2949 Sacramento still sports its classic Victorian façade, but its innards have been renovated and expanded, and its rear modernized. Anne Forell Architecture led the 2008-2009 renovation while Malin has all the pretty pictures, floor plans and listing.
UPDATE: And a before by way of Google Maps and a plugged reader:
∙ Listing: 2949 Sacramento (5/4.5) – $2,995,000 [SFProperties] [MLS]
Nothing like a modernized rear to get the day going. Also, the google street view here shows a nice raw picture. See name link. This should sell quick. Classic.
beautiful remodel.
Hard to tell what the final price will be, but with 4 bedrooms all on the same level, south facing yard, family room that walks out to a deck, 2 car garage, detached on three sides, quiet street, completely redone like that, peak pricing would have been about 4.2 (eddy and sleepiguy, you’ll keep me honest here). Subtract 20%, so it goes for 3.3-3.4 minimum, making the list price merely something to generate a frenzy rather than a true asking price.
The only downside is maybe the closet space is a little light to accommodate an extra bath on the bedroom level.
Don’t be fooled by the pretty pictures. I’ve been in this house – and it’s cheap, cheap, cheap!
Terrible carpet, wobbly workmanship, fixtures that don’t match, toilets so ugly you’ll want to flush them, horrible kitchen cabinets.
Too bad – it’s a gorgeous street, and the layout is actually quite nice, although a little bit small.
My guess is this one will sit and finally sell in the mid $2s. Be prepared to spend a couple hundred thousand re-doing hurried, inexpensive finishes. And if the developer cheaped-out on the stuff you can see, what about the stuff you can’t see? Beware.
This was shown a week or two ago. Nice remodel, but the nicest house on a bad block in pac heights. Decent master suite but then three other bedrooms upper floor are extremely small – should have kept it to two. The front living room downstairs in no-mans land. Color choices were questionable (lavender kitchen) but easily changed.
Hard to tell what the final price will be, but with 4 bedrooms all on the same level, south facing yard, family room that walks out to a deck, 2 car garage, detached on three sides, quiet street, completely redone like that, peak pricing would have been about 4.2 (eddy and sleepiguy, you’ll keep me honest here). Subtract 20%, so it goes for 3.3-3.4 minimum, making the list price merely something to generate a frenzy rather than a true asking price.
Go see the properties before you get into that sort of price dissecting minutiea. Or hold your peace.
Tipster, you’ll need a HS diploma and 25 hours of “college-level”courses before you should render an opinion like that (plus a $125.00 application fee, fingrprint check included).
Ha ha, that was funny anon.
The best thing about anonn’s posts is that you can pretty much tell how dismal the numbers are just by reading the tone of his posts! As soon as I saw that one up above, I knew right away that things are continuing to fall apart.
Apparently, the May numbers are trickling out and volumes and prices are down again! DOM is way up.
Courtesy of Garrett’s SFSchtuff (an under-appreciated blog, IMHO), things are bleak. District 5 median prices (all for SFRs) are exactly at 2004 levels, but number of sales are half, meaning prices continue to fall. Median sales prices in District 7 are 20% UNDER 2004 prices, with 20% fewer sales. Ouch!
http://sanfranciscoschtuff.com/2009/06/09/single-family-homes-may-%E2%80%9804-%E2%80%9806-%E2%80%9808-%E2%80%9809/#more-4589
The worse it gets, the worse anonn’s tone gets. So the more he slams me, the happier I am!
If this modest house on this modest block fetches anywhere near this price, then Tipster will surely lose the dollars to doughnuts bet that we have, and he will have to deliver 100 doughnuts to our house on December 31, 2010, at 11 am.
Remember for him to win the bet, he needs a closed sale of a single family house, habitable, not damaged by an act of God or vandals, at less than $1.3m in the area north of Clay, south of Green, west of Fillmore and east of Presidio.
“Be prepared to spend a couple hundred thousand re-doing hurried, inexpensive finishes.”
Looking at the permits for the construction (found one for 2007 — so it looks like the job actually started earlier) and the extent of the changes, it doesn’t sound very “hurried.”
Definitely not your Home Depot remodel. If you’re spending a “couple of hundred thousand” to just change “finishes,” methinks you should be cutting back on the gold leaf.
Usually Named – I encourage you to tour the house and see for yourself.
Maybe the overall project from start to finish took a few years (why? that seems really long), but trust me, the finishes don’t match, reflect shoddy workmanship, and appear rushed.
Bob is right, this is a “bad” block, so I take back my earlier comment about “gorgeous street” – Sacramento is a very nice street, this particular stretch is a little dumpy, as are the eroding apartment buildings visible from the back yard.
Home Depot’s quality would be a huge improvement.
Has anybody else toured the house? Thoughts?
Anyone know who the interior designer is and how to get in touch with them? Have a project I would like to interview them for. Thx.
Anyone know who the interior designer is and how to get in touch with them? Have a project I would like to interview them for. Thx.
I’m guessing…you? Look on your business card for your phone number.
I agree it is a marginal block. The house across the street has been for sale for what seems like ever, 2922 Sacramento. The layout is interesting. The lower living is being marketed as multi-purpose family/media/ guest area, but seems a little cramped for a family room or media room. The upstairs bedroom, except the master, are very small. I doubt the one next to the master could even accommodate a queen bed. The finishes were not spectacular, but I would not say ‘cheap’. I think the gray painted cabinets in the kitchen were a poor choice.
Will be interesting to see how far below asking it sells for.
*I did tour the house*
this is on a bad block? Why so? I’m curious. I know there are some apartment bldgs along here that are ugly, but my recollection is it’s not a bad block.
Big plus is you’re 1.5 blocks or so away from the best park(some say) in SF (Alta). Plus, what, 4 *flat* blocks away from Fillmore?
T-wrecks, you can see the ugly apartment bldgs from the backyard? I can’t see them in the photos. Again, just curious.
@ DanRH
I can’t see the apartment buildings from the photos, but they are very visible from the back yard and master bedroom – the kind of buildings with towels used for drapes. Plus the houses on either side are both pretty unspectacular.
The kitchen cabinets are truly awful. I couldn’t tell if they were painted or just plastic. They would be the first thing I’d switch out. How much does it cost to totally replace all the kitchen cabinets? The crown molding looks fake, the backyard fence needs to be replaced, and the staircase banisters are wobbly. I agree with MarinaLocal, this one will sell below asking. The quality just isn’t there.
@ EH – Bingo!
There are no really bad blocks in Pac Hts. Sacramento Street was included late into Pac Hts (Clay used to be the border) and Sacto varies more than other east-west streets. In the sixties and seventies there were “white elephants” on even some of the best streets, such as Broadway and Vallejo. San Francisco was hit hard by the Depression and the war.
Wow, I think we have just crossed over into a surreal estate blog. Did I just really read the following:
Tipster lists details of house and says he thinks it was under priced by the RE agent and will go for over asking.
T-wreck says he’s toured the place and it isn’t as nice as it seems.
Annon says Tipster should tour the house before trying to comment in such detail about it.
Tipster Annon must be in a bad mood because Annon knows how bad the RE numbers are and is being negative because of that.
Two more posts from people that have seen the house saying has cheap the finishes are and the street isn’t that nice and that this place is probably over priced and will sell below asking if it sells.
So in effect we have Tipster being the RE bull in this thread. So Tipster when did you cross over?
The house across the street has been for sale for what seems like ever, 2922 Sacramento.
That’s another one that, after 131DOM and still not sold, looks set to go for a “2000 price”. Just sayin’
http://www.redfin.com/CA/San-Francisco/2922-Sacramento-St-94115/home/1739534
“T-wrecks” seems particularly active for a moniker that hasn’t post much in Socketsite before.
Interesting.
The Victorian front/modern rear thing reminds me of Mr. Laramie’s house in What’s Up Doc?
Whatever. The point is you’re on here talking about it’s a 4.2M @ peak house, and trying to exaggerate the decline. Meanwhile, people who have seen it in person are describing it in ways that paint it as anything but. My tone is that of exasperation, sure. That’s because Tipster always simply says stuff without really thinking it through, and tries to tweak every single thing down down down. But I don’t really care. Take his word for it if you like.
I’ve been inside the home and it’s not as tight as some other remodeled homes; but this is pretty nice, new construction. I still think this home sells quick.
LMRim-
I wonder what is wrong with 2922, other than needing some updates. I was tempted to tour it when I toured 2949, but ran out of time. It appears to be larger then 2949 with a bigger backyard and side by side parking.
I thought it was listed sometime in the Fall of 2008, but taken off.
Tipster, you’ll need a HS diploma and 25 hours of “college-level”courses before you should render an opinion like that (plus a $125.00 application fee, fingrprint check included).
As long as you are having fun with digesting this steaming brand of misinformation, don’t let me stop you “anon.” This is neither here nor there, but from your comments I take it every single thing you know you learned in some sort of school?
ML, I’m not LMRIM, but I’ve seen 2922, and while it’s a grand place, there are some layout challenges (2 bedrooms upstairs with the rest in the basement). Also, given how soaring the ceilings are in the main house, it makes the lowish ceilings in the basement area feel even lower. The basement could use some digging to make it feel more part of the rest of the house (big bucks).
Might be good for a couple w/o kids, as most families seem to prefer having all bedrooms on the same level.
From living space sq ft perspective, I think 2949 might be larger than 2922.
This is neither here nor there, but from your comments I take it every single thing you know you learned in some sort of school?
I didn’t get that from the comments. But then, I’m secure in my academic background.
I figure further that (s)he, like all of us, likely learned some things at home, if no where else.
A “home” being what people used to seek to purchase before residential real estate became the new black.
Still looking for the interior designer contact info…
I’ve seen this remodel since 2008 summer, when I was waiting table @ Solistice
The place looked really small from outside, and they pretty much remodelled down to the stud.
I feel that 3 Mil is too much. Didn’t the S & P Shiller Index say that SF has shed 30 to 40 percent of market price ? WTF ?? I want this priced down to 1.5 Mil, fair price if you ask me.
^^^
I guess as long as we have trust-fund waitstaff that can afford $1.5M homes, we’ll never see decent homes that middle-class $300k/year families can afford in SF.
But then, I’m secure in my academic background.
LOL. Is that another realtorslam TM dig? So am I.
$300K/year is middle class? What world do you live in?
Could Ex-SFer re-post the statistics of how many actual families in SF earn over 300K a year please? The fiction that this city has streets paved in gold has gone on for over 130 years, but it really is getting quite old.
Hey folks, anon is (at least partly) correct. $300k/year in W-2 income certainly doesn’t make someone “upper class” (nor does it exclude the possibility, though generally the upper class is characterized by the ability to accumulate wealth from wealth rather than from work).
Socio-economic class is generally measured by net worth percentile. If you’re my family making $400k/year plus but you have massive student loan and childcare expenditures, student loan debt, and no home equity, you are not in the top 1% of net worth in America (which requires over $1M in net worth; not sure how much more).
I consider our family solidly (upper) middle class. Definitely far from “rich.” The experts agree (name link).
Apologies for taking this even more off-topic. But anon is correct that the typical $300k/year family can’t afford the $1.5M house our table-waiting friend can (at least not without 10 years of prior work and savings and/or speculative mortgage instruments).
It’s sad, but true; you aren’t going to be buying a family house in a nice neighborhood of SF with a pathetic $300k/year income. I still keep wondering where the endless supply of people willing to pay so much money for a house are coming from.
Kaya,
A lot of those people are wondering where the endless supply of money went!
I’ve walked by that place dozens of times during its construction. Looks like it’s been really nicely done. Happy to see pictures!
It’s sad, but true; you aren’t going to be buying a family house in a nice neighborhood of SF with a pathetic $300k/year income.
How much can a family with a “pathetic” $300k income afford? I figure with a $300k downpayment saved up and a reasonable 3X income mortgage, you you should be able to afford a $1.2M house. There are dozens of 3 bedroom 2 bath homes in nice neighborhoods for that price.
Shza, I’m gonna have to call BS on your $300/k is middle class defense. First by the defintions on that page two out of the three class has as its definition of where the “middle class” starts as being ‘if at least one person out of a hundred makes more then you, you are middle class’. Then even the one classification system that ranks the “upper class” as being more then 1%, going all the way to say the “rich” are the top 5%, says that generally the rich have income of $350k/year, with the middle class being more in the $100k/year range. So I’d say that, no, $300k/year is not middle class.
Now that doesn’t mean someone making $300k/year can’t live a middle class lifestyle, either by choice or by having so much debt that they don’t have money left over to support a ‘rich’ lifestyle.
I’m just really tired of this meme that somehow we don’t have rich people in this country and that just because we have some really rich people, the rich people are not actually, middle class. Of course if the defination of middle class is there is at least one person with more money and at least one person with less money then I guess everyone but two people in this country are middle class.
NVJ,
We’re not a $300k hh, but not that far… $5k+ a month for a mortgage is still a lot of money to me… I would need to feel like I’m getting a million dollar home to put my cash into it. I guess I just haven’t felt it yet.
Truth be told, I’ll probably run to the suburbs when I’m ready to spend that kind of money because I’ll want to feel like my property taxes are going towards a school district I’d not worry about sending my kids to!
LOL. Is that another realtorslam TM dig? So am I.
Chuckle.
Yeah, it was. I don’t indulge it often.
In all honesty, I appreciate your contributions and role here. You’re like Rommell during the North African campaign: on the wrong side of history, required to conduct an increasingly problematic defense, but able reliably to make the most of what you have. You do so with a lot of aplomb, and your counterattacks on the site’s Montgomerys are usually forceful and to the point.
I guess that’s what moved me about what you wrote: it was not up to your standards.
You got me. That was lame. I suppose I’ve run out of ways to counter the tried and true, “Realtors applied for their licenses from an ad in the back of a comic book next to one for Charles Atlas: Never again will a bully kick sand in my face!”
Never change flujie.
This house is not in the best block of PH. I think the remodel job reflects it. If this house is on Jackson, I think the owner would have spend more money on it because the return would be there. Malin usually prices her house reasonably. I would not be surprised to see this house sell soon. Although I’m not sure if I would buy a $3M house with all these ugly apartment and houses around me. After all, there is a reason that people should always “buy the worst house on the best block” and not the other way around.
@anon. Oops, you busted my cover 🙂
@others who claim 300K is not middle-class in SF, we’ll it is. Why ? It’s called COL (Cost of Living)
Because a 300K income in SF or NYC or Boston or Chicago in Cost Of Living is still very low, compared to the same 300K for a dude living in Detroit or Fargo (ND).
http://www.bestplaces.net/COL/?salary=300000&city1=50667000&city2=53825700
So sorry to burst your bubbles, but 300K would definitely be considered middle-class (or even lower middle class) in San Francisco.
And don’t forget the excessing “green tax”, “health care tax” that our pretty boy Newsom is loading us up with everyday, in everthing we purchase !
Sorry Chad but 300k might be middle income in SF but still isn’t middle class. Wait, on second thought it isn’t even middle income, it is still closer to the top end of the income scale then it is the middle of the income scale.
If I made a million dollars and moved to Beverly Hills I wouldn’t get to call myself middle class because housing was so expensive in BH.
Who does Malin’s staging? She really has the best presented homes in the city imho.
Ken Fulk Design did the staging for 2949 Sacramento.
Thanks. They will be getting a call from one of my clients who likes their work as well.
They do a nice job. You might have to haggle over certain pieces, but they’ll eventually get it right 🙂
Wait, on second thought it isn’t even middle income, it is still closer to the top end of the income scale then it is the middle of the income scale.
Indeed. Among mortgage holders, earning 300K will place you in the top 11%. Among all city households, it will be in the top 5%.
“Middle Income” for mortgage holders is around 133K, and about 83K for all households.
Anyone else notice it is no longer listed on the MLS?
Did it sell or was it taken off?
That’s really odd… It’s been pulled from Malin’s website as well. Not a good sign at all…
Very odd…… I wonder what happened. I guess someone could have bought it, but what a fast close! I think that is doubtful.
It was withdrawn last week.
The sign was still up two days ago. No “sold” or “pending” sticker or tag, just the sign.
“I think that is doubtful.”
Nope.
IDK, care to share?
Yes, IDK, please share.
Propertyshark shows a transaction, but the price isn’t listed. I guess you all will have to wait for the transaction price when it gets assessed…
Reminds me of a favorite movie quote:
Ted Striker: My orders came through. My squadron ships out tomorrow. We’re bombing the storage depots at Daiquiri at 1800 hours. We’re coming in from the north, below their radar.
Elaine Dickinson: When will you be back?
Ted Striker: I can’t tell you that. It’s classified.
According to property shark, it sold for asking, about 10% under what I thought it would go for.
Prices have fallen more than I thought.
I heard a rumor that Malin represented both buyer and seller, and leveraged a few of her buyers into bidding against each other. This is why the listing was pulled after the first open house.
Like I said I can not validate this, but thought it was interesting none the less.
PS has it sold for asking at $2.995 to the owners of this sweet home in Atherton:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=82+Linda+Vista+Ave,+atherton&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&split=0&gl=us&ei=Cjt_SqWGIYXEsQOzwI3vCg&ll=37.441584,-122.209511&spn=0.001163,0.002473&t=h&z=19
So I don’t think the price was an issue; prob just wanted a nice crash pad in the city for under $3M
What we do not yet know is whether there is sufficient depth of wealth in the Bay Area to support current price levels. If so, we will not have the reduction so often predicted by the property market bears on socketsite.