361-363 Elsie Street — Condominiums

SUNDAY OPEN HOUSE — Sunday, February 5th, 12:00-1:30PM

Brokers’ Tour — Tuesday, February 7th, 2:30-4:00PM

Our fabulous Bernal Heights San Francisco luxury condo listings are still available and at great new prices! These won’t last for long so come take a look and spread the word to any friends or family who might also be interested. We’ll be open early so you can still enjoy the Super Bowl

Holidays a la Bernal Heights Village

Wow! We are just shy of saying goodbye to 2011. I looked up from my plate of leftover cornbread stuffing and mashed potatoes last week and realized it’s that time of year again — that time when visions of hot cider, champagne, latkes, family/community, candy-cane shaped cookies covered with multicolored sprinkles, office Holiday parties and, of course, gifts, dance in my head. I can really feel the Holiday Spirit on my daily walk through the streets of Bernal with all of the sparkly lights, the window displays and the mad rush for “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” (the original cartoon version) at Four Star (okay, maybe I am the only one searching high and low for that DVD but my obsession dedication has the power of many people).

Do you want to get into the Holiday Spirit, too ? Then kick off the Holiday Season with the Bernal Heights Holiday Evening Stroll on December 8th. It was such a success last year that they brought it back and it’s going to be bigger and brighter this time around! Join us up here on Cortland Avenue in Bernal Heights for a night of revelry, singing, dancing, wine tasting and strolling from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. Over 30 Bernal businesses will have their doors open that evening and they invite you to drop in, say hello and enjoy what our little village has to offer…and maybe you’ll buy something and for once you won’t be the last minute gift buyer you have proven yourself to be.

Truth be told, I’m a bah humbug sort of person, but there is no way I can channel Scrooge when the dogs and I are walking down Cortland Avenue on the night of the Bernal Heights Holiday Evening Stroll.

See you there !

CdV

Bernal Heights Home

178 Prentiss Street — Single Family Home

FIRST SUNDAY OPEN HOUSE — Sunday, October 23rd, 2:00-4:00PM

Brokers’ Tour — Tuesday, October 25th, 2:30-4:00PM

We are super excited about our new listing for sale - 178 Prentiss Street San Francisco 94110, listed at $711,000 – Bernal Heights Home with Deck & Yard for Sale!

WANT PHOTOS? VISIT THE PROPERTY WEBSITE FOR THIS BRIGHT & OPEN BERNAL HEIGHTS HOME?

Located north of Cortland, away from the bustle yet walking distance to the charm & convenience of Cortland Ave and Bernal Heights Village (organic groceries, yoga, sushi, Italian, Peruvian, public library, bookstore, video store, bank, etc), 178 Prentiss Street is a bright & open single family home. Built in 1927, 178 Prentiss St features an open floor plan – perfect for entertaining and hanging out – with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom with shower over bathtub, hardwood floors, a remodeled kitchen with office nook, and a bonus room & ½ bath off of the garage. The garage has laundry, parking for 1 car and plenty of storage.

But what makes this house so unique and special is the direct access from the kitchen to the sunny deck and flat, landscaped yard. Soak up the sun, play with the pooch/kids/both/neither, host a BBQ, pour some Pinot, do a Downward Dog or just relax with a book. You’ll be sure to enjoy the indoor-outdoor living in your new home!

A NOTE FROM OUR SELLER:

Dear Prospective Buyer,

We have thoroughly enjoyed living in this home in this community of Bernal Heights for the past nine years.  As far as the house itself goes, we love the openness of the floor plan, the wood floors throughout, and the way the yard feels like an extension of the house.   On many days, we have simply opened our French doors and sat out on the deck to enjoy the sunshine and privacy of the backyard.  We have also appreciated the quietness of the street itself and the easy off-street parking!

Living in Bernal Heights has been absolutely wonderful for our family.  Our two children have enjoyed the parks, library and family events of the community like Fiesta on the Hill and the annual Hill wide Garage Sale.  Our family has also enjoyed our many walks around Bernal Hill where we take in 360-degree views of the city.  You also can’t beat the shops and restaurants on Cortland Avenue. Within walking distance you can enjoy great pastries at the Sandbox Bakery, strong coffee at Martha Brothers, exotic sushi at Moki’s and delectable brunch at Liberty Café, just to name a few of our favorites!   With more new businesses opening their doors, it is also fun to explore the many new shops and restaurants in the area.

Finally, the best part about living on Prentiss is the community.  We have caring and wonderful neighbors that have made living in Bernal meaningful to our family.  We move away with life-long friends and many warm memories of our time here.

Simply stated, we have loved living in this home and being part of the Bernal community!

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Bernal Heights Home for Sale

225 Bosworth Street — Single Family Home

FIRST SUNDAY OPEN HOUSE — Sunday, October 16th, 2:00-4:00PM

Brokers’ Tour — Tuesday, October 18th, 2:00-3:30PM

We are super excited about our new listing for sale - 225 Bosworth Street San Francisco 94112, listed at $699,559 – Bernal Heights Home with Deck & Yard for Sale!

WANT PHOTOS? VISIT THE PROPERTY WEBSITE FOR THIS GRACIOUS BERNAL HEIGHTS HOME.

Built in 1917, 225 Bosworth St is a large, detailed Bernal Heights home on the border of Glen Park. Walk up the front stairs to a lovely covered porch. The formal entry way leads to a large formal living room with a fireplace, coved ceilings and attractive stained glass window detailing. Continue on to a grand formal dining room with built-in cabinets & detailed wainscoting. Off of the dining room is a spacious kitchen with a built in office area that opens directly onto the sunny, south-facing deck and backyard. A half-bath completes this level.

…All of this and we haven’t yet gone upstairs (or down!)

Upstairs, you’ll find two good-sized bedrooms, one with a sun room, and one bathroom with shower over bathtub. Both bedrooms enjoy two big closets and lots of light. Walk downstairs to find a clean, open area- great for storage, an art room, a second office, etc. The third bedroom and second full bath is perfect for a teenager, guest, in-law or roommate. Completing this fabulous home is a huge, flat yard with a patio, a washer & dryer and a one car garage with plenty of storage space!

The location is super convenient for walking, biking, public transit, and driving with access to Bernal Heights, Glen Park Village (BART, freeways, cute shops & restaurants), Southern Noe Valley & the Mission.

A NOTE FROM OUR SELLER:

Dear Prospective Buyer,

This has been a great home for 34 ½ years. There have been many holiday and birthday celebrations, baptismal parties, book signings, bridal showers, etc. The special events are in addition to joyful everyday living. This has also been a wonderful place for children: the big yard, fireworks viewed from the back windows, an exciting street scene viewed from the living room windows, the carpeted stairs to learn stair climbing, etc. For a gardener, the backyard has an ideal amount of sun and shade.

Glen Park is a welcoming neighborhood. BART is just 4 blocks away. There are at least 5 MUNI lines within walking distance and one line’s bus stop is at Bosworth and Milton. Canyon Market, Le Petit Laurent, La Corneta and several other restaurants are within a short walk in “Downtown” Glen Park. The Sunday Farmers’ Market in the BART parking lot has been a huge success.

An unusual benefit of this location is the proximity of the airport; BART is an easy commute and the airport shuttles pick you up last and drop you off first. Amazingly, plane noise is not a problem.

As a structure, this house is very strong and dependable. I have maintained the house with repairs before they were necessary. I have remodeled the kitchen (most recently in 2001), powder room and upstairs bathroom. I have replaced plaster and lath with sheetrock when possible. There is insulation in the attic and in every wall that has been opened for remodeling. In 2003, the back of the house was rebuilt with a new foundation, the firewall was added and the downstairs room and bath were added (all with
permits.) The deck was completed in 2009 (with permits.) Because this has been my home, I used higher quality materials: imported ceramic tiles, Carrera
marble tiles in the shower, top grade paints, custom built cabinets, Anderson double-paned windows with the flip cleaning feature, Trex and top grade redwood
for the deck, etc.

One of the features I enjoy most is the tremendous water pressure. The washer, the dishwasher and a shower can run at the same time without temperature or pressure variations.

Storage is another feature of this house. The attic, the garage, the built-in breakfront, the hidden closet, the shelving, the kitchen cabinets, the giant bedroom closets and even the phone cabinet in the front hall provide endless opportunities for organizing your belongings.

I do love this house, but it is time for new adventures in my life. I am looking forward to life in San Luis Obispo. There will still be holiday celebrations and lots of visitors; just in a different place.

-Meg

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Mark your calendars for Thursday night’s festivities and put on your dancin’ boots because the Patsy Chords are going to be rocking the Block Party on Tiffany Avenue from 6:30-7:30.  There is not a Patsy Cline tribute band around who can get you tappin’ your toes,  slappin’ your knees and reachin’ for your hanky like the Patsy Chords.  Stick around after the fine crooning for the films and you’ll have yourself a perfect night !

See ya there, partner !

Bernal Heights View Condo for Sale

We are so excited about our new listing for sale – 44 Lundys Lane #A, San Francisco, CA 94110, listed at $775,000 - Bernal Heights View Condo with Patio for Sale- because it’s spacious, bright and tranquil.

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44 Lundys Lane #A is a spacious condominium on a tranquil cul-de-sac in Bernal Heights, San Francisco 94110. Enjoy gorgeous panoramic western city views from this top floor condo in a small 2-unit building. This 2-level condo features three bedrooms, plus an additional den/study, two full bathrooms and a combined living room/dining room - an open floor plan, perfect for entertaining. This condo also includes hardwood floors, in-unit washer & dryer, your own private deck and a shared garden! Watch the fog roll over Twin Peaks and enjoy tranquility in the City.

With a 91 Walk Score you will be living in a Walker’s Paradise close to Cortland Ave, restaurants, transportation, parks and more!

44 Lundys Lane #A - 2-Unit Building – $200/month HOA dues

PS. We may have another listing like this coming soon so get in touch if you are interested!

Check out our Flickr page of photos or the gallery below to see what you missed!

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The 8th Annual Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema is coming !  5 Free Nights of local independent film at 5 different locations in our Bernal Heights neighborhood !   The magic begins on Wednessday, August 31  and runs through Sunday, September 4, 2011.  You know The Old Clam House down on Bayshore, that place you’re always pointing to and saying “We should go there for dinner soon” ? Well, here is your chance because opening night is being held at The Old Clam House on Wednesday August 31st.  More info on Opening Night festivities is TBA and the full line-up of films will be posted on July 25.

Back in 2009, I attended one of the BH Outdoor Cinema programmes and saw “The Owls of Bernal Hill” and “Last Day at the Nuthouse” — two amazing films about San Francisco — among several other very cool films.  That night, my friend and I hung out with my neighbors, had a couple (ok, maybe 3 or 4) brownies and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves even though the blustery weather forced the screening inside.

I don’t know about you but for me, August 31st seems so. far.away.  What am I going to do until then ?  To satisfy my yearning for local film, I’m going to hit up the next “Between The Stacks” screening on August 2, 2011.   BH Outdoor Cinema puts on quarterly indoor screenings at the Bernal Heights Branch of the San Francisco Public Library (our very own Frederick H. Meyer building is located at 500 Cortland St).  Check it out on Tuesday, August 2, 7:00 – 8:30 PM. The film is called FOOD STAMPED By Shira and Yoav Potash.

Real Estate Realities: Tales from the front line of buying and selling San Francisco real estate:

How to Properly Mix Business with Pleasure

While at a client’s housewarming party, I was introduced to my client’s friend, Steve, who was looking to buy a house in San Francisco. It was a party so we had a casual, light-hearted conversation, and he asked me to follow-up with him during the work week.

The next business day, I called Steve. He said hat he was frustrated with his current Realtor. The agent was sending him real estate listings he couldn’t afford and/or didn’t like. Steve sensed he was neither a good listener nor a strong negotiator.

Steve came in for an initial consultation with my team and we created a focused, strategic plan to achieve his goals. After touring about 6 homes in Noe Valley and Bernal Heights, each of which met his needs, we made a successful offer and closed a smooth escrow. We used a focused approach and he found the right home.

Last month, I went to Steve’s house-warming party and met a lady who was hoping to sell her house in…well, you know the rest.