The rather original home built with straw bales at 99 Roble Road (above) is back on the market after seemingly finding a buyer. The price remains the same at $1,125,000.
Read Home Girl’s review here.
Stop Press: Berkeley Mansion to List
Hot off the press, news that 2729 Belrose Avenue will go on the market next week.
The 5,651 sq ft Italianate mansion in the Claremont Court neighborhood will be priced at $2,550,000. It was built in 1925 and last changed hands in 2004 for a straight $2m.
And It Goes On: The 12-Day Sale
Reader John McChesney-Young points to another Berkeley home that looks like it found a buyer in just 12 days.
The 3/1.5 home at 424 Grizzly Peak Boulevard (above) looks cute — I particularly like that pretty courtyard — and its $659,000 asking price was certainly sweet.
It’s not all “no longer for sale than sold”, though. McChesney-Young reports that: “Down in my neighborhood, near San Pablo and University, properties seem to continue to take a lot longer to sell.”
Positively Flying off the Shelves in Berkeley
Oh housing market, how you confound us.
Another Berkeley home has disappeared off the MLS almost as soon as it was listed.
The 6+ bedroom, 4,000 sq ft+ home at 14 The Uplands in the Claremont ‘hood – whose beautiful front-yard swing has been keeping local children busy while the home stood ready for sale — was de-listed yesterday after coming to market just a couple of weeks ago, on June 5, priced $1,340,000.
It’s all very rapid fire. The home changed hands just over a year ago for $1,304,500. The new owners had refreshed the exterior and put in a new garden. It will be interesting to see what it was snapped up for.
Under-the-Radar Sale in Berkeley’s Claremont
A stealthy sale on Plaza Drive last month. The four-bedroom, 2,446 sq ft home at number 77 changed hands — as far as we know without listing on the MLS — for $1,600,000. (Last known sale: $498,500 in 1995.)
That works out at $654/sq ft which isn’t stratospherically higher than average for this spot.
However, homes in this desirable part of Berkeley were routinely selling for in excess of $2m less than 24 months ago.
Why are Paintings Worth More than Houses?
If famous architecture were priced like famous paintings, a Le Corbusier (above) would cost the same as the entire American GDP…
…Read more at David Galbraith’s weblog. [Hat tip: Nancy Friedman.]
Preserving the Best of Berkeley
Several Berkeley residents have demonstrated their commitment to architectural preservation again this year by putting enormous time, effort and money into restoring some of the city’s most interesting homes.
The Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) has just announced the winners of its annual Preservation Awards. Included in the prize list is Ballantine House (above) at 1512 La Loma Avenue.
This beautiful cottage was designed by John Ballantine in 1924 as his family’s home. Having lost a home in the Berkeley fire of 1923, Ballantine, who worked in the office of noted architect Henry Gutterson, made sure to choose fire-resistant materials — including a slate roof and concrete blocks that imitated stone — when building the house.
However, the home was not designed with earthquakes in mind, an issue that has now been thoughtfully addressed by its current owners who have overseen a skillful reconstruction of walls, beams and fireplace — even built-in cabinets — to ensure an invisible upgrade to 21st century standards.
For full details of all this year’s preservation winners, visit the BAHA website.
[Photo credit: Daniella Thompson, 2009, BAHA.]
A Slice of Civilization in Berkeley
That’s quite a living room (above) — if you can ignore the drooping pot-plant in the foreground. (I know, I know, now that I’ve said that, you can’t keep your eyes off it can you?)
Anyway, the room, with its barn-like ceiling, huge windows and exposed beams was, apparently, designed for musical recitals. How civilized is that?
It belongs to a 5/3 “French country” home at 1149 Euclid Avenue which has just come to market, priced $1,200,000.
An adjacent wooded lot is included in sale and there are great Bay views. Sounds to me like one to check out.
Is It a Plane, Is it a Bird? No It’s a…
…swimming pool. Yep, a cantilevered swimming pool. Belonging to a house in Spain designed by Ensamble Studio.
[Hat tip: Apartment Therapy, via Archinect.]
Berkeley Bunker Continues Descent
The somewhat brutalist contemporary dwelling at 7080 Kenilworth Road in the Berkeley/Oakland hills continues to chip away at its stratospheric price.
We’ve been following this one — here, here and here.
The 4+/5, 5,000 sq ft home was listed in December 2008 for $4,999,000 (sort of). It’s now lopped nearly half a million greenbacks off its $3,990,000 ticket price and is hoping to seduce a buyer at $3,495,000