The 1904 Queen Anne Victorian at 152 Fourth Avenue made headlines back in April when fire officials removed a "mummified body" from its interiors. The house was in a terrifyingly horrible state, filled with rats, black widows, mold, and hundreds of bottles of urine. The body was likely that of a 90-year-old woman who had died five years before, according to police. Now, the house of horrors is up for sale with a $928,000 price. The only allusion to its backstory is a mention in the brokerbabble of a "real News Worthy History."
The property sits in the very popular Lake District, on the border of the Inner Richmond, a stone's throw from the exclusive Presidio Terrace and the Presidio itself just beyond. The developers who are the mostly likely candidates to purchase the house will likely be undeterred by its sordid past, meaning that the near-seven figure price is not unreasonable.
When news of the "mummified" body first made headlines, realtor Kevin Birmingham told the Chronicle that the renovated home would be a "$2.5 million house all day long." That seems steep for what is now just a two-bedroom with an unwarranted studio apartment out back, but the listing notes that the lot could have expansion potential. And in a very unofficial poll we took, 57 percent of readers thought that a remodeled version of the house would "totally" be worth $2.5 million.
No interior photos are available, but the exterior does appear to have received some touch-ups since it was last in the news, with a new cute red front door replacing the former brown one. There is a good possibility that all of that will soon be gone, anyway. The home almost definitely calls for a down-to-the-studs reno that will undoubtedly leave it with flat fireplaces, soaking tubs, and a price well, well into the millions. Perhaps potential buyers of that future home will also be less deterred by the creepy death on the property if what is a basically a new house is built. In the meantime, the current structure is on the market as a probate sale with an offer date set for July 1, according to listing agent Tim Hawko.
· Can the Lake 'Mummy House' Command a $2.5M Premium? [Curbed SF]
· Buying a Hoarder House Not a Turn-Off for Most Investors [SFGate]
· 152 4th Avenue [Redfin]
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