Marlene and Bill live in Rancho Cucamonga, CA but they work in Los Angeles. They love this area, but it leads to about a three hour commute to work. A major must-have on their wish list is a home a little loser to work, but they don’t want to move too far from their current location.
Bill and Marlene met 19 years ago at a New York fundraiser. They have two daughters, Megan (14) and Anna (16). They also have two dogs, Jacks and Danny. For this House Hunters, they want to move out of their rental place and find a forever home. They have a budget of $600,000.
Wish Lists
Marlene and Bill want a big backyard for Jacks and Danny. They also want a place around Rancho Cucamonga but a little closer to their jobs in LA.
Hers: Marlene wants a Spanish style home that’s newer and turnkey ready. She also wants a large walk-in closet for all her shoes. She would prefer an open floor plan and a newly remodeled kitchen. A nice fireplace is also a major must on Marlene’s list.
His: Bill prefers traditional style homes. He collects guitars so wants a place to store and display them. Bill doesn’t want to have to walk up and down stairs, so he would prefer no stairs, a single-level home. He wants an eye-view tv and a home office.
House #1, $579,900
Their realtor, Gloria, shows them a home in Fontana, CA , which adds an additional five miles for their commute to work. This home has Spanish tiles, four bedrooms, and three and a half bathrooms. It’s an open concept space with a dark kitchen, and lots of natural lighting.
It lacks the ideal TV spot that Bill wants, and all of the rooms are pretty small. They’re also all painted with dark colors. The bathroom has a water closet and plenty of space. The master bedroom has a large closet but on the smaller size. Upstairs has one large bedroom, even bigger than the master. It also has stairs leading to a lounge/loft area with a pool table.
House #2, $588,800
This is a traditional style home built in 2003. It has five bedrooms, and two and a half bathrooms. The porch is gorgeous with a peach and red theme running through out. It has hardwood flooring, crown molding, and an eye-level TV. It’s not an open concept but has plenty of space.
The kitchen is large, spacious, pretty and bright. The bedrooms are much larger in the home than the first one. It has a bonus closet and a large master suite, that includes a water closet.
House #3, $574,900
It’s a single-level home located by the freeway. It’s in West Covina, so it’s about 30 minutes from their jobs. The home was built in 1959. It has four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The minute you open the door, you can walk into the kitchen. It has two fireplaces, one oddly placed and the other right in the middle.
The backyard is open and has plenty of lawn. There is also a tool shed that could be turned into Bill’s music room. The bedrooms are all small, including the master bedroom.
Decision Time: House #1 was further from their jobs than their current rental, but it had plenty of space. House #2 was gorgeous but not an open concept. House #3 seemed to fit their needs the most but it located by a loud freeway.
Bill and Marlene picked…House #1
They ended up paying $552,500 instead of $579,900. Despite the lack of backyard, Jacks and Daniel love it. Their daughters also love having their own spaces, and Bill found a way to get the TV at eye level.
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