by Carrie Benuska

Families with young kids flock to San Marino for our award winning schools, safe neighborhoods and strong community feeling. When looking for a home, this group of buyers is usually looking to maximize square footage and hopefully provide a room for each child in the family.

 From my experience, four bedrooms on the second floor is high on many family buyers’ wish lists. This might seem like a simple goal to attain, but a huge portion of San Marino homes in the 3,000 square foot range (some even larger than that) have only three bedrooms on the second floor. Often our four bedroom homes have three bedrooms upstairs and one downstairs, often set off of the kitchen. Although perfect for another subset of buyers, the isolated fourth bedroom can be a deal-breaker for a larger family.

Because my husband and I have three children, we have loved our four bedroom upstairs floor plan. Each child is happy to have their own space, we are all in one place and the second floor becomes a private portion of your home reserved for family and invited guests (I laugh as I re-read that last sentence, because there is normally a huge group of kids on my second floor, which makes it a bit less than private). Un-made beds and messy kids rooms are less obvious to visitors, which makes daily pick-up a little less stressful.

Currently on the market at 2390 Ridgeway Road and listed with Hai Luong of Tendwell Realty and Investment, is a fantastic two-story Colonial home which boasts this ideal four bedroom upstairs floor plan. The second floor has a large Master Suite, with beautifully remodeled bathroom and large walk-in closet, plus three additional roomy bedrooms. One of these bedrooms has an attached bath and the other two share a bath via the hallway (both which are also beautifully remodeled).
The ground floor rooms are elegant and well-proportioned and feature period moldings and architectural details. There is even a fifth bedroom on this floor, which would be ideal for guests. The best part of the ground floor, though, is the large remodeled kitchen with center island and attached family room, which looks out to the back garden. The kitchen has beautiful custom cabinetry, unique granite counters and up-scale appliances. The light-filled attached family room is large and features custom built-in cabinetry and french doors out to a flagstone patio covered with a statuesque pergola.

This home is a true delight, move-in ready and a perfect opportunity for one of those “four bedrooms up” buyers. Although it has only been on the market for a short time, the owners have lowered the price to an appealing $1,980,000, and there is still time to close before the start of school.