March 27, 2008

Red Carpet Invitation, Plus a Little Droolin’

Before we get to our regularly scheduled post, I want to invite our readers to a Redfin Red Carpet Event that is being held next week in our San Francisco office. Come on down and meet Sweet Digs bloggers, quiz Redfin agents, talk tech with our engineers, and nosh on some free pizza and beer. We’d like to hear what you have to say about our blog, forums, website, and our services.

The last event was a rousing success, and if we are really lucky, CEO Glenn Kelman may show up and entertain us with his quick wit, vast knowledge, and sincere commitment to our clients.

The Details
When: Wednesday, April 2nd, from 6:00PM to 8:00PM.
Where: 433 California Street, Ste 1010 San Francisco, CA 94104
Who: Redfin users, customers, customers-to-be… basically anyone who’s used our site or service.
Parking: There are many garages nearby. Street parking also available, free after 6PM.
RSVP: Click here for our invitation page.

And, now, our scheduled newsletter post of the day:

Today I accidentally hit the top post in our Washington, DC division and got this house at 12368 Iona Sound Drive in Bristow, Virginia (a suburb of our nation’s capitol). A lovely red-brick Colonial, it has 5,470 square feet (boy do they build ‘em big out there), with 5 bedrooms and 4.5 baths. Less than 10 years old, it has all the modern amenities, including one very large kitchen that I was seriously drooling over. There is even a butler’s pantry…ohhhh the room I would have for my exotic cooking ingredients that now reside on a metal shelving unit in the garage. All the rooms, even the secondary bedrooms are large, and the agent was kind and wise enough to put up 29 photos (yes, 29!) so that I could see the home, yard, and view from every vantage point. Outdoors there is a huge deck on the upper level, big grassy area below for the kiddies to play on, and a little stream gurgling past. The price of $550,000 comes out to $101 per square foot, my kinda price. Now, if I only liked cold weather and snow.

Over on our coast, one of the top contenders today is a similarly priced home in Sunnyvale. Located at 1617 Swallow Drive in Sunnyvale is a 3 bedroom, two bath rancher of 1,232 square feet. At fifty years old, this home is showing its age, never seeing a modern remodel. Listed as a “diamond in the rough,” it is priced at $600,000 or $487 per square foot. Only 6 of the 9 photos actually show the home, and one of those is just a fruit tree. (I think the agents out here could take a lesson from our eastern brethren.) Not exactly as exciting as its counterpart in the Virginia suburb, but it is priced significantly lower than Zillow or eppraisal valuations, and almost $200/sf less than neighborhood listing comps, and even lower than any sales comps. So in our neck of the woods, so to speak, this is a bargain.

Recent Sweet Digs Posts:
Fed Up With Prices In The Bay Area? How About A Free House?
Sellers on Holiday Hiatus?
Happy Trails to … Richmond!
Victorian Splendor in Santa Clara - With Ten Bedrooms