One of the fun traditions in this biz is the “Broker Tour” — explained here by Pat Kitano — in which recently listed properties are made available to the local Realtor community to preview on behalf their clients as well as simply to stay abreast of the market. It’s also a great opportunity to kibbitz with your fellow Realtors, find out how many offers there were at 123 Main Street, and sample some delicious home-cooked soup made by the more culinary-skilled Realtors.
During a typical tour, most agents will see around a dozen properties; the more ambitious and well-organized ones might see as many as 25 to 30. I had to cut my tour short today because of a meeting but nonetheless managed to see some interesting things.
First on my list was 1068 University Ave, Palo Alto, listed by Mary Gullixson of Alain Pinel, Menlo Park. At a tidy $3.5M, this property is nonetheless at the lower end of Mary’s current inventory, which includes some 8-figure listings; it’s not hard to see why she was the #2 agent nationwide with over $200M in transactions. But back to the house itself, which was as elegant as it was grandly appointed…
The home was built in the 1920’s, and I’m sure there’s a magnificent story behind the original owners. It’s got that old classic hardwood floor feel to it, with updated touches like a modern kitchen. Though right on tony University Ave, it boasts a 17000 sq ft lot, with the two-story Mediterranean-style home squarely in the middle. You don’t get many back yards this size in Palo Alto!
Next on my list was 957 Channing, also in Palo Alto, but the similarities ended there. I’m not one to throw around the word “cute” lightly, but this one definitely deserved the title. An ideal starter home for a single person or a couple with no kids, this property’s lot size was only slightly bigger than the home on University! Weighing in at 810 square feet with one bedroom and one bathroom, co-listing agent Greg Stange informed me that he already had an offer in hand, and with the market going as it is now, that doesn’t surprise me.
On the driveway leading up to Channing, there’s an old water tower:
Later in the tour I visited Kirsten McLeod’s listing at 200 Lowell Ave, still in Palo Alto, another old, elegant home on a large lot. Thankfully for the architecture and history of this area, neither this home nor the one on University are likely to be chopped up and subdivided, thanks to an abundance of both wealth and strict zoning laws.
The typewriter? Oh yes — that was in the office cottage in the back yard. I have a fond memory of those things. This particular model is electric, but one of the reasons I and my siblings can type a zillion words a minute is that mom taught us to type when we turned 14…with a manual typewriter. Here it is (the one in the cottage at Lowell, not the one I used growing up!)
Tags: Mary Gullixson, Palo Alto, Property reviews, Real estate
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�Good news, your equity line and business line of credit rates remain the same as yesterday, as the Fed held short-term rates steady today. Why? Because despite unemployment concerns, the economy is doing fine (1.4% growth year to date-- thank you exports!), core inflation is under control at this point, gas prices have dropped over 6% recently and it's more prudent to maintain a steady helm when the economy appears relatively balanced. Eric T. Trailer, Principal
2 responses so far ↓
1 teresa boardman // Feb 3, 2007 at 12:13 pm
So that is what a typerwriter looks like. I can’t figure out how they used to use those things, it doesn’t have a mouse.
2 Kevin Boer, Three Oceans Real Estate // Feb 3, 2007 at 12:23 pm
I’m scratching my head, too. I have vague memories of having to hit the keys pretty hard (which is probably why I still do so!), and of using something called, “Whiteout.” Given I was living pretty near the equator at the time, I don’t think that referred to dangerous snow-induced driving conditions.
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