Tag Archives: Berkeley homes for sale
Craftsman home on Arch St listed first time in 25 years
The expansive, elegant home that has just come on the market at 1345 Arch Street looks like it has all the elements one associates with the best, quintessentially Berkeley homes. There’s the brown shingle, of course, and the many Craftsman touches, as well as artistic interiors, lots of outdoor space, and Bay views. The cherry on top is that it is walking distance to the Cheese Board and Chez Panisse.
There are 5+ bedrooms, 3½ bath, a spacious family room, flexible office/breakfast room with French doors to yard, plus room/office in basement and lots of storage. The property, which is listed at $1,595,000, has been in the same family for 25 years.
The owner, who is leaving after raising a family of four in the home, says in her letter to prospective buyers that the house was “taken down to the studs and reimagined as an arts and crafts revival.” Features include Bradbury & Bradbury wallpapers, hand-stenciling and paint finishes, historically significant tiles and handcrafted fireplaces and woodwork in the living and dining rooms. … Continue reading »
Julia Morgan-designed home for sale in Berkeley
A home designed by Julia Morgan is always worth a second look. The early 20th-century architect’s designs are woven into the very fabric of Berkeley, with many residential projects to her name, and two notable public buildings: the Berkeley City Club on Durant, and the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts on College.
Now comes to the chance to buy one of Morgan’s family homes. The 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom brown-shingle at 2900 Derby Street, opposite the Clark Kerr campus, was built in 1904 and it has just been listed for $1,025,000.
Along with the swaths of first-growth redwood paneling, the home’s stand-out feature is probably its charming inglenook fireplace in the living room. The kitchen is modern and light and gives out onto the back garden.
According to the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, the house was moved to its current site from 2819 Garber Street in 1920. … Continue reading »
In Berkeley, the sellers’ market just keeps on truckin’
Latest figures on home sales suggest many buyers are still having to work hard to get their hands on a new home in Berkeley. Sellers, it appears, have the advantage, and, according to research compiled by Redfin, have done so for the past 12 months.
Everything in Berkeley points to the continuation of a sellers’ market. The data (presented in the Redfin graphs below) shows that the total number of homes for sale is down 26.8% from October last year, and down 15.2% over last month.
Meanwhile, prices are up 0.4% year-on-year, and up 8.6% from last month. Sale-to-list price is 101% for single-family homes and 106% for condos in Berkeley (a 12-month high), which means buyers are often having to pay over the listing price to ensure it is them not someone else closing escrow on their dream house. … Continue reading »
Mid-century Berkeley home gets $300,000 price chop
For fans of mid-century modern architecture — and those who appreciate plentiful acreage, additional living space and views — there’s a lot to recommend the 3-bedroom, 2 bathroom home at 636 Wildcat Canyon Road.
The property is sited on over an acre of land and the views are onto the Tilden hills; there are the tall ceilings and walls of glass one associates with the mid-century style; and there’s a separate 1-bedroom guest house included in the price tag. … Continue reading »
Pick of the listings: A mid-mod in the hills
At first glance, I thought that was a little helipad in the backyard of this freshly listed mid-century modern house at 626 Vistamont Avenue. On reflection it’s probably where a hot tub might be placed, under the trees with sylvan view to boot. Either way, this looks like an intriguing property.
There’s the setting — a 20,000 sq ft lot of greenery and trees, with hill views — and the architecture. The house was built in 1959 and … Continue reading »
Pick of the listings: Architect designed with big views
David Stark Wilson is a Berkeley based architect whose style has found a loyal following in the Bay Area. His contemporary homes are invariably large and luxurious. He uses lots of natural materials such as granite, iron and wood and is fond of sweeps of hand-plastered walls in delicate shades of terracotta. There’s usually a statement staircase, often vaulted ceilings and always a top-of-the-range, gourmet kitchen.
The recently listed five-bedroom, three-bedroom home at 961 Miller Avenue … Continue reading »
Pick of the listings: Solano Craftsman with studio
Sometimes you just see a house (or, in this case, the listing details of a house) and you think it makes sense. It’s a house that ticks the required boxes. One that would be worth investigating at the very least.
This one, at 943 Fresno Avenue, has character in that it’s a Craftsman with the molding, paneling, wood trim and chunky fireplace that the word implies, as well as the distinctive sloped roof-line and deep front porch … Continue reading »
Pick of the listings: A high-up Claremont house
This is one of the nicest listed houses I have seen in a while in Berkeley. Of course, you would expect it to be pretty fine with a $1.695 million price tag.
Nevertheless, high prices don’t always equate to appealing homes, and there’s an awful lot to like with this five-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom home at 90 The Uplands. There’s also one thing not to like — a potential deal breaker in fact — but we’ll come to … Continue reading »
Pick of the listings: Newly revamped on Stuart Street
Someone may get in touch with me to point out some obvious flaw I have failed to notice on this listing, but it seems this remodeled lemon-yellow home on a corner lot at 1801 Stuart Street, might be worth a second glance.
Three bedrooms, and two baths, and a total 1,811 sq ft, a good-looking new kitchen and a tidy garden — and the price is $699,000, or $386 per square foot.
The home was built … Continue reading »
Pick of the listings: Characterful Elmwood remodel
There’s a quirky element to this three-bedroom, two-bathroom house at 2961 Pine Avenue in the Elmwood — which held its brokers’ open house today. The owner has imbued it with her personal style while overseeing an extensive and rather lovely remodel. The home has been extended on the back and shows character, with an unorthodox, but not unpleasant flow.
There’s a colorful palette on the walls and some pretty Craftsman touches — such as built-in window seats, … Continue reading »
Pick of the listings: Berkeley brown shingle
Today’s pick is a quintessential Berkeley home — a brown-shingle craftsman priced under $1m walkable to both Telegraph and College, although closer to the former. Also very convenient to Alta Bates hospital.
The four-bedroom, two-bathroom house at 2927 Florence Street has been restored and there’s a new kitchen and one new bathroom, as well as hardwood floors. The rear garden looks like it’s on the small side, but the home has two fireplaces — one in … Continue reading »
William Wurster homes on both sides of the Bay
A home designed by William Wurster is always going to be worth a second look. Wurster, the co-founder, in 1959, of the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley, created eminently livable homes with the sleek aesthetic and early 20th-century modern design touches so beloved of a current generation of architectural enthusiasts.
So beloved for one person, in fact, that he or she was willing to pay $300,000 over the asking price for a … Continue reading »
M’s Bed & Breakfast in the Claremont is up for sale
Mary Leggett’s famed Bed & Breakfast on Hillcrest Road is for sale. M’s B&B is something of a Berkeley institution: Leggett has been welcoming guests to her fantasy Tudor-castle style home for a decade. Leggett, 71, only decided to close it down and sell it last week. She says she has loved running the guesthouse but she wants to call it a day. “I can’t do it physically. But I’m not sad. I’m going to stay in the neighborhood … Continue reading »
