REAL ESTATE- ON THE BLOCK- Face value: Missing elements don't spoil appeal
Address: 1575 Gray Fox Trail
Neighborhood: Ivy Oaks in Western Albemarle
Asking: $349,000
Assessment: $351,000
Year Built: 1985
Size: 1,589 fin. sq. ft.
Land: 2.053 acres
Agent: Peg Gilliland, 434-242-1470 and Charles McDonald, 434-981-1585 RE/MAX Assured Properties
Curb Appeal: 8 out of 10
When shopping for real estate, it's difficult to see what's not there. But the invisible stuff is certainly important, and in this Ivy Oaks rancher some significant things are missing.
One is a garage, an odd omission for a house in a county subdivision. Basement and attic also remain to be seen. Beyond closets, there's not much in the way of storage. In short, this is a bare-bones kind of place: no flashy upgrades, no frills. And no hidden— well— anything. What you see is what you get.
A circular paved drive leads over a stream through a long wooded front yard to the house. Nearby is shed for a riding mower (conveys). A fence separates the grassy back yard from the rest of the private wooded lot.
Access to the house is through foyer with laminate parquet and a coat closet. To the left, a carpeted living room has a wood-burning fireplace with windows on each side. The parquet continues across the foyer to a dining room with a double window with a deep sill. The whole thing could be bumped out to create a bay and window seat. White and ivory paint are the order of the day everywhere.
The linoleum-floor kitchen has ample room for eating. And while the actual food prep area is not particularly large, a small work triangle contributes to efficiency. It's functional and spare in keeping with the rest of the house. Cabinets are white, countertops black, while appliances blend the two: white fridge and oven, black microwave, stainless dishwasher.
Across from the kitchen, an ample mudroom with a washer/dryer hookup (but no washer/dryer) has lots of light thanks to a window and glass door. With the addition of some cabinets, cubbies, and coat hooks, it could be a more useful alternative to the entryway.
The center hall leads to three average-size carpeted bedrooms with standard closets. The bathrooms— one off the hall and the other in the master suite– are functional and clean, and probably original, with wood-look laminate floors.
While everything seems pretty ho-hum, one draw is location: people with kids can walk them over to Meriwether Lewis Elementary School, just a quarter mile away.
Another plus: land. The two-plus acres and situation away from the road guarantee privacy. A patio/terrace running the length of the house wraps around to the master bedroom, which has access.
For a family looking to pare down and lower energy bills, this may be an efficient choice. It's move-in ready with new windows, appliances (except for the washer/dryer), roof, HVAC, and the backyard fence. Although bland, the neutral interior paint job is also new. Priced a hair below assessment, the place would be great for folks who haven't had time yet to accumulate a lot of flotsam and thus are not affected by the lack of storage.
PHOTOS BY SARAH JACOBSON
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