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  Fantastically designed, this Storybook home in the Berkeley Hills has been dubbed “The Harry Potter House” by neighboring children

  Fantastically designed, this Storybook home in the Berkeley Hills has been dubbed “The Harry Potter House” by neighboring children

  
  Photo: Open Homes Photography
  

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Fantastically designed, this Storybook home in the Berkeley Hills has been dubbed “The Harry Potter House” by neighboring children

Fantastically designed, this Storybook home in the Berkeley Hills has been dubbed “The Harry Potter House” by neighboring children

Photo: Open Homes Photography

In storybook style with a fairy tale setting, this 1929 Berkeley Hills home is listed for $1.495 million.

The home

Storybook style architecture is a 1920s phenomenon. Homes of this design were inspired by Hollywood’s love affair with fantastical old-world Europe. Hallmarks of this style (also called Provincial Revivalism, Fairy Tale, and Hansel and Gretel) include craggy gabled roofs, cobblestone, latticed iron, beamed ceilings, and sometimes irregular or uneven features that create a whimsical effect.

You see all of those hallmarks in 679 Cragmont Ave. The four-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home offers 2,365 square feet of whimsy, so much so that it “has been dubbed the ‘Harry Potter House’ by local children,” says the official website.

The facade is brick under fanciful gables embellished with scrollwork and carvings (note the kitty cutout above the front entrance).

ALSO: Preserved midcentury-modern home in San Rafael overlooks Mt. Tamalpais

Inside are more brick, tile, and hardwood. The living room features an over-size hearth and 12-foot beamed ceilings. The listing writeup mentions “artisan’s finger marks on the clay floor tiles.”

Fantasy takes a break in the kitchen where upscale modern features dominate.

On the upper level, nestled under a cathedral ceiling, is a master suite with its own freestanding fireplace and a “giant closet with a round window inspired by the movie ‘Christmas Vacation,’” according to the listing.

Balconies off bedrooms feature wrought iron and irregular, hand-carved mullion doors; these overlook the extensive back gardens.

There is also a garage and full basement.

The grounds

A Storybook home would hardly be worth its story without magic gardens. On this 5,985-square-foot lot, there are trees, fountain, topiary, rose garden, greenhouse shed, English “folly and deciduous trees.”

A brick patio, accessed by a medieval-looking door, offers its own fireplace under an arbor dripping with wisteria.

The location

Cragmont Avenue is a sylvan street in the Berkeley Hills, close to Tilden Park as well as the amenities of downtown Berkeley.

The deal

The last time this enchanted home sold was 1997, when its (seemingly magical, by today’s standards) price was $425,000. Fast forward to 2019, that price is $1.495 million.

With a 30-day sale-to-list ratio for this zip code of 121 percent, it seems the ending to this story includes new owners who bid quite a bit higher.

See the complete listing here.

Anna Marie Erwert writes from both the renter and new buyer perspective, having (finally) achieved both statuses. She focuses on national real estate trends, specializing in the San Francisco Bay Area and Pacific Northwest. Follow Anna on Twitter: @AnnaMarieErwert   

Article source: https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/Berkeley-Hills-Harry-Potter-House-is-classic-13845942.php

May marks the 1908 founding of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), which got its start under another name at a surprising location: a YMCA auditorium. The founders were the village people of their time, with a desire to help build communities, to establish a Code of Ethics for their profession and to place emphasis on service to others. They and their successors recognized that the interests of the nation “require the creation of adequate housing, the building of functioning cities, the development of productive industries and farms, and the preservation of a healthful environment,” as the NAR Code today goes.

Much obviously still needs to be done to reach those goals, but the best realtors care not only for their clients, but also for the communities in which they live and work. One such individual in San Francisco is Steve Gallagher, who began at Zephyr Real Estate before moving to TRI Coldwell Banker and then to the Market Street Coldwell Banker, where he has been for the past seven years. He was on the Top Producers list at all three offices.

Members of our San Francisco Bay Times team have heard many people in the Castro singing his praises over the years, and we have run into Gallagher often at various events for our community. We therefore asked him to share his story during this NAR anniversary month.

Gallagher replied: “With almost a quarter century of selling real estate behind me, it is interesting to think about why I got into real estate in the first place and what drives me to continue to sell to this day. I was born in San Francisco at Children’s Hospital, now CPMC on California Street. Although I was raised in Marin, I moved to the City right after college (UC Davis) and never left.”

“My family has been here for generations; my Great Grandfather was a ferry boat captain on the bay at the turn of the previous century, and my parents met when they both worked at the Emporium (the Big E) on Market Street,” he continued. “I followed their lead into retail, working for Macy’s for over 13 years, and then tried working on the wholesale side of things for a while. I had considered selling real estate because I loved looking at property and envisioning what it could be, but just wasn’t sure about being solely on commission. After a few years, I found the wholesale industry to be a fickle business so I bit the bullet and got my real estate license. I was lucky; I sold my first closing within the first few months to a friend I had met in the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC). It closed on my 40th birthday; to me, a great omen for a couple of reasons.”

“While that first year was tough, during the years that followed I fortunately have been one of the top producers more often than not in the companies for which I have worked. I love my work and I truly love helping clients find that perfect home—one that they can live in and love where they live! In fact, love where you live is my tag line. It’s corny, I know, but nothing makes me happier than helping someone find that perfect place and then advising them on the best way to successfully get in contract on the home and ultimately make it their own.”

He added, “Shortly before becoming a realtor, I joined the SFGMC, a group that I am part of to this day. The chorus is a great community of people with a mission to make a difference in the world through music. My involvement in the chorus both as a member and as the President for four years, has led to a consistent level of real estate sales from within the ranks and many referrals along the way. Word of mouth is a great source of business and referrals are the strongest form of flattery. I always hope my clients, whether they are buyers or sellers, like what I do enough to talk to their friends about me. Of course, those sales help me to give back to the organization and support the great work they are doing.”

“I am fortunate to live and work in the Castro; my office is Coldwell Banker on Market Street just down from the corner of Castro Street. I have done a significant portion of my business in the Upper Market/Castro area. It is one of the best places in the City to live! There is great weather, wonderful shops and restaurants and convenient transportation; what’s not to love.”

“Ultimately, I have found my passion in real estate,” he shared. “I believe that owning your own home and building wealth through real estate is the ultimate goal. Setting down roots and being part of a community is tremendously important. After being a part of SFGMC since 1993 and selling real estate since 1995, I feel like part of the fabric here in San Francisco and specifically in the Castro. It is funny—I walk around the area with my husband on the weekend and say, ‘Hi,’ to two or three people along the way on a regular basis. He always asks, ‘Chorus or real estate?’ I laugh, because it is usually one or the other.”

Article source: http://sfbaytimes.com/san-francisco-realtor-steve-gallagher-strengthens-community-castro/

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  An empty lot in the heart of Old Palo Alto, a tony neighborhood in the Silicon Valley, went on the market in April 2019 for $9 million.

  An empty lot in the heart of Old Palo Alto, a tony neighborhood in the Silicon Valley, went on the market in April 2019 for $9 million.

  
  Photo: Circle Vision
  

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An empty lot in the heart of Old Palo Alto, a tony neighborhood in the Silicon Valley, went on the market in April 2019 for $9 million.

An empty lot in the heart of Old Palo Alto, a tony neighborhood in the Silicon Valley, went on the market in April 2019 for $9 million.

Photo: Circle Vision

The leafy neighborhood of Old Palo Alto that Steve Jobs once called home is among the most coveted places in the Silicon Valley to own property. A vacant quarter-acre lot that hit the market for $9 million is a testament to its cachet.

It’s listed for triple Palo Alto’s median home value of $3 million, according to real estate listing site Zillow, and doesn’t even include a house, only a stucco wall surrounding a stretch of dirt with towering redwoods and old oak trees.

Listing agent Adam Touni of Compass says the property at 1628 Bryant St. offers an opportunity to build a modern masterpiece in a neighborhood where architecture is celebrated.

“The beauty of this property is you have a blank slate,” says Touni. “Many of the homes in Palo Alto are historic and so they can’t be torn down. You have to like that style. Here you have a lot that has never been built on.”

Old Palo Alto was developed in the early 1900s after the founding of nearby Stanford University. Professors bought lots and built grand homes; today, walking through the neighborhood under a canopy of trees, you might find a Dutch Colonial, English Tudor and California craftsmen all in a row. You might also pass the residence of Google co-founder Larry Page or former 49er Steve Young.

“It’s arguably the most coveted neighborhood in the Bay Area,” says Touni. “These are storied homes, built between 1900 and 1940. It’s different because it’s not guarded or gated. It’s a community. Neighbors converse with one another. People ride their bikes.”

The sellers purchased the property in 1972 and planned to build a home but never did. It was previously part of the adjacent estate at 1600 Bryant St., with a six-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot mansion that’s coincidentally also on the market for $19.8 million.

“The parcels are separately owned and being represented by different agents,” says Touni. “However, a prospective buy may want to purchase both.”

ALSO: San Francisco shack asking $2.5 million comes with a demolition permit

For the sale, an architect drew up plans for a three-level, 6,000-square-foot home to show the possibility with the property. Touni suspects if a home of this size were built, it could be worth $15 to $20 million.

The median home value in this small slice of Palo Alto is $4.38 million, according to Trulia, and the price per square foot is $2,231, making the average price of a 6,000 square foot home about $13.4 million.

Article source: https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/1628-Bryant-St-Old-Palo-Alto-empty-lot-real-estate-13845090.php

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco real estate is not cheap. Currently, the average price per square foot is around $1,200. But one listing in the Potrero Hill neighborhood caught our attention: a tear-down shack at $3,900 a square foot.

RELATED: Empty lot in San Francisco’s Glen Park neighborhood on the market for $1.85M

But there is a reason for the price tag besides the sweeping 360-degree views of the Bay Bridge, the East Bay and San Francisco.

The property at 863 Carolina Street is not much to look at from the street. Rickety stairs lead up to an equally dilapidated porch and overgrown backyard. There isn’t even a wall on the backside of the property.

The current owners had been renting the property out until about a decade ago. That’s when the home went into disrepair.

Neighbor Tracy Moon was shocked when she heard the price.

“I did not believe you! For 20 years, I’ve walked by here with my dogs and if you look at the way it is now, never in a million years would I ever thought you could turn this into something unless you start from scratch.”

That is exactly why real estate Anne Laury’s selling: the potential and ability to start all over.

“It’s planned to have a two-car garage for a bedroom, four bathrooms, an amazing living space on the top floor with patios and incredible views.”

The potential for the property is displayed for all to see in renderings, showing what the property can become with the proper planning. While the view could absolutely be considered “million dollar” on its own, many would argue the real value in the home is in the permits.

Geddes Ulinskas, prominent San Francisco architect is one of them.

RELATED: Silicon Valley estate expected to become most expensive in Bay Area

“Teardown permits are extremely rare because the city does not like seeing housing disappear for fear of it not coming back. The concern is that there’s temptations to buy multiple lots and combine them.”

Ulinskas says sometimes the avoided headache of applying for permits is priceless.

“Two years of frustration out of the way, that carries a lot of weight and that’s why you see a lot of homes being advertised being sold and approved.”

As with all construction in San Francisco, there will be more permit requirements for whoever decides to build on the site. But the city tells ABC7 News having the demolition and building permits are already a huge accomplishment.

With just seven days on the market, there have been 22 disclosure packets given out to potential buyers.

See more stories and videos related to real estate.

Article source: https://abc7news.com/realestate/$25-million-shack-for-sale-in-sf/5298629/

Article source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-07/ipo-fever-has-yet-to-bolster-san-francisco-s-real-estate-market