A fabulous Oakland Hills home that feels like Sonoma....
5630 Bacon Road, Oakland - Hillcrest Estates
(Source: Rick Richetta, Alain Pinel Realtors)
Regal Find on Brokers Tour
862 Regal Road in Berkeley took my breath away. Source: Caldecott Properties.
Before: 2013
Current: 2015
Out on Broker's Tour
I'm always fascinated by the different homes I get to view on our weekly broker's tour. I really liked the two homes below, listed by GrubbCo. 46 Melvin Court reminded by of a wooden labyrinth puzzle and felt as though it should have a fridge full of Tab Cola.
123 Wildwood Gardens in Piedmont had one fantastic front door, original details and a backyard out of a scene from a movie.
Love in Crocker Highlands!
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I really love this house at 1169 Sunnyhills Road in Crocker Highlands. This 1940's home is polished with tasteful updates, crisp white woodwork and is the perfect marriage between formal and casual. I love this family room with French doors to the backyard and I am really digging that the backyard is ample, but not too much yard to maintain. This property last sold in November 2011 for $1,100,000, it is now currently listed with Dave Higgins of Grubb Co at $1,295,000.
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Andy Warhol Would Have Lived Here
The front entry
Yesterday on Broker's Tour, I went to see what listing agent Martha Hill described as, Utterly Fab! She was so right! Entering 10415 Greenview Drive in Sequoyah Highlands in Oakland is like visiting an exhibit at MOMA. This custom built property is a showcase of 1960's luxury. A few features are: set back from the street, 3 car - carport, aggregate walkway, custom iron gate, massive living room with walls of glass revealing San Francisco and Bay view, mirrored walls, open kitchen adjacent to the family room, laundry room with beauty salon sink, built-in Nutone sound system, billiard room that now holds a vintage Brunswick pool table. I can only imagine the swanky parties and entertaining that took place here. All that is missing is an Andy Warhol silkscreen. P.S. Do not miss the last photo of the Brunswick pool table!
Space galore
Built-in entertainment
Brunswick!
Out on the Street
Many house hunters know that Monday and Thursday are Broker Tour days for the Oakland and Berkeley area. This is the day that Realtors tour the newest listings. Last Thursday I really enjoyed visiting Dee Knowland at her new listing at 6319 Brookside in Upper Rockridge. Perched on top a hill this home is bright and sunny and perfect for executive living. The rooms are ample and the seller has impeccable taste! I love the simple kitchen with large pantry and French door out to the patio.
1936 Rancher Captured My Heart on Broker's Tour
Last Thursday I saw a house that I could picture my life in - 2665 Camino Lenada in Montclair. (Listed by Mindy Scott) I drive down this street almost daily during the school year to drop my son off at Montera Middle School and I never noticed it before. This street is typically tight with school traffic, but one of the special features about this property is that it is set back from the street on a large lot size, (.33 of an acre) with plentiful and easy parking. If you decide to utilize the public schools, Joaquin Miller and Montera are a block away. Additionally, Montclair Village is a few blocks away. This is not a mid century modern rancher, but a colonial rancher with 1930's details including, vaulted beamed ceiling in the living room and many traditional details. The house just feels good with breezy indoor/outdoor flow, large rooms and great separation of space with an ample master bedroom. Listed at $972,000, this home was my favorite property on Broker's Tour.
Yummy listing on tour last week...
Last Thursday on Broker's Tour I was enchanted by this storybook sweetie - 608 San Luis Road listed at $875,000 - Listed by Anne Van Dyke of Grubb .
- Set back from the street - studded with mature landscaping and trees
- Venetian plastered walls - curved corners
- Gourmet kitchen with wood burning pizza oven
- Views, Views, Views
Romance is in the air
People are falling in love, (again) with the Crocker Highlands district of Oakland. The 1920's and 1930's homes in this handsome polished neighborhood that flank the Lakeshore retail district and Lake Merritt are selling quickly. Since January, 11 properties a went under contract or have sold, averaging 14 days on the market. Take a look at this treasured community Red Oak style below and scroll down to view a Crocker Highland gem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=4PhwUhZiEsU&feature=endscreen
Earlier this week, I fell in love with Anthony Riggins' (now pending) listing on Sunnyhills Road. This 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival pictured below was my favorite from Monday's Broker's tour and only lasted 7 days on the market.
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Sunnyhills exterior
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Possible Cliff May Home For Sale in the Oakland Hills
Last week, I walked into 3425 Robinson Street in the Joaquin Miller area of Oakland. One glance at the wooden windows that slide to the side to open, the triangular windows sandwiched between the wall and ceiling and I said, this looks like a Cliff May house! Karen Lum the listing agent said that her seller told her it is a Cliff May designed property, but she has no verification. I went home and checked the online Cliff May registry and could not find it. Regardless, there are many mod features: radiant heated concrete floors, floor to ceiling windows, gravel, concrete and wooly thyme landscaping, exterior doors from the master bedroom, kitchen, living room and more. The kitchen is tweaked out with gourmet appliances and windows to the backyard. I loved it!
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What's Going On Out There
This chart shows Montclair market data from the first quarter of 1997 through the second quarter of 2011. As you can see, sales and selling prices are trending down. As I was writing this blog post, I got word that my favorite property from last Thursday's Broker's Tour went pending in less than a week. A cool mid century home on Saroni was built in 1950 and and renovated to tug on the heart strings of any mid-century modern purist. Click here to view the project. This home was in pristine condition, was tastefully renovated to enhance the property, (no Home Depot cookie cutter finishes here), is level and has a sunny backyard. Additionally it was priced correctly, hence it is under contract.
Click on the link to view a cool video of the Montclair district of Oakland.
4433 Arcadia - I love this property!
Love this new listing - had to share. The sellers completely renovated the entire house. They have fabulous aesthetic and style, and their art collection and furnishings were really inspiring. Listing Courtesy of Dave and Carla Higgins at Grubb Co.
4 Bedrooms • 2++ Baths • San Francisco Views • Listed at $1.2M
Staircase Detail
Living Room
Breakfast Area
Kitchen
Dining Room
Living Room View
Master Bedroom
Office
Broker's Tour Find in Montclair, Oakland
Sometimes a house is just a house, you know, walls, floors, roof, etc... Other times a house moves people. 6492 Ascot Drive moves me! It was my favorite house on Broker's Tour this week. Classic mid-century modernist design for the purist who relish preserved original features. This house appears to have original green slate floors, original floor to ceiling windows and sliding doors and huge open spaces. The chrome vintage Frigidaire oven is a piece of art, the original built-in cabinetry in the entry makes organization easy and the rumpus room downstairs gives this house great separation of space. Frankly, I want to sell this house to a buyer, so I can come back and visit.
This house is so much more that the mere details that I mentioned above. It is also about the light, the privacy and the feeling that this house gives once you greet it. The cantilever design of the house that Realtors, Linda Elkin and Art White from Red Oak Realty call quietude reminds me of the celebrated Dave Brubeck's home.
Photos below are courtesy of Scott Hargis. 6492 Ascot Drive is listed for $675,000, has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, circa 1963.
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ascot living
patio
Montclair Redo to View
Montclair is an area of Oakland above Highway 13 between Broadway Terrace and Park Boulevard, with properties built from the 1920's to new construction. The appeal is the woodsy setting and in many parts of Montclair you will get the feeling that you are away from it all, yet so close to the city vibe. 5687 Florence Terrace is a 3 bathroom, 2+ bedroom home, currently on the market for $698,000. The cool thing is you are only two blocks up from Mountain Boulevard which is a straight shot to Montclair Village, (a retail and restaurant district of this area), yet you feel like you are in a very private, lush nook. Set back from the street, with drought resistant perennials flowers and paver-stone hardscape this house is very striking and handsome. Once inside the three sets of french doors to the grand balcony will capture your heart. The simple and tasteful white decor is minimalist, meets Shabby Chic, meets East Coast beach house. The owners of this house have done tons of upgrades from structural improvements to fantastic cabinetry and this house is truly a move-in and hang your artwork house. This property has been renovated tastefully, yet it retains all of the essence of 1923 the year it was built, making it a must see.
Rockridge Affordable? Yep!
Last week I voted 401 Avon my favorite house from Broker's Tour. With a much smaller house in Temescal selling for over $700,000, this house is priced right. 401 Avon is a huge 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom at 1694 square feet, (according to the MLS) has great upgrades and light. Henry Mather Green and Charles Sumner Greene were influential of the craftsman era. (Mather and Green combined arts and crafts with inspiration from China and Japan.) Giving a nod to its Japanese influence, the seller of this property added shoji screens. This property is listed with Leonard Carrillo of Red Oak Realty.
love this view!
1 Kelton Court, 5B – photo by Scott Hargis
This view comes FREE with the purchase of 1 Kelton Court #5B. I love 1 Kelton Court! 1 Kelton Court is on a cul de sac a few blocks away from Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. This is the perfect building for folks who want to be close to everything and yet live in a quiet building. (One of my clients purchased a unit in this building last year.) 1 Kelton Court #5B is currently listed with of Linda Elkin of Red Oak Realty.
can you wipe the drool...
Yesterday on Oakland's Broker Tour, I fell in love with 5785 Country Club Drive, (listed by Karen Starr of Grubb Co.) Claremont Pines, (a neighborhood in Upper Rockridge located between Broadway and Broadway Terrace) is a one of my favorite neighborhoods. Some of the properties in this area have City and Bay views, the neighborhood is very walkable, there is a neighborhood grocery store, Village Market and in about 20 minutes you can walk to your favorite shops and restaurants on College Avenue in Rockridge. 5785 Country Club, (offered at $1,525,000) was built in 1941 home and has been completely transformed into a sleek, yet relaxed abode that gives homage to mid-century modern design. The light is fantastic and the views of the City and Bay add to the charm.
Fab Rockridge Redo!
350 Forest Street in the Rockridge district of Oakland was my favorite house on Broker's Tour last week. This glorious craftsman, has the detailed you want in a vintage home, box-beam ceilings in the dinging room, built-in's and pillars, silky smooth hardwood floors, wood windows, but it has a modern edge with upgrades galore, including scrumptious kitchen and bathroom remodels. This house is listed with my friend and colleague Stefanie Parrott for $989,000. Oh, did I mention that you can sell your car if you buy this pad? You are a block away from Rockridge BART as well as a block away from Market Hall on College Avenue.
Below Market Priced Loft in Posh David Baker Building, Emeryville
Down the street from Pixar Studios is the David Baker designed lofts at 1500 Park Street. This is one of my favorite loft spaces in the East Bay. This building is in an ultra urban area of Emeryville and boasts the most lush, secluded garden as the entry. Once inside this building you will feel like you are in Eames territory. With a maple plywood mailbox area to the floor to ceiling windows, the modern space gives a nod to mid-century modernist.
Currently listed in this building is unit 223 offered at $249,300. (Listed with Jason of All Emeryville Properties) This is a below market rate unit for moderate household incomes making $75,000 per year as a single person or $85,700 combined for a couple. Click Here for more information regarding the City of Emeryville and below market rates. The first time home buyer coordinator for the City of Emeryville is Janet Peterson, 510-596-4316. It is important to note that if you purchase a home at a below market rate, you will have to sell your property at a below market rate, unless you own this unit for 25 years. (From my understanding, below market rates are set by the county of Alameda, and prices change with the economy. Please call Janet if you have more questions.)
