To finish out the workweek, let’s check out a place perfect for the athlete in us all. Thanks very much to Burbed reader J from Alameda for this well-sited wonder in Walnut Creek.  (You can laugh about our including yet another East Bay listing, but we have just one word to say about that. PENDING!)

1261 Bonita Ln
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
$649,000

3 Beds
2 Baths
1,356 Sq. Ft.
$479 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1948
Lot Size: —
On Redfin: 15 days
Type: Detached
Stories: 1
County: Contra Costa
Style: Contemporary
Community: Walnut Creek
MLS#: 40612878

WOW! Immaculate 3 bedroom/2 bathroom home in cul-de-sac location with separate 1 bedroom/1 bath cottage all done with permits! Gleaming hardwood floors, designer colors, and more. Nicely landscaped yards with Jacuzzi and lighted SPORTS COURT! Walk to Olympic in 2 minutes on nearby trail!

Here’s why J sent this house in:

This is a first: freeway noise wall in a listing photo! Granted its a photo of a cool basketball court but still. Cute house but what’s the air quality going to be like? Forget asking about noise issues. I’ve heard the freeway noise in these neighborhoods described as ‘a waterfall’, ‘white noise’, ‘rushing water’. Will it go over asking? Will it get multiple offers? Could a house with a freeway wall in the backyard ever sell in a market that is not red hot? Discuss.

You see a freeway wall, J. We see a lighted SPORTS COURT!

And note the Redfin Collections this house is part of. Is this a new category we’ve managed to miss until now? How can you even tell a property is subject to a bidding war unless you’re one of the people bidding on it?

Or was this one of those places where you had to wait in line to get into the Open House, where you felt obligated to submit an overbid when it was finally your turn to tour the interior?

Welcome to one of the Scrabble “bunus” rounds of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge! Yes, some of the letters are worth more points, because they’re Quite harder to play. And there aren’t any cities in the entire Bay Area that start with the letter Q, so we’re going to have to come up with another Quality. And we’ll have the same Quixotic Quest again when we deal with X and Z!

So, are there any other place names we can use? Neighborhoods, local landmarks, that sort of thing?  San Francisco has 118 distinct neighborhoods, and not one starts with the “Scrabble Challenge Trio.”  Ditto for the 33 hoods in San Jose.  (Which raises a Question: why does San Jose, with more geography and more people, have much fewer place names?)

Fortunately, we are about to be Quietly rescued by Redfin, who helpfully has their very own Quirky neighborhood names!

Update 10:16 AM: See added picture and graf toward the end. Quite Quintessential.

2705 NORBERT Ct
San Jose, CA 95148
$740,000

4 Beds
2 Baths
1,713 Sq. Ft.
$432 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1978
Lot Size: 7,980 Sq. Ft.
On Redfin: 3 days
Property Type: Detached Single Family
View: Mountains, Neighborhood, Valley, City Lights
County: Santa Clara
Stories: 1
Community: Evergreen
MLS#: 81312097

AMAZING EVERGREEN HOME–ONE HOUSE AWAY FROM GROESBECK HILL PARK! BRIGHT VAULTED ENTRY, GOURMET KITCHEN WITH STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES, GRANTITE COUNTERTOP, SEPERATE DINING RM W/ GRANITE WET BAR, TILE IN KITCHEN AND HARDWOOD FLOOR IN HALLWAY, BAY WINDOW IN LIVING RM, CEILING FANS IN MOST ROOMS, FLAGSTONE PATIO WITH SPORTS COURT, FRUIT TREES, CUSTOM-BUILT VIEWING DECK IN BACKYARD! RENTS $3,100/MO

Upcoming Open Houses

Saturday, Apr 20: 2:00-4:00 pm

Now while this home isn’t the sine Qua non of Questionable real estate, it has certain Qualifications for the front page. Head off to the comments with your Questions and Quell any doubts that we would come up with some Quip.  Or Quirk.

Update 10:16 AM: Or in the case of this Quality structure on the left, we’re wondering how it will fare during the next Quake.

We could share even more pictures. Or we could always Quit.

We move on with the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, and today’s a Premier Prospect! Pronto, Propose a Principality where the Population is Pushy, Pretentious, and Proud? Did someone say Palo Alto? Perhaps Piedmont? Possible, but we’ll Put them aside. 

Today’s Property is in Portola Valley!  Profound thanks to Burbed reader laurenatuw.

187 DEGAS Rd
Portola Valley, CA 94028
$3,150,000

5 Beds
3.5 Baths
3,600 Sq. Ft.
$875 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1962
Lot Size: 2.56 Acres
On Redfin: 6 days
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Stories: 2
Community: Central Portola Valley
MLS#: 81311884
Style: Colonial

AWESOME OPPORTUNITY IN WESTRIDGE, THIS HOME IS A WELL LOVED ORIGINAL JEWEL. FIRST TIME ON THE MARKET HOME BOAST HAND CRAFTED, BEAUTIFUL FINISHED INTERIOR LIVING AREAS. HAND CRAFTED WOODWORK AND HARDWOOD FLOORS THROUGHOUT METICULOUSLY CARED FOR AND STAND OUT IN THIS COMFORTABLE 5 BDRM, 3.5 BATH FAMILY HOME. SITUATED ON 2.5+ ACRES OF SCULPTED AND NATURAL LANDSCAPE, THE PROPERTY IS PRIVATE YET CONVENIENT

Let’s Pester laurenatuw for a Precis:

hand crafted interior not worth picturing

interesting new listing in Portola valley……. the town is so distracted by the housing bubble that pics of inside the house are now considered optional, even with a 3.15mill asking price.

guess you’ll just have to take the realtard’s word for it when they say (in all caps) "HAND CRAFTED, BEAUTIFUL FINISHED INTERIOR"…….

This Property is so Private that the agent Provided 14, Poll ‘em, 14 Pictures and every single Photo Portrays another Piece of the Peripheral Premises.

Yes, you heard right, today we have an actual house for sale for less than $300 big ones.  That means you have no more excuses for not becoming a homedebtor.  Thanks very much to Burbed reader holyzoo for passing along this palace in Pacifica!

627 Edgemar Ave
Pacifica, CA 94044
$289,000

Loan Payment: $1,022/mo
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 1&1/2
Size: 1,000 sqft
$/Sqft: $289/sqft
Type: Single Family House
Year Built: 1950
Lot Size: 5,104
Days on Movoto: 14 days
Neighborhood: Pacific Manor
MLS#: 81303817
Status: Active

This is a total fixer upper. The house needs everything! Swimming pool full of rancid water. Considered uninhabitable . Sewer lateral needs to be replaced. This is a contractor special. The house needs all new systems and total restoration. Large termite report calls for further inspections. Holes in walls. Wood floors ruined.

Did you hear that? This house has EVERYTHING!  Let’s check in with the zed.

Yeah, I know it’s totally not RBA, but how often do you actually see a listing for under $300k?

I think we’ll be heading to the open house just to feel thankful we don’t have cancer or gangrene.

Speaking of the open house, let’s see how open the walls are.

Wait a minute, wait a minute… Remember when we last saw floors like this?  Sure you do.

Now, we are definitely not saying that this house could have allegedly been a hypothetical meth lab.  And we are definitely not saying that this house could have been used for any non-normal innocent suburban purposes whatsoever OH PLEASE DON’T SUE US PLEASE DON’T THROW US INTO THAT BRIAR PATCH JACKPOT JURY PROCESS. 

But we are saying that it’s a good thing the nearest fire station is, we swear we are not making this up, only 88 yards from this house.

Have a look at some more pictures, including one that is very definitely NSFW, after the break.

(more…)

Mmmm Good!  That’s what Campbell’s Soup is… but how about Campbell’s Real Estate?  Campbell doesn’t tend to get a lot of respect when people talk about where they want to buy, but let’s look at its positive qualities.  It’s equally inconvenient to most freeways, so no location fail on that score! It’s definitely got varied housing stock, which means there should be something for everyone (provided by “everyone” we do not mean people looking in the Real Bay Area). And it’s got so many crapboxen, we find ourselves dipping into the Campbell well again and again for featured homes! 

Let’s look at today’s proud property listing, sent in by Burbed reader Lefty Lucy.

89 E RINCON Ave
Campbell, CA 95008
$565,000

2 Beds 
1 Baths 
588 Sq. Ft.
$961 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1912 
Lot Size: 3,850 Sq. Ft. 
On Redfin: 8 days
Status: Active
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Stories: 1
Community: Campbell
MLS#: 81301835
Style: Cottage/Bungalow
View: Neighborhood
County: Santa Clara

Don’t miss this charmer in Downtown Campbell! This 2 bedroom & 1 Bath bungalow is living at its best. Located on a corner lot, features include cherry hardwood floors, updated bath, wrap around rear deck, indoor laundry, living / dining room combo and so much more! Cozy yard with fruit trees. A must see!

Okay, Double L, tell us about this house you’ve picked.

Irregular but frequent reader, first time sender (though you must have gotten this from others as well!). 

I guess the bubble really is back. $961/square foot bungalow in oh-so-desirable Campbell: Ouch!  First time buyers like me are priced out forever, I guess (not that I’m shopping in Campbell, but it’s beyond crazy in my Santa Clara neighborhood as well).

$961? Who do they think they are, Mountain View?

Also note that this half a million dollar house is a pre-war bungalow.  That’s pre-World War I.

How much should land in the Real Bay Area cost, when they aren’t making any more of it?  It’s hard to tell, as most of it is already covered with houses.  But today’s featured property, courtesy of Burbed reader Michael Boltonestater, may help us get an idea.  All together now: Mountain View, so close to Google!

344 BRYANT Ave
Mountain View, CA 94040
$4,400,000

3 Beds 
1 Baths 
1,216 Sq. Ft.
$3,618 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1953 
Lot Size: 0.93 Acres 
On Redfin: 1 day
Status: Active
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Stories: 1
Community: Grant
MLS#: 81301915
Style: Traditional, Cottage/Bungalow
View: Neighborhood
County: Santa Clara

3BR/1BA WITH SPACIOUS KITCHEN OVERLOOKING YARD. FEATURES INCLUDE LIVING ROOM WITH REFINISHED HARDWOOD FLOORS, INSIDE LAUNDRY ROOM WITH PANTRY, & APPROVED PLANS FOR REMODEL/EXPANSION INTO SPACIOUS ATTIC AREA. POSSIBLE 4 LOT SUBDIVISION ON APPROXIMATELY 40,000SF LOT (. 93 ACRES). OUTSTANDING DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS WITH ACCESS FROM BRYANT FILOMENA COURT. IDEALLY LOCATED IN WELL ESTABLISHED NEIGHBORHOOD.

You know the agent is just phoning this one in to long list of OPPORTUNITY-minded investors. Otherwise, this house with all its expansion plans could have easily been featured instead of just an aerial shot.  Heck, Google even managed to find something once we realized the Redfin map was pointing to the wrong place (over at Beaumont and Apricot, and wonder why that happened, huh?)

Also look at this very odd cul-de-sac that abuts the property (right underneath the lot on the lower right).  Looks like it only culled half de sac.

So, do you think land in Mountain View in a good zip without the good schools is worth a million for a quarter acre?  Can you make money as a developer when your land costs are that high?  New homes in nearby Enclave at Waverly Park development (the old Pumpkin Patch property) went for $2M+, but they built 53 big houses there.  Hard to get economies of scale when this lot will support four of them.

Perhaps the third time’s a charm for this huge investment opportunity. The buyer is sticking to this price regardless of which agent has the deal.

Some homes demand your attention because they’re in a perfect location, location, location.  Some are visually stunning.  Some feel right as soon as you walk in.  Some have stellar views.  Let’s see what’s preening itself all the way up in St. Helena, thanks to Burbed reader Tom Paine!

1269 Allyn Ave
St. Helena, CA 94574
$960,000

2 Beds 
1 Baths 
1,176 Sq. Ft.
$816 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1900 
Lot Size: 7,405 Sq. Ft. 
On Redfin: 4 days
Status: Active
Property Type: Residential, Detached, Single Family
Stories: 1
County: Napa
Style: Farmhouse
Community: St. Helena
MLS#: 21300576

Uncompromising address, this historic circa 1900 Farmhouse is located on one of St. Helena’s most charming streets loved for its close location to downtown & picture-book residences. The distinctive brick exterior & interior walls w/ abundance of windiows creates a light & airy, visually exciting residence. Highceilings, hardwood floors, stone root/wine cellar, a modern country kitchen & the vintage barn adds to the history & unique period charm

Tom calls attention to these important facts about the house:

The windiows make this a special place.  Paid $440k in 1999.

But that’s why you’re going to have to compromise.  This house is not in the Real Bay Area, and that’s why it’s only a special place. 

Not a Special place.

At least it has highceilings.

Time once again to visit one of our favorite places in the entire Real Bay Area!  And it’s been a while because the properties go pending faster than we can click through the listing photos.  We’ve been telling you that many RBA neighborhoods are hot, hot, HOT.  Now we’ve got even more proof that The Bubbly is Back.  Check out this Palo Alto palazzo from Burbed reader Michael Boltonestater!

411 PEPPER Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94306
$868,000

3 Beds 
1 Baths 
987 Sq. Ft.
$879 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1940 
Lot Size: 6,534 Sq. Ft. 
On Redfin: 5 days
Status: Active
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Stories:1
Community: Ventura
MLS#: 81300120
Style: Cottage/Bungalow
View: Neighborhood
County: Santa Clara

Walk to California Avenue and enjoy all it has to offer, from this charming 1940s cottage with endless potential. Light filled rooms, hardwood floors, remodeled bathroom. Expansive backyard. Quiet location. Outstanding Palo Alto Schools. No offers prior to 1/14/13.

Not just a house in Palo Alto with endless potential (after all, every house in Palo Alto has endless potential, just by being in Palo Alto!), this is a 1940s cottage with endless potential.  Just look at that kitchen!  They sure don’t build them like they used to.

But did you catch the last line in the listing?  “No offers prior to 1/14/13.”  If that isn’t proof that it’s 2006 again, we don’t know what will convince you.  Once again, the realtards are so convinced that their listed houses sell themselves, they get to decide what day they sell themselves.

Now here’s what Michael thinks about this Would Sell Way Over Asking Right Now If Only The Agent Hadn’t Made Everyone Wait a Week property:

Nice neighbors too, if you like junkyards.

These will be terrific neighbors… if you ever need to borrow a cup of brake fluid.

Today’s fine featured facade is brought to you by Burbed reader Petsmart Groomer!  Thanks very much, and if you want to see your name up in lights on the front page like PG’s, send your richest realty wrecks to one of the emails on the rightside column.

396 BARTLETT Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
$699,000

3 Beds 
2 Baths 
1,765 Sq. Ft.
$396 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1942 
Lot Size: 5,100 Sq. Ft. 
On Redfin: 70 days
Status: Active
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Stories: 1
Community: Sunnyvale
MLS#: 81237245
Style: Traditional
View: Neighborhood
County: Santa Clara

Absolutely a gorgeous home, completely rebuilt from the ground up in 2007. Oak kitchen cabinets granite counter tops. Hardwood floors in living room. Plus much more. Property will be open on Saturday, October 27 2012 from 12:00 to 4:00 p. m. Please show at that time.

Oak, granite, hardwood…. wait, wait, something’s missing.  Shoot, I bet the agent had the flip trifecta in the listing copy all along, and another joker figured he could just steel it and stain a reputation.

PG’s observation on this property:

Absolutely a gorgeous home… Yet there is only one picture.

Plus much more.

You want to know how much more?  You see that big corporate campus behind the back fence?  It just got sold to a real estate investment partnership.

Yes.  That means you could lease some of the space and then your commute to work would literally be seconds.  All you’d have to do is build a gate through your back fence.  You’d have a shorter commute than Mark Zuckerberg did back when he had a rental a block from the old Facebook HQ, and soon you’ll have a smaller number than he does (#36) on the Forbes 400!

How are you going to do that? Dunno, but Sunnyvale’s about to lose 1100 jobs.  Get cracking!

Bunus: Also just seconds away: expressway and high-voltage transmission lines! Is this house great or what? Plus much more.  Like the central location conveniently nestled between several Super Fun sites.

Property will be open on Saturday, October 27th 2012.

Having trouble getting going this morning? Today’s featured home, brought to you by Burbed reader Tracy Tea House, will get you going.  You’ll really be excited when you see you can’t have it anymore.

1015 S Genevieve Ln
San Jose, CA 95128
Sold: $650,000
Listed:  $579,000

Loan Payment:  $1,953/mo
Bedrooms:  3
Bathrooms:  2
Size:  1,357 sqft
$/Sqft:  $426/sqft
Type:  Single Family House
Year Built:  1955
Lot Size:  8,400
Days on Movoto:  34 days
Sold Date:  11/19/12
MLS#:  81240587
Status:  Sold for $650,000

Custom Home in a very desirable neighborhood! Nice floor plan with eat-in kitchen & living room/dining room combination. Living room with wood-burning fireplace, large windows & sliding glass door! Gleaming hardwood floors! New interior paint! Some plantation shutters! Ceiling fan! Indoor laundry! Original kitchen & baths. Large covered patio! Large lot with a very spacious back yard! Fruit trees!

Here’s why Tracy sent this one in:

I liked that house it was so WTF!

This one might not be worthy… But I wonder if the amount of !!!! will be enough to push it over the edge… This actually is my type of flipper potential. I like the house and location… and there are , some, plantation shutters!

What’s worthy is that it sold for more than 10% over asking! So WTF, is the 28 the Next Mountain View?

Not just hardwood floors, but gleaming hardwood floors. No, not just gleaming hardwood floors, but gleaming hardwood floors! Also, original vintage kitchen from 1955.  Why that doesn’t have an exclamation point (like almost everything else in the listing) is a real surprise. We mean a real surprise! Fruit trees! Ceiling fan! Some plantation shutters!