A place to go: Sometimes the smallest rooms make the biggest impression. 314 Montgomery, which sold for $675,000, has refinished hardwood floors, a refreshed interior, and a new back porch. But the shining star of the remodeled 1,243-square-foot home is the newly added bathroom off the primary bedroom that completely transformed the layout. An existing bathroom and powder room were also updated. In a neighborhood where older homes often come with just one bathroom, the updates brought modern convenience to this 1929 Craftsman.
Cultivated appeal: It’s easy to compare kitchens and square footage, but gardens are trickier. Three recent sales offer three answers to what makes a yard appealing. At 385 Hazelwood, which sold for $410,000, a mature perennial garden mixes irises, hostas, ornamental grasses, and pollinator-friendly plants, promising blooms (and bees) all summer. The yard at 2980 Devonshire, which sold for $2.285 million, pairs professionally maintained landscaping with a meandering creek, towering oaks, and brick paths winding past quiet garden vignettes—decorative groupings of plants and ornaments. And at 4775 Bridgeway, which sold for $895,000, a Japanese-style Zen garden is tucked close to the house, while the Trex deck leads to an expansive lawn and frontage on Bridgeway Lake.
Flashback: Front Yard Gardens (Sept. 2016)…