Here’s a little something to consider while another weekend is coming!  Thanks very much to Burbed reader nomadic for this luscious listing in Los Altos Hills.

11195 HOOPER Ln
Los Altos Hills, CA 94024
$4,099,000

BEDS:  4
BATHS:  4
SQ. FT.:  4,700
$/SQ. FT.:  $872
LOT SIZE:  1.86 Acres
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STYLE: Contemporary
STORIES: 2
YEAR BUILT:  1957
COMMUNITY:  Los Altos Hills
COUNTY:  Santa Clara
MLS#:  81217362
SOURCE:  MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN:  57 days

Seller will finance w/ NO qual. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Private, Secure, Quiet, Serene, with City and Bay Views, and proximity to town are UNIQUE and RARE in this wooded ~2 Acres property. Update or rebuild the existing Comtemp. Style home in this Executive Estate. Detached cottage w/ Full Kitchen is ideal for backyard living/entertain w/ no direct visuals to any neighbors.

And you thought the market was hot, hot, HOT?  Then what’s with this seller financing deal, w/ NO qual.  That’s probably short for “quality.”  Plus you can “update or rebuild” which means the “existing Contemp. Style home” isn’t exactly turnkey.  More like turkey.

There’s a virtual tour, if you really want to see how a 1957 house can be Contemp. Style.  Maybe that stands for the “contempt” the sellers must have, as they’ve been trying to get out from under this place since 2007.  Here’s the listing history, courtesy of Zillow.

Price History

Wrap that up with a ZEstimate range of $2.68 to $4.09 M and maybe some Facebook millionaire will take it off their hands by 2015.

Recently, we took a look at a house in Midtown Palo Alto that a number of commenters thought was overbuilt for the neighborhood.  That reminded me of a similarly situated structure in Sunnyvale, so I pulled it up for nostalgia’s sake.  What a delightful surprise to discover that it’s once again for sale!  It was relisted just in time for April Fool’s Day, and at the same attractive price as it was three years ago.

1474 VALCARTIER St
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
$1,999,000

BEDS: 6
BATHS: 4.5
SQ. FT.: 4,790
$/SQ. FT.: $417
LOT SIZE: 8,000 Sq. Ft.
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STYLE: French
STORIES: Tri-Level
VIEW: Neighborhood
YEAR BUILT: 1991
COMMUNITY: Sunnyvale
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81211851
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 7 days

Extraordinary six-bedroom, four and one half-bath custom estate perfect for executive lifestyle of luxury and unmatched class. Within this showcase home you will find a remodeled ONE-OF-KIND gourmet kitchen featuring best-in-class appliances with close access to the formal dining room, casual family room and truly alluring outdoor venue that is perfect for entertainment.

This time around, they’re not letting us see the inside.  And it would need a lot of pictures, because this property has a FAR of 0.60.  That can’t even be LEGAL in Sunnyvale. 

But, this is a Custom Bahl Home!  And if you haven’t heard of Bahl Homes, they built a few tracts around Silicon Valley, including some zero lot line curiosities and the snout-house “patio homes” just around the corner from this place. Now that they’re done with building tracts, they remain as a real estate company. Fortunately for us, today’s house has its own webpage on Bahl’s site, with pictures even!  We don’t know when these were taken, though, as it’s been listed and sold many times since its construction.  Have a look at those pictures and more, after the break.

(more…)

It’s been far too long since we’ve heard from Burbed reader dollarbin.  Let’s check in with this palace in Palo Alto!

2783 RANDERS Ct
Palo Alto, CA 94303
$3,248,000

BEDS: 5
BATHS: 5
SQ. FT.: 5,255
$/SQ. FT.: $618
LOT SIZE: 8,712 Sq. Ft.
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STYLE: Contemporary
STORIES: 3
VIEW: Neighborhood
YEAR BUILT: 2010
COMMUNITY: Midtown
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81146955
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 147 days

Elegant newly constructed (2010)3 level executive estate in midtown Palo Alto in a cul-de-sac * One of a kind quality & workmanship with mahogany paneling & hand carved custom doors * Gourmet kitchen with S/S appliances, granite counters, custom cherry cabinets & a breakfast bar * Brazilian teak flooring & imported marble floors throughout * Includes library, exercise & media rooms.

Here’s what dollarbin had to say, when passing this parcel along:

Anybody send you this one yet?

Who says Palo Alto is free of McMansions? I had given up the dream of spending less than $700/sq ft in Palo Alto, but this Spec House misadventure proves it saves to buy in bulk. Plus it has a totally classy fountain burbling in the front yard.

This listing caught my eye because I noticed they have a flyer sign out on Colorado Ave that actually lights up at night, so I looked up the Redfin knowing it would be full of win.

Wait… spec house misadventure?  How can anyone have a misadventure when they’ve lit your way there?  Although the price history may tell us a thing or two.

And here we thought the misadventure was the .60 FAR or the 11 HDR.  So let’s help this poor spec house.  What is keeping it from generating dozens of overbids?

Bunus: Mawbul kawlums are rectangular!  Break out the red arrows!

Update 10:41 am: Two more kawlums lurking on the right of this picture, noted by Burbed reader SEA.  Mawr red arrows, please!

Today’s find continues our pre-Thanksgiving run of prices on the higher side, in preparation for our upcoming Black Friday Sales.  Many thanks to Burbed reader Petsmart Groomer for this beauty in Belmont!

1824 HILLMAN Ave, Belmont, CA 94002
$1,678,500

BEDS: 4
BATHS: 3
SQ. FT.: 3,820
$/SQ. FT.: $439
LOT SIZE: 8,900 Sq. Ft.
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STYLE: Contemporary
STORIES: 2
VIEW: Bay, City Lights
YEAR BUILT: 1979
COMMUNITY: Belmont Country Club
COUNTY: San Mateo
MLS#: 81140955
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 58 days

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS to own this spectacular spacious one-owner executive home with stunning Bay and City views. The contemporary European design with generous functional living space provides for a relaxed and inviting ambiance. The upstairs features a living room with vaulted beam ceiling and stone fireplace, formal dining room, large kitchen with hardwood floors, ample storage and dining area.

A few years ago, I met some neighbor parents when one of my kids befriended their kids, and we got to talking about real estate.  The dad was going on and on about how ridiculous it was that all he could afford was a dinky little tract house.  “I am a Vice President!  I should be living in an Executive Home!  Not here!”

Now I never asked him what he meant by “Executive Home.”  He probably meant a big, new house, on a big lot close to a golf course.  He sure didn’t mean his late-50s rancher with second story addition, on a lot closer to a fifth than a quarter acre.

I wonder if today’s house would have been acceptable to him, or if it’s still too close to the (gasp) worker bees.  Anyway, the guy and his family soon moved back to San Diego (where he could buy himself an Executive Home on a golf course, but then again, by 2003 so could almost anyone else).  I wonder what he thinks of Occupy San Diego?

Weren’t executives, at least back in the good old days, famous for having three-martini lunches?  Well, the bar’s all ready in this house!  Now, which is worse, the carpet or the wallpaper?

We have plenty more photos after the break!

(more…)

Burbed reader AF had this interesting find.

I have lived behind this development by Regis homes called Cedarbrook in Fremont.

Here is their website URL:

http://www.regishomes.com/cedarbrook/?gclid=CJuU7ZPr754CFQJaagodg0r9Ug

You might note that the first picture you see is over the quarry lakes looking toward the direction the homes are in which is rather deceptive.  I would also focus your attention to banners on the site intro page which indicate “Luxury Homes for today’s value conscious buyers.”  Right, that would make a nice title.

I currently live in a rental home at <redacted> Fremont 94536.  When I moved in to the house earlier this year,  the lot behind my back fence was being graded so we had wonderful sunset views through our large back windows.  Of course that is all over now that they have finished building a number of these two story homes right up to the back fence.  I have included a few photos to give you an idea of how close they are.

There are three aspects of this development that I have found interesting:

1.  Price

a. The original pricing on these homes was in the $795000 to $896000.  It is interesting that Zillow estimates my rental home at a high of $718,000 which was in the mid 700’s when I moved in.

b. The Cedarbrook website used to have their pricing which has now been taken off , now all they say about prices is that they have been reduced by $100,000.

2. Lot Size

a. The lot sizes are really small compared to my neighborhood behind the fence.

b. I found if you do a search on my rental home on Redfin you can actually see the new development lot sizes behind my property.  If you select to see the property details (for my rental) you will be able to see an aerial photo that clearly shows lot size and the construction.

I enjoy your site and work.  I hope you can use this.  Perhaps this is why new home sales are significantly down.

Wow those houses are certainly close to each other. But just think! If your kids want to have a telephone system with their friends next door, the ol’ 2 cans-and-a-string will work just find! And if you can’t afford DSL, you can probably spend your time trying to guess the WEP key of your neighbor’s WiFi.

But in all seriousness, this really goes to show why the Real Bay Area, with its stately eichlers will continue to remain the true trophy houses of the region.

Thanks Burbed reader AF.

1781 ARASTRADERO, Palo Alto, CA 94304 | MLS# 80930540
1781 ARASTRADERO Palo Alto, CA 94304
Price: $23,950,000

Beds: 6
Baths: 4
Sq. Ft.: 12,000
$/Sq. Ft.: $1,996
Lot Size: 12.96 Acres
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Style: Mediterranean
Stories: 2
View: Bay, Green Belt, Mountains, Lake, Valley, City Lights
Year Built: 2001
Community: Palo Alto Hills
County: Santa Clara
MLS#: 80930540
Source: MLSListings
Status: Active
On Redfin: 75 days
Welcome to this exceptional private gated estate of approximately 12,000 square feet with breathtaking Bay, lake and hill views from nearly every room of this residence. Situated on approximately 13 acres, this property is unmatched in the attention to everydetail. 7 bedrooms, 9.5 bathrooms, family room, living room, office, library, lounge, game room, theater, and infinity pool.

Thanks to Burbed reader Pralay for this fine Friday find.

Wow. Just wow.

Personally I love houses… no… estates like this. These are the kind of listings that really help the Real Bay Area stand out. It’s a shining beacon to people everywhere – sending a message of prosperity, hope, and fortune.

You could be the next engineer that creates a startup that gives you this house. All you have to do is move here.

Kudos to the listing agent for this clever shot. It really is eye catching, and it definitely stood out in my mind.

How long is it before you move into this house, you crazy, successful, entrepreneur you?

900 SOUTH Rd, Belmont, CA 94002 | MLS# 80902648
900 SOUTH Rd Belmont, CA 94002
Price: $1,300,000

Beds: 5
Baths: 3.5
Sq. Ft.: 3,500
$/Sq. Ft.: $371
Lot Size: 0.3 Acres
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Style: Contemporary
Year Built: 2009
Stories: 2
View: Canyon, City Lights
Neighborhood: Belmont Country Club
County: San Mateo
MLS#: 80902648
Source: MLSListings
Status: Active
On Redfin: 31 days
70% completed contractors delight. Your opportunity to finish your own gorgeous custom luxury home to your own taste! Come see this beautiful custom home with 180 degree panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay Area. Comes with completed plans for custom executive home with all the amenities. Fantastic!

Thanks to Burbed reader Herve for this find!

Wow… 70% completed huh? Any contractor types that could provide an estimate on how much more it would cost to finish this house out?

That said, this is totally worth it at $1.3M. Everyone in the Bay Area loves freedom and liberty, and that’s what this house offers you – the freedom to finish it however you wanted. It’s like buying one of those tables at Ikea that’s not stained yet – more freedom for you.

Come on executives – what are you waiting for?

Burbed reader E.V. spotted this:

Huge 6bed/5 1/2 bath Executive Home in EAGLE RIDGE COUNTRY CLUB
$3975 / 6br – Huge 6bed/5 1/2 bath Executive Home in EAGLE RIDGE COUNTRY CLUB (gilroy)
Reply to: [email protected]
Date: 2007-07-09, 2:28PM PDT

THIS HOME HAS IT ALL…Only 6 years old, it is loaded with two balconies, one that looks over a Pond on the 5th. tee.

Professional Kitchen with cherry wood cabinets throughout, Viking 6 burner stove, Sub-Zero refridgerator, with no home on the back or side yard.

Brand new swimming pool, tennis courts, elementry school, 8 1/2″ crown moulding and wainscoteing everyware.

Hardwood floors granite kitchen and each bedroom has its own private bathroom.

Beautiful views of every room in the home.

This home would sell for $1,500,000 but we have decided to keep it for the young children when they become adults. AVAILABLE AUGUST 1st.

Call for a private showing at 408/210-7740 and ask for Pierce.

2420 muirfield way, gilroy, ca 95020 at club drive at santa thersa ave google map yahoo map

Like E.V. I thought the comment about keeping the house for the young children around kind of amusing. This is one heck of a generous gift!

Assuming you put 20% down, an Interest Only ARM would still be $5,000 a month. A 30 year fixed? $7,388 a month.

It seems to me that there are other investments that may have better returns, but that’s just me.

Oh, BTW, E.V. also found that a business seems to be based out of this house:

Business Name: First Choice Funding Mortgage
Company Type: Mortgage Brokers
Street Address: 2420 Muirfield Way
City: Gilroy
State: California
Zip: 95020
Contact Email:
Phone: (408) 987-2286

What does this all mean? I don’t know.