You can watch sunset over San Francisco from this home on Oakland hillside, a $4.3M gem
One of the most expensive and beautiful homes on the market in Oakland, California, is available for $4.3 million — a contemporary hillside residence where you can watch the sun go down over San Francisco from an oasis-like natural backyard setting.
“It is rare to find a home that was so thoughtfully designed and incorporates the natural setting so seamlessly into a contemporary home,” Maria Cavallo-Merrion of Compass, co-listing agent with Anita Becker, told the Sacramento Bee in an email.
The custom-built house at 5728 Balmoral Drive sits above the Oakland skyline on a nearly flat .83-acre lot at the top of a shared driveway, offering an abundance of privacy and serenity. Not only are there stunning views of the city, but Mount Diablo and Mount Tamalpais can be seen, as well.
The retreat, built in 2017, spans 5,317 square feet, with four bedrooms and four full bathrooms.
The seller is Carla Buffington, a Compass real estate agent, who commissioned and lived in the home.
“The home’s contemporary design is complemented with rustic character -- including a unique combination of stucco, wood, and brick siding -- to give it warmth and charm,” the property listing states.
From a front courtyard, the home is entered through a large pivot front door. An impressive entrance hall — a museum-like room that contains gallery shelves with steel and glass doors, cedar-lined ceilings and high transom windows — carries the eye all the way into the backyard, where a 10-foot stone Buddha statue sits.
The one-level home integrates indoor/outdoor living with an open floor plan — “an ideal tableau for entertaining,” the listing states.
A living room with expansive windows offers views of the San Francisco Bay. Fleetwood sliding doors stack to open completely to the backyard and outdoor dining areas. There’s a lap pool, conversational sitting areas and fire pit.
Dramatic light fixtures, inspired in design by taiko drums, illuminate the dining room table. A built-in bar features stainless countertops, a sink and a second dishwasher. There’s also a 750-bottle temperature-controlled wine cellar around the corner.
The gourmet kitchen, which has a walk-in pantry and extra sink, offers sweeping views of Mount Diablo.
Custom-made European white oak hardwood flooring, high cedar-lined ceilings with recessed lighting and multiple skylights are some of the luxurious touches found throughout the home.
The residence has a double-wall, sound-proof home theater and TV room with a large Stewart projection screen, a Sony projector and custom video/sound and Anthem equipment.
The primary bedroom suite is at the other side of the home from the other bedrooms. A short hallway leads to the spa-like bathroom, which has heated flooring. From an extra-large bath tub, views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate can be seen. The primary bedroom also has its own balcony with views.
The house is set in natural-looking grounds with large, mature trees and shrubs, fig and citrus trees, ornamental plants, a variety of succulents and colorful flowers.
A second lot is available, too, for a total 1.23 acres.
There’s been 2,062 home sales reported in the Inner East Bay market (Oakland/Piedmont to Richmond/El Cerrito) over the past six months, according to Patrick Carlisle, chief market analyst for Compass. Of those, eight homes sold for more than $4 million, with one of them in Oakland.
Five MLS listings in region are priced at more than $4 million. Only one listing is more expensive — at $5.4 million — than the Balmoral Drive home.
