How would you like to live in Los Gatos and not spend a million dollars?  Wish granted!  Thanks very much to Burbed reader wahnny for this, um, residence.

16005 SHANNON Rd
Los Gatos, CA 95032
$788,000

1 Beds
1 Baths
668 Sq. Ft.
$1,180 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1940
Lot Size: 10,800 Sq. Ft.
On Redfin: 4 days
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Stories: 1
Community: Los Gatos/Monte Sereno
MLS#: 81307108
Style: Cottage/Bungalow
View: Neighborhood
County: Santa Clara

Los Gatos Schools. Unique property on desired street. Upscale neighborhood surrounded by multimillion dollar properties. House has beautiful country setting with beautiful redwoods. It’s tranquil and private. One of a kind with creek and stone bridge that adds to its charm. Close to town, restaurants, Whole Food Market, etc. Additional storage or workshop inside of garage. Lots of potential.

You know this is going to be a good one when they don’t’ show the house until picture #5.  Now let’s check in with wahnny.

Some additional data points that further support the Bubble 4.0 hypothesis.

A cobbled-together 1940s cottage in (possibly RBA) Los Gatos.

The photos don’t do it justice.

Visited during open house (along with several other groups), and although nicely staged, the place is tiny (or, as the Redfin video understates, "compact")! 

It was amusing to listen to the realtor speak of all the positive possibilities (e.g., the house could be torn down or rebuilt (e.g., adding 2nd level)) while minimizing the downsides (creekside property is literally in a flood zone, and would require special build permits/fun with the county).  Yes, yes, value is in the land, but is it really worth more than the Bubble 3.0 sold price?

We also love how the video states that the house is “on the water” and that the 1-car garage means “you’ll always have a place to park your car!”  Also the view of the back patio reminded us of a famous house.

See some resemblance?

If you don’t recognize this house, click here.

Properties featured on Burbed can be one of several things.  They can be the classic ridiculously high-priced crapbox, which is our bread, butter, and without so much rat in it.  There’s your basic eye-popping completely-overdone-for-the-neighborhood McMansion.  There’s your that’s-not-eclectic-that’s-just-WTF white elephant that doubles as a falling knife.

Today’s property seems to fit into that third category. Thanks very much to longtime Burbed reader sonarrat, back with more Bay Area Real Estate Win!  And speaking of Realty Win, today’s winner is also Movoto because Redfin is on the blink and wouldn’t load this listing up.  (Or maybe they blocked us because they’re sick of our whining about those trackbacks.)

15950 Blackberry Hill Rd
Los Gatos, CA 95030
$4,095,888

Loan Payment: $14,260/mo
Bedrooms: 5
Bathrooms: 4&1/2
Size: 5,700 sqft
$/Sqft: $718/sqft
Type: Single Family House
Year Built: 2010
Lot Size: 1
Days on Movoto: 44 days
MLS#: 81301292
Status: Active

CUSTOM GATED ESTATE. NEWER CONSTRUCTION. NEVER LIVED IN. MAIN HOUSE: 4,500 SF. 1,033 GUEST HSE. HIGH-END FINISHES. SMART HOUSE; DIGITAL EVERYTHING. VEGAS STYLE PEBBLE TEC POOL W/LED LIGHTS & H20FALLS! AMAZING UNOBSTRUCTED VIEWS: SF TO SJ FOOTHILLS. CHEF’S KITCHEN, VIKING APLS. HIGH CEILINGS. 3 CAR GARAGE. RESORT PROPERTY. *AMPLE* FLAT; MORE FLAT LAND THAN YOU THINK! 1.5 MILES TO DWNTWN. LG SCHOOLS

And here’s why sonarrat checks in with this property:

Los Gatos – $4 million, Ghostbusters pool.  Built in 2010, never lived in. Is it any wonder?

Is the house also infested with ectoplasmic residue, or is all telekinetic activity confined to the pool?  Also for some reason Movoto doesn’t provide the lot size.  Per Zillow, it’s 87,120 sq ft, sufficient to snag an acreage tag.

BUNUS: Dude Hanging Out (DHO) in listing photo #20, admiring *AMPLE* FLAT; MORE FLAT LAND THAN YOU THINK!

We’re not just having Black Friday deals, we’ve got the cheapest housing all throughout the Bay!  Today we’re looking for the cheapest house in Alameda County.

Think you can’t afford a house? Boom. You could buy this one and still have enough left over for… oh… ANOTHER HOUSE.  The argument e-store is now offline.

1351 91ST Ave
Oakland, CA 94603
$39,888

1 Beds 
1 Baths 
634 Sq. Ft.
$63 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1927 
Lot Size: 2,725 Sq. Ft. 
On Redfin: 5 days
Status: New
Type: Detached
Stories: 1
County: Alameda
Style: Traditional
Community: Oakland
MLS#: 40596586

Nice started home, good for investor. Bring your offers

That’s right! Bring it!  When you do, maybe you can figure out what’s in the structure in the back and why the roof looks, um, distressed.

They did say it was a nice started home. You just have to figure out what they started.  But look on the bright side.  It’s a gated community!

9:50 AM: See end for update.  It’s worth it.
12:09 PM: Another update on the other murder.

It’s time to play Build a Ginormous House Somewhere Not As Expensive As The Real Bay Area and then try to find a buyer! Ready?  It’s Burbed reader J from Alameda‘s turn with this lovely Lafayette listing.

1901 HUNSAKER CANYON Rd
Lafayette, CA 94549
$1,998,000

4 Beds
3.5 Baths
6,200 Sq. Ft.
$322 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 2003
Lot Size: 13.50 Acres
On Redfin: 39 days
Type: Detached
Stories: 3+
Community: Burton Valley
MLS#: 40587017
Style: Other
View: Canyon, Carquinez, City Lights, Forest, Hills, Mountains, Mt. Diablo, Valley
County: Contra Costa

WOW! $1+M price reduction! What a buy!! 13+- acres. Gated 360% View! Italian Villa/ stone, hardwood fls, custom & antique lighting. Finest materials including stone, hardwood, beautiful moldings and mllwork. Sunrise and Sunset included ! Rm for pool tennis/guest house/vineyard. PRICED TO SELL !!!

Here’s why J from A sent this in:

As promised, a lovely chateau – in the Lafayette hills. Of note: a million dollar price reduction, a reasonable $322 a square foot and lots of columns.

Somehow it seems that 3.5 bathrooms spread across 6,200 sq feet of living space is not quite the usual ratio – a new way to measure houses – bathrooms per square feet? I am sure the buyer will be happy to have an elevator to navigate all those stories. Enjoy!

You’re right, J. We’ve noted the business of beaucoup bathrooms in ginormous houses for people with too much money and not enough taste. No wonder this place had a million dollar price reduction.  According to the LA Times, this house needs at minimum 8 rooms for waste disposal and sluicing.

Good thing it was PRICED TO SELL !!! We’ve seen enough houses that were priced to stay empty or priced to sit on the listing service for years and years.

Like, um, this house:

Even Zillow thinks the house is worth $2,169,784. Instant equity!  Ka-ching!

Update 9:50 AM: Burbed reader magdalena alerts us to this 2005 SF Chronicle article that specifically mentions the house.  In a this-would-never-be-believed-as-fiction tragedy, the wife of criminal defense lawyer Daniel Horowitz was murdered in “the entryway of the home.” Wikipedia says she was murdered in a mobile home on the property while their “dream house” was being completed.  The murder occurred four days after the beginning of a high-profile trial where Horowitz was defending Susan Polk, accused of killing her husband in their Orinda home. Horowitz had taken the case after Polk had fired her previous lawyers for encouraging her to plead insanity.

This led to a mistrial, but as Horowitz prepared for Polk’s second trial, she fired him, convinced that he had something to do with his wife’s murder.  16 year old Scott Dyleski was convicted of the murder; supposedly he intended to kill a neighbor who had run over his dog and went to the wrong house.  Polk’s story manages to get even more bizarre after Horowitz was fired (this Dateline NBC link confirms the mobile home claim from Wikipedia).

WOW!  Sunrise and sunset is just the entryway of what’s included with this house!

Update 12:09 PM: Murder kills home values as well as people.  Check out Susan Polk’s house.  We found a listing e-flyer, and Redfin has the price history:

Here’s a property coming on the market that you don’t see every day.  The Cats estate in Los Gatos is for sale.  It’s right off Highway 17 just a mile south of downtown Los Gatos, next to the The Cats Restaurant & Tavern.  Thanks very much to Burbed reader Kir from Inside Los Gatos for passing this item along.

More info, and videos, are at the agent’s site.  The property is nine separate parcels consisting of over 75 acres of land, with three different originally built houses.  Views galore, of course.  It can be yours for $8,995,000.

Facts and Features

Main House:

3985 Square Feet
Built in 1925
5 Bedrooms
4 Bathrooms
Remarkable Valley Views
Finished Basement-perfect for wine cellar
View Amphitheater
Terraced Courtyard
Famous collection of notable “attached” art work

Additional Buildings:

The Gatehouse
The Poet’s Cottage
The Ranch
The Geodesic Dome
The Teacher’s House
…more

Additional Features:

Gated entry featuring the famous Stone Cats
Riding/biking trails
Poet’s Canyon
The secret benches
The round bench
Superb acreage for horses
Natural splendor, a photographer’s paradise
Natural springs
Suitable for vineyards
Mountain, valley and lake views

Chain of ownership:

1920-1955
Charles Erskine Scott Wood & Sara Bard Field
1955-1960
Fred G. Hampton
1960-Current
Ogilvie Family

Does nine million seem like the right price for a property like this?  Think of all the fun you’ll have with everyone who ever knew you in elementary school dropping by because “they were in the neighborhood.”

This is the gatehouse above right.  Below is the main house.

All these pictures were snagged from the videos on Duane Adam’s site.  Below left is a view inside the main house, and below right is the Poet’s Cottage.  The latter gives just a taste of the views from the property.  Plenty more in the videos, plus footage from the 1930s!

Watch the daughter of the current owner get all choked up over the property being sold.  She says whoever gets the property will be “very lucky,” so why didn’t they price it at $8,888,888?

One thing we did discover that isn’t on Adam’s site: the actual address.  If you bought the Cats Estate, you’ll be receiving your mail at 17525 Santa Cruz Hwy, Los Gatos, CA 95033. 

Yesterday we suggested you could spend more than two million dollars on an empty spot of land in the middle of flipping nowhere.  Today we’re also flipping, with a quick-turnaround sale found by Burbed reader Mr. Kiasu.  Oh, and did we mention that the market is hot, hot hot?  Except for here.

1448 FOWLER Ln
Los Altos, CA 94024
$2,665,000, reduced from $2,995,000, reduced from $3,295,000

BEDS: 6
BATHS: 3.5
SQ. FT.: 4,876
$/SQ. FT.: $547
LOT SIZE: 0.35 Acres
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STORIES: 2
VIEW: Neighborhood
YEAR BUILT: 1900
COMMUNITY: South of El Monte
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81211504
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 36 days

Turnkey 1900 Craftsman style Plantation home. .. own a piece of LA History. Poss Mills Act Tax Savings. 4800sf + 1800sf basement. Updated w/ new kitchen w/ marble countertops, remodeled baths and wood floors throughout. Newer fndtn, new copper plumbing, upgraded elect. panels, new zoned heating. Expansive back yard w/ pool & large lawn. Great cul-de-sac w/ LA Schools. Poss Seller financing options.

Here’s why Mr. Kiasu thought you’d like to see this home on the front page.

Spring bounce in Los Altos!

Bought in oct 2011 for 1.5, now on sale for 3.29.

Probably a flip but we’d need to see the pictures for last October I guess. Neighbors are all in the 1.5 range.

No history before the October sale, so maybe it’s been in the same family since 1900.

Wait, $3.29?  Not anymore.  Now it’s $2.65.  And still very much for sale.  Even with all those mawbul kawlums.  How could that be?  It’s on a cul-de-sac and there’s a gate to keep out the riffraff and everything.

Fortunately, the old pictures are still available for our perusal, so thank you Redfin!  Here’s a lovely pair from the old and the new of the same room.  Do you think they replaced the pool table?  Which one is the new sale?

Yes, comparing the old and the new listing photos really is something.  For example, just a quick glance led to this find of bunus kawlums not available in the current listing!  So it definitely pays to check selling history when looking at a property listing.  That’s when you notice how many things in this house haven’t been updated and then wonder how the seller can justify more than doubling the price on this flip.  We can see just how successful that gambit was.

Now sit back and listen to some really annoying light jazz while you enjoy the virtual tour.

Today we have a guest post from a new contributor!  Please welcome Burbed reader Sierra Cyd to the front page, with some super selling snaps for this Sunnyvale spectacular!  I know we already did Sunnyvale this week, but that house was a Holiday Special.  Come to think of it, most of the homes featured on Burbed are pretty Special.

Enjoy today’s home, and give Sierra Cyd a big, warm, Real Bay Area welcome as today’s guest poster.

156 W MAUDE Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
$420,000

BEDS: 3
BATHS: 3
SQ. FT.: 1,178
$/SQ. FT.: $357
LOT SIZE: 4,992 Sq. Ft.
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STORIES: 1
YEAR BUILT: 1942
COMMUNITY: Sunnyvale
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81130036
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 227 days

LENDER APPROVED SS @ $420k! Excellent property w opportunity to rent other unit. Property in need of some repairs but just use your imagination and some work and you got yourself a good investment.

The reason I’m sending this listing in is not because it is a perfect RBA house, a mere 20 minute flat bike ride from Apple, 15 minute ride to Google, 10 minute ride to Yahoo, and easy walk to HP and other high tech, but because of the realtor’s excellent work in taking pictures from as many angles as possible of the rugged, heavy duty wrought iron fence and gate that “protect” the small, paved front yard. Including, I might point out, the lovely view of the 60′s era apartment buildings across the street. What could possibly make a potential buyer more ready to wear a bullet proof vest to see the property?

I guess maybe the idea is that what’s inside is so wondrous that it is too good for pictures, and obviously this fence is required for protection. I’m thinking diamond encrusted kitchen, etc.  I’m not sure. Really, this realtor deserves a reward for marketing. I bet they have had hoards of people pounding down the door on this one in the past 6+ months it has been listed.

Hope you are enjoying your three-day weekend!  But don’t take a vacation from finding the perfect house.  Here’s one on a street that celebrates everything that is America and then some.

318 AMERICA Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
$312,000

BEDS: 2
BATHS: 2
SQ. FT.: 672
$/SQ. FT.: $464
LOT SIZE: 3,049 Sq. Ft.
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STORIES: 1
VIEW: Neighborhood
YEAR BUILT: 1920
COMMUNITY: Sunnyvale
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81118385
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Pending With Release
ON REDFIN: 299 days

No showing. Cute Charming Cottage with remodelled Kitchen and Bathrooms. Newer Cabinets, Pergo type floor! Upadted door & some windows! Private Fenced yard. Perfect starter home or investment! Close to transportaions, Shopping, Restaurants, Employers! Garage converted to an office, 2 bathrooms. Newer lawn.

Wow, what’s not to love about this house?  A Pergo type floor!  Upadted door and some windows!  Close to transportaions!  And the garage was converted, of course!

Wrap it all up in a white picket fence and you’ve got the perfect little starter home!  Cute, charming, and you’ve also got a Redfin agent who has toured this house 3 times and has something to share about it.

It must be able this awesome kitchen and its Pergo type floor!

Hey wait a minute, haven’t we seen this house before?

And back in 2007, we had seen this house before then!

This house definitely is everything that is America!  Prices that go up, and prices that spell opportunity!  A listing history that includes at least one foreclosure and one seriously WTF selling price!  Architectural design that suggests Monticello while staying within a budget!

If you do not buy this house, you must hate America and everything it stands for.  You terrorist.

It’s time for a weekend getaway!  Burbed reader Tracy has just the spot: yet another installment in our collection of castles for sale!

10180 CINNABAR HILLS Rd
San Jose, CA 95120
$1,699,900

BEDS: 5
BATHS: 3.5
SQ. FT.: 5,740
$/SQ. FT.: $296
LOT SIZE: 12.53 Acres
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STYLE: Contemporary
STORIES: 3
VIEW: Mountains, Lake, Valley, City Lights
YEAR BUILT: 2009
COMMUNITY: Almaden Valley
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81203188
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Pending Without Release
ON REDFIN: 20 days

3 story Almaden Castle on the top of Mountains. 3 years old. Custom built. 180 degree view. Endless Opportunity and freedom to add your own finishing touches, arrange your wine cellar in the basement. Master bedroom on the top floor. Patio, deck, balconies. Two garages 2 car each. Gated community. Top rated Almaden schools: Graystone, Bret Harte, Leland. Fresh air and no one above you, only eagles

Freedom!  Freedom like the eagles above you, no one else!  Freedom to add your own finishing touches!  Freedom to arrange your wine cellar in the basement!  That’s realtard-speak for the owner ran out of their own freedom, I mean money.  Their misfortune is your opportunity!  Endless Opportunity!

Here is your Endless Opportunity to add your finishing touches to the kitchen.  Can you figure out what is missing from these pictures?

You can enjoy nine more pictures than Redfin provides, as this castle has its very own website.  On the right is one of several extra photos showing the Endless Opportunity you will have getting all the electrical plates, switches, and outlets to blend in a bit more unobtrusively with the paint scheme.

Nothing like living in a three story castle with no one above you.  That means your family has to live in the dungeon.

If you’ve been a long-time reader of this blog, you may remember that burbed (our founder and long-time content creator) had this thing for pink houses.  So the site occasionally would dig up a pink house for Valentines Day.  This year, we found an even better listing for celebrating a day for lovers.  It’s all set up for a Special date you won’t forget!  Many thanks to Burbed reader The Maggadads for this fantastic find from Fremont!

2116 JACKSON St
Fremont, CA 94539
$894,950

BEDS: 3
BATHS: 3.5
SQ. FT.: 1,824
$/SQ. FT.: $491
LOT SIZE: 0.28 Acres
TYPE: Detached
STYLE: Ranch
STORIES: 1
VIEW: Hills, Mountains
YEAR BUILT: 1963
COMMUNITY: Mission San Jose
COUNTY: Alameda
MLS#: 40538102
SOURCE: EBRD
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 186 days

Mission schools! 12,110 sq. ft. lot, 1-story. $50k spent on 2011 remodeling kitchen, baths, carpet, tile, french doors & lighting, dual pane, AC & backyard. Built-in 50′s Diner theme- pool cabana/antique western town, 6-car garage w/ 1/2 bath, pool w/ water fall, new lawn & sprinklers. Not a REO/SS!

Here’s what The Maggadads thought of this place with $50K spent on 2011 remodeling:

I just started reading your blog. Although I take a minor offense to the jabs you poke at Fremont, I couldn’t help but send you this listing.

I’m not sure which is cooler…the 50s themed diner or the western-themed fence. At least it has a 6-car garage!

Wait, let me check, is this a house for sale, or a commercial property?  Because while it’s always good to have a space for entertaining a crowd, a 50s themed diner wasn’t exactly at the top of my list in must-haves for an 1,800 square foot house.

But a 50s themed diner AND a western themed fence, both!  I can die now.  What a Valentines Day you’ll have!  And if your date isn’t successful, one of you can retire to the six-car garage.

Well, this is one of those good news/better news situations.  The good news is yes indeed, this house is in a 100% residential district and there is no danger that one of your neighbors will be opening up a 40s themed diner to compete with yours (and incidentally use up all the street parking).  The better news is, well, location, location, location!