October 5, 2007

Big House, Views, And Dreams (And Not Necessarily In That Order)

120%20Sea%20Cliff.jpg

120%20Sea%20Cliff%20View.jpg

Just listed at fifteen (as in $15,000,000), as best we can tell it somewhat recently changed hands for a little less than eight (apparently $7,500,000 after being listed at $7,950,000). We'll have to count on the generosity of a plugged-in reader/tipster to fill in the date(s), and if we're lucky, perhaps the inside scoop.

∙ Listing: 120 Sea Cliff Avenue (6/8.5) - $15,000,000 [MLS]
Sold: 120 Sea Cliff Avenue - $7,950,000 [Joel Goodrich]

First Published: October 5, 2007 2:42 PM

Comments from "Plugged In" Readers

Whoa.

Posted by: gh at October 5, 2007 3:12 PM

Property Shark lists the last sale date as 2004... and the sale price as 7.5 I have no idea if that's true or not... but it sounds accurate. I vaguely remember 120 being on the market. 15 million though is just too high. There are no comps to my knowledge to support that sale price.. 10-12, maybe, but 15? Come on.

Posted by: Sleepiguy at October 5, 2007 3:40 PM

"10-12, maybe, but 15? Come on."

When you're talking 12, what's another 3? Nothing at all.

Posted by: Doug at October 5, 2007 3:55 PM

Lol.. I just meant there are some comps on that street that sold for 10 and 11.5 million over the past year or so.

Even people who can afford this house aren't dumb enough to pay double what the house sold for just three years ago, especially since it looks like the current owners did nothing to the interior except paint it.

Posted by: Sleepiguy at October 5, 2007 4:02 PM

"When you're talking 12, what's another 3? Nothing at all."

You have got to be kidding. That's exactly the opposite of how most wealthy people think. Especially if they've created their own wealth.

Posted by: Michael at October 5, 2007 4:13 PM

That's true, wealthy people didn't get wealthy by overpaying.

Posted by: Serge at October 6, 2007 5:44 PM

what a joke. reminds me of that other house in seacliff that sold for 2.5mm a few months ago. Someone simply changed the staging furniture and offers same house for 2.95mm.

Posted by: baffled at October 7, 2007 11:20 AM

^^^ huh?

Posted by: fluj at October 7, 2007 12:09 PM

What is really funny...is this blog site. It is like writing a critique on a Porsche for CAR & DRIVER and never stepping in the car. The story on this house is pretty interesting. Asian owner who owns all the Starbucks franchises in China (big $$$) thinks Armageddon is coming after 9/11. The buyer/current owner steals it for $7.5+ M with help from a great "buyer's agent" David P. at McGuire. The Asian owner goes and buys a boat and waits for the world to emplode... he is still out to sea. The original house was very odd... Current owner came in and spends a small or large fortune... I guess it is all relative... (but big $$$) redoing the entire house. Saw it from the inside... only house on the luxury market that is totally "DONE" and move in ready... most all the others, like Washington and some others need tons of work.

Posted by: William at October 7, 2007 12:38 PM

Price probably hasn't changed since 2004 in non-dollar currency. From a Canadian buyer's point of view, it's a bargain! Go USA!

Posted by: Neezer at October 7, 2007 1:24 PM

^^ huh??

Posted by: fluj at October 7, 2007 1:29 PM

^^^ it's called cross-currency exchange. go buy a cup of coffee in Europe and you'll figure it out.

Posted by: Neezer at October 7, 2007 1:37 PM

But the price doubled ? Go buy a calculator at Walgreens and 'splain that to me.

Posted by: fluj at October 7, 2007 1:39 PM

William, I think you may have your info wrong. I thought David Sun owned 98 SeaCliff next door.. not this house. It sold in 05 for somewhere in the 7s..

All, I know is that if the current owners spent "big bucks" remodeling, you would think they would've put in some overhead lighting.

Posted by: Sleepiguy at October 7, 2007 2:45 PM

Why Canadians don't care this price has doubled...

Then...
9/11/01 price = USD 7.5mm
"big bucks" improvements = USD 2.0mm
Total "cost" on 9/11/01 = USD 9.5mm
CAD/USD exchange rate on 9/11/01 = 1.57
Total "cost" on 9/11/01 = CAD 14.92mm

Now...
Asking price on 10/7/07 = USD 15.0mm
CAD/USD exchange rate on 10/7/07 = .98
Asking price on 10/7/07 = CAD 14.7mm

This house actually costs less today in Canadian "Loonies" than it did 6 years ago!

...AND since San Francisco is much nicer than Canada, this must be a bargain!

Posted by: Neezer at October 7, 2007 3:23 PM

lol. how much in yen? rupie? ruble?

I'm kidding. But it isn't as if things happen overnight. It's a gradual change. That's why I don't agree with that take.

Posted by: fluj at October 7, 2007 3:34 PM

well, we can probably agree that it's still a friggin sweet house

Posted by: Neezer at October 7, 2007 3:38 PM

Absolutely. Only a very small number of properties have that sort of world class, and world famous, view.

Posted by: fluj at October 7, 2007 4:23 PM

The first thing I would do is get a good soils investigation from a firm that does not work with realtors, but with architects-engineers-and contractors. On my projects we sometimes use two or three firms when presented with a situation such as this. It is an amazing house, but I would not trust that cliff, ask all the people who paid similar prices down in Malibu, and if I remember from about 5 years ago, wasn't there problems before on this street?

Posted by: anon at October 7, 2007 4:45 PM

When you figure out the cost of the view related to the number of days without fog you will come out ahead paying more in Pacific Heights...

Posted by: Pac Heights Renter at October 8, 2007 3:24 PM

I believe I've been in this house, wasn't it a Decorator's Showcase a few years ago?

[Editor’s Note: Close, but you’re probably thinking of 164 Sea Cliff (2003) or 250 Sea Cliff (1996).]

Posted by: Lori at October 9, 2007 10:53 AM

ahhhh, that lovely Napa Valley meets Walnut Creek meets Tuscany look....right here in the City!

Posted by: plantguy at October 10, 2007 10:01 AM

Was this the original design of the facade OR a rather poor re-design? It does have a sort of "Napa meets Walnut Creek" sort of look.

Posted by: anooon at October 10, 2007 11:34 AM

Absolutely. Only a very small number of properties have that sort of world class, and world famous, view.

Yeah, but the neighbors.

Posted by: EH at October 10, 2007 9:17 PM

I just toured this amazing house and can report that the major renovation is world-class. The furnishings and art are not to be believed. Definitely one of my favorite houses currently on the market.

Posted by: GreggLynn at October 11, 2007 1:16 PM

My family and I lived in that house for 26 years before we sold it - within a decade.It has been remodelled twice since we left it. The current asking price is more than 100 times what we paid for it!!!

Posted by: Groucho at November 27, 2007 4:03 PM

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