Silicon Valley's housing market is so dire, a burned-out home just sold way over the asking price — for $938,000

burned out house san jose

The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most expensive housing markets in America.
Case in point: A fire-ravaged home in San Jose, California, has sold well over asking for $938,000. The home will need to be demolished.

It's no secret that buying a home for under $1 million in the San Francisco Bay Area is a nearly impossible task. Case in point: Somebody has paid over $900,000 for a burned-out home.

The one-story, single-family house at 1375 Bird Avenue in San Jose, California, was ravaged by fire two years ago. In photos, the structure appears dilapidated and held together with plywood.

According to real-estate site Redfin and the Silicon Valley Business Journal, the home sold for $938,000 in April — more than $130,000 over the listing price of $799,000.

Listing agent Holly Barr of Sereno Group told the San Francisco Chronicle the price was fair based on the cost of local housing and the lot's potential. The home sits on a 5,800-square-foot lot and is located less than a 10-minute drive from downtown San Jose, where Google plans to build a new campus.

According to Barr, the seller took the highest of six bids. The lucky buyer is paying all cash.

Prospective buyers needed to harness their imagination to see its potential. The home's listing on Redfin stipulated: "The property was badly burned 2 years ago. You cannot see the inside."

Built in 1976, 1375 Bird Avenue suffered heavy burns after a garage explosion in 2015. Flames engulfed the home, leaving three residents and a dog displaced. The cause of the fire was unknown.

A screenshot from Google Street View shows the quaint home in 2015.

burned out house san jose california

In 2018, it doesn't have quite the same curb appeal.

As the cost of living in San Francisco rises, people are migrating south in search of affordable housing. Nine of the 10 hottest neighborhoods in the US are located in San Jose, according to Redfin. The site based the ranking on increases in internet traffic to listings in a neighborhood.

The median home sale price in San Jose reached $1.1 million in December, up 32% year over year. Homes typically sell for 113% of the listing price and receive all-cash offers.

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