Get out your FasTrak box, we’re crossing over to the East Bay today!  Thanks very much to Burbed reader J from Alameda, who reminds us that anyplace, no matter how unlike the RBA, can be Burbed-worthy.  Remember, if a property is in the Bay Area, it can be Burbed too!

J sent us a Zillow link, so that’s what we’re using. And that’s because we’re still really annoyed that Redfin stopped linking to us without explanation, but still emblazons “Bloggers, have you written about this property?” on every listing. So what are we, Redfin, chopped liver?

1629 San Antonio
Alameda, CA 94501
$649,000

Beds: 4
Baths: 2
Sqft: 2,371
Lot: 6,000 sq ft / 0.14 acres
Type: Single Family
Year built: 1970
Last sold: Oct 1998 for $375,000 –
Parking: –
Cooling: –
Heating: –
Fireplace: –
On Zillow: 42 days
Other facts
Construction quality: 6.0
County: Alameda
Last remodel year: 1971
Legal description: MAP 58 PG 99 LOT 1
Parcel #: 072 031400502
Per floor sqft: 2,371 2,
Total rooms: 8
# Stories: 2
Structure type: Other
Unit cnt: 1
Zillow Home ID: 24861486

Affordable, Contemporary, Gold Coast Home

 

Here’s why J sent in this Alameda amazement.

Not RBA but perhaps Burbed worthy. So, it’s a partially finished remodel – not new news that someone ran out of money.

However, the photos. It’s sort of ‘staged’ – table in dining room, cabinet in living room, bed in bedroom (did not have time to get the comforter on right). The stair photo – written on the top stair is ‘keep out’. Finally, the lovely wall mounted fire extinguisher near the window in the other bedroom. Fascinating what an agent does, or does not bother to do.

You know what that lonely table in the dining room reminds us of?  Those abandoned real estate as art photos by Edgar Martins.  The bedroom photos are suggestive of his work as well.  Here are the two J mentioned above.

Plus this was an awesome opportunity to break out the RED ARROW toolkit.

Bet you’ll never think about the northern Marin city of Novato in the same way after you read this.  Thanks very much to Burbed reader nomadic for this noteworthy news item from the North Bay!

Picasso lithograph stolen from Novato mansion recovered

KTVU.com and Wires, Monday June 11th, 2012

NOVATO, Calif. — A Pablo Picasso lithograph worth $30,000 that was stolen from a Novato mansion owned by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko was recovered Sunday morning, a Novato police sergeant said.

The framed lithograph, titled "Femme au Chignon," was found around 8:20 a.m. propped against a fence along a curb on Burning Tree Drive by neighbors who were driving to a hiking trail, Sgt. Jennifer Welch said.

"It was placed there to be found," Welch said.

The lithograph is believed to have been taken from the furnished but unoccupied residence at 100 Obertz Lane that is owned by Lazarenko, who was serving time in a federal prison in Los Angeles for conspiracy and money laundering.

What a great story!  Stolen art, a foreigner with suitcases full of cash, and he’s in jail for not doing a better job hiding the suitcases.  Out of control teenfest!  But most important: Show-off mansion!

Holy crap, this HOUSE has almost a half acre of living space!  The tag “ginormous” we use for homes over five thousand square feet simply doesn’t do this one justice.  And while Redfin thinks you want the lot size in square feet, Zillow has the sense to translate it into acres: 11.21 of them.

ZEstimate: $5,052,500.  Rent ZEstimate: $7,045 a month.  That’s a little more house than you can get for that amount in Palo Alto.

Just how many suitcases did the former prime minister have with him?  It better have been worth the nine years in prison.

And just wait until you hear where this prime location, location, location is!  Thanks very much to Burbed reader dollarbin for this terrific townhouse!  And of course, it went pending in one week!

1901 Newbury Dr (Unable to map)
Mountain View, CA 94043
$659,000

BEDS: 3
BATHS: 3.5
SQ. FT.: 1,879
$/SQ. FT.: $351
HOA DUES: $197/month
LOT SIZE: –
PROPERTY TYPE: Townhouse
STORIES: 1-3 (Low Rise)
YEAR BUILT: 2010
COMMUNITY: Rengstorff
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81218499
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Pending Without Release
ON REDFIN: 13 days

Fantastic 2 year old townhome end unit in a prime location. Formal tile entry, 1st floor jr. bdrm suite, hardwood floors, large & open kitchen w/ granite counter, gas stove, stainless appliances & island, inviting living rm w/ office nook, generous size bedrms, grand master suite w/ high ceiling & walk-in closet. Custom shutters thru-out, skylight, central AC, 2 car garage & great natural lighting.

Here’s why dollarbin sent in the townhouse:

This one came on the market last week, I’m pretty sure it’s in Gable’s End: the address is Newbury but the entrance is on Colony St.

Are the photos re-used from a previous listing? It’s supposed to be an end unit, but the exterior shot seems to centered on the middle units. No idea what the interior actually looks like. Seems like a pretty half-assed listing, no mention of Google? No mention of Facebook? I’m going to need some more ALL CAPS HYPERBOLE before I warm up my overbids.

From looking at the original Gables End ads, this photo sure looks like one of their offerings. And there’s some interesting history on this property as well.  Zillow says it sold in November, 2010 for… $208,500!  That’s quite a price, given that they were advertised as starting in the low $600s.

Zillow also gives this place of ZEstimate of $735,800, which means instant equity galore for the lucky buyer!  Or some serious overbidding.  That is, if anyone could find the place, since Redfin couldn’t.

But it’s in a prime location.  Or did they mean a super location?

Burbed began its life as a housing price and mortgage insanity site back in 2006.  And if home prices keep going up, up, up like they are now in some Very Special Places, we could be back to our glory days soon, when every article had over 100 comments no matter how meh the listing was.

Not only are listing prices up Where It’s Special.  So are lease costs.  Have a look at this well-situated rental, courtesy of Burbed reader Adennris.

229 Polaris Ave
Mountain View, CA 94043
For Rent: $1,195,000/mo

Beds: —
Baths: —
Sqft: —
Lot: 15,246 sq ft / 0.35 acres
Type: Single Family
Year built: 1973
Parking: —
Availability: now
Lease term: ContactForDetails
Cooling: —
Heating: —
Fireplace: —
On Zillow: 21 days
MLS #: 81211034
Other facts

This may be a bigger entry error than simply putting in a sales price in the monthly rental field.  Here’s this same property on a realty site (photo right) and here’s the listing copy.  It’s a little different than what Zillow had.

Great income opportunity for the right buyer. 1031 exchange is possible. 2 buildings on one lot. Many possible uses in the ML disdrict of Mountain View. Near the worlds greatest companies and close to many of Mountain View’s wonderful services and delights. Easy commuting access to El Camino, Central Expressway, 85, and 101.

Last updated on  4/25/2012

More Details for 229 POLARIS AVE

Property Class:Commercial Industrial
Listing Status:Active
City:Mountain View
Area:203 North Shoreline
County:SANTA CLARA COUNTY
State:CA
Lot Size:15164.00 SF
Stories:2
Year Built:1973
MLS#:81211034
List Date:3/24/2012

So it’s not a single-family home, then?  But the upside is you definitely can bring your arc welder.

Trulia calls it an income/investment.  But Zillow wasn’t the only one to assume this place was a residence.  Check it out!

This is a 380 square foot, single family home, which can rent for only $608 a month.  No beds or baths, but it has assigned schools, and more importantly, places doing business.

Redfin never heard of this location or either MLS listing number above.  That’s because this site is a 6019 sf office building for sale.  And this description might explain all the confusion.

Check this out!!
Real close to downtown Mountain View.
16 unit office building in ML district of Mountain View.
2 buildings on one lot.
Recent Zoning changes have allowed for additional uses.
ML zoning.
Buyer to check with City of Mountain View for precise zoning uses allowed for this location.

Near down town Mountain View.
Blocks from El Camino.
Easy access to highway 101, Central Expressway and highway 85.

If you read all these conflicting real estate offers for the same location, you will also notice that it’s been described as being in three different neighborhoods.  That’s because Mountain View is so cutting edge, it transcends space, time, and money.  No wonder it’s so hot, hot, hot!

Let’s have another look at Los Gatos, as it’s one of those Real Bay Area cities.  You can tell it is when you see a property listed for twice as much as it sold for in the bubblicious days of 2005.  Thanks very much to Burbed reader nomadic for this peerless property.

138 SMITH RANCH Ct
Los Gatos, CA 95032
$888,000

BEDS: 3
BATHS: 2.5
SQ. FT.: 1,582
$/SQ. FT.: $561
HOA DUES: $85/month 
LOT SIZE: 3,484 Sq. Ft.
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STORIES: 2
YEAR BUILT: 2005
COMMUNITY: Los Gatos/Monte Sereno
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81211027
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 31 days

Beautiful 7 yr new home walking distance to Courtside, Netflix, LG trails, restaurants and shopping within Los Gatos school district. Regular sale, shows like a model, with high ceilings, recessed lights, granite kitchen & stainless appliances, hardwood floors in the family room/kitchen areas. Large, bright master with over sized tub and walk in closet. Private back yard and large 2 car garage.

Note the HOA fees prominently listed next to key features such as size of the house, size of the lot, and how many beds and baths.  When did Redfin start doing that?

Now here’s what nomadic had to say about the house.

Purchased two weeks ago at foreclosure (auction?) for $730k and now listed for a lucky $888k to cash in on $158k of instant equity!  It’s on a postage stamp lot that backs up to the 85 off ramp at Winchester.  The most recent sales on the street were in June 2010 for $460/sf, but those were about 1/3 larger – maybe the price isn’t as ridiculous as it seems…

Let’s see if Zillow agrees with “ridiculous.”

Um…whoa.  Those ZEstimates are all OVER the place.  And the “bunus” is the railroad tracks (shown as the dashed line) that run behind the homes across the street, the cherry on top of the awesome sauce that is Winchester plus the freeway ramp.

What do you think this home should sell for?  What do you think this home should sell now that you know it has “corporate ownership” plus “agent has financial interest”?  Usually corporate ownership means you’re looking at an REO, but in this case the place is owned by “Petwun LLC,” and the agent is the “manager” of said entity.

Burbed continues with Burbed reader Petsmart Groomer week, and now we return to Palo Alto.  Ah Palo Alto, home of high prices for working-class residences.  This fine investment property/teardown/whatever cannot be yours because it went pending in just six days.  Let’s drool on it and hope the sale falls through.  We’ll use Zillow this time because Redfin already took the listing copy and pictures down.

2316 Amherst St
Palo Alto, CA 94306
$1,498,000

Beds: 4
Baths: 3
Sqft: 2,025
Lot: 6,098 sq ft / 0.14 acres
Type: Single Family
Year built: 1959
Parking: —
Cooling: —
Heating: —
Fireplace: —
On Zillow: 9 days
MLS #: 81211442
County: Santa Clara
Legal description: —
Parcel #: —
Per floor sqft: 2,025
Zillow Home ID: 2120434658

Sold in conjunction with 2320 Amherst. Two buildings: 2316 is spacious 1/1 with hardwood & updated kitchen. 2320 has 2/1 downstairs with refinished hardwood & updated kitchen; small 1/1 upstairs with huge deck and lovely views of the hills. Both buildings have laundry facilities. Legally 2 lots, zoned R1. Fabulous College Terrace location – Move in, buy for investment or build a new home! [Listing information © MLSListings Inc. All rights reserved.]Brokered And Advertised By: Dreyfus Properties, Inc.Listing Agent: Lucy Berman

This one is a Wow!  As in Wow, that photography really hurts to look at.  We’ll include a number of pictures in case the listing is scrubbed from teh internets forever.

You can also try your luck with the Virtual Tour, which has the same pictures, only in much sharper focus.  The color intensity is still dialed up to 11, though, so you keep that feeling you accidentally wandered into The Bee Movie.

This photo at right is from the Virtual tour.  It’s the only one not on Zillow as well, and lucky for us, it’s got that riot of color so distinctive of this photographer.  The kind of buyer who wants an investment property in Palo Alto will definitely appreciate this effort that makes it look like a Henri Rousseau painting.

The rest of the photos, available after the break, are straight from Zillow.  That way you can enjoy the blurry effect on top of the bright colors.

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Foreclosure rattles upscale San Jose neighborhood, and tenants

By Pete Carey, San Jose Mercury News
Posted:   03/14/2012 05:53:36 PM PDT, Updated: 03/15/2012 10:14:37 AM PDT

The two-story home in the East San Jose foothills could belong to any well-to-do family, but step through the door and you’re inside a million-dollar suburban foreclosure quagmire.

More than a dozen adults and their pets have been living in a warren of rented rooms in the foreclosed house, turning a tranquil cul-de-sac into what one upset neighbor called "a nightmare for all of us living on that block."

According to attorneys for the tenants, the former owner was renting out rooms — including the laundry room and a living room split in two — in the months after the home was foreclosed by the bank. They claim she never told tenants about the foreclosure. Now the tenants face eviction in a hearing to be held Thursday in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

San Jose police officers have responded 16 times since September to resolve disputes and disturbances at the five bedroom, four bath home on La Castellet Court, where houses are valued at $1 million or more. The city’s code enforcement department says it has an open case on the house.      

Remember the Cubicle House?  This owner simply took that idea one step further now that rentals beat office space.

For all of you who have been criticizing the idea of The Real Bay Area versus The Part That Is Not, this should definitively settle those arguments.  Things like this simply Do Not Happen In The Real Bay Area.  If someone in Los Altos Hills were to notice 15 cars parked along the street in front of the 4,000 square foot housing tumor next door, Code Enforcement would not merely say they have “an open case on the house.”

And in Palo Alto, every one of those vehicles would have collected parking tickets within 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Anyway, our intrepid reporters have tracked down the house in question.

Unfortunately for purposes of journalistic outrage, the Streetview photo does not have the aforementioned excess vehicle collection.

Zillow can show us the neighborhood values.

Homeowners here certainly may have paid over a million for this area, but Zillow has a disturbing lack of faith in their reported valuations.  The expressway-like street against the backyards is Aborn. 

And if you’re wondering why the FB felt the need to fill this home chock-a-block with tenants while hiding from Bank of America, wait until you hear the bubblicious price paid for this place: $1,580,000 on Halloween of 2006. 

Today’s prestigious property was sent in by Burbed reader Tracy.  You know that saying about shutting the barn door after the horses run away?  These barn doors are wide open, and the barnyard is large.  Deep, too.  Come to Peacock Canyon, and breathe in the fresh air.

UPDATE at end of article.

16235 ALUM ROCK Ave
San Jose, CA 95127
$320,000

BEDS: 3
BATHS: 2
SQ. FT.: 1,400
$/SQ. FT.: $229
LOT SIZE: 2.17 Acres
PROPERTY TYPE: Detached Single Family
STORIES: 2
VIEW: Mountains, Canyon
YEAR BUILT: 1900
COMMUNITY: Alum Rock
COUNTY: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81208053
SOURCE: MLSListings
STATUS: Active
ON REDFIN: 11 days

Historic ALum Rock Stables is ready for a new start. 12 stall horse stable as well as level lot that could be used for a home or possibly an arena. Gourgeous views of Peacock Canyon and access to the Alum Rock Regional Park make this an ideal location for the horseman or naturist.

Here’s why Tracy sent this listing in for some Burbed loving.

I have fantasized about this place, many times when it has been on the market. It looks to be located midway down a landslide, but that might just be me. The view is amazing, and the price seems right, but it is a crap shack, so qualifies for the burbed treatment.

It certainly does!  This place sold for an eye-popping $1.2 million in 2006, which means it’s worth almost two million now.  What a deal the bank is offering. 

And go over to the Redfin listing to check out the pictures, because this is another one of those homes for visually organized people where every room is painted a different very bright primary color.  Maybe the FBs were running a daycare along with the horse business.

Given how old the structures are, these are in surprising good shape!  They were built in the 19th Century, yet modernization was allowed to happen.  Look, they even installed indoor plumbing!

Now if you really want some cognitive dissonance with your morning coffee, check out Zillow’s price history:

You let those horses out of the barn, and the barn is now worth less than it was 21 years ago.  Then again, Zillow has a completely different set of pictures for the property, so that could explain the discrepancy.  Also a different address.  Maybe these are competing Alum Rock Stables properties.

Well, one address or the other is an ideal location for the horseman or naturist.  I just wonder if the Realtard who wrote this copy knows what a naturist is.

Update 12:15 pm: The Redfin link above is now bouncing to 11125 Canon Vista Ave, with 2006 information. And different pictures since that’s a previous listing. It also says that property is pending as of today.  Head over to Trulia to see the above pictures and copy, while you can.

Happy Monday!  Let’s kick off the new workweek with another one of Burbed reader sonarrat’s discoveries in Santa Clara, also known as Real Gray Area.  And we’re not going to let a little thing like the seller pulling it off-market stop us from enjoying it, either!

2545 Amethyst Dr
Santa Clara, CA 95051
$550,000

Beds: 3
Baths: 1
Sqft: 897
Lot: 5,227 sq ft / 0.12 acres
Type: Single Family
Year built: 1955
Construction quality: 6.0
County: Santa Clara
Garage sqft: 273
Last remodel year: 1955
Legal description: TRACT 1309 GREEN VALE MANOR BOOK 50 PAGE1 10 PAGE2 13 LOT 438
Lot depth: 100
Lot width: 54
Neighborhood name: Santa Clara
Parcel #: 21622037
Per floor sqft: 897
Total rooms: 5
School district: Santa Clara Unified
# Stories: 1
Structure type: Other

Move-in condition ? Remodeled Kitchen & Bathroom ? New Appliances ? Newly refinished Hardwood Floors ? New Vinyl Floor in Kitchen & Bathroom ? Central Air Conditioner ? Santa Clara Schools ? Quiet Neighborhood with easy access to Expressways and 101

Just in case someone has a sad about these pictures still floating around Zillow and PMZ and gawd knows which other sites that don’t honor their MLS agreements, here are the other three pictures in the gallery. 

As you peruse them, pay careful attention to the artist’s use of light and texture, especially how certain themes carry from one photo to the next.

That’s a rather fancy-ass way to say despite this house looking abandoned (or at least like the owners can’t afford any living room furniture), somebody took the trouble to hang up curtains.

We recently received this email (without the pictures; I selected them especially for the excess smug):

Open House 23+ Acres $1,288,000 in Los Gatos Sunday 01-29-2012 OPEN 1-5pm

Take in the spectacular views!
OPENHOUSESunday 1PM-5PM!

21631 HICKS Rd, Los Gatos, CA 95032
MLS# 81200553
23 beautiful acres with SFR
Priced to sell @ $1,288,000

Spectacular views of city lights, Lexington Reservoir, the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Valley.
Build your dream estate on this 23 acre property with over 3 buildable pads.

A secluded and private retreat close to town!
Possibilities are endless, vineyards, horses, lush gardens, orchard, solar, Helipad.
Only 5 minutes to Los Gatos.

Valuable property that is priced to sell now.
Thanks,
agent name and phone

p.s. Email me if you would like to see photos of the property.

Hicks Road?  Why did that seem familiar?  Ah, yes!

We don’t know why this agent’s email got caught in a time warp where it didn’t show up until yesterday, but we can only assume it was sent to Burbed because they want the property featured again.  The least we could do is oblige them.  Quickly.  Click on through to see how the place is being marketed now.

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