2216 AMHERST St, Palo Alto, CA 94306 | MLS# 80942010
2216 AMHERST St Palo Alto, CA 94306
Price: $885,000

Beds: 1
Baths: 1
Sq. Ft.: 684
$/Sq. Ft.: $1,294
Lot Size: 4,680 Sq. Ft.
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Style: Cottage/Bungalow
Stories: Bi/Split Level
View: Neighborhood
Year Built: 1934
Community: College
County: Santa Clara
MLS#: 80942010
Source: MLSListings
Status: Active
On Redfin: 6 days
Redwood and oak cottage style hideaway. Redwood walls and cabinets and ceilings. Oak floors. Charming house and location. This oldie but goodie is a delight to see. Bring imagination and remodeling ideas for the kitchen. Good roof and updated bathroom. Friendly neighborhood with lots of trees near Stanford, shopping, etc.

$885,000. Yep, Palo Alto is now affordable.

At 684 sqft, this house is perfect for a student who has just moved here from China, with bags full of money. Nothing says “Americana” quite like this house – and let’s face it, it certainly does have a rustic charm to it.

At $1294 per square foot, you can brag about this to all your classmates – “Did you know that each square foot of my house is equivalent to 2 contract free iPhones?” Booyah that’ll score the ladies.

And, it’s easy to clean.

So buy it today for your soon-to-be Stanford student. It’s a better investment than a dorm, which is throwing money away. And, besides, if you don’t buy it soon, someone will.

[Thanks to Burbed reader Herve who also found this.]

484 W 25TH Ave, San Mateo, CA 94403 | MLS# 80939555
484 W 25TH Ave San Mateo, CA 94403
Price: $780,000

Beds: 3
Baths: 2
Sq. Ft.: 1,350
$/Sq. Ft.: $578
Lot Size: 5,000 Sq. Ft.
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Style: Ranch
Stories: 1
Year Built: 1940
Community: Beresford Manor
County: San Mateo
MLS#: 80939555
Source: MLSListings
Status: Pending Without Release
On Redfin: 20 days
Gorgeous 3bd, 2ba corner lot in very desirable neighborhood in fantastic school district. Modern, well maintained home has hardwood & title floors throughout. Beautiful cabinets & countertops, eat in kitchen, dining room, gas fireplace in living room, swimming pool & hot tub, a/c in house & garage, washer/dryer and amazing finished 2 car garage. 1350 SQ FT with tons of outdoor living space!

Thanks to Burbed reader rinkrat for this find!

If you love cars, you’ll love this house. Look… the realtor even features that as the leading picture. This finished garage even has a space for the latest sporting sensation: sitting down punching! That’s right, it combines the convenience of sitting, with the drama of punching a bag. Sweet!

Oh wait, there’s another picture. I guess we should take a look.

Yeah yeah, house house. Whatever.

Also, this house has plenty of living space outside. Just look… isn’t it obvious from this picture?

Hey… wasn’t there something about a pool? Eh… whatever. It’s all about the garage baby. Vroom vroom!

Jay Leno eat your heart out!

908 Sunnydale Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134 | MLS# 358172
908 Sunnydale Ave San Francisco, CA 94134
Price: $799,000

Beds: 3
Baths: 1
Sq. Ft.: 1,118
$/Sq. Ft.: $715
Lot Size: -
Property Type: Single-Family Home, Semi-Attached
Style: Art Deco
Year Built: 1952
Community: Visitacion Valley
County: San Francisco
MLS#: 358172
Source: San Francisco MLS
Status: Active
On Redfin: 78 days
Recently update. New kitchen, beautiful hardwood floors. Ready for a new owner

This is one of those properties that makes me proud to be in the Bay Area. $800k…. $715 per square foot.

No interior pictures.

It’s the kind of property that knows who is the boss… who is in control. It’s the seller. And the seller saying to you, the buyer, “You’re my bitch.”

Nice. I love it.

I also love the look of this semi-attached house. I like the bold clean lines that says “I’m a Costco – but with windows.” I like the plethora of cables that allow you to tie your tennis shoes together, and throw them onto the wires.

But most importantly, I love the art deco trim of this house.

Now, I know that a lot of snobby east coast know nothings would probably say that this is art deco:

But hey… this is New Art Deco, if you know what I mean. And, isn’t that trim between the first and second floors kind of like the trim above?

Like or leave it. Welcome to the Bay Area.

Palo Alto Online: Real Estate Home
Neighborhood Guides

Palo Alto: http://www.paloaltoonline.com/neighborhoods/palo_alto.php

Atherton: http://www.paloaltoonline.com/neighborhoods/atherton.php

Menlo Park: http://www.paloaltoonline.com/neighborhoods/menlo_park.php

Portola Valley: http://www.paloaltoonline.com/neighborhoods/portola_valley.php

Woodside: http://www.paloaltoonline.com/neighborhoods/woodside.php

Mountain View: http://www.paloaltoonline.com/neighborhoods/mountain_view.php

Los Altos: http://www.paloaltoonline.com/neighborhoods/los_altos.php

Thanks to Burbed reader Herve for this find.

For those moving to the Real Bay Area, these guides should be useful. Frankly I think they could be even better if they provided more information like “Number of VC’s” and “# of millionaires” – but this is a great start.

What would you like to see added to these guides?

It’s Saturday. That means it is time for Burbed’s book of the week!

Amazon.com: Buy Even Lower: The Regular People’s Guide to Real Estate Riches (Regular Riches) (9781419535741): Scott Frank, Andy Heller: Books

Review
“A book every real estate investor will love.” — – Ilyce R. Glink, nationally syndicated investor columnist

“On my scale of one to 10, this outstanding book rates a solid 10.” — – Robert J. Bruss, nationally syndicated real estate columnist

Product Description
Scott Frank and Andy Heller have been buying investment real estate for a combined 40 years. In Buy Even Lower, learn how they consistently buy these properties for the “right investor price.” Additionally, they show you that “buying even lower” is about more than simply saving money. It is also about saving time and energy, so you have more of it for your friends, family, and other interests and so you are positioned to live a full and wonderful life—what Scott and Andy refer to as Regular Riches®.

Let’s face it, there are investment opportunities all abound, especially in not so great cities. The problem is, often those people aren’t as smart as the ones in the Bay Area – they’re more emotionally driven, with no business sense.

I’m talking about New York. With you heaps of equity stashed away in your money bin, now is the time to unleash some of it, and scoop up some of those investment opportunities in NY. With this book, you can figure out how to buy those properties up cheaply, so that when Bay Area pioneers start treking out easy to spread the good news about greentech, you’ll be there to watch Manhattan transform from a rust belt city, to a greenbelt city. And watch as your property soars.

So go ahead, buy this book. Learn to buy even lower.

And when you become rich from your newfound negotiation skills, please help this site out, click this link to learn more!

1793 Geneva Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134 | MLS# 359554
1793 Geneva Ave San Francisco, CA 94134
Price: $625,000

Beds: 3
Baths: 1
Sq. Ft.: 1,304
$/Sq. Ft.: $479
Lot Size: -
Property Type: Single-Family Home
Year Built: 1946
Community: Visitacion Valley
County: San Francisco
MLS#: 359554
Source: San Francisco MLS
Status: Active
On Redfin: 40 days
Single Family Home used as investment property with gross potential income of $5,525. Contact Agent for more info.

Hey hey hey entrepreneurs! Check out what I’ve found for you!

With easy access to power lines, and protected from tsunamis by a mountain behind it, this house offers $5,525 of gross potential income.

That’s right! $5,525! Did you notice that the unit of time isn’t specified? That’s because it’s per day!

Yep. $5,525 per day. This house can be for all sorts of lucrative purposes – your imagination is the limit. Personally, I think you can rent it out for ultimate parties for celebs like Lohan, or sports figures like Vick. Or… you can have corporate off-sites for Amgen, Genentech, and other firms.

Look… it’s happening already! There’s a BMW parked outside. Ooooh! Ahhhhh!

Buy this house and start profiting today!

Property details
Type: Detached Single Family
Status: Pending w/o release
List Date: 07/27/09
Price: $452,000
Location: 1524 NORTON ST, San Mateo, CA 94401 (map)
Area: 414 – San Mateo – South Shoreview
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms Full: 1
Approx. Sq. Ft.: 1000
Approx. Lot Size: 6,400.sf
Approx age: 56
MLS#: 80936060

Elementary School District: 938 – San Mateo-Foster City Elementary

High School District: 939 – San Mateo Union High

Description: Charming San Mateo Home! Low maintenance backyard, 3 full bedrooms. Title shows as 1 bath, property is currently has 1.5 baths (permits unknown). Tile kitchen counters and shower enclosure. Must see! Not a Short Sale!

Thanks to Burbed reader rinkrat for this find!

Wow! Tile kitchen counters! That’s so incredibly rare these days… with granite this, granite that, concrete this, concrete that. It’s like a throw back to back when… when… well… when tile kitchen counters were cool.

Retro is in, my friends. It is in.

But what caught the attention of rinkrat was the low maintenance backyard. Now, as we all know, that’s a good thing because we all want to be more green, save the earth, yada yada yada.

Let’s take a look at this green backyard shall we?

That’s definitely sustainable.I keep see that yard staying like that for 10 years without any fertilizer or water!

Hm. What’s behind that wall? Guesses anyone?

In today’s installment of search term Thursday, recently someone found this site by searching for: best areas to live in the bay area

Wow. Talk about an easy one.

Without a doubt, it is the Real Bay Area. Unfortunately, that area is constantly shifting.

The readers on this site will surely have their opinions… but personally I think you should at a minimum set a bar $650 per square foot. You really don’t want to go below that.

Generally I would target $850 per square foot+. That’s real quality.

Unfortunately, Burbed must be bias free – readers, what do you recommend?

4076 WILKIE Way, Palo Alto, CA 94306 | MLS# 80940079
4076 WILKIE Way Palo Alto, CA 94306
Price: $869,000

Beds: 2
Baths: 1
Sq. Ft.: 886
$/Sq. Ft.: $981
Lot Size: 6,000 Sq. Ft.
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Style: Cottage/Bungalow
Stories: 1
View: Neighborhood
Year Built: 1948
Community: Ventura
County: Santa Clara
MLS#: 80940079
Source: MLSListings
Status: Pending Without Release
On Redfin: 18 days
Absolutely charming two bedroom, one bath cottage with so much potential ??? best gateway into Palo Alto. It has wonderful curb appeal with its custom picket fence and inviting garden both lovingly created by the owners. The home is built on a good-sized lot with potential to remodel or expand into the spacious backyard. Desirable Palo Alto schools and neighborhood park nearby.

Thanks to Burbed reader Herve for this fine.

Burbed sent this in because he thought there was mistake – that the picket fence listed wasn’t really a picket fence.

WRONGO!

It’s a custom picket fence. You see, Palo Alto is a hotbed of innovation, and the latest is custom picket fences. Who wants traditional, when you can now innovate by adding a safety bar to the top. BOOM! It’s Picket Fence 2.0 baby!

What I find interesting is the ??? after potential. It leave so much to the imagination. It piques it, and says “think about it” “think some more” “no really, keep thinking because you don’t have it right yet.” What would you have put in this listing in that spot?

And finally, let’s look at the kitchen.

If that isn’t palo alto charm, I don’t know what is.

$981 per square foot. Bellissimo! And, it’s pending without release. Things are hot hot hot these days! Fall bounce baby!

333 S BERNARDO Ave Unit VERY QUIET, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 | MLS# 80942019
333 S BERNARDO Ave Unit VERY QUIET Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Price: $560,000

Beds: 3
Baths: 2.5
Sq. Ft.: 1,444
$/Sq. Ft.: $388
Lot Size: 2,275 Sq. Ft.
Property Type: Townhouse
Stories: 1-3 (Low Rise)
Year Built: 1977
Community: Sunnyvale
County: Santa Clara
MLS#: 80942019
Source: MLSListings
Status: Active
On Redfin: 5 days
Private and quiet unit. No neighbor to the left or behind. Light and bright end-unit townhome with all the bonuses: remodeled kitchen with large pantry, crown molding, master bedroom suite with vaulted ceilings and 2 walkin closets, large 2nd and 3rd bedrooms, large backyard for kid or pets. Dual-paned windows. Inside laundry room. Cat-5e wiring. 2 car attached garage. Pool area just steps away.

This caught my attention the other day. I think this townhouse is very quiet. It’s very quiet. Very quiet? Very quiet.

In fact, this specific townhouse at 333 S Bernardo is so quiet, people have been known to say “Yeah, just take a left at Very Quiet, and park on the left.” It’s world famous practically!

Let’s take a look at this other part of the listing – large backyard for kid or pets. Note, if you have multiple kids, this large backyard will be incompatible.

But, a picture is worth a thousand words, so judge for yourself:

Is that a large backyard or what! (Very quiet)