What shall we say to describe this "tree house" view property with great expansion possibilities? That it needs work to realize its potential? That's apparent.

We can say it’s on three lots, and tell you that at least allows for great privacy, and at most offers a possibility to build a second house, expand this one, or build two new houses, and perhaps even three.

We can tell you about Mt. Washington, but you may already know its an eclectic mix of old and new homes, many like this one with privacy and views, and all minutes from LA’s enormous mix of culture, entertainment, and workplaces.

Have you noticed Cross Avenue? It’s a cul-de-sac street with a swell mix of professional people, artists, writers -- you will see they all love the street and cooperate to maintain the environment on the block.

Call us to visit now.

If you’re the right buyer, this house will talk to you and say, “welcome home, we have found each other.” It will keep your family safe, secure and content. You will be proud to live and raise your children in it and bring friends into it.

This mid-century traditional ranch home was built in 1961, and recently updated, added to, polished and pampered. The interior features an open floor plan in the public rooms and surprising privacy in the three bedrooms, including a private main suite.

Built to a human scale, this is an efficient use of space, charm, volume and strong character that is often lacking in contemporary homes. There is a large and welcoming front lawn and a private back yard designed for kids and adults alike. The home features a formal entry, two fireplaces, family room, three comfortable bedrooms, two and one-half remodeled bathrooms and a brilliantly remodeled kitchen.

The master bedroom suite has a wall of closets, and French doors to a rear patio and yard. The main bath features a Jacuzzi soaking tub and oversized walk-in shower. The secondary bedrooms are served with a remodeled bath and are separated from the private retreat main bedroom. The kitchen has wood cabinets, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

One of five homes in the Toledo Homes Firenze Village which is centrally located between Old Pasadena and the South Lake shopping district. Your guests will be impressed by the beautifully gated entry to a Tuscan style court yard with architectural columns and a water fountain.

The home has a formal entry from where you will notice the exquisite detailing -- coffered ceilings, triple crown moldings  and solid maple floors to mention a few.

There's a fireplace in the living room and an outdoor patio off the dining room and near the kitchen, so its easy to have coffee and newspaper there. The state-of-the art kitchen is equipped with Viking appliances & custom cabinetry. There is a guest bath near the entry and a private elevator to the parking garage and upstairs rooms.

The main bedroom has a fireplace and a bathroom with spa tub and separate marble shower. There is a romantic balcony private to the main bedroom.

A spacious guest suite is complete with a steam shower and its own large balcony.

There are in-ceiling speakers & CAT 5 wiring, intercom, and a central vacuum system. A private garage and elevator round out this wonderful townhouse.

This is an elegant second floor single level unit served by an elevator from the parking garage and the courtyard.  It’s located in the heart of the prestigious boulevard, across from the most prestigious address – the Valley Hunt Club.

Striking French architecture capped with a handsome slate roof.  A courtyard entry features European formal landscaping with a California touch that carries your view from one building to the next and at once you feel space, volume and freedom.

This flat features high ceilings, crown moldings, a security system, hardwood floors, walk-in closets, a fireplace with marble surround, and the spaciousness of a single family home.

A double door entry exposes hardwood floors beneath a vaulted ceiling and crown molding.  The entry is to a sweeping living room view. This room faces Palmetto’s tree-lined street scene framed by French windows.  Floors are carpeted over hardwood, and the fireplace burns wood, and features a marbles surround and wood mantle.

The living room flows to a large dining room that will seat almost any dinner party. Morning sun spills over the French windows. There is a swinging door to the kitchen.

The kitchen is bright and fresh with lots of work space and an area for a breakfast table or recipe desk.  Crown molding and wood floors, a large pantry, Sub-Zero refrigerator, and top quality dishwasher, double ovens, range and double sink round out the work area. And east –facing deck with gas for BBQ is set off by large sliding doors.

A convertible den can also serve as a library. It has a large closet, south and west facing windows, and when built had a gas-burning fireplace, since replaced with a built-in credenza.

A second bedroom suite is of gracious size and a south facing window. The walk in closet has room for a significant wardrobe. The bath is ¾ sized with an over-sized shower.

The main bedroom suite is a luxurious 19 x 16 size with large French windows facing Palmetto. There is room for art and furniture on every wall, and the bathroom features a wall-to-wall mirror, soaking spa tub, walk in shower, double sinks, a water closet and recessed lighting.

Milan is tree-lined with mature oaks and one of South Pasadena’s finest streets. This 1910 Craftsman home was built in the heyday of the Arts and Crafts movement and features locally handcrafted wood and glass with objects that are both simple and elegant. This is a visibly sturdy structure, of clean lines and natural materials.

The home is on an enormous lot, and the owners have taken advantage of the space by installing an Arroyo Stone swimming pool with salt water filtering, a spa and a waterfall cascading into the main pool. An outdoor seating patio and cooking area are amid a deep grassy yard behind the pool. A large family can entertain themselves or scores of guests with swimming, cooking, sitting, dancing and nearly anything your imagination can envision.

It’s clear that the home needs remodeling – it has an almost original kitchen and the baths are not up to 21^st century standards, and an unsophisticated former owner texture-coated over the exterior wood siding, but the potential is enormous.

The main floor features an entry area, living room, dining room, all with wood floors and crown molding. There is a maid’s bedroom, now used as a home office with built-in bookshelves and wood floors.  The kitchen, half-bath and service porch are contiguous.  There’s a California cooler to keep fruits and vegetables cool and fresh.  The potential for the kitchen lies in the combining of the existing kitchen and service porch.

The living and dining room ceilings are box-beamed, hand-crafted wood.  Floors are hardwood; windows are mostly wood casement or double-hung. The dining room has wainscoting with built-in plate rails and a window seat.

The upstairs level has a large landing with storage and three bedrooms, two baths.  All the bedrooms have wood floors and windows. The main bedroom features a sleeping porch and two balconies looking into the oak trees lining Milan. The other bedrooms are large enough for sleeping, studying and playing, and they all have good storage.

This is an opportunity for a family with a desire to be in one of the better South Pasadena neighborhoods, within walking distance of the highly rated Marengo school. Someone with vision will see this home and its potential, and hear it calling “hello, you are home.”

Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability. Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows. Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates go up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!

While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life. It's important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial "comfort zone." To that end, it may be more important to lock in today's relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.

Please give me a call if I can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today's market.