Menlo Park, like its nearby neighbors, is having a bit of a real estate run right now.  Fortunately, some properties have that certain je ne sais pas that put them on our front page no matter how much Facebook employees want to buy a house.  Today’s featured facade, foisted upon us by Burbed reader peninsula.man, punctuates this perfectly.  Please proceed.

410 8TH AVE
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Offered at $699,000
- Pending (Do Not Show)

Type: Single Family Home
MLS #  ML81233923 
SqFt  2,170
Beds  5  Baths  3 Full / 1 Partial 
Lot Size 5,350 SqFt
Year / Age  1935 / 77
Virtual Tour
BuildFax 
 
This spacious and newly remodeled home with 2170 sf is in immaculate move-in condition. Beautifully updated kitchen, baths, recessed lighting, crown moldings, dual-pane windows, and Cherry engineered hardwood floors. Secure front gate with professionally landscaped yard. A perfect home with great convenient location, ready and waiting for its new owner.

And here’s what the P-Man himself has to say about this place:

Can not wait to live next to pizza hut! for just over half a million

More like almost half again over half a million. You’ve been living on the Peninsula too long if $199,000 isn’t worth mentioning in a home price.

More importantly, these photos suggest that this not-quite-vintage-enough-to-qualify-for-the-old-house-tag listing has had a few upgrades put in recently.  Very recently.  Because let’s have a look at the last time this place went pending.

410 8TH Ave
Menlo Park, CA 94025
$355,000 –  Last Sold Price

4 Beds 
4.5 Baths 
2,000 Sq. Ft.
$178 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1935 
Lot Size: 5,350 Sq. Ft. 
Sold On: Jan 13, 2012
Property Type: Detached Single Family
View: Neighborhood
County: San Mateo
Stories: 1
Community: County Area/Fair Oaks Ave
MLS#: 81150047

This property is a fixer upper need cash buyer to buy this property

Someone had the cash, as the place went pending in eleven days.  Now look what they did to it!  This time it went pending in only seven days. 

Whoops, according to Zillow it went pending in seven days after the $76,000 price reduction five weeks after the $50,000 price reduction which was a month after this place was first listed for an eye-popping $825,000. 

Where the heck do they think they are, Mountain View?  Bunus: House is not actually next to Pizza Hut. 

You can clearly see there is a Quik-Stop in the way.  Be sure to check out the Streetview so you can appreciate this location, location, location! 

Score! Trash bins and DHO!

Here’s a place in Mountain View that’s NOT PENDING YET.  Yes, you could buy this home today (unless it goes pending at 8:01 AM, so why wait?)  We had to work hard to find such a property, so you know this is a really Special find.  Thanks very much to Burbed reader Petsmart Groomer for passing this one along.

821 CENTRAL Ave
Mountain View, CA 94043
$899,000

BEDS: 3
BATHS: 2
SQ. FT.: 1,733
$/SQ. FT.: $519
LOT SIZE: 4,550 Sq. Ft.
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STORIES: 1
YEAR BUILT: 1946
COMMUNITY: North Shoreline
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81217517
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 32 days

Walk 2-blocks to Vibrant Downtown Castro Street & Caltrain! 1733sf Includes Both Remodeled 3b/2ba House PLUS Detached 1b/1ba Guest Cottage w/ Separate Entrance. Hardwood Floors, Granite Countertops, Recessed Lights, French Doors, Dual-Pane Windows, Fenced Back Yard w/ Inviting Patio/Deck. ATTENTION INVESTORS – Estimated Rent ~$5000/mo. + (Main House ~$3600/mo. + & Cottage ~$1400/mo. +)

So the home is close to restaurants and transportation, plus it has rental income,  What’s not to like?  Let’s ask PG:

Air National Guard recruitment office as a neighbor

By “neighbor” did you mean “same block” or did you mean “next door”?

Ah.  The Thai Restaurant is pretty good, though.  Good enough to guarantee overflow parking on both sides of Central.  And if you’re feeling patriotic, the folks next door would love to have a word, anytime.

Burbed continues to look at the kind of houses that made this site what it is: crapboxes!  Today we have a Guest Post from Burbed reader mabel du of a memorable manor in Mountain View!  Please welcome mabel to the front page as today’s Guest Blogger!

Want to see your name in lights too?  Submit your housing finds for us to dissect, or your full write-ups, to the email addresses in the top right corner.

330 MOFFETT Blvd
Mountain View, CA 94043
$875,000

BEDS: 4
BATHS: 2
SQ. FT.: 1,176
$/SQ. FT.: $744
LOT SIZE: 5,700 Sq. Ft.
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STYLE: Ranch
STORIES: 1
VIEW: City Lights
YEAR BUILT: 1960
COMMUNITY: North Shoreline
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81215495
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 32 days

Highly desirable Mountain View area within a couple of blocks of downtown with bountiful of good restaurants. Commerical residential zone. This site can be either one. Fixer upper. Could be a builder/investor’s dream place. Property to be sold in “as is condition”. Lots of potential!!! Easy access to highway 85 and freeway 101.

Don’t let this gem slip away into pending status before you can post it.  This is the hot new/old recycled listing from our past – twice – see the olde but goode listings on Burbed.

This crapshack wouldn’t take “no” for an answer a few years ago, so they raised the price $10k trying to win the housing (Facebook) lottery again.  I guess they think the kids with new Facebook money will jump all over this place as a diamond in the rough (note to realtor:  don’t hold yer breath).

This time, instead of sharing multi photos of Moffett Blvd, they’re just showing us the outside of the lil’ darling in a multi-use neighborhood. (Check out the satellite photo)

This entry must be Burbed-worthy, especially the 3rd time around.  It looks like they’ve really spiffied-up the yard in the years since entry #1 graced yer lovely website;  they must have raked the leaves at least once in the last 6 yrs. 

Based on these front yard pix, i assume there’s a good sized corn mash still tucked away in the backyard.  It’s like re-visiting my childhood trips thru Appalachia; and it’s right here in mountain view, but without the nauseating drive through the mountains in the back end suicide seats of a station wagon! 

And I didn’t even include the actual trauma of being IN Appalachia for summers w/my dad’s family! That the old station wagon was probably circa 1965 with those back end suicide seats – no seat belts, who needs ‘em!?!   One good bump and all the kids would have been projectiles out the back window, which was already rolled down and sucking in additional exhaust fumes (no AC back in the dark ages).  If you’re not old enough to remember ‘em, you missed an era.

Today’s luxe listing is all about location, location, location!  Many thanks to Burbed reader Overheard in San Carlos for passing along this plum place!

664 CHESTNUT St
San Carlos, CA 94070
$850,000

BEDS: 3
BATHS: 2
SQ. FT.: 2,920
$/SQ. FT.: $291
LOT SIZE: 7,350 Sq. Ft.
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STYLE: Mediterranean
STORIES: 2
VIEW: Neighborhood
YEAR BUILT: 1950
COMMUNITY: Howard Park
COUNTY: San Mateo
MLS#: 81207068
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Pending Without Release
ON REDFIN: 25 days

CHARMING 3 BEDROOM, 1.75 BATH HOME W/ FRM, HDWD FLRS THRU-OUT & 2 CAR TANDEM GARAGE. SPACIOUS LIVING RM W/ BRICK SURROUND FRPLC. SEP FRML DINING RM W/ ARCHED DOORWAY. RETRO 50′S STYLE EAT-IN KITCH W/ TILE COUNTER TOPS, PLENTY OF CABINETS, FREE STANDING RANGE/OVEN & REFRIG. 3 NICE SIZE BEDRMS ON MAIN LEVEL. DWNSTRS FULL BASEMENT W/ LAUNDRY AREA. 7350 SQ FT LOT/ZONED RM59

HRS OF ENTRTNMNT INSD & OUT.

BUNUS: RM-59 ZNG = “MLTPL FAM MED DNSTY.”  Which is great, because this place already looks more like an APT HSE.

IDEAL LOCN, WLK 2 LIB, CTY SVCS DWNTWN, CLS 2 EVRYTNG.

ESPLY POLCE STN.

We’ve done with our whirlwind tour of the cheapest home in every Bay Area County (plus Santa Cruz).  But what about our favorite cities?  We can’t leave them without a big ol’ Burbed hug! 

Go West, young man, west of San Jose over to the delightful city of Santa Clara!  Don’t get lost, now, because when you go West in San Jose, that means taking 101 or 280 NORTH.  But don’t actually go North.  You’ll end up in Alviso, and we’re headed there another day.

Today: The Mission City!  Tomorrow: The World!  Muhahahaha!

1647 LAFAYETTE St, Santa Clara, CA 95050

BEDS: 2
BATHS: 1
SQ. FT.: 988
$/SQ. FT.: $302
LOT SIZE: 9,000 Sq. Ft.
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STORIES: 1
YEAR BUILT: 1920
COMMUNITY: Santa Clara
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81144289
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Pending With Release
ON REDFIN: 47 days

Short Sale As Is with only one Lender. Nice floor plan with a large back yard. This charming home is a fixer upper, located in a central location of Santa Clara. Easy access to highways, Santa Clara University and within walking distance to the surrounding business places, shops & restaurants.

Don’t let that Pending status worry you, it’s Pending With Release!  That means you can slip in a non-contingent offer, even better if it’s all-cash.  But don’t plan on getting to see the inside until you take possession.  Here’s another view courtesy of Google.

And when the agent said centrally located, she wasn’t kidding!

Sold for $474K in 2003, that’s $175K in instant equity waiting for you!

Today we have a short but sweet guest post from z2amiller!  It’s another luscious listing in the location, location, location land of Mountain View, but this time z left the confines of the immediate neighborhood and found us something even better.

Unfortunately it was sent over the transom as a PowerPoint slide deck.  Given how close this house is to a thriving commercial district, you should be jumping on it as a Web 3.0 opportunity.

Please give z2amiller a big, warm and profitable Real Bay Area welcome as today’s Guest Blogger!

911 BORANDA Ave Unit A, Mountain View, CA 94040
$594,500

BEDS: 2
BATHS: 1
SQ. FT.: 523
$/SQ. FT.: $1,137
LOT SIZE: 3,160 Sq. Ft.
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STYLE: Cottage/Bungalow
STORIES: 1
VIEW: Neighborhood
YEAR BUILT: 1900
COMMUNITY: Miramonte
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81144771
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 39 days

Cute cottage style bungalow with nice size backyard. .. tiki hut with tropical look and feel. .. perfect for entertaining. Property is walking distance to downtown Mountain View. Gorgeous kitchen, with cherry wood cabinets, newer stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, and beautiful hardwood floors.

This one made me WTFOL (WTF out loud): @ ~600K

• 523 sqft (Not counting the tiki hut! Tiki hut?)
• 523 sqft house with a $100K kitchen (stainless steel, granite, cherry cabinets)
• Bedroom Desk (picture 7, with laptop) is a Costco steel wire rack – with 523sqft you have to think vertically!

• Okay actually the tiki hut is kind of awesome (photos 11-14)

• Only a short block away, and more importantly, downwind from Clark’s Hamburgers – your tiki hut will always smell like fresh hamburgers!
• Appears to be in the backyard of a strip mall with a tattoo parlor (Revolution Ink)
• Look at the shape of that lot!   Maybe 3100 sqft but at it looks like about 1/3 – 1/4 of that is useless.

Sorry no time for a full write up, only bullet-point snark

I feel we’ve been neglecting Campbell for a while, so here’s another listing from the City Without a Nickname (please feel free to make one up in the comments) or how about More City for a Million.  However, according to Wikipedia, Campbell was where the fruit cocktail was first invented.  I don’t know how they poached that feat from Sunnyvale, where the Fruit Cocktail Tower is still standing.

Thanks very much to Burbed reader THN for bringing this great deal to our attention.  Burbed reader Sam Adu also recently mentioned it in comments.

183 DILLON Ave, Campbell, CA 95008
$424,900

BEDS: 3
BATHS: 2
SQ. FT.: 1,565
$/SQ. FT.: $272
LOT SIZE: 4,599 Sq. Ft.
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STYLE: Traditional
STORIES: 1
VIEW: Neighborhood
YEAR BUILT: 1934
COMMUNITY: Campbell
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81056007
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 244 days

Great home for the growing family. Close to sought after Downtown Campbell and Rapid Transit line. Kitchen has been remodeled with granit counter tops and tile flooring. Home comes with gas stove, microwave, and refrigerater. Back yard has built in BBQ with separate guest cottage (permit unknown)

Well, this listing copy’s a bit of a head-scratcher; the agent misspelled “granit” and “refrigerater” but nailed “separate guest cottage.”  I like how the “granit” goes with the single-pane windows and that seafoam green paint job from 1956.

That first picture’s a puzzlement, too.  Do they expect you to park your car in the garage?  Most people park on the driveway and use the garage as a storage shed, but the white picket fence makes that option impossible!  Where the heck are you going to store your back issues of National Geographic?

While your jaw drops lower and lower as you read the listing history below, we’ve highlighted the most important parts for you.  This house has not only been foreclosed, it’s been pending five times, and changed hands for $693,000.  In 2005.

And if you think that’s a lot of money, wait until you see the Zillow record.

Talk about freefall!  This house is doing the limbo, because nobody’s figured out how low can it go.  Meanwhile, four different Redfin agents have toured the place, and the reviews are in!

The location isn’t that bad, is it?

No, it’s not as close to the freeway as Monday’s house!  Whew!

UPDATE: Thanks to Burbed reader AstroWallaby’s on-target comments, I have this neighborhood photo for your consideration:

$950,000

47 CABOT Ave Santa Clara, CA 95051

Beds:	4
Baths:	4
Sq. Ft.:	2,566
$/Sq. Ft.:	$370
Lot Size:	-
Property Type:	Detached Single Family
Style:	Mediterranean
Stories:	3
View:	Neighborhood
Year Built:	2010
Community:	Santa Clara
County:	Santa Clara
MLS#:	81057271
Source:	MLSListings
Status:	Active
On Redfin:	160 days

Located in Cupertino school district this never occupied Mediterranean home in the heart of Silicon Valley has the added benefit of Santa Clara’s historic low utility costs. Easy access to shopping and freeways and quality craftsmanship with high end materials. The gourmet kitchen has granite counters, custom cabinetry and stainless appliances as well as a two car garage and AC.

Thanks to Burbed reader Herve for this find!

Wow! Will the innovation never stop in Silicon Valley? A gourmet kitchen with a 2 car garage and AC! What will the dreamers of the Valley think of next?

And what’s this… Santa Clara’s historic low utility costs? Fantastic! Fortunately the past is a strong predictor of the future!

It’s a shame that this unit next door doesn’t have these benefits:

April 28, 2010

Condo living in Santa Clara for under a million

Thanks to Burbed reader DreamT for this guest post!

67 CABOT Ave Santa Clara, CA 95051

$969,000

I guess this is version 2 of the unit with all these new innovations!

burbed reader sonarrat is back with another unpretentious property in a zip code that’s never been called Real Bay Area (RBA).  sonarrat’s comment on this listing:

What kind of business would you put in this colorful neighborhood?

Let’s see what colorful delights await.

1657 Alum Rock San Jose, CA 95116
$649,999

Beds: 4
Baths: 1
Sq. Ft.: 1,176
$/Sq. Ft.: $553
Lot Size: 0.83 Acres
PROPERTY TYPE: 1 House on Lot, Detached
STORIES: 1
Year Built: 1928
Community: San Jose
County: Santa Clara
MLS#: 10036818
Source: MetroList
Status: Active 
On Redfin: 156 days

MIXED USE property, retail space upfront and SFR in the back. Motivated seller. see also listing # 10036818

Did you look up the other listing?  I’ll just wait here while you do that.  Also I’m calling shenanigans on the lot size.  Have a look at the neighborhood:

Wouldn’t you say the property appears to be the smallest visible in this aerial view?  So either commercial space on State Route 130 is quite generous, or the agent’s description of the lot size as 0.83 acres is wildly off from the 90 x 40 foot description in the listing detail.  An acre is 43,560 square feet, 0.83 acre is 36,155 sf.  90 x 40 feet is 3600 square feet.  Wow, that’s a 900% error.  I think the technical term for this is “wrong.”

In addition, the cross street for this Alum Rock Ave address is given as “Alum Rock,” the school information, for both Elementary, Junior High, and High School, is “Other,” for that matter so are the Bathrooms, Heating and Cooling, and it says the lot has a gravel road.  But speaking of what kind of business could be here, there’s already a link to another blog post on the Redfin site.  It’s for raw dog food.  I am not even going to ask.

476 FERNANDO Ave Palo Alto, CA 94306

$1,499,000

Beds:	4
Baths:	3.5
Sq. Ft.:	2,347
$/Sq. Ft.:	$639
Lot Size:	7,840 Sq. Ft.
Property Type:	Detached Single Family
Style:	Mediterranean
Stories:	2
View:	Neighborhood
Year Built:	2005
Community:	Ventura
County:	Santa Clara
MLS#:	81040389
Source:	MLSListings
Status:	ActiveThis listing is for sale and the sellers are accepting offers.
On Redfin:	24 days

Exquisite 5 Year Old Home with beautiful finishes through out. Custom built with formal entry, formal dining room with crown molding, coffered ceiling and wainscoting. The family room kitchen opens to the patio and backyard. Large master bedroom with balcony, walk-in closet and luxurious master bathroom with jetted tub. Groud floor bedroom with full bath. Neighborhood with new and upcoming homes!

Thanks to Burbed reader Brendan for this find!

Wow! Palo Alto for just $639! What an amazing deal! But wait… it gets better!

That’s right! The house is right next door to Boston Market! Dinner’s served! No wonder this neighborhood is new and upcoming!

Here’s some notes from Brendan:

1. The next door neighbor is the boston market parking lot. The lot goes way back behind the property, has garabage and graffiti everywhere. I assure you it’s really great at night time.
2. Behind the house is a stagnant creek that routinely stinks
3. Busy el camino real is right there
4. I’ve personally witnessed guys hanging out in the park near the house during the day rapping at the top of their lungs. NO JOKE

Oh… so it’s lively and colorful as well!

Why move to San Francisco when you can live on the the King of Roads & Boston Market!