Real estate is so much more than buying and selling homes. Which is why we -- our agents, staff and leadership -- truly love what we do: we help people through some of the most meaningful, important times in their lives.

Neighborhoods serve as the canvas for these events, and the East Bay has a growing number of wonderful neighborhoods to call home.

 

To illustrate some of the increasing variety and dynamism of East Bay life, we’ll be periodically profiling some of our neighborhoods through our agents and staff’s eyes.

 

First up: Oakland’s up-and-coming Laurel District.

 

Red Oak Realty agent Dana Brook has been the top producing agent in the Laurel for the last two years (among any brokerage) The neighborhood fits between Highway 580 to the south and Highway 13 to the north (see map below).

 

In addition to living in the neighborhood as a homeowner for the last decade, Dana has represented buyers or sellers of 13 homes in the neighborhood in the past 12 months. So he knows the ‘hood well.

 

The median sale price of Laurel homes was $825,000 in the first quarter 2019, up 23 percent from the same quarter in 2018. That’s 13 percentage points higher than Oakland-wide price jump of 10 percent in that period. The neighborhood’s real estate is hot!

 

In the first quarter, neighborhood homes for sale averaged just 14 days on the market and homes sold for an average of 16 percent over asking.

 

One of Dana’s recent listings, 3801 Wisconsin Street, which sold for $901,000 this May, illustrates the area’s real estate character.

 

The two-bedroom, one-bath bungalow typifies the area’s home style. 2/1 bungalows dominate the area in a mishmash of styles from Spanish to craftsman.

 

Many of the neighborhood’s homes were built in either the mid-1920s or just after the war in the late 1940s or early 1950s.

 

With less vacant storefronts than in years past and a demographic shifting from older to younger, the neighborhood is on an upswing.

 

Every neighborhood has cycles; this one clearly is early in a new one.

 

When Dana, 40, and his partner bought their Laurel home a decade ago, he sat on his front porch for two and a half hours to soak it in.

 

In that time, he saw more dogs (with their owners) walk by than cars. That walkability vibe continues as a key feature of the neighborhood, he said.

 

Just like he and his partner, who now have a 4-year-old, buyers looking for a vibrant, walkable neighborhood are flocking to the area, largely for the relative affordability and central location. Laurel Elementary serves the neighborhood.

 

The neighborhood has easy access (less than a 10-minute drive) to the redwood forests and endless hiking trails of Joaquin Miller Park and Redwood Regional Park, which sit just uphill.

 

In addition to the parks and friendly vibe, the neighborhood sits between two increasingly vibrant commercial districts along MacArthur Boulevard: Dimond District and the Laurel District. It’s within a mile of both.

 

The neighborhood’s proximity to vibrant neighborhood haunts greatly enhances its appeal.

 

One of the standouts, Dana said, include the line-around-the-corner brunch spot Sequoia Diner, which opened in 2015 thanks, in part, to a Kickstarter campaign. The menu changes daily -- that gives you a sense of the place.

 

 

Photo Credit: Sequoia Diner

 

The neighborhood also has easy access to upscale grocer Farmer Joe’s and, new burger joint 4505 Burgers & BBQ, the brainchild of a San Francisco restaurateur extending his good-burger ride from the city.

 

The area also sits smack dab in the middle of two of Oakland’s best street fairs: The annual world music-focused Laurel StreetFair held each August shuts down MacArthur Boulevard between 35th Street and High Street with carnival-like, kid-friendly fun and music, and the annual craft beer-focused Oaktoberfest held each October in the Dimond District.

 

Unlike other Oakland festivals, which have become more corporate as they’ve grown, these still feel like local, community-driven events, Dana said.

 

Reach out to Red Oak to speak to a pro about living, buying or selling in the East Bay.