Archive for June, 2009
Posted by insidesfre on June 29, 2009
There’s something for everyone over on Day Street, in Upper Noe Valley—depending upon your budget, and your dream.
For the inner contractor in you, consider 324 Day, a renovation project stopped dead in its tracks:
Unfortunately, construction was halted and the property is being foreclosed upon. This is a Victorian single-family home with permits issued for adding a bedroom, bathroom and office on the ground floor; remodeling a bathroom and adding a bathroom; converting a bedroom to a living room, living room to dining room; adding rear deck and stairs to yard. List price: $760,000 (but “bring your best offer, don’t worry about the list price,” says the listing agent).
For those looking for an actual finished property with expansion and/or cosmetic remodel potential, 385 Day may do the trick. This is a two-bedroom, one-bath home that’s been in the same family for more than 50 years. The latter phrase is code for “will need an extensive bathroom and kitchen remodel.” The seller of this home is 102 and will be involved in the sale, so don’t think you can just skate by. List price: $829,000:
And the last one in our lineup is what the other two Day Street properties can someday become. 493 Day will provide you with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and 1591 square feet. List price is $1,095,000:
Posted in Noe/Eureka Valley | Tagged: day street, noe valley, upper noe | Leave a Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on June 26, 2009
Prices have softened in San Francisco, but it’s still a challenge to find a one-bedroom condo with parking for less than $500,000. Here are two properties I think are good deals in this price range:
77 Van Ness is a 50-unit building at the corner of Van Ness and Fell. Priced at $443,170, the unit’s definitely on the small side, clocking in at only 575 square feet. But it’s a block from Muni, in spitting distance of the Opera and Symphony, and a pretty easy walk to the heart of Hayes Valley. HOA dues are $448 per month.
If you’re not afraid of a little litigation possibility, 1310 Minnesota #206 offers an 877-square foot loft space in the hot Dogpatch/Central Waterfront neighborhood:
The unit is listed at $499,000, down from its original $575,000 price. The HOA is working with the insurance company and developer to sort out a claim that occurred prior to the ten-year expiration for new development laws, and it’s believed that the matter will be settled without involving litigation. HOA dues are only $265 per month, and the unit gets nice light from an airy outlook.
Posted in Good Deals, Mission/Potrero | Tagged: 77 van ness, central waterfront, dogpatch | Leave a Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on June 25, 2009
Listed in mid May for $719,000, Miraloma Park’s 50 Chaves experienced a torrent of open house visitors. The 2BR/1BA home is located near Mollie Stone’s, and isn’t far from Muni and the West Portal retail area. There was a fairly expensive termite report, but buyers liked the desirable Marina-style floorplan and two-car garage. Final selling price last week, amidst multiple offers: $780,000.
Posted in Miraloma/West Portal | Tagged: Miraloma/West Portal, west portal | Leave a Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on June 23, 2009
The Potrero Hill vs. Glen Park single-family smackdown has an unofficial winner: 140 Hamerton.
The 3BR/2BA Glen Park home listed at $869,000 seemed to garner the most “votes” via my Facebook inbox. Here are a few comments:
“I like Glen Park better, and this Potrero Hill house leaves me cold. I may be old-fashioned, but I don’t like the open plan living/dining/kitchen arrangement very much, and in the Potrero home, the “living room” is essentially a couch and a chair looking at the kitchen. No thanks.”
“Glen Park for me…Being able to pull into a garage on a blustery, rainy winter evening sounds good. The Walk Score matchup is close, at 80 for Potrero and 88 for Glen Park, so we’ll call that a push. Finally, I consider Potrero more industrial and Glen Park more residential.”
“Glen Park for me. Near BART, more villagey, and a little less NIMBY than Potrero. Potrero Hill’s sun will be better, but I like the feel of the more southern neighborhoods.”
Buyers take note, in the event you’re weighing your neighborhood options.
Posted in Glen Park/Sunnyside | Tagged: Glen Park/Sunnyside, potrero | Leave a Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on June 22, 2009
A good way to gauge the health of the real estate market in any city is to take a look at how many properties are actually going into contract and, of course, selling.
As of Friday June 19th, there were 183 single-family homes in contract, with contingencies to be removed. And 276 more are pending, meaning the contractual conditions have been removed, and the loans just need to fund. 751 single-family homes have sold since January 1st, at an average sales price of $944,040.
The condo segment of the market is also moving briskly. There are 223 condos in contract, and 143 such sales pending. 520 units have sold since January 1st, at an average price of $788,190.
TIC sales are slower, with 86 in contract and 29 pending. 128 TICs have sold at an average of $645,058.
Posted in Market Snapshots | Tagged: market updates | Leave a Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on June 18, 2009
Have up to $900,000 to spend for a single-family home in San Francisco? Let’s take a look at two possibilities in two different ‘hoods:
Consider 140 Hamerton, a 1710-square foot 1930s home located on a cul-de-sac on the Glen Park/Sunnyside border. There are two bedrooms, bath, kitchen, dining room and living room on the main level, and a bedroom and bath down. The house backs up to a hillside. You can access Bosworth and the Glen Park BART station/downtown area via a flight of stairs at the end of the block. There’s one-car parking. List price: $869,000.
But for another $10,000, you can consider 1025 Rhode Island:
This is a 2BR/2BA, 1700-square foot Victorian with major views to Twin Peaks. The main level includes one bedroom, bath, family room/office, and large open living room/dining room/kitchen that leads to a landscaped garden with two decks. There’s a master suite upstairs. No garage, but there is a huge basement with laundry and storage. Locationwise, you’re not far from the Potrero shops and restaurants. But you’re far enough away that parking shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.
So which is it? 140 Hamerton or 1025 Rhode Island?
Posted in Glen Park/Sunnyside, Mission/Potrero | Tagged: Glen Park/Sunnyside, potrero | 1 Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on June 16, 2009
I checked out two of the model homes on my broker tour at the new Arden Estates development, located on 15th Avenue in West Portal.
This is a collection of seven single-family homes, five of which are still in the process of being finished. The homes feature three bedrooms; a fourth bedroom/family room; three bathrooms and one powder room. They all have about 3,000 square feet spread across three levels.
Here’s 2763 15th Avenue, listed at $2,195,000:
The homes are adjacent to the Arden Wood nursing facility, which trains nurses and cares for patients through Christian Science practices. You can look out your rear windows on the top two floors and see the Christian Science practices in action on the grounds:
And here’s a look at the homes’ yards, still being constructed:
Prices are all in the $2-2.2M range. The properties are located between West Portal and Wawona, so they are pretty strategically situated. I thought the two homes I saw were nice, but the development definitely has a cookie cutter feel, like a development you’d see in the suburbs. I question whether a buyer with the purchasing power of $2M in San Francisco will be drawn to Arden Estates, though the home sizes and new-construction quality are probably going to be big selling points.
Posted in Miraloma/West Portal | Tagged: arden estates, west portal | 1 Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on June 14, 2009
The first of the condos in the three-unit building at 1583-1585-1587 Dolores at 29th Street in Upper Noe Valley went on the market in April—the 3BR/1BA top unit at 1583 Dolores. It was listed at $869,000, but has since been reduced to $799,000. There isn’t parking in the building, but the seller has secured leased parking at $200 per month.
The lower unit at 1587 Dolores tossed up its For Sale sign a month later, offering the sidewalk-level, 1BR/1BA unit with no parking prospects for $549,000, only to be reduced later to $479,000.
The latest neighbors to get on the selling bandwagon are the folks in middle unit at 1585 Dolores. This 2BR/1BA unit with no parking options is being offered at $649,000. Listed on June 12th, there’s still time for a price reduction, based on the activity of the other two units. No word yet on why everyone’s bolting from the building. My guess is that the domino effect has hit the building, but it should be interesting seeing how all the sales prices play out.
Posted in Noe/Eureka Valley | Tagged: dolores, noe valley, upper noe | Leave a Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on June 12, 2009
Properties in the $1.5M+ range are indeed changing hands in the current economy. A look at single-family home and condo estate sales activity reveals a fairly busy market.
There are currently 145 single-family homes available for $1.5M or more, with an average list price of $4,199,252. And there are 29 such homes in contract—three are priced above $5M—as well as 23 pending (one of which is a six-bedroom home on Jackson listed at $8M). Since January, 76 homes have sold, with six selling for above $5M.
On the condo side of things, there are 88 such properties available, with an average list price of $2,500,913. The number in contract is much smaller—two—and there are only five pending. Since January, 31 condos in this price range have sold.
Posted in Market Snapshots | Tagged: luxury | Leave a Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on June 10, 2009
Though I’ve known about Mayor Newsom’s purchase of 1581 Masonic for several weeks, I’ve held back from blogging about it for discretionary reasons. But now that SF Chronicle’s Leah Garcik has stepped forward with the info, it’s fair game.
First on the market in February at a $3.3M asking price, this 4BR/3.5BA home technically located in Ashbury Heights was subsequently pulled off the market and relisted with a different brokerage. The list price prior to Newsom’s offer being accepted was $2,980,000.
The home is owned and designed by Candace Barnes, who specializes in renovating and selling homes. She’s most known for her high-end furniture and design business.
Word has it that Newsom and his very pregnant wife also looked at homes in Noe Valley, but Ashbury Heights seems more appropriate, don’t you think?
Posted in Cole Valley | Tagged: ashbury heights, newsom | Leave a Comment »
