The Olmstead brothers meticulously planned the vistas in the parks they created. So it is perhaps no surprise that the views inside Verona Park are beautiful. But if you want to see how beautiful the park could look from your back door, then you need to take a look at the house that is for sale at 106 Park Avenue.
There is a slate-floored mudroom off the kitchen, which might be enough of a selling point to any mom who has just been through the this past winter’s mountain of boots, mittens and snow gear. And it is a straight shot from the mudroom’s door across the house’s backyard to a gate that opens onto Verona Park. You can see the boathouse, which means you’d be one of the first people to know if Verona had another great season of skating on Verona Park Lake. The park tennis court is close enough that you could almost claim it as your private court, and the big park playground only steps beyond that.
If you’ve been in any of the capes that abound in Verona and our neighboring towns, you’ll want to know what makes this cape different from the others. So here goes: The dining room to the right of the front entrance can be closed off with a pair of French doors set into the wall as pocket doors, making the room light and cozy. The dormer windows bring a lot of light into the two upstairs bedrooms (there’s one on the first floor too), now configured as a baby’s room and master bedroom. Perhaps even a bigger plus lies in the fully finished basement, which has not only a very generously sized family room and a laundry room, but a full bathroom and a bonus room that could be a playroom, a fourth bedroom or even an in-law suite.
The house is in absolutely move-in condition with just about every upgrade you need for living in 2010, including central air. The landscaping is also in move-in condition, and the small-scale evergreen shrubbery looks as if it will be easy to maintain. Another big plus: The owners dropped their asking price by $20,000 last month, which puts the house more in line with comparable properties in town.
Quibbles? Of course–no house is perfect for every buyer. There’s a small koi pond in the backyard, which might not be appropriate if you have small children. And while there are two full, recently renovated baths elsewhere in the house, there is none on the second floor. Some cape owners have squeezed one in under the eaves, but you’d need to check with a contractor to see if that would be possible in this case. And with limited parking in Verona Park, Park Avenue spots are in demand on the weekend.
The listing agent is Debra McCabe of Coccia Real Estate Group. All the details on the house are here. [mappress]
