Listing Representation · Kensington, CA · Sold $1,850,000
22 Kensington Court Kensington, CA
Quiet court, storybook trail, no view, no problem. A single-story Kensington home that sold in 12 days for the highest price of any non-view home in Kensington this year.
In Kensington, the view usually does the heavy lifting. This house didn't have one. So we let the gardens carry the story instead.
22 Kensington Court sits at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in Kensington: four large bedrooms, three baths, about 2,187 square feet, all on one level, with a two-car garage and four separate doors opening onto the gardens. Out front, there's a glimpse of Wildcat Canyon. Out back, a short walk down Ye Olde School Trail lands you at Kensington Elementary. It's the kind of house people buy for the next twenty years, not the next three.
Single-Story and Level-In
Those sound like the same thing. They aren't, and in the hills the difference is worth real money. Single-story means no stairs inside. Level-in means no stairs to get inside. Plenty of hillside homes are one but not the other, and the buyers who need both (downsizers, multigenerational households, anyone tired of hauling groceries up 40 steps) have very few choices. We marketed both, on purpose, and in plain words.
The Prep
Before a single photo was taken, the house got the full treatment: paint, lighting, tile, a new vanity, plumbing touch-ups, a handyman punch list, window cleaning, and staging, all run on one go-to-market calendar so nothing waited on anything else. New roof, modern electrical, and pre-market inspections went out with the disclosures. Clean reports don't just reassure buyers. They let buyers write stronger offers, because they're not pricing in the unknown.
The Pricing
We listed at $1,295,000. That was a deliberate choice, not a guess. In a market with real demand, a list price is an invitation to compete. Price it where serious buyers lean in rather than talk themselves out, and the market does the bidding for you. Twelve days later, it sold for $1,850,000, 43% over list.
And it did that in a crowded room. Kensington buyers had more to choose from this fall than last: 20 new listings hit the market between September 1 and October 30, up 25% from the same stretch a year earlier. More inventory usually means more leverage for buyers. A house that's prepped right and priced to compete gets the room's attention anyway.
Here's the number that matters more to me: of the 20 detached homes that sold in Kensington in 2026 through early October, most had a view. Among the ones that didn't, 22 Kensington Court sold the highest. The Kensington median for the year sat at $1.8 million. This one landed above it, without the view that usually earns the premium.
Thinking About Selling in Kensington or the Berkeley Hills?
Every house has a story. The job is finding the one buyers will pay for, then building the whole campaign around it. If you're weighing a move in Kensington, Berkeley, El Cerrito, or Albany, let's walk through your house together. I'll bring the numbers.
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Neighborhoods I Serve
- Crocker Highlands
- Piedmont
- Rockridge
- Claremont
- Berkeley Hills
- Kensington
- Sequoyah
- Chabot Park
- Skyline Estates
- Oakland Hills
- All neighborhoods
| Address | 22 Kensington Court, Kensington, CA 94707 |
|---|---|
| Sold Price | $1,850,000 |
| List Price | $1,295,000 |
| Days on Market | 12 |
| Bed / Bath | 4 Bed · 3 Bath |
| Living Area | ±2,187 sq ft |
| Lot | ±7,565 sq ft |
| Year Built | 1962 |
| Layout | Single-story, level-in, 2-car attached garage |
| Location | Kensington, Contra Costa County |
| Representation | Listing Agent |
| Agent | Patrick MacCartee, The Grubb Company |