Today is a very special day if you love romance and lovers and all that twaddle.  Our featured home was suggested by Burbed reader Tracy Tea House, who thought it was perfect for February 14th. We went along with it because we really weren’t up to finding yet another pink house for this year.  Thanks very much and please give Tracy a big, warm Real Bay Area welcome as today’s Guest Blogger!

And also some chocolate.  This stupid Hallmark Holiday does have an upside.

1048 Arlington Ln
San Jose, CA 95129
$1,598,000

4 bed, 3 bath
2,415 sqft
Single-Family Home
10 Days on Trulia
187 views
Status: For Sale
MLS/Source ID: NON
4 Bedrooms
3 Bathrooms
2,415 sqft
Single-Family Home
Built In 2007
Lot Size: 8,712 sqft
Zip: 95129
Neighborhood: West Valley

Beautiful Home in Top Cupertino School – Rebuilt in 2007

1048 Arlington Ln Rebuilt in 2007. 2415 SF of living space on a 7068 SF lot Hardwood flooring and recessed lighting throughout home. Fireplace in family room. Custom Cherry wood Kitchen cabinet and granite counters. All New Appliances. Master Suite with Sunken Jacuzzi Tub. Top Cupertino Schools.

Maybe a good house for Valentine’s Day as the Realtor is really trying hard to romance this house. Let’s go picture  by picture shall we?

Number one, bleak and dismal, focus on the stained and cracked concrete.

Number two, the desk will not fit in this small room so we will try to make you a believer by turning it diagonal.. Problem solved!

Number three, we are really proud of the stock door, and the paint. Pictures 3-5 are making the most of it.

Pic six, how to show the shower and tub in same photo? We wouldn’t want to waste an extra shot that could involve the commode. And, what makes the Jacuzzi sunken?

But my favorite is the last one. Like a set from a film in the San Fernando Valley. Imagine, an empty room, a bed, a bottle of wine and two glasses. And practically new remodeled 2007, and trying to get that back.

Like photos? So do we!  And this pimped-out property has powerful pix!  Thanks very much to Burbed reader Tracy Tea House for finding us this Cambrian casa. It may not have “Honey, stop the car!” curb appeal or “Can I hire your decorator” staging, but for all we know this listing was photographed by Herb Ritts.

5639 Park Manor Dr
San Jose, CA 95118
$645,000

• MLS/Source ID: 81301959
• 4 Bedrooms
• 2 Bathrooms
• 1,486 sqft
• Single-Family Home
• Lot Size: 6,098 sqft
• Neighborhood: Cambrian
• 14 Days on Trulia
• 289 views

5639 Park Manor Dr ADORABLE 4BEDROOM/2BATH HOME WITH GUADALUPE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! Refinished hardwood floors* all new interior paint including the kitchen cabinets & hall vanity* new faucets, mirrors, light bars, vinyl floor & baseboards in master & hall bath* new vanity in master bath* new family room carpet* all new satin nickel interior doorknobs* new dishwasher & faucet* nice play structure* & NEW ROOF.

Tracy says this listing is OMG.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, then it’s definitely tl;dr. 

Bunus: Super-ultra-extra redundant power lines!  Lots of them, so convenient!

That’s right, who doesn’t love a pink house?  Especially a pink house in San Jose!  How about East San Jose, because that’s what Burbed reader Tracy Tea House has found for us.  And once more, you are TOO LATE.  Seriously, would you get off your butt and buy another house? Do you want to be PRICED OUT FOREVER in Bubble 4.0?

50 PICKFORD Ave
San Jose, CA 95127
Listed for $324,950
Sold for $391,000 on 11/28/2012

3 Beds
2 Baths
1,381 Sq. Ft.
$283 / Sq. Ft.
Built: 1930
Lot Size: 10,000 Sq. Ft.
Sold On: Nov 28, 2012
Status: Sold
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Stories: 1
County: Santa Clara
Style: Craftsman
Community: Alum Rock
MLS#: 81239001

BANK OWNED REO! Excellent opportunity to own a home with lots of upside potential. Property has two garages, both have had permits pulled but never finaled. Property needs lots of work and is to be sold in its present “AS IS” condition. Home is in fairly good condition inside but you will need to replace some doors and windows. Some kitchen appliances are missing.

Opportunity! Potential! Fairly good condition! Unfinaled permits! Bank Owned REO! (What other kinds of REO are there?) What are you waiting for, don’t walk, don’t run, rent a helicopter and FLY over there right now!  Let’s listen in on Tracy’s nomination speech:

Pink and dismal. So much more than “some of the appliances are missing.” How about the sheet rock? Stinking Pink, tiny halls, open toilets, this bank owned house has it all.

Is this the “RBA?” I like the three pictures of the street in the wild west of East San José.

Wild West is right, they even show the broken windows.  We don’t know where Tracy got the above shot because it’s not on Redfin, and ZipRealty wanted us to sign in (As If, ZipR!)

Enjoy the pictures.  We included a bunch, because we never know when some real estate site will make us sign in.  The street, the open toilet, and many more right after the break.

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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!

Some of our featured properties made it to the front page because the photos are full of curb appeal.  As in a “Peel out from the curb, NOT buying that house.”  Some are here because the price just makes your eyes pop out.  Today’s house has the best features of both, and you know that when we say “best” we mean the exact opposite of “best.”

Many thanks to Burbed reader Tracy Tea House, for finding an abode on an aristocratic avenue.

6107 Countess Drive
San Jose CA 95129
Price:  $1,198,000

Reduced $37,000 on 11/11/12
Est. payment: 
Bedrooms: 4 
Bathrooms: 2 
19 days on Trulia
52 views
Property type: Single-Family Home
Size: Ask agent
Lot: Ask agent
Price/sqft: Ask agent
Year built: Ask agent
MLS/ID: —
Neighborhood: West Valley, 95129
Provided by: Help-U-Sell Corporate
This info was not provided by this listing source.
Ask an agent for more details about this home.
Listing agent: Adalberto Gonzalez
Broker: Tito Gonzalez

Highly Desirable Location & Part Of The Cupertino Union School District With API Scores 943+ (Muir, Miller & Lynbrook). Great Layout And Extra Permitted 432sq Enclosed Bonus Room. Large Yard With Mature Trees. This Home Is Ready For A New Chapter In Home Ownership. Buyer To Verify Square Footage & Permits. Open House 11/03 & 11/04 from 11:00-3:00pm. Not A Distressed Sale. Come See! ****MLS# 81239614***

Here’s why Tracy nominated today’s featured listing:

This house may not be distressed, but these pictures made me depressed. And the PRICE! Campbell schools really driving the price of this house up. The pictures are so gloomy and really, three of one tree? Is it rare? On the plus side, I do love developments with royal names.

Ahem, don’t you go hating on Cupertino schools by confusing them with Campbell.  The listing even makes a point of naming them (and their test results).

And there’s not just three pictures of one tree, but this interior shot (above) of the living or family room is the only glance you’re going to get inside, and they provided 11 photos.  That means you’ll see plenty of trees.  Or of the same tree.  There are also two pictures of The Right Honorable Countess of Drive, so have a gander at Your Ladyship.

Using Help-U-Sell means the “agent” isn’t going to tell you squat, but a quick glance over at Redfin provides the missing info. (1808 sf, 6099 sf lot, $663/sf, built in 1961.  Was that so hard?)  Guess they have a different understanding of that word “Help” in “Help-U-Sell” as they didn’t even put the MLS number in the Trulia listing (81239614).

That’s the much-photographed tree at right.  Since it gives us a glimpse at the back of the house we chose that elevation.

Even though this is Not A Distressed Sale, we’re thinking that New Chapter in Home Ownership is Lucky Number 7.

Listings tend to fall into certain kinds of categories here at Burbed.  There’s your all around crapshack, usually sold for the land value and no pictures inside.  There’s your overbuilt flip that’s wrong for the neighborhood.  There’s your overbuilt “dream home” that’s wrong for any neighborhood, and its cousin, the nightmare home whose builder ran out of money. Burbed reader Tracy Tea House has found us something else entirely over in East San Jose: winner of the wtf tag.

1764 Mount Kenya Dr
San Jose, CA 95127
Not for Sale

Zestimate $434,672
Rent Zestimate $2,549/mo
Est. Mortgage $1,507/mo

Beds: 5
Baths: 2
Sqft: 1,884
Lot: 5,662 sq ft / 0.13 acres
Type: Single Family
Year built: 1961
Construction quality: 6.0
County: Santa Clara
Last remodel year: 1961
Legal description: TRACT 2450 MT PLEASANT BOOK 132 PAGE1 7 LOT 792
Lot depth: 105
Lot width: 54
Parcel #: 64724054
Per floor sqft: 1,884
Total rooms: 7
# Stories: 2.0
Structure type: Other
Unit cnt: 1
Zillow Home ID: 19786732

Split level home with so much potential. Three bedrooms upstairs and two downstairs. Open floor plan with large living room. Inside laundry. Downstairs bedrooms may be locked but rest of the house is view-able. Large separate storage room outside, detached workshop. Some double-pane windows. Home needs front and back landscaping, has nice decorative stone wall. Good handyman special.

We’re not going to let a little thing like the house not being for sale stop us.  Besides, Movoto’s got it for $350,000.

Here’s what Tracy had to say when sending in this Alum Rock redoubt:

Do not drink before viewing these pictures!

Oh wow. Wrong in so many ways, but the picture of the kitchen is a first for me! This house just hit the market for 350K

What, you’ve never seen green cabinets before?  Oh, you mean this one.

We don’t think we’ve ever seen one of those in a kitchen before either.  Guess putting it outside isn’t that good an idea.

Bunus: Check out the (five years) old listing photos currently on Redfin.

It’s Halloween!  We’d love to hear what you’re dressed up as today, and what your kids are wearing to their Real Bay Area schools!  But first, the trick. 

Burbed reader Tracy Tea House is serving this San Jose special today, and we’ll leave it for you to unwrap.  Remember, Tracy likes Trulia for listings, so you can too.

1747 Vollmer Way
San Jose CA 95116
$429,900

Reduced $20,000 on 10/12/12
Est. payment: 
Bedrooms: 4 
Bathrooms: 2 full, 2 partial 
29 days on Trulia
171 views
Property type: Single-Family Home
Size: 1,658 sqft
Lot: Ask agent
Price/sqft: $259/sqft
Year built: 1947
MLS/ID: 81236242
Neighborhood: Alum Rock, 95116

San Jose, CA – Single Family Detached
Description provided by Trulia
This Single-Family Home located at 1747 Vollmer Way, San Jose CA is currently for sale and has been listed on Trulia for 29 days. This property is listed by CENTURY 21 Alpha for $429,900. 1747 Vollmer Way has 4 beds, 4 baths, and approximately 1,658 square feet. The price per square foot is $259. The property was built in 1947. 1747 Vollmer Way is in the Alum Rock neighborhood in San Jose, CA.

Here’s what you get when you ring this doorbell:

Lord Voldemort’s street… This one scares me and the listing croppy is just that, strange and mystifying. Seems like, from the satellite,  there is some kind of evil carnival located on the street behind.

Listing copy?  We see no listing copy here.    Redfin says, menacingly, “There are no remarks available.”  Maybe Lord Voldemort… disposed of it… along with the lot size the agent won’t disclose online. Hint: 6477 sf per Redfin. They also have three completely different photos, including this kitchen as classic “before” snap, and a yard perfect for burying mistakes.

Now here’s a treat: pictures inside the house from three years ago.  Plus an even older listing (nine years! for $388K! with overbidding!), no photos but actual description:

MOTIVATED SELLERS HAVE ALREADY FOUND REPLACEMENT HOME AND READY TO MAKE A DEAL NEW ROOF HAS BEEN DONE WITH GUTTERS * * * TILE KITCHEN, FRENCH DOORS TO BACKYARD CENTRALLY LOCATED TO FREEWAYS AND SHOPPING * * GARAGE CONV. PERMITS UNKNOWN

Like Dr. Frankenstein, we’re digging up pieces all over the place to assemble this monster.  Movoto cached the recent listing description!

Price:  $429,900
Loan Payment:  $1,497/mo
Bedrooms:  4
Bathrooms:  3
Size:  1,658 sqft
$/Sqft:  $259/sqft
Type:  Single Family House
Year Built:  1947
Lot Size:  6,477
Days on Movoto:  26 days
Neighborhood:  Alum Rock
MLS#:  81236242
Status:  Pending – Do Not Show

This is a very large home at a reasonable price. Look no further for these one`s in a life time opportunity home. Close to all convenience for your benefit.

That does sound creepy.  Have a look at the carnival and Happy Halloween!

We’ve mentioned a few times that this site’s founder, burbed, has a jones for pink houses. Today’s house is pink… but only on the inside.  Open wide, say Ahhh, and and have a look at this marvelous maison in Milpitas!  Thanks very much to Burbed reader Tracy Tea House for sending in this rancho rosa real.

2258 Devon Place
Milpitas CA 95035
$914,888

Play virtual tour (powered by Trulia Pro)

Est. payment: 
Bedrooms: 4 
Bathrooms: 3 
62 days on Trulia
862 views
Property type: Single-Family Home
Size: 2,700 sqft
Lot: 0.25 acres
Price/sqft: $339/sqft
Year built: 1985
MLS/ID: ML81231332
Zip: 95035

Detached, Traditional – Milpitas, CA
This custom Shapell Home is now on the market for the 1st time! Immaculate Condition!! This Beautiful home has been cared for & loved by the same owners for 26 years.*Formal Living, Family & Dining room, Breakfast nook, High ceiling through out *Master Suite w/walk-in closet, tub w/jets, *Private laundry room *New Tile, double pane windows, plantation shutters, video security system, Huge Lot with tons of possibilities & MUCH MORE!!

Here’s what Tracy thought about the decor.

Wow  so nice and in Milpitas too. Yeah, it’s a little close to 680, but all in all seems pleasant enough. I am sending this house to you because of the decorating. I didn’t even see the inside of the house, I was too distracted by the pastel color schemes…

This house is 26 years old? This dining room reminds me of some model condos we toured back in 1984.  So that means the current owners were only two years behind the latest decorating trends… assuming they never updated another thing once they furnished this home.

Providentially, there’s plenty more pink photos to peruse.  Please, enjoy them after the break.

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Remember when we asked for homes not in Mountain View?  Burbed reader Tracy Tea House did what we asked, and obliged with this wonderful Willow Glen walkup.  Thanks very much!

869 Buchser Way
San Jose CA 95125
Price:  $829,000

Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2 full, 1 partial
49 days on Trulia
143 views
Property type: Single-Family Home
Size: 2,191 sqft
Lot: Ask agent
Price/sqft: $378/sqft
Year built: 1970
MLS/ID: 81233324
Neighborhood: Willow Glen, 95125

This beautiful updated home features 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths locates on a quaint Willow Glen cul-de-sac. Set back off the street with a large landscaped front yard and walking distance to popular Downtown, Fresh & Easy grocery story and River Glen Park. Convenient location, great neighborhood.

Here’s why Tracy thought this house belonged on the front page today.

TV’s on, but nobody’s home. We have an ice chest out by the pool, a full side of refrigerator notes, ominous tilting pictures, and a close up of the crack in the pool deck complete with  gloomy shadows. The front of the house takes a long view at ground level. Looks like an easy walk to the market too!

This isn’t just any tilting picture.  This is a tilting picture complete with a space-time anomaly. Buy this house and get the portal to Alpha Centauri III behind the pool heater. It’s the extras in this house that make it so quaint.

“Bunus”: A Willow Glen listing almost in Willow Glen.  But close to Fresh & Easy grocery story.

It’s time to put on your hemp sandals and splash with a bit of patchouli oil, because we’re driving the VW Microbus up the long and winding road to a groovy getaway.  Thanks very much to mystic crystal hip chick and Burbed reader Tracy Tea House for this psychedelic shack in the Santa Cruz mountains!

21864 Bear Creek Road
Los Gatos CA 95033
$999,000

Bedrooms: 5 
Bathrooms: 3 full, 1 partial 
98 days on Trulia
1,515 views
Property type: Single-Family Home
Size: 4,426 sqft
Lot: Ask agent
Price/sqft: $226/sqft
Year built: 1983
MLS/ID: 81219243
Zip: 95033
Provided by: californiamoves.com

This home appraised last March for $1,050,000! Want a “green” home? Your geodesic dome has efficient wood heating, solar hot water, R30 insulation, PGandE bills of less than $60/month!! 164 acres feels like a kingdom. Great potential for horses, vineyards, hiking or just getting away to relax. Wonderful decks for entertaining. Outstanding views. Los Gatos Schools. Please do not drive-by.

The home may have a Los Gatos mailing address, but just like its 1960s architectural influence, it sits proudly on the Santa Cruz side of the County Line.  There is no doubt this is an authentic hippie pad, or at least that it could have been.  Too bad it was built in 1983.

Here’s what Tracy had to say about this geodesic goody.

I just love a good dome! This one features… Logging roads! Don’t drive by. In fact if this was my dome, I might never be able to leave. I’d get a few horses, some vineyards and watch the view. Working in the valley… forget about it. At 999 it’s a little high for a second mountain home, maybe when it gets down to 888???

A little high.  Snort.  Don’t bogie the bong.  Share.  Peace, man. 

Oh that sky, it’s, it’s, it’s… it’s the HDR processing that makes the blue so intense and the horizon so actinic.  Or maybe this is really bad acid.

Feels like a kingdom already.