By Farrah:
Many people think that Oakland is this horrible scary place where you can get shot by a gun toting gangbanger just for looking him in the eye. There are even some Oaklanders who are afraid to venture into East or West Oakland.
As a real estate agent and Oakland resident with friends who live all over Oakland, I know that these stereotypes are unfair and often untrue. The good thing about these beliefs is that they keep demand from driving prices out of control in some of East Oakland’s nicer neighborhoods.
Some of my clients prefer the quiet, tree-lined East Oakland neighborhoods such as Maxwell Park, Oak Knoll, Laurel and Sequoia Hills to the more expensive and transient Temescal and Lake Merritt areas.
There are some gorgeous homes for sale right now in East Oakland that are very reasonably priced. I’m not a home inspector but unlike homes of the same condition in North Oakland, these seem to be in pretty good condition.
Last Saturday, I toured 9608 Castlewood Street with a client. When we walked in, we saw beautiful vaulted ceilings accented with wooden beams and gleaming hardwood floors. The kitchens and bathrooms, although not ultra modern, were large and clean. The home is a spacious 1557 square feet on a nice sized corner lot. A home like this probably would have sold for hundreds of thousands more just a few years ago. Right now, it’s listed at just $419,900.
5732 Morse Drive is another reasonably priced East Oakland home that’s currently on the market. It’s in Maxwell Park, a quiet friendly neighborhood of cute, well maintained homes near Mills College that was once the home of Bruce Lee. This house appears to have been recently renovated by a developer who probably bought it from a bank to flip it. They did an excellent job and have still priced it at a reasonable $409,000. It’s open 7/13/08 from 2 to 4:30pm.
9608 Castle Wood [mls alliance]
5732 Morse Drive [mls alliance]
Filed under: east bay, farrah wilder, oakland, real estate , east bay, farrah wilder, oakland, real estate
