Buyer Representation · Berkeley (Claremont), CA · Sold $2,850,000
A 1929 John Hudson Thomas landmark on a quiet Claremont cul-de-sac — pulled from the market, then secured for my buyers weeks before their first child arrived.
Some house hunts come with a countdown clock. This one came with a due date.
My buyers were expecting their first child in about a month — and searching for the kind of home you actually grow into, in one of the East Bay's most gracious neighborhoods. Then the property that fit almost too perfectly did the one thing that makes most buyers walk away: it came off the market.
17 Roble Court isn't a house you forget. Designed in 1929 by John Hudson Thomas — the Berkeley architect whose work now sits on landmark registries — it commands a quiet cul-de-sac in Claremont, with San Francisco Bay and Golden Gate views spilling out of nearly every room. Mediterranean lines, generous proportions, roughly 4,276 square feet, and the kind of original detail that can't be faked or rebuilt. In Claremont — minutes from the Claremont resort and the Berkeley Tennis Club — homes at this level don't trade often. When they do, they rarely stay quiet for long.
Here's what most buyers never learn: a home pulled from the market is often still very much for sale — just no longer advertising. A withdrawn listing frequently signals a motivated seller, and that's exactly the moment a prepared buyer with the right relationships can step in.
We moved quickly, came correct, and made it easy for the other side to say yes — a clean, serious offer at a moment when clean and serious mattered more than anything. My buyers secured the home comfortably below where comparable Claremont homes had been trading, and below its own most recent asking price. Final sale: $2,850,000 — a landmark home, closed weeks before the baby arrived.
Claremont sits in the hills where Berkeley meets Oakland — established, architectural, and quietly one of the East Bay's most desirable addresses. Its best homes are often spoken for before they ever reach the open market. Knowing which homes are quietly available, and how to move when the window opens, is the difference between touring the neighborhood and living in it.
The best homes here — the John Hudson Thomas, the character home on the quiet court, the one that never makes it to Zillow — don't wait for a slow buyer. If Claremont, Rockridge, Elmwood, or the Berkeley hills are on your horizon, whether now or over the next twelve months, let's talk. My favorite deals are the ones no one else knew were available.
| Address | 17 Roble Court, Berkeley, CA 94705 |
|---|---|
| Sold Price | $2,850,000 |
| Architect | John Hudson Thomas (1929) |
| Style | Mediterranean |
| Bed / Bath | 4 Bed · 5 Bath |
| Living Area | ±4,276 sq ft |
| Neighborhood | Claremont |
| Representation | Buyer's Agent |
| Agent | Patrick MacCartee, The Grubb Company |