Archive for the ‘Classic’ Category
February 8, 2007
My companion in the car wasn’t too happy when I braked abruptly and reversed the car to take a closer look at this ‘For Sale By Owner’ house on 1083 Alcatraz Avenue. When I actually got out of the car and started taking photographs he was positively cringing.
But duty called.
Here we have, according to the owner’s own rather professionally printed details, a 2-bedroom 1.5 bathroom, approximately 1,020 sq ft bungalow in Oakland offered at $509,000. It looks as though the house has been taken care of — it’s painted lemon yellow with a raspberry front door — and although I didn’t venture inside the interiors look reasonable on the flier.
Alcatraz is a main thoroughfare so the location isn’t great. The North Oakland Community Charter School is across the street.
February 7, 2007
There will be many Berkeley citizens who are already mourning the loss of Berkeley Iceland.
The ice rink, which dates back to the 1940s, is slated to shut up shop on March 31 and this will have come as bittersweet news to local homeowners. Many will doubtless have enjoyed honing the finer points of their synchronized pirouettes there (or at the very least gained the satisfaction of staggering around the rink without taking an ignominious fall).
The rink has a distinguished history — it was the official practice facility for the California Golden Seals hockey team and nurtured several Olympic champions in the past — and it’s always sad to see the death of a well-loved institution.
But close neighbors may feel differently. There have been several accidental leaks of toxic ammonia from the rink’s refrigeration system over the years.
The site, which is on Milvia Street, is not likely to see the development of new homes as it zoned for commercial use. It is being listed by property agent John Gordon. Properties currently for sale in the area, which is close to downtown Berkeley, include this second floor triplex in a brown shingle on Howe Street, and this remodeled three-bedroom ranch house in Ward Street.
STATS:
Price: $650,000.
Location: 1644 Ward Street, Berkeley, CA 94705
Last sale price: $260,000 (in 1999)
Square footage: 1,390 sq. ft.
Bedrooms: 2, Baths: 1
STATS:
Price: $579,000.
Location: 2323 Howe Street #2, Berkeley, CA 94703
Last sale price: $475,000 (in 2006)
Square footage: lot size - .09 sq. ft.
Bedrooms: 3, Baths: 2
February 6, 2007
If you’ve been pondering what to do with that spare $5 million burning a hole in your pocket, here’s an idea.
The Frederick Folger Thomas House at 683 Santa Barbara Road has recently come on the market and is causing a flurry of interest, not least among the locals who have watched major renovation works being carried out to what the realtor describes as this “Berkeley treasure” over the past year or so.
Set high in the north Berkeley hills along one of its twisting, leafy streets, the imposing house is disappointingly undistinguished from the outside, despite its setting in newly landscaped gardens (complete with very cute waterfall). I even spotted a few cracked shingles on the front facade.
The interior, however, has been given the ultimate luxury makeover. The open-plan living area feels like the lobby of a top-notch hotel. The views towards the Golden Gate Bridge from the seated bay window were billed as wonderful and they are.
There’s a wood-paneled dining room, a top of the range kitchen and four bedrooms, including a stunning Douglas-fir paneled master suite with a blissful bathroom. The shower has views of the clouds and is bigger than most central London apartments. Both come with their own fireplaces. It all felt very “high-style old Hollywood” to me.
The house is full of nooks and crannies and the layout would take some getting used to (the photo of the side view below gives you an idea). There is even a staircase in the living room that leads effectively nowhere. There’s a separate garage and independent apartment with a bathroom and kitchen but - slight hitch here - no bedroom.
My questions about this house are twofold: are the new interior fixtures and fittings in keeping with the style of the original house? (And does that matter?) And, would the sort of people with $5 million to spend be looking in this spot, nice though it is? I rather see them heading to the Peninsula.
Still, if the numbers at the open house are anything to go by, there is no lack of interest. How many of the visitors have that sort of cash is another question.
February 5, 2007
Color in a home can lead to all manner of outcomes. I still recall a particularly nasty shade of what I termed Thousand Island dressing on the walls of the bedroom of a London apartment I shared with a boyfriend who rapidly became my ex soon after we moved in. I don’t think the two facts were unrelated.
Like most people I favor neutrals - a bit of taupe, some whipped cream maybe a spot of sage. So I was surprised how much I liked this small but perfectly formed Edwardian on Woolsey Street. For this house is an unapologetic riot of uncompromisingly loud colors.
The outside announces itself with a bold combination of egg-yolk yellow, screaming green and deep purple. Inside on the main level there is a mauve living room and a crimson dining room (apologies to the designer if I have misinterpreted the hues - color is such a subjective matter as well as a potentially dangerous one). The good-size kitchen, which gives onto a compact but nicely planned back yard, is well thought out and has a lovely slate floor. A stylish spiral staircase leads to a (deep sea blue) carpeted lower level with another bedroom (lime green) and bathroom.
The whole impression is that someone has spent a lot of time, money and care on giving a characterful house more than a dash of contemporary “va va voom”. It’s been done with panache and the standard of workmanship looks good.
Even if the vibrancy is not to your taste and you wanted to tone it all down, the fundamentals, including hardwood floors and well-designed kitchen, are there.
I wondered about the safety of the neighborhood. The house is in the southernmost part of Berkeley, just east of Sacramento Street, close to the Oakland and Emeryville borders. Some of the surrounding streets look a touch seedy. The house is also a little too close to the main thoroughfare of Adeline Street for my liking.
I expressed my concerns to the realtor at the open house. Her response: “You can always drive your car straight into the garage”. Funnily enough, this did little to reassure me.
January 30, 2007
Today’s most clicked-on property is 3630 Jackson Street in San Francisco. Originally built in 1917, this Presidio Heights home is spectacular at all corners. Featuring a floor plan that accomodates 8 bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms this is just what the established CEO / President dreams to possess in a sweet dig. Designed by the famous Cal graduate Julia Morgan, this remodeled 10,000 square foot home has been on the market for only 4 days. Her career blazed after the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906 while many of the city dwellers of the time decided to move outside of the city. Fortunately for us, she designed this beautiful masterpiece in San Francisco’s back yard.
Here is Julia Morgan pictured with William Randolph Hearst during the construction of Hearst Castle in 1919.
I must admit that they performed a good job maintaining the overall feel and look of the home. The pictures accentuate the delicate wood carpentry that was prevalent at the turn of the century. Of course, this home is by appointment only and won’t be open for next Tuesday’s Broker’s tour, nonetheless, save your lunch money because all this can be yours for a mere $18,000,000.
January 29, 2007
Let’s get real … it’s fun to read about the week’s most-expensive new listing each Monday, but I bet the percentage of people that actually can afford this week’s $18 million home is slim to none. Instead let me tempt you with this week’s least-expensive new listings: The Bottom Three a la American Idol … which house will be taken off the market this week? I’m no Ryan Seacrest (I lack the spiky hair, cool t-shirts and vertical challenge) mainly because you won’t have to endure endless commercial breaks before getting the scoop … these three clearly are fixers looking for caring and handy buyers.
Foreclosure in Antioch? This $189,900, two-bed, one-bath, 925-square-foot condo is “Bank owned! What an opportunity! Fixer upper!” The kicker: seller will pay $2,000 of your closing costs. Honestly, it doesn’t look that bad.
I normally wouldn’t include a property without pictures, but it’s a fixer so how good could it be!? This Richmond house sits on .11 acres and I won’t bore you with the inside details because the description says it all: “Fixer, fixer, bring your contractor … needs total rehab!”
This one isn’t a fixer per se, but one in need of a good scrub. The description says “super clean,” and maybe it is, but the clutter makes me think otherwise. This $239,999, one-bed, one-bath 611-square-foot condo in El Sobrante reminds me of a “before-staging” picture. At least you can get a good idea of the current occupant … if the seller was to write a personal ad it might read: I am an open book - just look how I leave my kitchen cabinets open for you to peek into. I am a funny person - I post comics on my fridge for all to read. I value my health - I drink bottled water and leave it on the stove top to double as a fire extinguisher. I am a clean freak - look at the clean dishes on the counter, proof that my condo is “super clean!” I love to decorate - air conditioners make grand hat racks and colorful Post-It Notes make great artwork.
What’s your vote?
January 25, 2007
Today’s most popular property is 2231 Pinole Avenue in Rodeo. This 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom bungalow is selling for a cool $399,950. For those of you who don’t know where Rodeo is, Rodeo is a city you pass before you cross the Carquinez Bridge when going north on Interstate 80. In my opinion, there is not much going on in the city of Rodeo. However, I would argue that there is still some value in this city. Afterall, it is still closer to San Francisco than say a city like Vallejo or Napa.
The photos in the MLS listing only makes my impression of this home worsen. The home is cluttered with all kinds of junk and refuse. Moreover, the yard yearns for a cleaning. About the only positive comment I could make about this property is the fact that this home sits on a large lot. Which brings me back to my original thought that this home deserves to be demolished. Considering the condition and size of the home that sits on the lot now, I think a prudent person looking to make some money would demolish and build. What would you do?
January 22, 2007
Today’s most popular listing is a home in Danville with 5 bedrooms, 3 baths and over 2,700 square feet. The home has been on the market for 56 days and was originally listed at $1,029,000. Now at $999,000 the sellers are motivated, or as Cynthia mentioned yesterday, desperate. Which may or may not be the case as the sellers are participating in a relocation package.
To see a different perspective on this home, check out the virtual tour. The pool table makes this home look fun versus the “family home” image you see out front. In the end, you can make it any way you wish.
January 22, 2007
Who writes the fluffy house descriptions?! Out-of-work poets, creative writing students, used-car salesmen? Bottom line: words matter. Real-estate listings, not unlike personal ads, are crafted to minimize blemishes and maximize perceived selling points.
Decoding home marketing-speak can be just as complicated as figuring out what men really mean when they say “I love you” or your girlfriend’s huffy “nothing’s wrong!” A recent Los Angeles Times article gives us a decoder ring for words like motivated, move-in condition, new paint and more.
We evaluated the meaning of a few keywords from this week’s three least-expensive, new listings (the typos are real as well as the screaming text):
$277,000, one-bed, one-bath, 512-square-foot condo in San Jose:
VERY AFFORDABLE = has issues
ZERO DOWN = agent used to be a used-car salesman and will throw in free mats
EXCELLENT CONDITION = well-maintained
AMPLE CLOSET, & STORAGE SPACE = the rest of the unit is so unexceptional and everyone likes big closets
LOVELY & TRANQUIL = no neighbors?
Three $285,000, two-bed, one-bath, 819-square-foot condos in Oakland:
PRICE REDUCTION = desperate … seller overpriced it to start with and eventually had to lower it
Beautiful designer colors = Ralph Lauren was my personal designer
Granite = modern
nw carpts & pnt = we couldn’t find anything better to say … maybe I should have listened to my mother and said nothing at all
$290,000, two-bedroom, two-bath, 944-square-foot condo in Antioch:
2 TONE INTERIOR PAINT = nothing special, but doesn’t two-tone sound cool?
LAMINATE FLOOR ENTRY = this is a selling point? Is this 1970?
UPGRADED CARPET & TILED BATHROOMS = what we had before was BAD, this is a little better
Let’s compare this to the most-expensive new listing this week, a $9.998 million, 8,100-square-foot home in Los Gatos:
THIS PRESTIGIOUS ESTATE = bigger than a breadbox and Robin Leach-worthy
SITUATED ON MORE THAN 6 ACRES OF MAGNIFICENT KNOLL TOP LAND = you will be king of the hill and your neighbors will look like ants
THIS HOME FEATURES A VINTAGE CLAY ROOF, IMPORTED STONE WORK, AND TOP OF THE LINE OLD WORLD FINISHES THROUGHOUT = third-world child labor made this all possible
Check out the article for interesting facts such as …
Homes where the seller was “motivated” took 15 percent longer to sell
Houses listed as “handyman specials” flew off the market in half the average time.
Words that denoted “curb appeal” or general attractiveness helped a property sell faster than those that spoke of “value” and “price.”
Homes described as “beautiful” moved 15 percent faster and for 5 percent more in price than the benchmark.
“Good-value” homes sold for 5 percent less than average.
In conclusion, sellers would be best-served by a listing with “just the facts, ma’am.”
Decoder ring credit: Heather McKinnon, The Seattle Times
January 19, 2007
Today’s most-clicked on property appears to have been chiseled out of a solid block of stone by a pick.
Though it was built in 1913, this Edwardian-style condo has a nicely updated look; inside and out. As far as Sunset locations go, it’s desirable; hugging Mount Sutro and a block away from UCSF Medical Center and three blocks away from Golden Gate Park. Transportation needs are covered by having garage space for a car and your own personal bus stop a few steps from the front entrance. The homeowner dues are minimal at $117 per month.
Open House: Sunday, January 21, 2007, 2-4PM
STATS:
Asking: $879,000
Address: 650 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122
Square footage: Not indicated
Bedrooms: 2 Baths: 2
HOA dues: $117
MLS#: 318036
