The Best of this Week’s Broker Tour

May 20, 2008

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This is a new feature that will appear weekly in the White Oaks Blog. Since I tour all of the new listings in White Oaks and San Carlos each week, I will pick one that is noteworthy and highlight it in the blog. I hope you enjoy this feature! cg

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OK, so no sooner than I decide to pick a single “Best of the Week” listing, I find I can't decide between two of them. So for the first week, I'll highlight both. They make the list for entirely different reasons, too. Here are this week's winners:

212 Fairmont Avenue

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242 Fairmont Avenue is 3BR/2BA, 1,460 square feet that's on a 5,500 square foot lot. It's listed at $1,225,000 by Mike and Sandy Rostad of Coldwell Banker.

Size, location, condition and value are probably the most important factors you'll consider when deciding if a home is right for you. 242 Fairmont scores very well in most of these categories. This home should be extremely attractive to any family who is interested in getting into the San Carlos School District. It has 3 bedrooms, and it's on a great street that's a short walk from White Oaks School. That alone will draw many interested buyers.

But this home is in really nice condition. From the dark hardwood floors and dramatic baseboard to the crown moulding on top, this is a warm, clean home. The kitchen is beautiful, and the yard is nice and flat. At $839/sq ft, it won't qualify as a bargain, but it shouldn't stop them from getting their price. It's definitely a nice place! Click here for more details and photos:   212 Fairmont Ave

3140 Melendy Drive

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If there was a category for “sleepers,” this would be the runaway winner. 3140 Melendy is offered at $1,598,000 by Sam Hui of Intero Real Estate Services.

The exterior of this home only gives you a slight hint of the degree of remodel that has taken place on the inside of this home — that's why it's such a sleeper. Once you step inside, you immediately sense that this is no ordinary rancher in the hills. Grand tile entry, gorgeous granite kitchen area, and probably the best feature — the killer bay views from the back deck.

The ceilings in the hallway and some of the bedrooms have been raised and given back-lighting behind the crown moulding. It's a nice touch, and not something you'll see in every remodel. While most of Melendy is on a hill, this home is located on one of the few flat stretches. So you get the view, without burning out your clutch getting there.

Click here for more details and additional photos:   3140 Melendy Dr.

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2 Comments

  1. transient on May 21, 2008 at 11:51 pm

    What do you think of the neighbor at #3120? Seems like that has been sitting for a while. Will #3140 fare better with all that remodeling but 750 sq ft smaller?

    BTW, how much is a view worth? Seems like the description of “Bay view” in a number of listings is a stretch…



  2. chuck on May 22, 2008 at 2:38 am

    These two are so far apart on the spectrum for only being two doors apart, that it’s tough to compare them. One is in need of serious upgrading, while the other has had a top-to-bottom refurbishing done. Therefore, each is targeting a vastly different buyer.

    Will it fare better? Tough to call. At $743/sq foot, #3140 is clearly at the upper end of the San Carlos price scale, but you’d expect that for a nicely remodeled home. But there are fewer buyers in this arena than there will be for 3120, and those that are in the $1.5M – $2M range have shown to be a bit more deliberate in their purchases. 3120 is clearly targeted at a first-time buyer, or someone who might want to do the same kind of project as was done with #3140. But at 44 days on the market at the current price, the buyers don’t appear to have materialized.

    Views — both homes have great bay and canyon views, mostly toward San Francisco. I agree with you, “Bay Views” is used almost without merit in some listings, but it’s a very legitimate selling point for both of these homes. There’s no scientific data that I’m aware of that quantifies a view’s effect on the price, but I think it can fetch a 5-10% premium. Possibly more for full bay views. More often, it’s an intangible, deciding factor with all other things being equal.

    Thanks for your comments,

    Chuck



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