thing. These conditions totally overshadowed and compromised a whole lot of modern-taste remodeling, including a new concrete/slate/stainless kitchen and inventive, especially lovely master suite upstairs crying out for a virtual tour. A classic example of "saving" 1% in favor of squandering perhaps 5%.