It’s Halloween!  We’d love to hear what you’re dressed up as today, and what your kids are wearing to their Real Bay Area schools!  But first, the trick. 

Burbed reader Tracy Tea House is serving this San Jose special today, and we’ll leave it for you to unwrap.  Remember, Tracy likes Trulia for listings, so you can too.

1747 Vollmer Way
San Jose CA 95116
$429,900

Reduced $20,000 on 10/12/12
Est. payment: 
Bedrooms: 4 
Bathrooms: 2 full, 2 partial 
29 days on Trulia
171 views
Property type: Single-Family Home
Size: 1,658 sqft
Lot: Ask agent
Price/sqft: $259/sqft
Year built: 1947
MLS/ID: 81236242
Neighborhood: Alum Rock, 95116

San Jose, CA – Single Family Detached
Description provided by Trulia
This Single-Family Home located at 1747 Vollmer Way, San Jose CA is currently for sale and has been listed on Trulia for 29 days. This property is listed by CENTURY 21 Alpha for $429,900. 1747 Vollmer Way has 4 beds, 4 baths, and approximately 1,658 square feet. The price per square foot is $259. The property was built in 1947. 1747 Vollmer Way is in the Alum Rock neighborhood in San Jose, CA.

Here’s what you get when you ring this doorbell:

Lord Voldemort’s street… This one scares me and the listing croppy is just that, strange and mystifying. Seems like, from the satellite,  there is some kind of evil carnival located on the street behind.

Listing copy?  We see no listing copy here.    Redfin says, menacingly, “There are no remarks available.”  Maybe Lord Voldemort… disposed of it… along with the lot size the agent won’t disclose online. Hint: 6477 sf per Redfin. They also have three completely different photos, including this kitchen as classic “before” snap, and a yard perfect for burying mistakes.

Now here’s a treat: pictures inside the house from three years ago.  Plus an even older listing (nine years! for $388K! with overbidding!), no photos but actual description:

MOTIVATED SELLERS HAVE ALREADY FOUND REPLACEMENT HOME AND READY TO MAKE A DEAL NEW ROOF HAS BEEN DONE WITH GUTTERS * * * TILE KITCHEN, FRENCH DOORS TO BACKYARD CENTRALLY LOCATED TO FREEWAYS AND SHOPPING * * GARAGE CONV. PERMITS UNKNOWN

Like Dr. Frankenstein, we’re digging up pieces all over the place to assemble this monster.  Movoto cached the recent listing description!

Price:  $429,900
Loan Payment:  $1,497/mo
Bedrooms:  4
Bathrooms:  3
Size:  1,658 sqft
$/Sqft:  $259/sqft
Type:  Single Family House
Year Built:  1947
Lot Size:  6,477
Days on Movoto:  26 days
Neighborhood:  Alum Rock
MLS#:  81236242
Status:  Pending – Do Not Show

This is a very large home at a reasonable price. Look no further for these one`s in a life time opportunity home. Close to all convenience for your benefit.

That does sound creepy.  Have a look at the carnival and Happy Halloween!

Are you feeling handy? Here’s the kind of property you should be perusing.  Our thanks to Burbed reader nomadic for this luscious landholding in Los Gatos.  Um… too late!

18 FILLMER Ave
Los Gatos, CA 95030
$899,000

2 Beds 
1 Baths 
992 Sq. Ft.
$906 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1938 
Lot Size: 8,400 Sq. Ft. 
On Redfin: 42 days
Status: Pending Without Release
Property Type: Detached Single Family
View: Neighborhood
County: Santa Clara
Stories: 1
Community: Los Gatos/Monte Sereno
MLS#: 81234420

Extraordinary opportunity right off of Los Gatos Blvd. One of the last homes on this street with renovation/complete redo potential. Majority of land is behind the existing structure. Old “barn” (one maybe two car garage), wishing well, bbq pit and extra dry storage.

Here’s what nomadic had tied to the rock that broke our window:

Tear down for $900k, listing by California Dreaming Real Estate and property is complete with a wishing well.  Yet somehow the listing price just isn’t outrageous enough.

That’s why it went pending! Massive overbidding brought the selling right price back up where it needs to be! Good luck finding the house, though.  But with fun neighbors like these across the street, once you do maybe they’ll help you decorate.

Bunus: House is assessed for $140K, which means vintage everything inside! Too bad only the buyer got to see how vintage.

It’s Monday, and you know what that means! Time for more listing #winning!  Let’s start the work week with this Castro Valley catastrophe, which will have someone feeling castrated about yet another home selling shortly.  Thanks very much to Burbed reader JL for sending this house in, especially because we really need more East Bay listings.  To poop on!

If you’ve had an eye on a home of dubious virtue, and you’re thinking it belongs on Burbed, please send it to one of the email addresses in the upper right corner.  You’ll be glad you did!

4777 NOREE Ct
Castro Valley, CA 94546
$499,000

4 Beds 
2 Baths 
2,125 Sq. Ft.
$235 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1971 
Lot Size: 5,002 Sq. Ft. 
On Redfin: 46 days
Status: Active
Type: Detached
Stories: 2
County: Alameda
Style: Contemporary
Community: Castro Valley
MLS#: 40589048

Roomy and inviting upper valley home in the Vannoy Elementary area. Large livingroom with fireplace plus a dining area. Bedroom and full bath on ground level. Large kitchen overlooks attached FR and rear decks. Inside laundry. Attached two car garage. Storage galore!! Quiet cul-de-sac location.

Here’s why JL nominated this house for some good ol’ Burbed lovin’.

Lovely staging. Needs more flags! Love the confederate flag on the bed of this one.

Wow, that is indeed a Confederate flag.  Should we tip the owner that California entered the Union as a Free State?  Maybe that’s why they took it down while they looked for another wall that didn’t have so many flags on it.

So, come to this listing for the standards, stay for the Burbed Housekeeping Seal of Approval! 

Evident pride of ownership starts in slowly with this listing but continues to build as you make your way through the photos.  Click on through to see what we mean.

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Here’s a great story we found via Inside Los Gatos, and by “great” this time we actually do mean “great.”  It’s got a number of hot buttons, so fire up your righteous outrage!

Los Gatos Family Continues to Fight School

Edwards family says school won’t let their kids attend because of nut allergies. Los Gatos Union School claims the family doesn’t live in the right district

By Stephanie Chuang, NBC Bay Area, Tuesday, Oct 23, 2012, Updated 9:15 PM PDT

Edwards family says school won’t let their kids attend because of nut allergies, school claims the family doesn’t live in the right district

In a story we first told you on NBC Bay Area last Friday, the tension between one South Bay family and the Los Gatos Union School District (LGUSD) is coming to a head.

Tuesday morning, the Edwards family walked 9-year-old Ella and 7-year-old Sarah into the Van Meter Elementary school office – only to be greeted by the superintendent and two police officers.

“That’s when my heart sank, when I heard there were police officers just to prevent my girls from going to the school they belong in,” said Shuly Edwards, the girls’ mother, before she began to cry.

This story has a mom claiming her daughters have been kicked out of five different schools because of their nut allergies.  It has a district superintendent retorting the family is scamming the district because they actually live elsewhere.  It’s got threatened lawsuits. And of course, it’s got video of the girls being cute on cue. 

Due to all the highly pressurized and flammable contents, we hope this will lead to a veritable flamefight lively discussion. And just to pour some gasoline on the fire, we’ll get you going with some of the ruder observations from ILG’s own commenters.  Below is the first video, with more background on the Edwards’ nut allergy claims.

Here are some of the juicier rumors from Inside Los Gatos. (Burbed provides the comment summary as-is and without any implied warranty for accuracy. Some material appearing herein may not have been meant as a factual statement.)  The photo at right is also from the blog.

• This family has a home in Campbell mom’s sister is renting from them
• The same family was asked to leave Mulberry School (private) because of unreasonable food demands of others; mom is a troublemaker.
• The same mom was in a different news story about her chronic migraines (Confirmed!)
• Van Meter Elementary already has a nut-free lunch table
• Family provided two addresses and the first one was fictitious; were investigated for 5–6 weeks.  They have until next Wednesday to provide all paperwork or they’re out again.

We laugh at the foolish reporter in the follow-up video (top) for comparing Los Gatos Elementary to Moreland and Campbell school districts. Stephanie Chuang asked administrators at the latter two if they had ever called police to resolve a residency dispute.  As all readers of Burbed know, only Real Bay Area cities have Real Bay Area schools worth lying to get your kids into.

Thought all those problems with toxic groundwater and Superfund site cleanup was in the past? Guess again.

Turns out that parts of Mountain View are still dealing with problems from the TCE from not one but two different plumes.  What kind of problems?  Well, a higher incidence of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma than expected, according to the California Cancer Registry.

Now MEW can mean two different realty problems. Not only does it stand for Mortgage Equity Withdrawal, it also is an acronym for Middlefield-Ellis-Whisman, the area the EPA is monitoring for vapor intrusion.  You see, there is too such a thing as being on the Wrong Side of Middlefield.

TCE (Tricoroethylene), a cleaning solvent that’s been sitting in the ground since the early days of the semiconductor industry, is the apparent culprit.  Oh yeah, and the military dumped it as well.  Vapor intrusion is when these chemicals lead to outgassing into buildings over the TCE plume in the ground.  Researchers note it’s difficult to clean up because the area near Moffett Field is made up of… well, mud. 

There is good news.  The plume is migrating toward the Bay, away from residences.  There’s also bad news: the plume is migrating toward the Bay.

Do you live near any of these problem areas, or know someone who does? How much would you overbid for the opportunity to meet cute EPA scientists or cancer researchers?

Or if this topic is way too depressing for you, talk about anything you’d like in this Open Thread.  When you’re not worried about getting cancer from TCE, there’s always the Fantasy Slut League, coming to a high school near you!

It’s time for your weekend!  How about spending it somewhere exciting, like the big city?  (Noooo, we do not mean San Jose.) We’re willing to go toe to toe with the San Francisco real estate blogs when we have to, and when we have to is when it comes to listing fail.  Here’s an Unhappy Hipsters-inspired example of Better Living Through Concrete, courtesy of Burbed reader Petsmart Groomer.  Thanks very much for this snug single in SF!

766 Harrison St
San Francisco, CA 94107
$349,000

HOA Dues: $265/mo.
0 Beds
1 Baths
292 Sq. Ft.
$1,195 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 2008
Lot Size: —
On Redfin: 1 day
Status: Active
HOA Dues: $265/month
Style: Contemporary, Modern/High Tech
County: San Francisco
Property Type: Condominium, Studio
Community: Yerba Buena
MLS#: 402288

Architec-designed living in the heart of SOMA. Cubix is a contemporary community located in th Yerba Buena Arts District. George Hauser designed this modern studio resindence which faces Northwest. Stylishly appointed home with concrete radient heat floors, newly upgraded full kitchen with Bosch appliances and cabinetry, and a balcony. Rare storage is included. Green building features lansdcaped roof deck, BBQ, glass-enclosed outdoor picnic area for private parties, succulent garden. Epicenter Cafe is conveniently located on the first floor. Great location next to Whole Foods, SFMOMA, Metreon.

Not only is it architec-designed, it looks like it was architec-spellchecked as well.  This resindence features radient heat floors and a lansdcaped roof deck.  It also features architec-design suggestive of The Stacks.

One way you know there was an architec involved: lots and lots and lots of pictures of a 292 square foot condo.  Bunus: a price per square foot that gives Palo Alto a shove in the shoulder and says, “Can you beat that? Huh? Huh? Can you?”

We’ve featured a lot of flips on Burbed.  Today’s front-paged fortress is a flip, but that isn’t what brought it to our attention.  Thanks very much to Burbed reader Swan for this luscious LOLapalooza in Los Altos!

1998 NEWCASTLE Dr
Los Altos, CA 94024
$1,498,000

3 Beds
2 Baths
1,700 Sq. Ft.
$881 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1956
Lot Size: 10,450 Sq. Ft.
On Redfin: 21 days
Status: Active
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Community: South of El Monte
MLS#: 81236495
Stories: 1
County: Santa Clara

Stunning one-of-a-kind home with custom details and top of the line finishes. Sits on huge corner lot, with room to expand in the future. Mahogany doors, windows and cabinets, travertine patios and flooring, hardwood planked flooring, marble bathroom surrounds, luscious backyard with fountain and room for entertaining. Great schools, close to freeways. This will be your dream estate!

“Dream estate” may be overstating things a little, especially when you get a look at the outside of the house.  Okay, overstating it a lot.  The inside of the redone house looks nice, but the outside is kind of meh.

But as far as the before pictures, go, this is a dream Burbed property.  Voilà!

1998 NEWCASTLE Dr
Los Altos, CA 94024
$1,025,000
Sold 6/22/12 for $1,015,000

3 Beds
2 Baths
1,698 Sq. Ft.
$598 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1956
Lot Size: 10,450 Sq. Ft.
Sold On: Jun 22, 2012
Status: Sold
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Stories: 1
County: Santa Clara
Style: Ranch
Community: South of El Monte
MLS#: 81217356

Fixer in beautiful neighborhood. Good bones within this 3 bedroom, 2 bath home that sits on a 10,000 + sq ft lot. Built in the ’50′s it has some charming features that just aren’t found in new construction today. Opportunity abounds.

Let’s listen in as Swan explains further:

Here’s a link to a house in Los Altos which sold last spring.  I meant to send it in as it deserves the Burbed Housekeeping Seal of Approval.  Love the wheelchair.  Love the basketballs on the floor.  Love the peeling paint on the outside of the house.

Of course someone bought the house, flipped it, and wants $1.5 million for it.

Definitely cleaned up and better looking than before.  However, if you look at street view of the old house, and the realtard’s pictures of the new house, don’t you think they re-used the garage door?  Really?  For all that effort, they couldn’t buy a new garage door?

The (old) Streetview peek is on the left.  Here’s an extreme close-up of the garage doors… after the break.  Plus more photos!

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We’ve mentioned a few times that this site’s founder, burbed, has a jones for pink houses. Today’s house is pink… but only on the inside.  Open wide, say Ahhh, and and have a look at this marvelous maison in Milpitas!  Thanks very much to Burbed reader Tracy Tea House for sending in this rancho rosa real.

2258 Devon Place
Milpitas CA 95035
$914,888

Play virtual tour (powered by Trulia Pro)

Est. payment: 
Bedrooms: 4 
Bathrooms: 3 
62 days on Trulia
862 views
Property type: Single-Family Home
Size: 2,700 sqft
Lot: 0.25 acres
Price/sqft: $339/sqft
Year built: 1985
MLS/ID: ML81231332
Zip: 95035

Detached, Traditional – Milpitas, CA
This custom Shapell Home is now on the market for the 1st time! Immaculate Condition!! This Beautiful home has been cared for & loved by the same owners for 26 years.*Formal Living, Family & Dining room, Breakfast nook, High ceiling through out *Master Suite w/walk-in closet, tub w/jets, *Private laundry room *New Tile, double pane windows, plantation shutters, video security system, Huge Lot with tons of possibilities & MUCH MORE!!

Here’s what Tracy thought about the decor.

Wow  so nice and in Milpitas too. Yeah, it’s a little close to 680, but all in all seems pleasant enough. I am sending this house to you because of the decorating. I didn’t even see the inside of the house, I was too distracted by the pastel color schemes…

This house is 26 years old? This dining room reminds me of some model condos we toured back in 1984.  So that means the current owners were only two years behind the latest decorating trends… assuming they never updated another thing once they furnished this home.

Providentially, there’s plenty more pink photos to peruse.  Please, enjoy them after the break.

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Today’s Adventure in Real Estate Photography takes us to the always popular City of Sunnyvale (motto: Costs More than Santa Clara).  Let’s see what Burbed reader shandrew has lassoed for us in the listings.

1002 YORKTOWN Dr
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
$930,000

3 Beds
2 Baths
1,661 Sq. Ft.
$560 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1956
Lot Size: 7,700 Sq. Ft.
On Redfin: 3 days
Status: Active
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Stories: 1
County: Santa Clara
Style: Ranch
Community: Sunnyvale
MLS#: 81238090

Beautiful home in PRIME Sunnyvale! Cherry Chase (966 API), Sunnyvale (843 API) and Homestead (866). Nicely landscaped spacious lot. New paint and carpet. Crown. Dbl pane windows. Recessed lights, hardwood floors. Remodeled kitchen & baths. Spacious master suite with a tub in the master bath! Living AND family AND dining AND casual dining areas! North facing. Regular sale-NOT short sale or REO.

Here’s what shandrew had to say about this property:

Check out the clouds over this house in PRIME Sunnyvale!

Compare photos 1 (above) and 22 (below), and you’ll see miraculous clouds that are precisely identical whether viewed straight on from the front of the house or viewed
to the side of the backyard.

Then take a careful look at some of the trees which apparently have been consumed by these vicious clone army of clouds.

Clouds which consume trees are apparently good for property values.

We think those clouds look like a flock of pterodactyls, which is why the trees were eaten so quickly (between picture 21 and 22).  These leaves haven’t even had time to fall down after the ptero-cirrus swooped down and chowed on the branches.

Yet the same clouds show up in the time it took the agent to install a for sale sign.  Compare this picture of the front of the house with the first one.

There’s only one good explanation for this.

Pterodactyls helped install the sign.

And it’s time for yet another week of Real Bay Area Realty.  Really!  Let’s begin the week in Mountain View, because it’s the Borg of Burbed.  You WILL be assimilated.  Thanks very much to Burbed reader ctar for sending us this magnificent manse… which of course has already sold.

683 Mountain View Ave
Mountain View, CA 94041
Listed for $985,000
Sold 9/25/12 for $940,000

Zestimate® $1,008,421
Est. Mortgage $3,289/mo
Beds: 3
Baths: 2
Sqft: 1,272
Lot: 4,999 sq ft / 0.11 acres
Type: Single Family
Year built: 1946
Construction quality: 6.0
County: Santa Clara
Garage sqft: 360
Last remodel year: 1946
Legal description: –
Lot depth: 100
Lot width: 50
Parcel #: 15430046
Per floor sqft: 1,272
Total rooms: 6
# Stories: 1.0
Structure type: Other

Carefully maintained 1 owner home in desirable location near downtown. Fresh interior paint and great curb appeal, this home has a gas stove, refrigerator and dishwasher in the kitchen, featuring a breakfast bar and nook. Ceiling fans in the eating area and all bedrooms. 2 car garage partially converted to finished room; parking is now 1 car garage plus carport. Beautifully landscaped yard.

When ctar sent this find to burbed, here was the accompanying commentary:

Thought you would appreciate this one – ridiculous.

burbed noted, when forwarding this submission on to our extensive team of content creators:

You’re right! It’s ridiculously below market!

As we’ve been telling you for months, Mountain View is hot, hot, HOT so the home sold long before we could get to it.  What do you think the lucky new owner is going to do with this vintage decor? We’d be disappointed if the house got flipped, because the current fixtures are so full of win.

Also this is one of the few houses with pictures of every room that managed not to show any of the toilets.  For that we award this listing the Burbed George “the Grocer” Whipple Bath Tissue Award, for real estate bathroom photography most appropriate for a 1960s sitcom.

There weren’t any toilets in those 1960s television houses, either.

Bunus: Close to Shoreline Boulevard.  Real close!