2221 Baker Street (www.SocketSite.com)
It might not ring any bells without that photoshopped street. And it’s not currently listed on the MLS (or official inventory). But 2221 Baker Street has returned to the market 13 months after its purchase for $4,200,000 (was listed for $3,795,000 at the time).
Now asking $4,495,000 in 2009. Perhaps hoping the soup to nuts renovation of 2201 Baker next door will give it a boost. And once again, designed by Albert Sutton and Charles Peter Weeks in 1905.
∙ Listing: 2221 Baker Street (5/3.5) – $4,495,000 [domicileproperties.com]
The Only Appropriate Headline: “What The Hell Were They Thinking?” [SocketSite]
Say Hello To My Little Friend Frond (And An Orchid) At 2221 Baker [SocketSite]
The 2201 Baker Street Site Scoop: Full Gallery And Floor Plans Live [SocketSite]

34 thoughts on “Apples To Apples And Year Over Year In Pacific Heights (2221 Baker)”
  1. That was fast. There are a lot of really recent sales in D7 coming back on the market. Looks like 2775 Union and 2339 Green are listed at less than their respective 07 and 04 sales. A few more post 05 sales are being prepped and should be hitting the market soon..

  2. Check out this line from the (never heard of her) agent’s website:
    “Patty has never sold a property that has declined in value.”
    Even at zero commission I think she might be making a call to her website manager soon.

  3. Well speak of the devil, I just asked about this place and the level street photochopping in the 2510 Jackson thread.
    No way they get $4.5m for this place.

  4. As a potential buyer in 2004-2005, after getting led to a few “quietly shopped” homes, you realize they all have two similar characteristics: A) a seller who is in the stratosphere on price and B) a good Realtor who recognizes that it’s never going to sell at that price and doesn’t want the DOM hit its going to take by sitting there listed on the MLS at such a ridiculous price.
    After a few of those, I just told my Realtor not to bother: if it wasn’t priced at a level the selling Realtor was willing to put in the MLS, I’d pass as a potential buyer.
    Here, prices have dropped dramatically since this seller last bought, and yet he’s trying to get about what he paid for it, plus the realtor commission?
    Apparently he didn’t get the message that he was the greatEST fool. And that the factors that may be causing this seller to sell because of unaffordability are affecting other people as well.
    Unemployment is running at nearly 12% in Silicon Valley right now. About 1 in 8 people have no income other than UI benefits from a bankrupt state. This seller wants more than he paid in that environment? It only takes one, but I don’t think there’s even one.

  5. Funny! I remember the complements on its “unstaged” interior photos before someone discovered the exterior photoshopping 🙂

  6. I don’t see any interior permits, but it looks like a permit was issued to do some work on the retaining wall last April (right after it sold):
    *********************
    Application Number: 200804170021
    Form Number: 8
    Address(es):
    0975 / 002 / 0 2221 BAKER ST
    Description: To reinforce/enhance the e brick retaining wall by adding n shotcrete wall and tiebacks as outline on these plans
    Cost: $100,000.00
    Occupancy Code: R-3
    Building Use: 27 – 1 FAMILY DWELLING
    *****************
    There’s another permit for “reroofing” as well.
    $100K in maintenance costs (and I’m sure that’s understated). Very nice of them to fix the place up for the next owners!

  7. @sleepiguy, the Union Street property also lists an additional 600 sqft this time and has an updated kitchen. And sold for for way over asking.
    The Green St sellers just bought the home over on Pacific so I don’t think the sellers are too concerned about the losses and I’m sure the agent is cutting them some slack on the sale commission considering the recent buy. I suspect that at $545psf it will sell fast, and maybe over asking.
    Regarding 2221, I actually always though it was a pretty nice home and a decent price. And 2201 Bakers restoration certainly doesn’t hurt things, although I’m not sure that I’d want to live next to that renovation only to move when it was all done???? At 4200 sqft, no way this gets 1065psf. Even 2201 is sub 1k psf. I think sells at $3.5-3.8. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised to see 800psf here, but I do like this place overall. Nice find by the editor.

  8. ^ Cool! Thanks for the info! The 542 per foot asking for the Green St. property I hope would attract a buyer.

  9. ^^^Me too. Not the best block with the church and school; and they shut the street down during the school year days as a make-shift playground. A bit less than convenient, but hardly worth the discount on this home as it stands now.

  10. Looks like the square footage stated for 2339 Green is per the realtor. The tax records, for what they’re worth, show 2,315 sqft. This represents a sales price of $1,293 psf. So they’re looking at a $250K loss over the 5 years they owned it. FYI, all renovation was completed prior to the last sale.

  11. “And it’s not currently listed on the MLS.” It’s there. There is no way this house will sell at this price. The photo-shopped photo last year was hilarious.

  12. A significant portion of the “price discount” on Green Street must be to provide a decorator’s allowance for the new owners. [snark!]

  13. eddy, What are the numbers of the houses you are referring to on Union, Green, Pacific?
    “” the Union Street property also lists an additional 600 sqft this time and has an updated kitchen. And sold for for way over asking.
    The Green St sellers just bought the home over on Pacific…””

  14. It looks like they put in a HUGE amount of money to regrade the street. Now the views must be great!
    You can perpendicular park there so I can see the value added.

  15. Was referring to the homes mentioned by sleepiguy. The home on pacific is listed on the brokers website ‘buyer representation”

  16. 2421 Pierce is the direct price competition for this very nice house, 2221 Baker. Pierce is much more for the money, interior architecture, originality, and the view. While this house is comfortable, nicely redone, Pierce is an important house. The difference is between Matthews, a great architect, and a good architect, whoever did this.

  17. I’ve not been inside 2421 but one has to assume that it is in major need of restoration, whereas this home seems basically move-in.

  18. 2421 Pierce is move in, unless you are a very fussy person, and some people are. Pierce is bigger too.
    It is the difference between owning just a nice house (Baker) in a very good neighborhood, and owning something exceptional and distinguished, in a slightly better neighborhood. Also, after the redone Bakers Acres is sold, on Baker you will be living next door to someone who thinks ultra-modern in a realSF shell is peachy keen.
    Take your choice.

  19. 2421 Pierce is move in, unless you are a very fussy person, and some people are. Pierce is bigger too.
    Having checked out 2421 Pierce on an Open House I have to say that calling it move-in is a major stretch. All the bathrooms are very dated and the kitchen, while well appointed, is certainly not to everyone’s taste. There is a fair bit of electrical wiring that is tacked to, rather than inside of, the drywall and the upstairs spaces are very fragmented; certainly now what you would expect from a home in that location. It would also appear that the foundations need to be looked at with a critical eye.
    The location of the house on Pierce is definitely superior and it has some good views (unlike 2221 Baker) but it’s not out charity that the place is offered at around $700/sqft.

  20. I would prefer Pierce, with dated bathrooms and a little electrical work in return for living in an architecturally superb house.
    If others prefer new bathrooms or a perfect kitchen or a new retaining wall or a hot tub, go for Baker. Ten years from now when Baker’s bathrooms are also dated, Pierce –even if nothing is done– will prove a far better investment.
    Any house can have fancy bathrooms. Very few have the architecture and views and location of Pierce.
    It depends on what is important to you in life.

  21. yes, I’ll bet the the difference is between “sold over asking” or under asking.
    We’ll know shortly.

  22. When a “confidential” sale closes escrow the sale price is recorded as the last listing price on the MLS but with an asterisk. The last list price for 2221 Baker was $4,275,000.
    CleanOffer also reports a “confidential” sale price as the last price but fails to include said asterisk or otherwise indicate that the sale price was actually confidential.

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