Open house pick of the week: Palolo

You want to live in a house in town with a yard, but can’t afford most of them without it being a dump. Well, here’s a cute little home that has contemporary touches without a contemporary price.

At 601 square feet, it's more of a cottage than a house, but it’s on a 3,685-square-foot lot with a practical yard (read: fruit trees) and lots of room for parking. And it’s one of seven CPR homes on a one-acre lot off Palolo Avenue. The other people in the CPR have lived there for more than four years, so it’s like a little community in itself.

The layout of the residence allows for two bedrooms, which might feel more cramped if it had been designed differently, and an adequate living room. Although it was built in 1940, it was upgraded in 2005 to look like new inside. The bathroom has a custom vanity and vessel sink, with slate throughout. The eat-in kitchen has a modern, granite counter, contemporary lighting and beautiful cabinetry.

“It is actually my cousin's house,” says realtor Matt Brummel of Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties. “We got it ready for market in about one week after they saw a house they wanted in Manoa.”