Ansel Adams home for sale

[faberryman]

I don't know the comps in the neighborhood, but surely you need something to justify $1,430/sq.ft., particularly since the house is split between two buildings, and all the adjacent homes are squashed together on the hillside.

 

[MattKing]

The name draws attention. While attention won't necessarily support a higher price, it doesn't hurt.

 

[BrianShaw]

I don't know the comps in the neighborhood, but surely you need something to justify $1,430/sq.ft., particularly since the house is split between two buildings, and all the adjacent homes are squashed together on the hillside.

 

[MattKing]

Is there any chance of cropping and/or shrinking that graphic - it duplicates itself?

 

[VinceInMT]

…Just one more parcel of overpriced real estate…..

I wonder about the term “overpriced.” If it sells for close to the asking price, is it ”overpriced?”

We just had a Blue Angels Air Show show here, the first in 20 years, and the tickets averaged something like $40, up to $125. People here were outraged and complained on social media that the tickets were “overpriced,” yet the show sold out. I hear the same when it comes to concert tickets, the price of F-150 trucks (the standard Montana vehicle) yet they sure seem to sell lots of them.

 

[BrianShaw]

Is there any chance of cropping and/or shrinking that graphic - it duplicates itself?

done. I must have pressed "full image" twice.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Local real estate asking prices have gone down just a little. But over the past three years, there's been almost a bidding war for available homes, and properties nearly always sold for well above the asking price.

But trucks? My gosh. If you need a ranch or construction vehicle, so be it. I spent the last week over on the east side of the Sierra where gas prices have been higher than nearly anywhere else in the contiguous US as long as I can remember. I feel the pinch putting 50 bucks worth into my little Toyota Tundra 4WD, which was plenty big for my own little ranch when I still had it; but then someone on the adjacent pump would drop 150 bucks for half a tank in their big Dodge Ram or Ford, and most of those sure as heck weren't all ranchers or builders. Not to mention motorhomes! I had a neighbor across the street from me here looking at me with disdain whenever I came back with my pickup covered with mud. He had both a new Toyota Land Cruiser and a new Lexus SUV in his driveway, and never left a paved urban street or the freeway. Then he complained about his mortgage. All about style, bragging rights to a more expensive urban SUV than thou hast, that's it.

Same with houses. I've known billionaires just as deeply in debt as ordinary people because they lived above their own means too. An hour north is the ruins of the monstrous Jack London Wolf House. Once he couldn't keep paying his workman, the whole thing mysteriously burnt down one night. Similar things have happened to rich contemporary moguls who decided to start stiffing their workmen instead of scaling down their giant ego building projects.

 

[wiltw]

I don't know the comps in the neighborhood, but surely you need something to justify $1,430/sq.ft., particularly since the house is split between two buildings, and all the adjacent homes are squashed together on the hillside.

Unfortunately $>1400 per square foot of living space is not uncommon in the SF Bay area...
A wreck of a 1200 sq.ft. house sold in the 50'x120' lot across the street from us some 9 years ago, at $1.3 million ...the purchaser immediately tore it down (except for one wall) to rebuild with no bigger footprint (and not add a 2nd floor), and convert the garage to an ADU...it last sold again in 2022 at $2.86 million for 1750 sq.ft. (>$1630/sq.ft.)

 

[CMoore]

I am shocked that.....Circa 2020..... people still do not understand 'supply and demand'.
That house in just ONE block from Sea Cliff and 25 North.
As others have said............ China Beach Baker Beach, Ocean Beach, G G Park, good public transportation access, etc etc etc.
It is in a desirable spot in SF.
There are not a lot of houses there and none being built. They do not come up for sale often.
This is not Manteca with Zillions of tract homes for sale.

His name means nothing. It has not been his home foe over 60 years. How many people really recognize the name.?
Forgive me for not knowing current celebrities.........but it is not as though Taylor Swift or Madonna just moved out last week.
It is, simply, a unique property in a ritzy part of San Francisco.

I had 2 friends that owned a home on 25 North. They sold it in the 1990s.
They would have a stroke... a happy one..... if they could sell it now.

 

[BrianShaw]

It seems that Sotheby’s and all of the newspapers have it wrong. Perhaps they should come to this forum for real estate marketing and valuation wisdom. LOL

 

[wiltw]

I am shocked that.....Circa 2020..... people still do not understand 'supply and demand'.

I fully understand supply and demand. I simply find it hard to understand that a couple can so readily afford the $572k (20% down) to qualify to buy a $2.86 million home across the street from me, and assuming 4% loan (absurdly low, these days) that means $10900 excluding property tax and insurance...and if you assume that conforms to 30% of gross (per bank guideline), that calculates to gross pay over $36000/mo gross pay !
At today's interest rates, the housepayment is $16000, meaning gross pay (per bank guideline) is over $53000 per month!

 

[CMoore]

I fully understand supply and demand. I simply find it hard to understand that a couple can so readily afford the $572k (20% down) to qualify to buy a $2.86 million home across the street from me, and assuming 4% loan (absurdly low, these days) that means $10900 excluding property tax and insurance...and if you assume that conforms to 30% of gross (per bank guideline), that calculates to gross pay over $36000/mo gross pay !
At today's interest rates, the housepayment is $16000, meaning gross pay (per bank guideline) is over $53000 per month!

Some people have A LOT of money.
5 million dollar homes are not unique these days.

 

[VinceInMT]

I fully understand supply and demand. I simply find it hard to understand that a couple can so readily afford the $572k (20% down) to qualify to buy a $2.86 million home across the street from me, and assuming 4% loan (absurdly low, these days) that means $10900 excluding property tax and insurance...and if you assume that conforms to 30% of gross (per bank guideline), that calculates to gross pay over $36000/mo gross pay !
At today's interest rates, the housepayment is $16000, meaning gross pay (per bank guideline) is over $53000 per month!

I know a couple who both work in tech and that is well within their salary range. The cost of the mortgage plus the extras are about the same percentage of income as mine when I bought my first house in 1982 although I was able to get in with no down (GI Bill) but at 12% interest. When we'd had enough of Southern California (mostly the traffic and lines) we sold out, moved to Montana and boughtt 2 houses, cash. That seems to be a thing today but we did it 32 years ago. I eventually sold off the rental to my tenant but a few years ago bought the house across the street, fixed it up, and it's been a good rental. Easy to keep an eye on. Of course, Montanans hate Californians for this type of thing, well, and hate us for other things too.

 

[Vaughn]

I spent the last week over on the east side of the Sierra where gas prices have been higher than nearly anywhere else in the contiguous US as long as I can remember. ...

Makes me feel good -- one of the few places higher than Humboldt Counts (by 10 to 20 cents/gal). Also real nice having my eCargo bike. I am usually not in a hurry to get anywhere.

 

[wiltw]

Makes me feel good -- one of the few places higher than Humboldt Counts (by 10 to 20 cents/gal). Also real nice having my eCargo bike. I am usually not in a hurry to get anywhere.

Just curious...San Mateo Co middle grade (89 octane) is $5.89 most places...whaddabout in Humboldt Co?!

 

[Brendan Quirk]

Brendan - Knob and tube wiring would be a no-no regardless, and wouldn't pass inspection. But rewiring a house that size and with no intent to preserve original woodwork would be fairly simple, especially since knob and tube is mainly in the attic. But I don't see the esthetic question itself irrelevant if someone were to throw AA into the equation. He hated sterile architecture. Sure, we all have to live within our means; and I had to sell my own craftsman style home prior to retirement due to all the constant forest fire prevention work each year it involved, and am now stuck with a basic city stucco box itself needing a lot of remodeling, but at least in a comfortable coastal climate. But up the hill from me are many many examples of classic period architecture, including where Dorothea Lange lived. I've worked on those kinds of buildings, consulted on their remodeling issues, and was deeply involved on the supply side too. And I'm certain the ghost of Ansel wouldn't be interested in haunting that boringly redone SF house.

If it weren't for the SF location, a property like that an hour inland might fetch $400,000. Of course, even paying the 5 million cash, you still never really own the thing, given that the property taxes alone would probably be around 50K per year.

People who do spend that kind of money in this area lean heavily into an almost Zen style of lovely woodwork everywhere. They support a lot of highly skilled craftsmen. Some projects run 20 or more years. I was pretty tight with that crowd. Some of them even studied traditional woodworking in Japan and Beijing first. That style caught on here due to architects like Julia Morgan, Bernard Maybeck, and Frank Lloyd Wright. I lived in a couple of Julia Morgan homes in exchange for labor.

And how does this tie into photography? More deeply than you might think. One of these craftsmen was nephew to Dorothea Lange and son in law to Rondal Partridge, a key assistant to both Dorothea and AA. I got a lot of insider history from him. Similarly, another highly skilled woodworker and builder who was a client of mine had deep ties to the Weston family. Then the fellow who was selling my prints bounced back and forth between a museum career introducing Asian modernist works to the US, and his own passion for fine woodworking, which included Ellison's incredible house and yachts, and then later, had a PBS feature of his joinery skills acquired from spending a year studying the special techniques behind the Forbidden City in Beijing. All these people were highly educated and had a serious appreciation for the "West Coast school" of photography, as well as for maintaining the integrity of the local architectural heritage.

The sizes and shapes of the alcoves in these classic homes determined the size of paintings or framed photos themselves. It's not like in Miami or Vegas where someone goes out and buys something ostentatiously huge and garish for sake of a big blank wall. Spaces are more intimate, and more likely to be surrounded by vintage wooden architectural detail. And by doing my own hardwood framing tailored to each specific image, it gave me an edge. But that was quite awhile back. I've kept up reasonably well with all my still living connections; but at a certain point, family responsibilities inevitably cut into my photo momentum, though I've never slowed down shooting or printing per se.

Knob and tube is safe if undisturbed and not packed with insulation. The only k&t in my house left is inaccessible in the walls. As long as you do not blow in insulation, you are good. Here, k&t is grandfathered, so I am not in code violation.

PS. I take no exception to the rest of this fine post.

I have spent the last few days (besides work; no photography), building Craftsman style (8 3/4" high!) baseboard in the kitchen. The style is similar, not the same, as the original baseboard in the rest of the house. Unfortunately, the kitchen was "modernized" in the '70s...

 

[VinceInMT]

I have spent the last few days (besides work; no photography), building Craftsman style (8 3/4" high!) baseboard in the kitchen. The style is similar, not the same, as the original baseboard in the rest of the house. Unfortunately, the kitchen was "modernized" in the '70s...

The house I bought in ‘82 in SoCal was a 1926 Craftsman bungalow that I acquired from the original owner. The only upgrade was the bathroom. Luckily, none of the original wide wood molding had ever been painted. During the 10 years I had it I gutted the kitchen and enlarged it by taking out a wall that had created what I think they called the “service porch.” I built all the cabinetry myself and kept with the period. I rebuilt and retained the fold out ironing board.

In my current home, a mid-50s rancher with a full basement, I’ve been going through room at a time, resurfacing the hardwood floors and putting in new molding that replicates that ‘20s bungalow. I added crown molding and faux beams in the ceilings of the living and dining rooms. I painted one with a rose and the other with a green, both picked from a 1930s color sample. Of course the room is furnished with antiques, some of my art, and, sometimes to my wife’s eye rolls, my many floor model 1930s radios.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Right now, you almost have to give away a nice house with acreage in portions of the State. It's easy to spend more on a good water well than outright building a new home. And as far as obtaining fire insurance anymore in wooded areas - good luck with that one!

The reason for the absurdly high prices here in the Bay Area is 1) It's where the high paying jobs are; 2) buildings need to be especially well built or renovated for sake of earthquake resistance; 3) the interface between urban use and public space is locked in pretty hard (thank goodness), so there is little space for more local development. You either build higher, smaller, or else commute in. 4) The coast has a moderate climate, but inland it can be hot as hell in the summer. We also have far better water quality, and certainly better coffee! Then add the amenities of nearby beaches, redwood forests, and hundreds of miles of local trails, the best of universities and a great many highly educated creative people, and and you begin to understand the gravitational pull. Still, the ole hillbilly in me gets awfully homesick at times for an entirely different kind of lifestyle, where coyotes outnumber people twenty to one; and the nearest stoplight is two hours away.

 

[CMoore]

. 4) The coast has a moderate climate, but inland it can be hot as hell in the summer.

Yes.......... I lived in The Sunset. Judah and 24
There were times in the summer when i would go see my Father in San Jose.
68 in SF and 103 in San Jose

 

[DREW WILEY]

I get the wind and for howling right through the Golden Gate straight across the Bay to here. And there have been many days this past summer when it never got up to 50 here, but was up to 60 degrees warmer right over the hill, in the Walnut Creek area. It was 20 degrees warmer just five miles away. Microclimates.

 

[Vaughn]

Just curious...San Mateo Co middle grade (89 octane) is $5.89 most places...whaddabout in Humboldt Co?!

$6 to $6.20 for mid-grade

 

[wiltw]

$6 to $6.20 for mid-grade

Wow!...and I thought SF Bay area was pricey!

 

[Vaughn]

Costco is a little cheaper. That 300 miles north of SF makes a difference in price...most of our fuel is barged into Humboldt Bay. We had a loaded cement truck tip over and spill its load on Hwy 101 yesterday that closed that artery into the county for the day.

I spent yesterday printing platinum/palladium prints from 5x7 and some 120 film (6x10 negs). My start got a little delayed as our first good rain of Fall started and I had water dripping from my kitchen ceiling (where I process the prints). So out into the rain and onto the roof before I could put my first neg under the UV light. Fortunately an easy fix -- some animal had pulled out some roofing from under the eves looking for bugs and I just had to shove it back.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Down along 395 on the east side of the Sierra, it was hard to find Regular gas under $6 a gallon. Places like Bridgeport are always exceptionally high, nearing $8 per gallon. But they have a captive audience. The weekend I drove back, dozens and dozens of Harley motorcycle club members were crossing Sonora Pass on their way to the giant annual Harley rally in Bridgeport. All fun types - no thug gangs like the Hells Angels allowed - though some of them dress up for fun as it they were rogue bikers.

We got only the southern tail of that rain last nite, just enough to wet the ground. I have a little more gutter work still to do; but the roof patching itself is all done. Need to get back to film development this afternoon.

The high country got really wet down to around Virginia Lakes, with afternoon wind and cloud going clear to the very southern end of the range. But that's what I was after photographically - weather. My friends finally made it out of the upper Kern after 18 days of backpacking with some close calls. Fortunately, one of them had a real Bibler tent along; the typical kind would have been shredded up on the high ridges. The road and trail openings are so late this year that an awful lot of people are heading in right now probably without ideal gear or experience.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

The Bay area has multiple large cities, and many interconnected smaller ones, plus satellite burbs. Nearly all of our big cities have some very rough neighborhoods as well as upscale safe neighborhoods. That includes what is nominally classified as Silicon Valley. Some neighborhoods have gotten way better, and some have gotten worse. Same goes for the burbs. Upscale Palo Alto had its dangerous sister city, East Palo Alto; and SF had its dreaded Hunter's Point neighborhood all along.

Of course, I'd prefer the Santa Clara Valley to be like it once was, filled with orchards. Taking away the northern half of some of the most valuable and productive farm soil on earth and paving over every inch of it, just because that is where a lot of computer innovation began, didn't make a lot of sense.

That's happening here where I live in mid-New Jersey. Farmers and horse ranchers are selling their property for millions to the home builders. You can't blame them although I'd like the farms and ranches to remain. But life goes on.