My husband has many talents. For instance, he can imitate a cat puking with the best of them. It's one of the reasons I married him. Because he makes me laugh. And you know why cats puke? Well, mine tend to do it because they eat something they should not eat. Twisty ties, creepy-crawly things, rubber bands (or binders as we from the Midwest call them).
My cats love to nibble on my asparagus fern. They are obsessed with that plant. They've done it to such an extent that I've finally wised up (duh) and moved the plant outdoors.
Did you know that asparagus ferns produce little green balls that turn red in the winter? These are actually seeds. You can plant them and grow more asparagus ferns. In fact, gardeners say it's better to cut them off so all of the plant's energy is not being used to reproduce seeds and instead is channeled into growing the plant.
You will see asparagus ferns lining the sidewalks of many homes in Land Park. This particular home is a new listing, and it is not a short sale. It is a regular home sale. The asparagus ferns along this sidewalk also are sporting little green balls. It means they are happy asparagus ferns. And this is a happy home. You can feel it immediately when you walk inside.
There are original hardwood floors throughout, except for the laundry, kitchen and baths, which are ceramic. It was built in 1938, and it's very much a 1930's home. If you love the 1930s, you'll love this home. It contains much of the original detailing and period style. For example, the kitchen cabinets are very 1930s. Some of them have been restored and custom-made to match the style and conform. You can't tell which they are. They all look original and beautiful.
The counters are granite, but the backsplash is period-white smaller ceramic tiles with rose accent tiles. It's pure and simple. The sink is recessed, stainless, with brushed nickel faucet and handles, below a bay window. The appliances are stainless, and the refrigerator is negotiable. You'll also find a breakfast nook framed by newer Marvin windows, which look out on the gardens.
Off the kitchen is a formal dining room with wainscoting and crown molding. Some people complain about the layout in certain homes in Land Park in which you have to go through the dining room to get to all of the other rooms. That is not the case with this home. You walk through the dining room to access the kitchen and laundry, no other rooms. As it should be.
The living room is to the left of the entry. It features a brick wood-burning fireplace, crown molding, built-in bookcases, recessed lighting. and one of the windows is newer. The front plate glass window is original. Since the home faces Land Park Drive, the sellers cleverly planted shrubs and sprinkled the shrubs with landscape lights that illuminate in the evening, lending the room a warm glow. But if you want to watch traffic, some people like to feel connected that way, you can do it from a second window. The whole house has this homey feel.
It has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths. The master suite features two doors and something you don't usually find in a Land Park home -- a big walk-in closet, with a cedar floor and California closet organizers. The guest bath in the hall is pristine. There is a separate tub with what appears to be original and strikingly beautiful blue tile. The floor is blue tile, too, and the shower surround is tile, with a newer, rounded door.
In the back, you'll spot a custom-made privacy fence that is about four-feet-tall in the back but about 6-feet-high from the other side of the sidewalk. Extremely clever design. You'll find a covered flagstone patio. Around the corner from the two-car garage is a secret garden and entertainment patio. The patio has ceramic tile, mixed with lush vegetation and a mural of the ocean. Truly delightful. It will transport you to another country, another time.
2931 Land Park Drive, Sacramento, CA 95818, is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate at $475,000. For more information, call your Land Park agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759. For a private showing, call Barbara Dow, at 916 761 7398. Held open on Sunday, August 21, from 2 PM to 4 PM.
Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
Elizabeth, OK. I've heard that men who do really good puking cat imitations are supposed to be great, um, huggers!
Glad to see that they did not do away the character of an older home. Hate when the outside does not match the inside.
Pat: You make my jaw, um, drop open! LOL.
Hi Gwen: These sellers went to great lengths to maintain the integrity of this home yet modernize it.
Elizabeth, I really enjoyed your post, what a great way to present a property, good luck with a quick sale!
What a cute house. I had to Google Asparagus Fern, then sadly I found out they grow in California and Florida. Perhaps I'll get my mother in law one while we are out there this fall.
Elizabeth - here I thought that cat imitation noise was unique to one of my kids. Huh, imagine that. More than one guy around that can make disgusting noises at will. Love the way you presented this house and information about it. I hope you share this with a seller. I'm sure most listing agents don't take this kind of time to present a picture of a home, not just a house.
Had to Google asparagus ferns after reading this. My outdoor cat comes home with little green balls that have little prickers all the way around them. Wondered if they were from one of these ferns, but not it. The mystery continues.
Hey Brian: I am always looking for innovative ways to market my listings. I'm not a same-o, same-o agent.
Hi Tammy: Asparagus ferns are pretty but if you touch them, stuff falls off all over the floor. I think it's better to grow them outdoors.
Hi Karen: Guys do have a unique ability to reproduce disgusting noises. Think Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider. My brother ran around for months after that movie making armpit noises.
Hi Chris Ann: Yeah, I don't think you'll find these plants in Virginia.
From the midwest, didn't have to Google asparagus ferns but I hope your husband cleans up his own mess!
Ah yes, asparagus ferns. When my mother passed away in 1975, one of the little things I "inherited" from her was an asparagus fern in a really big pot. I loved that fern for several years, and then we had a really hard winter and I lost it. I still have the pot though! I have Maidenhair ferns planted in it now. And the pot sits near my front door:-)