Schooled--1527 Willow St, Alameda, CA
1527 Willow is one of those two-houses-on-one-lot deals that fell through the cracks and was neglected when it came on the market in November 2008. A reader contacted me through Trulia with questions about this property, so I drove by and collected various tidbits to share. Here are the specs:
The listing above is from Craigslist. I wish the agent would drop the faux poetic tone ("sits amidst a landscaped front yard" isn't really English, even if you spell "amidst" properly).
This listing has already been dropped once, from $775,000, in mid-January. It does sit on a giant lot, but that block of Willow (indeed most of Willow down to the hospital) is very, very narrow and inconvenient. There's what looks like an enormous high school playground in back (map), and a Montessori school next door, so you can forget about peace and quiet. On top of those lovely amenities, the aforementioned reader reports $70,000 in termite damage (gasp!) and possibly a new roof job required in the near future. I don't know what material or shape the foundation is in, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was all brick; I found exactly zero permit applications for either unit (although I don't know that for a fact; I'm happy to correct this post if someone knows whether this house has a concrete foundation).
All in all, $750,000 is far too much. I wasn't able to find a sale history, so perhaps the seller can drop the price to a more reasonable level, say, $450,000 or so.
I might start a "Mullets" category for this kind of properties--Victorian in front, cottage in the back. Or maybe not.
Update 3/7/09: Back on the MLS(r) as #40398697, with a teensy bitsy price drop to $724,500.
Update 4/15/09: Dropped to $699,500. Why the $500?
4 bedrooms (2+2), 2 bathroom (1+1), 9,750-sqft lot, MLS(r) #40380010, $749,500One Victorian-era Home and One Cottage - All on One Very Spacious LotLocation: Central Alameda
A Victorian-era home sits admidst a landscaped front yard and offers two bedrooms and one bath, formal parlor and dining rooms, and a deck off the back of the house.
A Cottage sitting at the back of the spacious front yard has its own front garden and patio, and offers two bedrooms and one bath.
Expansion possibilities are numerous on this 9000+sf lot.
Bring your creativity!
The listing above is from Craigslist. I wish the agent would drop the faux poetic tone ("sits amidst a landscaped front yard" isn't really English, even if you spell "amidst" properly).
This listing has already been dropped once, from $775,000, in mid-January. It does sit on a giant lot, but that block of Willow (indeed most of Willow down to the hospital) is very, very narrow and inconvenient. There's what looks like an enormous high school playground in back (map), and a Montessori school next door, so you can forget about peace and quiet. On top of those lovely amenities, the aforementioned reader reports $70,000 in termite damage (gasp!) and possibly a new roof job required in the near future. I don't know what material or shape the foundation is in, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was all brick; I found exactly zero permit applications for either unit (although I don't know that for a fact; I'm happy to correct this post if someone knows whether this house has a concrete foundation).
All in all, $750,000 is far too much. I wasn't able to find a sale history, so perhaps the seller can drop the price to a more reasonable level, say, $450,000 or so.
I might start a "Mullets" category for this kind of properties--Victorian in front, cottage in the back. Or maybe not.
Update 3/7/09: Back on the MLS(r) as #40398697, with a teensy bitsy price drop to $724,500.
Update 4/15/09: Dropped to $699,500. Why the $500?
Miscellaneous