Who’s priced out forever, and getting more priced out by the minute in Bay Area Bubble 4.0?  Not you! Not when you check out this completely affordable home in Oakmmphf CLOSE TO SAN FRANCISCO. Heck, you could pick up this sweet little lodging on your way home from the grocery store.  Well, you could if there were a grocery store anywhere near it.

Undisclosed Address
Oakland, CA 94621
$133,000

2 Beds
1 Baths
997 Sq. Ft.
$133 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1905
Lot Size: 3,200 Sq. Ft.
On Redfin: 4 days
Type: Detached
Stories: 1
County: Alameda
Style: Victorian
Community: E Oakland
MLS#: 40607349

Great 3 bedroom / 1 bath home with Tall ceilings! (Public records 2bd/1ba buyer to verify all property information) Spacious family room. Large eat-in kitchen w/ tile flooring. Spacious bath with tiled flooring. Homepath and Homeapth Renovation Approved!

Again with the undisclosed addresses?  Burbed laughs at the idea and discloses them.  We know how to use… teh Google!

2070 85TH AVE
OAKLAND, CA 94621
$133,000

Single Res | 2 beds | 1 baths | 997 sq. ft. | 3200 acres | 17 days on market | MLS# 40607349
Active
Price : $133,000
Bathrooms : 1
List Date : 03/04/2013
Approx Square Feet : 997
Listed Days Back : 17
Price per sq. ft : $133
County : Alameda
Approx Lot Feet : 3200
Location : 2070 85TH AVE, OAKLAND, CA 94621
Approx Lot Acres : 0.073
MLS# : 40607349
Approx age : 108
Status : New-REO
Homeowner`s Association Fee : -1 / n/a

Anyone know the difference between Homepath and Homeapth Renovation? Don’t ask Redfin. This is below their minimum commission.

We’re covering the housing bubble 24/7 now that everyone’s paying attention to real estate again.  Today we have a lovely home in Redwood City that you may have seen before.  Take another look, while you still can!  Thanks very much to Burbed reader Petsmart Groomer for an excellent surveillance operation.

715 ESTHER Ln
Redwood City, CA 94062
$450,000

2 Beds
1 Baths
750 Sq. Ft.
$600 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1929
Lot Size: 4,790 Sq. Ft.
On Redfin: 33 days
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Stories: 1
Community: Cordilleras Heights
MLS#: 81303054

Beautiful view of bay and city lights. Additional 6900sqft lot to be sold with the property. The additional 6900 sq ft parcel of land CANNOT be developed upon per city and county building department. Building square footage 1130sf on public profile is incorrect, actual living area is about 750sf, Fixer-upper Sold "As Is" may not qualify for FHA.

This house’s list of tag may be bigger than it is.  Not only that, it has a history!

Here’s something it didn’t have last year (besides an extra hundred thou of instant equity you get now!): Redfin Agent Insights!

“Dead End,” “Completely gutted” and “Killer Views,” three phrases that don’t go well together after watching certain movies.  How about Zero Dark Thirty?

Let’s look at another seven-digit property in the Best Place in the Universe, Palo Alto!  Thanks very much to Burbed reader dollarbin for this item, which will definitely have lower gardening bills than yesterday’s home.

The update is at the end of the article, and it’s important.

3424 COWPER Ct
Palo Alto, CA 94306
$2,890,000

BEDS: 6
BATHS: 5.5
SQ. FT.: 990
$/SQ. FT.: $2,919
LOT SIZE: 6,102 Sq. Ft.
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STYLE: Contemporary
STORIES: 3
YEAR BUILT: 1952
COMMUNITY: Midtown
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81216133
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 1 day
NEW LISTING (24 HOURS)

Two blocks from elementary & middle schools, Mitchell Park & public library. Corner lot on cul de sac court. Living room with high ceiling & huge windows; wired for surround sound. Big gourmet kitchen with granite counters & island, Subzero fridge. Eating nook opens to backyard. Brazilian cherry hardwood floors. Formal dining. Powder room. Large bedroom with full bath (possible in-law suite).

Here’s why dollarbin sent in this six bedroom behemoth on just 6100 square feet:

This is probably a typo and will be corrected soon but…

6 BR
5.5 BA
990 Sq Ft?

I’ll save a screen cap in case they change it.

And it’s a good thing you did, dollarbin, because there were changes made to the listing on May 14th.  Does that mean the $2,919 per square foot price sat there on MLS for two entire weeks or was the realtard fiddling with this listing a little at a time?

Here are the changes to the listing:

SQ. FT.: 990 3,853
$/SQ. FT.: $2,919 $750
YEAR BUILT: 1952 2006
ON REDFIN: 1 day 21 days

Two 2 blocks from elementary & middle schools, Mitchell Park & public library. Corner lot on cul de sac court. Living room with high ceiling & huge windows; wired for surround sound. Big gourmet kitchen with granite counters & island, Subzero fridge. Eating nook opens to backyard. Brazilian cherry hardwood floors. Formal dining. Powder room. Large bedroom with full bath (possible in-law suite). Guest suite (or 2nd Master suite) with full bath.

He actually changed “Two” into “2.”  Talk about brilliant editing, along with remembering that the house is 54 years newer!  And you want to see another divergence from the public record?  Take a look at this:

Looks like the agent found both an extra bedroom and an extra story that the county doesn’t know about.  What’s all those unfinished square feet, an eight-car garage?  Why are the property taxes less than one percent of the valuation?  So many questions!

So with all that Facebook money floating around, why is this home still for sale?  Perhaps multimillion dollar Midtown homes circa 2006 aren’t what the market wants?

Update 9:32 AM: The house was delisted yesterday and relisted today by a different agent and broker for $2.75M.  Now take a look at it, after the break!

(more…)

Silicon Valley may seem like the the only economic engine driving California in 2012, but let’s not forget there’s other places to live in the Bay Area.  Many of the high-paying jobs in San Francisco are in the same industry as those 50 miles south, which means many of you could consider living in a real city. 

Yet downtown SF and environs is everything that Santa Clara County is not: hip, cool, exciting and not a front lawn to be seen for miles.  Thanks very much to Burbed reader Petsmart Groomer for this eye-popping penthouse in SoMa.

1160 Mission St #2313
San Francisco, CA 94103
$1,998,000

BEDS: 2
BATHS: 2
SQ. FT.: –
LOT SIZE: –
PROPERTY TYPE: Luxury, Condominium, Penthouse
STYLE: Contemporary
VIEW: Panoramic, City Lights, Water, Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, Downtown, Hills
YEAR BUILT: 2008
COMMUNITY: South of Market
COUNTY: San Francisco
MLS#: 392733
SOURCE: San Francisco MLS
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 45 days

Feel the WOW! factor as you step into this dazzling Philippe Starck-style top floor corner penthouse with super-luxury finishes throughout and sensational views from City Hall to the Downtown Skyline and Bay!Fantastic location close to Twitter, Zynga, Google and other red-hot technology companies in SOMA’s booming, world-famous technology center- AND close to Opera House and Davies Symphony Hall. 2 parking/ EXTRA high ceilings/$800K+ (per owner) custom designer finishes/high-end built-in audio-visual systems/motorized shades/stainless VIKING gas stove, refrigerator and wine fridge/Bosch dishwasher/Studio Becker kitchen and MORE!Full service building with fabulous Club Room, outdoor plaza with firepit, gym, 24-hr security & concierge-a MUST SEE!

Here’s what motivated Petsmart Groomer to share this place with the greater Burbed community:

What cracked me up… "$800K+ (per owner) custom designer finishes"
Bought 2 years ago for $1,145,000, on the market now for $2M.

Plus a firepit.  I’m feeling that WOW! factor already.  I thought you had to buy in Sunnyvale to get one of those.

And, you also get 2 parking with EXTRA high ceilings.  That’s for buyers who absolutely must garage their London double-decker busses.

But those $800K+ (per owner) customer designer finishes mean this 1,613 sf condo (per county records) should be worth at least $8K more than as originally furnished.  Good luck with that wishing price.

The best example of the WOW! factor? $851.38 monthly homeowners dues.  You’ll feel the WOW! every time you write that check along with the mortgage.  Buy with Redfin and save $22,478.

1102 HOLLYBURNE Ave
Menlo Park, CA 94025

$319,500

These the rage is all about reducing your footprint on the earth. Well, this house takes it to the next level. Look at how much this house achieves in just a 2,744 square foot lot. Wowsers!

It’s unclear how many square feet this house is… but let’s just say that all your furniture better be kind of skinny. You’ll also need a really really really flat and thin screen tv or it might not fit at all.

Take that Japanese Pencil Buildings! We’re coming after you!

16240 WOOD ACRES Rd
Saratoga, CA 95030

$698,000

Yes. I would also guess that this home may be larger than county records. By just a little though.

Any thoughts on how one would go about measuring this?

DEALS, DEALS, DEALS, we’re going to travel all around the Bay Area to bring them to you!  Here’s something close to a major center of higher learning!  No, not Stanford, that would be the cheapest house in Palo Alto.  This is the cheapest house near Cal!

And since Cal’s a public school, you can pay a public house price!

1509 ASHBY Ave, Berkeley, CA 94703
$170,000

BEDS: 3
BATHS: 1
SQ. FT.: 754
$/SQ. FT.: $225
LOT SIZE: 2,516 Sq. Ft.
TYPE: Detached
STYLE: Bungalow
STORIES: 1
YEAR BUILT: 1922
COMMUNITY: Berkeley
COUNTY: Alameda
MLS#: 40498800
SOURCE: EBRD
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 384 days

Nice home but does need work. Public record shows 754 sq feet, and 1 bedroom but it has 3 bedrooms, so sq foot is larger.

“It has 3 bedrooms, so sq foot is larger.”

You know, maybe someone subdivided that one bedroom into three and turned this into a super-cheap student rental.  Maybe the sq foot is not larger after all.  Maybe it is.  Maybe it’s a tesseract and the house is actually 25,000 sq foot.  Maybe it’s in some kind of non-Euclidian geometry zone where a sq foot is 25,000 sq inch.  (That may be the best explanation, as Euclid is on the northeast side of town.)

There’s no inside photos, so the only way you’re ever going to find out if sq foot is larger is to BUY THIS HOUSE RIGHT NOW.  Think of it as a lucky raffle ticket, only instead of possibly winning a new car, you could win a larger sq foot.

DEALS, DEALS, DEALS!  Aren’t you loving all these DEALS!?!  Remember, drive a little, save a lot!  So how much do you think you could save driving all the way to Sonoma County?  Remember, there was only one house under $200K in Marin County, so maybe we’ll find three here.  Plus, pick up an extra winery for the trip home.

But what would you say if I told you I found a property for under $100K that isn’t a hundred years old, isn’t a sub-750 foot cottage, and isn’t on a postage stamp-sized lot.  Would you believe me?

664 Acacia Ln, Santa Rosa, CA 95409
$39,000

BEDS: 3
BATHS: 2
SQ. FT.: 1,404
$/SQ. FT.: $28
LOT SIZE: 0.43 Acres
PROPERTY TYPE: Residential, Detached, Single Family
STYLE: Ranch
STORIES: 1
YEAR BUILT: 1964
COMMUNITY: Northeast Santa Rosa
COUNTY: Sonoma
MLS#: 21129043
SOURCE: BAREIS
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 21 days

Listed price is Minumum bid. Single level home 3/2 with fireplace and central heat. Fenced rear yard with detached 2 car garage. Information on property gathered from public records.

The listed price is a minimum bid?  Sold for $635K in 2006, you get 94% instant equity!

Oh, dear, a quick trip over to Zillow has a very different story.  This house is on Auction.com and will be subject to a minimum $39K bid starting December 18th (per Zillow) or starting December 1st (if you believe Auction.com), ending on December 4th.  CASH ONLY!

This is the second house we’ve found where another site links to Auction.com and Redfin doesn’t know anything about it.   Just sayin’.

It’s Thanksgiving Weekend, and we’re scouring the MLS, looking for the best DEALS out there.  You can even find DEALS in hard-to-buy-in San Francisco.  How about a HOUSE for the same price as the cheapest house in San Mateo County?

Can do!  Just remember that we’re in San Francisco, so their definition of “house” is a little different than what we’re used in the ‘burbs.

1881 Oakdale Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124
$99,000

BEDS: 0
BATHS: 1
SQ. FT.: 1,090
$/SQ. FT.: $91
LOT SIZE: -
PROPERTY TYPE: Single-Family Home
STYLE: Victorian
YEAR BUILT: 1900
COMMUNITY: Bayview
COUNTY: San Francisco
MLS#: 387365
SOURCE: San Francisco MLS
STATUS: Contingent
REDFIN: 131 days

Probate Sale with limited authority requiring court confirmation. The subject property is in major disrepair and listing agent has been told that access can’t be provided, and that it may not be safe to enter the property. (no showings) There may be roof damage and fire damage, etc. It is highly possible that the highest and best use is as a tear down for lot value. Ratified @ $95,000 w/ No Contingencies, All Cash, 10 day close, buyer to pay transfer tax, title, escrow, and buyer to take responsibility for all point of sale compliances, As Is. Court Date for Overbid Feb 6th, 9am @ 400 McAllister SF. Must have Cashier’s Check at court. Disclosure package available and overbids will be on same terms, no contigencies!

The listing says “no contigencies,” yet the status is Contingent.  Maybe this house was a Zen Buddhist retreat and you’ll have to listen to the sound of one hand clapping.  Or the sound of one “n” present.

So what does Contingent Status mean in a listing?

This means the sellers have accepted on an offer on the property, but success may still depend on passing a home inspection or the buyer’s financing approval. It may still be possible to tour these properties and submit a backup offer in case the current one falls through.

Given the condition of that staircase, just about anything could fall through.  You just can never tell.

Lot value only?  Note the lot size above; nothing could be bigger. The public records say the lot size is a whopping 1642 square feet.  Plenty of room to build a rental apartment in the back!

This San Francisco house was briefly mentioned in the zip code series this past weekend, and really deserves an appearance of its own.  It’s not just a really expensive house in San Francisco, it looks like it comes with a huge number of challenges opportunities waiting to happen!

2250 Vallejo St, San Francisco, CA 94123
$7,950,000

BEDS: 0
BATHS: 12
SQ. FT.: -
LOT SIZE: -
PROPERTY TYPE: Single-Family Home
VIEW: Panoramic, Bay, Golden Gate Bridge
YEAR BUILT: 1902
COMMUNITY: Pacific Heights
COUNTY: San Francisco
MLS#: 390207
SOURCE: San Francisco MLS
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 50 days

Large, Italianate view mansion. Four floors of occupancy. Formerly occupied as 11 units and presently vacant. Conditional Use Authorization obtained in 2009 to merge 11 units to 2 units (home with apartment). Although most original details remain, the home requires extensive remodelling in order to enjoy the 2013 America’s Cup.

This looks like a house that needs an in-person visit, what with the MLS not specifying how large the house or the lot is, or showing very many pictures either.  When there are more snaps of the view than the house, you know it isn’t going to be “turnkey.”  Instead, get your work gloves ready, because you’ll be spending the next year and a half fixing up this place in order to enjoy the 2013 America’s Cup.

Wouldn’t it just be easier to watch it on television?

Anyway, the public records say the home is 7335 square feet on a 6187 sf lot.  No bedrooms but 12 bathrooms, formerly 11 units rented out.  Given how tight the rental market is in SF, how do you think the tenants were cleared out?  Arson?  Blackmail?  Cockroaches?  Dynamite?

Here’s a couple comments on this home from Socketsite, back in 2009 when another Pacific Heights home that had been chopped into apartments failed to sell and was withdrawn from the market.

Posted by: Jake at March 27, 2009 2:51 PM

This would have been a great house if left alone.
The problem is that there was a period from the
thirties to the fifties when large houses were treated as white elephants. Many of them have been returned to their architecturally natural use.

Including… I am pleased to report, the James Francis Dunn mansion on Vallejo, for which the Planning Commission, in a moment of unusual enlightenment, approved, Thursday, a “dwelling unit merger” of eleven to two units!

Hooray for common sense! Commissioner Borden observed that the purpose of denying mergers was to preserve affordable housing, and apartments on this street would not be affordable by any measure.
The building is owned by the Rossi family, who as they noted, contributed a Mayor to SF.

Posted by: Conifer at March 28, 2009 11:02 PM

Holy Crap! I can’t believe that unit merger went through! I thought it would be DOA so I never bothered to check the commission’s decision. It was absolutely the right decision. 2250 is arguably THE most beautiful home on Vallejo St and should never have been chopped up.

James Francis Dunn is not the owner but the architect of this house, and he designed a number of “French Renaissance” apartment buildings throughout San Francisco.  This book on Pacific Heights homes states that building an actual house was a departure for Dunn, and features this nice line drawing above.

The SF Chronicle article on Dunn’s designs describes this house in a footnote: “2250 Vallejo St., in Pacific Heights, originally a single-family house, is a playful take on Italian Renaissance with beautiful proportions and detailing.”

That’s a lot of Frenchified talk for what’s really important.  KAWLUMS!  And finding an agent who can’t spell remodeling but can walk you through an eight million dollar transaction.  Best of all, this “architectural pastry” has the icing on its street name: associated with a large, prolonged bankruptcy.