Just Listed! Airy Central Berkeley Bungalow … Updated in 2013, now gorgeously presented with fresh color!

Bought!

Welcome to this airy Central Berkeley bungalow, updated throughout in 2013, now gorgeously presented with fresh color in and out. 

A large eat-in kitchen is warmly lit by east and south-facing corner windows.

Two bedrooms have garden views, and one has French doors opening to a good-sized backyard with several kinds of fruit trees. It’s a terrific outdoor space with room to play, grow veggies, or just hang out on summer evenings.

Finished walls and glass double doors make the current detached garage into a very pleasant studio/office/creative space.

There’s a large central hallway and stack washer/dryer in a utility area off the kitchen.

In a wonderful neighborhood – and one that makes it easy to get to so many good Berkeley things as they reopen! 

You’re just a few blocks from Breads of India, the Home Made Cafe (serving dinner soon!), Caffè Chiave, Mo’Joe Cafe, Paisan, Lhasa Karnak, Longbranch Saloon, and the Ecology Center.

Berkeley Bowl is minutes away by bike or car. So is downtown Berkeley, where you’ll find movie theaters, the Central Berkeley Library, Downtown Berkeley BART, and the Saturday Berkeley Farmers’ Market. 

Biker’s Paradise – A BikeScore of 99 “flat as a pancake” and you can bike to one of Berkeley’s 3 BART stations in about 10 minutes. Walk Score of 80 – Very Walkable.

Easy access to I-80.

From the Seller to YOU!

Hello to you, potential (very lucky) new owner of 2412 Valley Street!

If you’re reading this note, you’ve already seen my house, so I probably don’t have to tell you how special it is. Yes, I know, everyone thinks their house is the best, but I truly think there is something magical about mine. Maybe you noticed it when you walked in – how light and airy it feels, how calming it is inside, how you can almost feel the house around you. I felt all of that the first time I walked in the door, and then every time after that. That feeling is hard to find, and it certainly made the decision to sell very difficult.

Living in that house always felt like living in a tranquil oasis. The kitchen is big and sunny, but you still have a cool, dark bedroom to retire to – and one with a window that looks right out on a plum tree with the sweetest white blossoms in spring. The studio is the perfect extra space, whether you need an art studio, an office, a gym, or a playroom. There’s plenty of room in the backyard for woodworking, an inflatable pool, raised vegetable beds, or frankly all of the above. And when the apple tree gives you fruit, you’ll get some of the most delicious apples I’ve ever had in my life. 

Best of all, the house is in a wonderful neighborhood. That block of Valley Street is one of those blocks where neighbors look out for one another. In fact, I still keep in touch with a few of them, thanks to an email list maintained by someone else on the block. There’s usually an annual block party. Plus, there’s so much good stuff you can walk or bike to, and getting to the freeways or public transit is pretty easy. When I was there, it was genuinely a lovely place to live.

I’m selling this house because a few years ago, life and work took me far away from California. I rented the house to the nicest couple, who were my only tenants. They were there for four years, and they made the absolute most of it before they made the tough decision to move back to the east coast. They even got married in the backyard before they left, so they could have those memories with them forever, in the house they loved too. 

I always thought I’d come back, but for the time being my life is in New York. When my tenants told me they were leaving, I knew it was time to let this wonderful home go to someone else who wants to love it and make the most of it. I hope that someone else is you!

Property Details