August 31, 2007

Berkeley/Oakland: Same Street, Three Different Propositions

A cab driver once told me that it’s OK to break the speed limit on the upper section of Claremont Avenue as the cops turn a blind eye, whereas they’ll always catch you on the lower section of this busy street which cuts diagonally across the Oakland Berkeley border and then meanders up into the hills.

I somehow doubt the veracity of this, not least because the upper portion of the street includes a row of shops and a large elementary school. However the taxi driver’s underlying point related to how different the two parts of the street were — one more trafficked with less appealing housing stock, the other in he heart of one of Berkeley’s most desirable neighborhoods — albeit still a major through-road.

There are two homes currently for sale on Claremont Avenue and one “coming soon”.

$450,000 will buy you 5439 Claremont Avenue, a 1980s 2-story, 2/1 in Oakland which has “potential” and is close to the freeway (perhaps too close).

Also in Oakland is 5905 Claremont Avenue, a 4/2 brown shingle Craftsman with original features and outbuildings (above) which has only been on Redfin for 6 days. Price: $1,200,000.

Further up in Berkeley, the house at the intersection of Claremont Avenue and Eton Avenue is about to go on the market through Pacific Union, although it’s not yet listed. Expect price in excess of $1,500,000.