Waterfront for sale--3231 Fernside Blvd, 3237 Fernside Blvd, 3343 Fernside Blvd, 2921 Marina Dr, 3045 Marina Dr

Reader veenstr points out an interesting trend: at least five expensive properties in the Fernside district have come on the market recently, all along the waterfront, and all presumably vying for the same buyers.

Rather than a full write-up on each of those properties, which would be singularly tedious, I thought I'd try the old compare-and-contrast approach in a handy little table.

Address	3231 Fernside	3237 Fernside	3343 Fernside	2921 Marina	3045 Marina
MLS® #	40378008	40394995	40378623	40393213	40385068
Price	$899,000	$1,095,000 $1,035,000 $1,010,000	$1,150,000	$1,079,000 $1,064,000	$1,795,000 $1,395,000
Bedrooms	3	4	5	3	3
Bathrooms	2	3	4	2	3
Sqft	1,472	2,552	3,402	2,064	1,600
Lot sqft	5,376	6,512	7,031	5,900	5,800
Price / sqft	$611	$429	$338	$523	$1,122 $872
Prev. sale date	12/2/2003
Prev. sale amount	$690,000
Prev. sale date	6/2/1995
Prev. sale amount	$265,500
DOM	110	2	107	11	107
Date listed	10/27/2008	2/12/2009	10/27/2008	2/3/2009	12/11/2008
Prev. price	$939,000
Desperation level	High	Low	Medium	Low	Not measurable Increasing
Odds of full-price sale	Medium	Low	Low	Low	Not happening
Agent	Keiko McDonah	George Borikas	Roberta Rossi	Bobbi Vogel	Nancy Hacker
Description	SELLER MOTIVATED - WILL CONSIDER ANY OFFER!!! 3+ bedroom home with water view and access. 40' Deep Water Dock. In Alameda's desirable "Edison School District". House may be larger then county records states. Up-dated kitchen, baths, newer windows and roof	Quiet Sophistication - Formal yet casual living in this 4 bedroom, 3 bath with all the rooms necessary. 46 foot deep water dock, a boat house , Large multi-level deck and an entertainment room with kitchen facilities if the weather becomes inclement. Refinished hardwood floors. Ready to move in!	Waterfront with dock and large deck w/ hot tub. Views of San Leandro bay & Estuary. Vaulted ceilings, spiral stair case, built in fish tank, skylights, balcony decking, BBQ, 2 car garage and ample parking, plus security decorative gate. Both units have separate entrance & laundry	ENJOY LIVING ON THE WATER in this beautiful Fernside home. Built in 1940, this spacious home come with a true deep-water dock and brand new 6,000-pound lift that has never touched the water! Inside, the home features three bedrooms, two baths, hardwood floors, a two car garage. .more! OH 2/15, 2-430	Waterfront with dock and large deck w/ hot tub. Views of San Leandro bay & Estuary. Vaulted ceilings, spiral stair case, built in fish tank, skylights, balcony decking, BBQ, 2 car garage and ample parking, plus security decorative gate. Both units have separate entrance & laundry

It isn't particularly surprising to note that only one of these properties has an easy-to-find sale history (anecdotally, I've read that at least two of these homes have been in their owners' families for decades). What's also not surprising is that the lowest-priced property (the one with the most desperate-sounding description, natch) is the one with a recent sale history (and a big mortgage payment).

It'll be interesting to see this play out--expect some serious market cannibalization, mostly because the buyer pool for high-end Fernside Mediterraneans (which I suppose excludes the bizarro spaceship at 3343 Fernside) is simply not big enough to move 4 or 5 listings in a short amount of time.