3176 Washington: Kitchen
If you’re interested in the completely renovated 3176 Washington we might suggest taking a look soon, because in the word of a plugged-in tipster with no ties to the property, “Will be gone in a week.” And plugged-in people shouldn’t be caught by surprise.
∙ Listing: 3176 Washington (4/4.5) – $3,195,000 [3176washington.com] [MLS]

51 thoughts on “Catch A Peek While You Can…”
  1. Not surprising considering this property has been listed on Barbara’s website for months… I wonder why it’s just now hitting the MLS?

  2. Wow, there are some pretty bizarre design choices here : the blocky lattice work around the fireplace, the stainless skin on the inside of the front doors, both black and white cabinets in the kitchen, built-in castle.
    And is that a flat screen TV built into the wall at the top of the stairs ?
    bizarre. I approve enormously.

  3. I believe this home is priced correctly, not sure if it will ‘fly’ off the market. The finishes are seller specific, the auto lap-pool is not for everyone, specifically families with small children and the house has some flaws like no doors on the master bedroom closets, dark moody baths and the need to remove all the ‘castle’ children playroom construction and northern shady garden to name a few. Having said all of this, it is an interesting house for a single, young couple or mature couple, probably witb no children.
    It has been quietly on the market for awhile vis a vis, Barbara’s website so one to watch.

  4. This appears to be a legal conversion of a 2 unit into a very nice SFR.
    Someone gave a talented designer a lot of leeway and it worked.

  5. Love it all except for the flatscreen TV (the 3rd or 4th, I lost count) that you watch through the glass stair railing.

  6. I hate to bring this up again, but again, I’m the most bullish person.
    I was the one who provided the tip to socketsite when it hit the MLS yesterday and I was the one who is quoted as stating it “will be gone in a week” (which I provided with the tip) and in spite of the various comments here saying it’s fairly priced, won’t fly etc, it’s listed on Barbara’s website as “Pending” and this morning it got pulled from the tour.

  7. I love eclectic, but I don’t think the mix here of modern and traditional really works (that kitchen is cringy). Also there are a lot of awkward spaces, especially, as noted in other comments, the bizarre family room with a magical staircase emerging through it. But the house is slick and people like that.

  8. Maybe its just me, but has anyone else had enough of the “office park” front doors on a residential home.
    Just not a good first impression imho.

  9. Tipster,
    I have noticed Barbara employing this strategy since the market turned.
    Could it be to keep her stats up (low avg DOM/no price reductions) so she can still be ranked as SF’s #1 Realtor? Or is that simply based on dollar volume?
    Please note: I have found Barbara to be a very pleasant person any time I have met her and I think that she is savvy to be using these strategies in this environment. I don’t think she is doing anything wrong.

  10. “no doors on the master bedroom closets”
    I believe there’s a pocket door.
    This is the second remodelled vic I’ve seen where the builder has split the stairs with a landing and turned the upper portion to the side. I can’t say I’m a fan of the look from the first floor, but it sure fixes the long-hallway problem.

  11. Overall: Bra-VO!
    Nitpicks: kitchen counters have too much junk on them. Bathroom electrical outlets way too close to sinks. Exposed wires from computers willy-nilly. Agree with not liking strange placement of TV on landing. Not too keen on the industrial metal front doors.
    Other than that, nice work!

  12. Did anyone bother to look at this on a map? If you like teenagers sitting on your porch smoking cigarettes before their soccer mom’s pick them up in the their BMW SUVs, this is the place for you! It is sandwiched in between University High School buildings. That, and two run down looking rentals. Overpriced. Though, it doesn’t surprise me given Barbara’s “strategy” – translation: shady sales tactics

  13. The best “strategy” would have been to replace the front door. This place needs a lot of work.

  14. Don’t mind the unusual finishes on the fireplace and front door — nice break from the usual. However the landing/tv/dining table area is a mess. Just use the wall for something great from the art collection and move on.

  15. Don’t worry, we’ll make more. The home at 3363 Washington is showing significant signs of distress with a NOD filed on Nov. 2 (and RealtyTrac showing an imminent date with the courthouse steps). The owner is a defendant in a lawsuit involving real estate investments outside of Ess Eff.

  16. Though, it doesn’t surprise me given Barbara’s “strategy” – translation: shady sales tactics
    Enough with the “translation” = my unsubstantiated opinion nonsense. What was shady? Nothing.

  17. I’m with HR and eddy… My earlier question was answered. This house was kept off the MLS for months until a buyer was found and then it suddenly appears and it’s pending. So you get an official, what, 3 DOM when it’s more like 120.
    Also, EBGuy will be happy to know the oft mentioned 2543 Vallejo is on the market at 2.652, or 952 per foot… which is REALLY high for what I consider to be the ugliest house on Vallejo (west of fillmore) – a title it shares with its equally hideous twin next door.

  18. Curious to hear from some developer-types about their thoughts on the economics of this place.
    (and personal opinion…fugly, fugly redo. it fits a certain aesthetic, but there are way too many idiosyncratic and gimmicky choices. hope the current buyer plans to hold it a long time and manage another redo before eventually selling. this house and 2201 baker make me want to scratch my eyes out.)

  19. Joshua,
    The economics of the place like what? Like if it was done as a spec. would it be profitable (lots of variable to that questions)?
    As far as the house, one thing that stands out to me is the hardwood. Why not fix the floor? The old wall locations are visible and don’t look good. The TV above the stairs is bad, and if you know a TV is going there why not put in the glass without a cap. Another thing that stood out to me in regards to railing is how different the two are, and how they don’t go in the same house.

  20. ^ How much was sunk into this place? It looks like the first building permits were filed in late 2006 and then several more in 2007 and then extensions later-on. Permits were issued for seismic upgrade, structural, baths, electrical, etc. Add all finishes, the pool, more televisions than I can count on my fingers; what’s it all worth? Or more simply, does anyone have a swag about how much has been spent on this place since late 2006? A swag about ROI?
    And really now, what’s with the TV fetish?

  21. Well, I just meant on Vallejo… That home on Broadway is pretty sinister however… The person that lives there could’ve been on Hoarders though. I think they finally cleaned it, but for years the garage was piled to the ceiling with garbage. Their car was literally buried under a ton of hefty bags.

  22. I just looked at the website for 2543 Vallejo and while the outside is drab the interior pictures are charming and I like the kitchen. I will reserve judgment until after Sunday’s open house and I’ve had a chance to see it in person. What can be done to improve an exterior like that?

  23. I’d argue 2725 Boradway has potential — if it was pushed architectually past it’s contemporary state into a Le Corbusier/International Style home. Also any modern home needs to be impeccably maintained, otherwise it will quickly look shabby (as 2725 looks now).

  24. I totally agree; that house could be fixed and made to look cool. There was a nightmare house on jackson a few years ago that someone bought and fixed nicely. Was a good deal actually. 2725 will make a nice project for someone, someday. house had killer views.

  25. This place is so tacky. In addition to tacky:
    1. Small – Either there is too much furniture in the room or the rooms are really small or both.
    2. Dark – Even with all the lights on and the fireplace on, the place looks dark. Even the outside shots on a sunny day look dark.
    It seems like they were trying to “everything” with the place, instead of making the place fit properly.
    For $3.2MM, I would rather get something else. The fact that it is selling ‘quick’ is perhaps a sign that things are continuing to improve.

  26. ” The fact that it is selling ‘quick’ is perhaps a sign that things are continuing to improve.”
    Well it has been on the market since late ’09… started out at $3.45.

  27. So, does the gardener need to take the lawn mower and grass/tree/bush trimmings through the kitchen and living room? I always wonder about that when I see these homes with no access to the backyard except through the home.

  28. A small modest house in a highly desirable neighborhood, with “all modern conveniences” [= in British, all mod cons] and taking full advantage of every square foot behind the garage, marketed with every gushy hyperbolic word in the language, fetches a price only dreamed of anywhere else in the country. Proof that San Francisco real estate, at least in the areas preposterously called “prime,” is not only rebounding but is in a sense invulnerable.

  29. Oh geez, talk about gushy, hyperbolic language, this place would have sold for well over $4M in 2006. It’s why I said it would be gone in a week.
    Nothing unvulnerable or rebounding, it was marketed for *months* and only sold at a relative steal of a price, around 20% under its 2006 value. $800K+ may be chump change to you, but to most of us, it’s a welcome drop, no matter how those of you who failed to sell in 2006 want to spin it.

  30. Why would anybody believe you have an ability to put a fine point on what things would have fetched in a peak market you downplayed in the first place, Tipster?

  31. The buyer paid for the fixing up.
    It only has location, Pacific Heights.
    It does not have location, the best street or views.
    It does not have location, as it is closely boxed in on a small lot with small yard between too bigger houses.
    Size matters in PacHts.
    If this house were not fixed up with all the gewgaws, it would be worth perhaps 2m. When the fixings get old in the next few years, the owners will find their property has not appreciated as much as their neighbors’.
    Also, not very SF, although that is not a concern to people who buy houses like this.

  32. My understanding is that the house wasn’t listed on MLS primarily because the sellers were trying to decide whether or not to move out of the country. There might have been a little gamesmanship with regards to the DOM, but it’s not as extreme as some here have stated, since the sellers were truly on the fence for most of the time it was pocket listed.

  33. I’m a seller of stories like– trying to decide whether or not to move out of the country. It makes a broker’s DoM look better than reality and collectively distorts how hot the market is. This is the intent.
    Btw Missionite, I’m not questioning you at all about what you’ve heard on their story– I believe you– I just don’t buy their story. Especially as others have noted that this broker and others are employing this strategy.

  34. I don’t doubt that there are brokers, including this one, who may employ this strategy. But in this particular instance I happen to know for a fact that this is not a story. I know the sellers, not the broker.

  35. Live in the same neighborhood (for now), and believe this home a fair value. Nice details, size, etc. Surprised only a few comments here correctly pointed to University High, two doors over. That’s what makes this house closer to $3M than $4M, perhaps plus. Those kids are everywhere over here, particualrly on that block of Washington and along their jaunts to their other building at Lyon and Sac. Recently saw a listing–forget address–over in Presidio Heights adjacent to the private K-8, Presidio Hill on Washington. Same story there: deep discount for noise, traffic, and loitering.

  36. Odd looking kitchen; the world’s largest refrigerator, but no sign of a dishwasher and almost no counter space.

  37. Don’t worry, we’ll make more. The home at 3363 Washington is showing significant signs of distress with a NOD filed on Nov. 2
    The home at 3363 Washington is scheduled to hit the auction block on May 19. Another victim of Countrywide’s liberal lending practices…

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