This month I wanted to shed some light on a few of my favorite local places even
El Cerrito’s best (and only) wine bar fits like a glove. Owners Claire Sullivan and Devin Hohler opened up this gem back in April of ’23 and it’s been a hit ever since. Their focus is on small batch wines made organically. The space is warm, eclectic and very comfortable for many different occasions. They also serve very well priced small plates. 10368 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito. Hours Tues-Sat 4-9-ish.
OF ALL PLACES
This store is pure foodie magic. It’s one part specialty grocery store and one part wine shop mixed with artistic energy. Joe & Celia Catalino opened in May of ’24 showcasing small production goods made locally and in Southern California whenever possible. In addition to the food treasures found here you can also find outstanding, small batch wines and even get help pairing them with all types of cuisine. It’s also the perfect place to get a gift for the most picky of friends. 1841 Solano Ave, Berkeley Hours TuesSun 11-6
NEWSLETTER BY MICHAEL PERRY
BERKLEY’S HEARST CASTLE EAST BAY
Last month I was out and about on a Thursday, getting a sneak peek at a house for a client when I stumbled upon an unbelievable property. As I turned off of Arlington Avenue and headed east onto San Antonio Ave I was struggling to find parking. The street was narrow and without sidewalks it was even more challenging to find a spot. The next thing I know I’m pulling into a little sliver of space in front of a chain link fence and that’s when I see it; a bright white, 12,000 sq ft grand estate fit for international royalty.
This was a mansion unlike any I’ve seen in Berkeley. Sometimes I’ll see massive homes and ask myself, “Would this be considered a mansion?”. This ‘house’ was unquestionably and unapologetically a mansion. It’s tucked into a 3 acre lot in Thousand Oaks just above The Arlington and juxtaposed to dozens of homes much more typical for the area. I’ve passed by it thousands of times and never even knew it existed. I was so intrigued (and a bit embarrassed to not have known about it).
The one-of-a-kind residence was built in 1912 by banker, real estate mogul & mega entrepreneur, John Hopkins Spring. Born in San Francisco, Spring was heavily involved in prominent real estate developments throughout the East Bay. He is primarily responsible for the purchase and development of the land that would eventually be the city of Albany, the purchase and
Insurance Woes And How To Handle Them
Over the last 3 months I’ve fielded nearly a dozen calls from friends, family & clients all slightly frantic about potentially losing their home owner’s insurance. In most cases they had received a letter informing them that, in order to maintain insurance, they would need to become compliant with a lengthy list of nearly impossible tasks. In a few cases they were outright not renewed with their carrier.
Over the past few years California has witnessed several of the largest home insurers state that they will no longer write new policies. This is a combination of the staggering number of claims paid out due to wildfires since 2015 and an inability to raise rates above a certain threshold.
So what are your options if you are not renewed by your carrier or you cannot make your property compliant? You do what I did when I wasn’t renewed (yes, it happened to me to): you have to go shopping for a new carrier.
In most cases you are likely going to need to go through the California FAIR Plan for fire insurance if you’re in high fire zones and then supplement that policy with another to fully insure your property.
Despite its name, the California FAIR Plan is not a state agency nor is there any public or tax payer funding. It’s a syndicated fire insurance pool of all insurers licensed in California and it’s been around since 1968. And for many home owners located in high fire areas it’s their only option.
Over the past year or so, I’ve leaned heavily on one person, Abdullah AlHadeethi, to help those I know when it comes to insurance. That’s who I called when I discovered I was not being renewed. The phone call took about 5 minutes and it wasn’t long after that and I was fully insured and for not much more than my previous policy.
Abdullah is an insurance agent/broker (and great human being) with Goosehead and not only is he my go-to but he’s on the top of the list for most other real estate agents I know. Hopefully you never need him but if you do, give him a call. 925.384.2894 | abdullah.alhadeethi@goosehead.com
subdivision of Thousand Oaks as well as the shopping district on Solano Ave. He was even one of the early investors in the Claremont Hotel.
The Spring Mansion was modeled after the Achillion Palace in Corfu, vacation residence of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Originally, the Spring residence occupied 16 acres with the mansion being the centerpiece. Now it’s a mere 3.25 acres but still big enough to require 3 separate addresses. The Beaux-Arts inspired home has 7 bedrooms, 6.5 baths and a 30ft tall atrium at its center among some of its highlights.
Surprisingly, Spring would only get to experience his masterpiece for a little less than 3 years. In 1915 he divorced his wife of 27 years and remarried another woman and moved back to San Francisco. The Spring Mansion was then sold to educator Clara Williams in 1917 and would eventually become Williams College, a tony elementary & secondary school where it operated for over 50 years. It was then purchased by real estate investor Larry Leon as his primary residence until he sold it to a group of investors in 2005.
I was excited to learn that the most recent sale (2020 for $4.8M) was handled by a friend and colleague, Herman Chan. Unfortunately when I spoke to him he didn’t have much information about any plans the new owners had other than, spoiler alert: they are a wealthy family with a high net worth real estate portfolio.
While the home appears to be be undergoing much needed renovations, it will likely be a long and drawn out process before the iconic residence is fully renovated. Landmark status was given by the City of Berkeley back in 2000. My review of permit history and city planning approvals show that the current owners are looking to remove two structures on the grounds that are not the main building, a guest house and gymnasium. Of course, the city of Berkeley is saying they must keep those buildings due to their landmark status and the current owners disagree.
If you are interested in seeing a video of this amazing property upon its most recent sale you can find it with a quick YouTube search of Spring Mansion Berkeley.
MARKET PULSE
BERKELEY’S NEWEST MEMBER OF THE $1700/SQ FT CLUB
If you’re wondering how the housing market is doing in the area, I’m here to tell you it’s just fine. On October 24th, 870 Peralta Ave, Berkeley closed at $1.75 million. A home selling for this price isn’t really newsworthy in Berkeley except it is when it’s 1,030 sq ft. That sale puts 870 Peralta at $1702/sq ft!
Being a numbers nerd, I had to find out how many homes in Berkeley/ Albany have ever sold for over $1,700/sq ft.
The answer is 10 and the other 9 all sold within the six month window that I refer to as the ‘White Hot Peak’, 11/21-5/22. That is when interest rates were in the 2% range and nearly every home was getting double digit offers. This is the first time we’ve seen this statistic since the peak of the market.
This home is 2 doors down from my office and, all in all, it was a really cute house. I knew that it would do well but I could never have predicted it would do as well as it did. To be clear, this is an outlier. In North Berkeley & Albany the bulk of turnkey homes in the last year have sold in the $900-$1,200/sq ft range. Interestingly, the very same week saw a 1,253 sq ft home on Fresno Ave in North Berkeley sell for $2.1 million ($1,676/sq ft)!
While I don’t envision these numbers to be the new norm, I do think it’s a indicative of what can happen when demand is very strong and inventory is relatively low.
THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS SHEPHERD’S PIE
For the last 10 years or so this has been my go-to way to enjoy the plentiful leftovers that follow my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. This “recipe” was actually the result of me getting lazy one year while cleaning up after hosting the holiday with family and friends.
Rather than separate out each ingredient into it’s own dish and store it in the refrigerator, I thought I could meal prep for the next week by making individual meals in an easy to serve bowl. . . and that’s when it hit me; Shepherd’s Pie! It’s essentially the perfect vehicle for how to handle any/all leftovers that include mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies and a meat. And what better meal than Thanksgiving?!
Think about it . . .
Ingredients
• Turkey, ham or both
• Gravy or sauce/glaze
• Green beans, carrots or any veggie
• Stuffing
• Mac and cheese
• Mashed potatoes
Steps
1. Using an ovenproof bowl, begin by putting one serving of turkey to cover the bottom. Pour a bit of gravy over it.
2. Next is going to be your veggie. I usually serve green beans and maque choux as veggies at Thanksgiving but you really can use whichever vegetables you have. Add them in layers.
3. Then comes the Mac and cheese. If you don’t have Mac and cheese that means you failed Thanksgiving and you have to start over.
4. And last, and my personal favorite, you top it with mashed potatoes. Using a rubber spatula I spread it nice and smooth. From here you can cover it with wrap and store it in the fridge for a few days or even in the freezer for a month or so.
5. To cook you simply heat it up in the oven (350°) for about 15 minutes, 40-45 minutes if frozen. Bon Apetit!
Berkeley Half Marathon & Kids 1K The annual race through Berkeley returns as it does every year. Saturday there is a kids 1K “race” . Sunday has a 5K, 10K, half marathon and also a family 1K. Whether you’re a fine tuned running machine or a frumpy forty something like me, I highly recommend this race. It’s such a beautiful and unique way to experience Berkeley. Register online.
Nov. 22nd | Calif. Academy of Sciences 6:30 pm Welcome Winter Night Kickoff the winter season with the Academy’s evening event for science fans of all ages. Visit with baby reindeer, make holiday cookies, face painting, magic shows and lots more. Tickets $24-$49, available online.
Nov. 23nd | Memorial Stadium, UC Berkeley 127th Annual BIG Game Cal vs. Stanford The rivalry between Cal and Stanford goes back well over a century and this time the matchup is in the ACC . . . not that it matters. Berkeley will play host to this annual rite of passage for locals, alumni and current students. Whether you went to either university or not, the game is always a ton of fun. Tickets $71 and up, available online.
