Los Angeles | $1.349 million
A 1925 bungalow on 0.2 acres
This two-bedroom, two-bathroom home with blue flower-painted shutters is located in Echo Park, less than two miles from Echo Park Lake and Dodger Stadium. A café and bakery are just a few blocks away. A Detroit-style pizzeria, a small used bookstore, and a mix of cafes and cocktail bars line a nearby stretch of Sunset Boulevard.
Silver Lake is a 10-minute drive and Union Station and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, both in downtown Los Angeles, are 15 minutes away.
Size: 1,421 square meters
Price per square meter: $949
Inside: Paved steps lead from the driveway to the front door, which leads to a foyer with hardwood floors that extends into the living room. There is a wood-burning fireplace with an original tiled stove, casement windows look out onto the terrace and a walk-in closet is set up as an office space.
Steps lead up to the kitchen, which is equipped with a white vintage stove and a country-style sink. On the other side of the kitchen is a sunny dining room with access to the terrace and a hallway leading to the master suite.
In the master bedroom, which features a king-size bed and sitting area, French doors open to a walled portion of the terrace. In the modernized bathroom, the walk-in shower is lined with white tiles.
A second bedroom is off the dining room, with mint green walls and windows facing the backyard, and a full bathroom is next door. A ladder leads up to the attic, which has been converted into a cozy reading area with colorful wallpaper.
Outdoor area: The wrap-around terrace provides space for separate dining and seating areas, and from here a path leads up to a restored 1950s caravan with a kitchenette and bathroom, as well as its own wooden deck. A garage with one parking space is in front of the house.
Steer: $16,860 (estimated)
Contact: Meredith Wick, Sotheby's International Realty-Los Feliz Brokerage, 323-559-3600
Santa Rosa | $1.4 million
A mid-century modern home built in 1965 on a 0.9 acre lot
This three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom home was designed as a private residence by architect Tom Tomasi, whose other projects in Santa Rosa included an elementary school and the music building at Santa Rosa Junior College. Santa Rosa Plaza is a 15-minute drive and the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, dedicated to the work of the Peanuts creator, is 20 minutes away.
Sonoma is 30 minutes away, Bodega Bay is 45 minutes away and San Francisco is less than 90 minutes away.
Size: 2,601 square meters
Price per square meter: $538
Inside: A red brick path lined with mature trees leads from the driveway to the front door, which is flanked by floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows.
Inside is the living room, whose wooden beams run across the ceiling to the terrace. A fireplace is framed by a stone wall, and behind it is a formal dining room with wood paneling and a crystal chandelier. The kitchen, which leads through the dining room, has a skylight and additional windows above the sink, as well as a breakfast nook around the corner. A door on one side of the kitchen leads to the terrace, and a powder room in this part of the house has yellow walls.
The master bedroom is at the end of a hallway leading from the living room and has windows on two walls overlooking the grounds. The floors here and in the walk-in closet are carpeted and the ensuite bathroom has a walk-in shower with blue tiles.
At the other end of the hallway are two guest bedrooms as well as another full bathroom and an open space that could be used as a home office.
Outdoor area: A wooden deck, partially covered by a pergola, overlooks the backyard and the Santa Rosa Creek beyond. There is a fenced garden area on one side of the house. There is space for two cars in a detached garage, and there is space for several more cars under a carport.
Steer: $17,496 (estimated)
Contact: Laura Hall, Corcoran Icon Properties, 707-478-0027
San Diego | $1.399 million
A Craftsman home built in 1920 on 0.1 acre
This three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is located about five blocks from Balboa Park and within walking distance of the park's Morley Field Sports Complex, which includes a disc golf course, baseball field, archery range, playground and off-leash dog area. Also within walking distance are a brewery, a 1930s theater and a performing arts space, as well as a combination cocktail bar and arcade.
Downtown San Diego can be reached in 15 minutes and the city's airport in 20 minutes.
Size: 1,575 square meters
Price per square meter: $888
Inside: A paved path leads from the sidewalk up to a covered porch overlooking the street. From here a door leads into the living room, where the wooden floors are still original, as are the built-in cupboards that line either side of a wide door to the dining room.
At one end of the dining room there is an original built-in cupboard with a pass-through window looking into the modernized kitchen. Here the countertops are Caesarstone and the cabinets are maple. Stainless steel appliances include a gas stove.
The master bedroom, with space for a king-size bed, is adjacent to the dining room and has a door leading onto a private terrace. On one side of the bedroom there is a walk-in closet and on the other side there is a bathroom with a double vanity and heated tile floors.
Another bedroom off the living room faces the street and next door is a full bathroom with penny tile floors and a pedestal sink. A bedroom on the other side of the bathroom can accommodate a queen bed.
Outdoor area: Adjacent to the dining room and kitchen is the main deck with a built-in grill on one side and a hot tub in one corner. There is a garage with one parking space attached.
Steer: $17,484 (estimated)
Contact: Lauren Gable and Natalia O'Toole, Compass, 619-778-4050