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“Why are we able to hear a great distance through a speaking tube?” the snippet reads before explaining the science: “When we speak into a tube, the sound waves cannot scatter, but must travel within the tube, and so we can hear at a much greater distance.”

Relics of the speaking tube can still be found in old houses, including some of the many Victorians around San Francisco. In some cases, the tube has been removed, leaving a curious small hole in the wall where it once protruded. 

“I’ve been to several houses that have them. People value stuff like that again,” said Bonnie Spindler, a Bay Area-based real estate agent and expert in all things Victorian. “Things that don’t need electricity I think are making a comeback. … People are trying to get off the grid. All these conveniences that you don’t need power for, it’s kind of fresh in an old-fashioned way.”

A speaking tube is exactly what it sounds like: a narrow pipe made of lead, galvanized metal or brass that extends from one spot in the house to another. Fresh milk outside? The delivery man could call into the tube and alert the residents. Requiring a cup of tea? You could simply speak into the tube and summon a servant to your room. 

The speaking tube was invented around the 1780s, and many iterations and inventions followed. They were found in not just upper-class homes but also middle-class abodes. Victorians, you may not know, loved technology and convenience.

“It was considered a convenience,” Spindler said. “The Victorians were all about efficiency, so they added a lot of things like this to their homes, as many technological advances as possible.”

They often came equipped with a device to alert the person at the other end that you wish to speak. Bells, buzzers and knockers were put to this use. 

In addition to their presence in the home, speaking tubes were also employed on ships, in automobiles and even in hospitals. An ad in a 1907 newspaper lists a speaking tube among the advertised limousines’ amenities: “Upholstered in the best of Morocco, equipped with clock, electric lights, speaking tube, curtains, glass front and all the comforts of a modern car.” 

The speaking tube, like many home conveniences of yore, eventually went out of fashion. The advent of the telephone and electronic intercom system replaced the simple tube. While speaking tubes were in use up through the 1940s, they were redundant by the 1950s. 

But Spindler sees these sorts of historical relics coming back. Especially amid the pandemic, Spindler said, she’s seen a new appreciation for the room and its conveniences.

“People embraced hygge, the coziness of being home,” she said. “Moody maximalism came back into fashion. It’s granny chic in a way.” 

In terms of the speaking tube, it’s all about “people appreciating these things that they don’t understand, that they don’t know why they’re there.” 

After the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano triggered a global tsunami warning — the volcanic blast now perhaps the most violent eruption ever captured by satellite — deep waves of displaced water began traveling toward the West Coast, including the Bay Area. Though the National Weather Service indicated that peak waves from the tsunami were around 2 feet, widespread flooding was observed across the Bay Area.

The Santa Cruz harbor, for example, saw a sizable tsunami swell that caused damage to piers, uprooted trash cans, and left parked cars completely submerged as waves worked their way inland. Soquel Creek in Santa Cruz flowed backward due to the tsunami retreating waves. Docks in the Marina were decimated, some left destroyed and in need of expensive repairs. Waves ran up Del Monte Beach in Monterey; the City of Berkeley evacuated some 113 people from boats docked at the Berkeley Marina out of an abundance of caution.

Where can a buyer get that space in San Francisco? One option: the Sunset District. The three highest overbids this year all happened in one ZIP code: 94116, San Francisco’s Sunset District. If you’ve lived in the city long enough, you may recall the Sunset was once a sleepier neighborhood than closer-to-the-city-center property when it came to real estate. It had a suburban vibe, and prices weren’t as high, nor was demand.

Over the past few years though, that’s changed, and by 2021, buyers wanted the 94116 — badly.

Patrick Carlisle, chief market analyst at Compass, said that “the Sunset has consistently been the hottest market in the city in recent years, with the highest overall overbidding percentages. Even though prices have soared, the houses typically range about the median sales price for the city — which makes it relatively affordable, while being in a solid, suburban-ish neighborhood, with active neighborhood commercial districts, parks on two sides and the ocean on the other. During the high-tech boom, it has been very popular with younger families, many of whom worked not only the San Francisco high-tech sector, but down in the Peninsula.”

Redfin reported that the Sunset market is “very competitive” with data showing:

-Many homes get multiple offers, some with waived contingencies
-The average home sells for about 22% above list price and goes pending in about 14 days
-Hot homes can sell for about 37% above list price and go pending in about 12 days

The top three overbids in San Francisco in 2021 all came from the Sunset, and these sales doubled — and even nearly tripled — the average over-asking you see above. 

1. 3228 Santiago St.

In early April of 2021, 3228 Santiago St. in San Francisco’s Sunset neighborhood listed at $799,000. This 1,000-square-foot home is an easy walk to the beach. The three-bedroom, one-bathroom abode was sold in less than three weeks, at $1,452,500. That price is 81.8% over asking. 

2. 2543 16th Ave. 

The second highest over-asking home is at 254316th Ave., which listed in mid-April of 2021. At that time, the asking price for this 1,650-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bathroom home was $1,095,000. In June, it closed at $1.910 million. That’s 74% over asking. 

3. 2370 28th Ave.

In third place is 2370 28th Ave., a 1925 Spanish-style abode offering two beds and one bath and 1,175 square feet. The home listed in mid-April (which means that each of these homes has not just two but actually three things in common: their high over-asking price, their ZIP code and the month they listed). The original asking price was $995,000. Two weeks later, the home sold for $1.725 million, which is 73.4% over asking. 

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And don’t expect the market to cool down anytime soon.

“While the ferocious level of demand tempered since summer, the low inventory and threat of rising rates has kept the market very robust,” Chan said. “Reading my real estate tea leaves, I forecast this trend to continue into 2022.”

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/2021-s-top-3-over-bids-sales-in-SF-and-the-East-16752674.php

A San Francisco home that has zero bedrooms and has been described as “the worst house on the best block” has sold for nearly $2m.

The house, which was built in 1900, according to real estate brokerage Redfin, is located in the Noe Valley area of San Francisco, where the median price for homes is $2.1m.

On Zillow, where the house was listed by Compass, it was described as a “fantastic contractor’s special,” with the description noting that “this the worst house on the best block, making it a fantastic opportunity”.

“This is an opportunity like few others to build your dream home,” the description reads. “Surrounded by many multimillion dollar homes; this is the best opportunity on the block and your chance to make it shine as bright as the neighbours.”

However, the listing then goes on to note that the property “is likely to require cash only due to its extreme deferred state”.

In the attached photos, the house can be seen in a dilapidated state, with a photo taken of the outside of the home showing the windows boarded up and the white siding peeling in places.

The 2,158-sq-ft house also includes a kitchen that has been painted yellow, while the appliances appear to be falling apart.

Although the home is not listed as having any bedrooms, it does have a bathroom, which could be seen taken up mostly by a large bathtub.

However, the lot does boast private outdoor space, which noted brings the total lot space up to nearly 3,000 sq ft, and is likely what attracted buyers.

According to the outlet, the house went up for auction in a conservatorship sale in December before selling for $1.97m on 7 January, a price that was $600,00 above the starting bid.

On the Instagram account @ZillowGoneWild, the pricey purchase has shocked people, with many joking about the steep prices of homes in San Francisco.

“This is peak San Francisco if I’ve ever seen it,” one person commented, while another said: “Oh San Fran, keeping housing affordable since… never!!!”

Someone else added: “You had me at zero bedrooms.”

However, there were also those who found the price justifiable, as one person noted: “It’s got a yard. That’s extremely rare.”

“Is it weird I’m surprised it was only $1.9m?” another person asked.

Redfin notes that single-family homes in the area typically sell in 11 days, while a Zillow search shows that the most expensive home currently for sale in the area is listed for $9.9m.

Article source: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-sale-san-francisco-noe-valley-b1992771.html

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Typically, the sale of a home in San Francisco for close to $2M wouldn’t turn any heads.

But this home in the Noe Valley neighborhood is anything but typical.

The real estate website The Real Deal reports the home sold for $1.97M.

RELATED: Burned down Walnut Creek home hits real estate market for $850K

It comes with zero bedrooms, and two bath.

However, you do get a backyard, if you want to call it that.

RELATED: Victorian house in Oakland hits market for free, but there’s a catch

The Zillow listing describes the fixer-upper as a “contractor’s special” and the “worst house on the best block”.

Article source: https://abc7news.com/bay-area-home-prices-homes-housing-noe-valley-san-francisco/11468138/