House for Sale in Aptos, California

I spent Saturday in Santa Cruz (and surrounding areas) with my fiance and my sister checking out potential locations for our upcoming wedding. We've found the perfect place, but just have to settle a few more details before we can set a date!

While driving around a neighborhood in Aptos (just a little South of Santa Cruz) we spotted an 'open house' sign and decided to stop in and take a peak. The house was 3,000 square feet, three bedrooms, three bathrooms and listed for a little over $3 million dollars (notice a theme?!) It was situated on a cliff and practically every single room of the house had a breathtaking view of the ocean. It was recently remodeled and boasted a swimming pool (which is pretty unusual for the area) as well as a attached office with a separate entrance. From the outside it didn't look like much, but once you stepped foot through the front door, you can see exactly why they were asking so much - the million dollar views! (Or three million. . . ) After speaking with the realtor we found out that the house had been recently remodeled (although I was a little unimpressed with some of the finish selections) and that it was a second home for a couple who had just purchased another home in the same area. 

My favorite room in the entire house would have to be the family room that had an upholstered day bed situated near a bank of floor to ceiling windows. I could totally see myself curling up with a blanket and a book and enjoying the AMAZING view of the Monterey Bay for hours on end! 

To see a video tour of this house, go here. 

So what does $3 million buy in your neck of the woods?!

What you get for $3.7 mil. in Capitola, California

Last weekend I visited my sister in Santa Cruz and spent an afternoon in Capitola which I blogged about here. We had a great day, shopping, eating, drinking, being touristy and what not. But leave it to me to be able to spot a "open house" sign wherever I go! Of course we had to stop in and take a look!



Check out what we found inside;








It's a four story piece of prime real estate on California's coast. The lot that this home sits on is a mere 1,307 square feet. The home however is a total of 3,113 sq. feet but the first two levels are convereted to studio apartments that you could either rent out to help pay the MASSIVE mortgage, or use as guest suites. Both of these levels are accessible from the back side of the house. The front of the house leads you to the front door of this recently remodeled beauty. After entering on the third story you find a den (that they have staged as a playroom for kids), two bedrooms with a jack and jill bathroom, a half bath complete with beautiful mosaic tile, and a glorious master suite. You take the staircase up to the fourth story of the structure where you find the main living area that includes an open kitchen, living and dining area, complete with a powder room. Overlooking the street there is a patio with a built in barbeque and the beach side of the property has bifolding glass doors that open up to the sensational views of the ocean.

What did I think? The staging was so-so, I would have done a few things differently, but non the less, it screamed "beachy-contemporary". While the kitchen is beautiful, I think it is a little too "trendy" in my opinion. All in all, it was a beautiful beach home in a well sought after area in Santa Cruz County. I'm curious to see how long it stays on the market or what it will end up selling for!! Hey, if I had an extra $3.7 million dollars laying around, I'd pick it up in a heart beat!