Best of Tour in San Carlos: 7-28-2015.

As I mentioned in this week's San Carlos Real Estate Week in Review, there was a somewhat surprising bump in the number of new listings to hit the market this week, considering that we are still in the thick of summer and most sellers opt to wait until after Labor Day to test the market again.

Perhaps some are looking to jump the gun on the fall market?

Whatever the reason, this bump in listings made for a busy tour day on Tuesday in San Carlos.  As I occasionally do on the site, I like to highlight one (or more) of these new listings that catch my attention after I finish touring them all on Tuesday.

1976 White Oak Way.

This may seem to be an odd pick as my “Best of Tour San Carlos” to some, considering there are larger and newer homes that were on tour this week. But I really like 1976 White Oak Way, not because of what it is now, but more for the potential of what it can be.  1976 White Oak Way is listed at $1,198,000 by my friend John Shroyer at Today Sothebys.  (Click on the picture below for the listing details).

At first blush, it's not easy to see why this is my go-to house of the week. After all, it's only a 2BR/1BA, 1,230 square foot home that needs some updating. But what make this one a winner, and will make it a hotly contested listing, is the location and the potential.

This home is located on 5,600 square foot flat lot right in the heart of White Oaks.  It's on the part of White Oak Way that dead-ends into the elementary school, so aside from the normal drop-off and pick-up routines, there shouldn't be much traffic on this block. This is exactly the starting point that many well-heeled buyers in San Carlos are looking for to build their own dream home.

The curb appeal of this block of White Oak Way is fabulous, so no matter what the new buyers ultimately do with this home, it will be money well spent in one of the better locations in the city.  It will be very interesting to see where this one goes when they take offers next week.

440 Chestnut Street.

If you like a home with lots of character, then 440 Chestnut Street is well worth seeing. It has to be the largest 2-bedroom home that I've ever seen, topping the stats at a whopping 2,460 sq feet (per the MLS). The character and architecture of this house is what captures you when you walk in — at 80 years, it's one of the older homes in San Carlos in one of the oldest sections of town.  It's listed for $1,595,000 by Patricia Giossi of Coldwell Banker. Click on the picture below for all of the listing details.

As you might expect in a Spanish-style home from the 1930's, there are lots of architectural goodies in this home. Grand hardwood floors, arched doorways, and spacious ceilings are remnants of the heritage of San Carlos. But what makes this home a winner, much like 1976 White Oak Way, is the potential.  There's just a lot of room to do things with in this home — even in the huge detached garage, which has a sprawling attached area that's probably as big as the garage itself. A little imagination will go a long way with this house.

The location is also a huge plus for this home. Cordes, as I've mentioned many times on this site, is actually much closer to all of the hot restaurants on NoLa (North Laurel) than most homes in White Oaks and Howard Park. Even more important, it's an easy hoof to the Caltrain station for those who choose not to slog it out on 101 every day.

Those are my two picks from this week's tour.  Let me know if you're interested in seeing either of them!