Luscious Lee Listing - Page 2

As a discerning practitioner of the Second Bay Modern movement, Lee built less than 100 homes in addition to a few churches and other dwellings. Several received national awards or other recognition, including 73 Tara Road, which graced the cover of a local real estate periodical called New Homes in 1963.

"There's so many oversized sliders. It's really exceptional from that standpoint," noted Lum of its many glass doors. "There are no solid walls to keep you from looking all [the way] through the house."

"No matter where you stand in the house…you're capturing the views from different angles," she marveled of the open-plan design on a 1.3-acre lot that includes a long driveway. "I would say the best feature of it is the setting itself."

Of course, there are several other tantalizing aspects of the listing. One is an accordion door that Lee put in the front bedroom to easily split part of it off into a den or a fourth bedroom.

"The sliding door is separate, so it really does lend itself to flexibility," Lum commented. She also admires Lee's inclusion of built-in canisters in the kitchen and shoe-storage compartments in one closet, adding, "It was pretty forward thinking."

The realtor praised the multiple environments in the home, including an enclosed atrium and two exterior courtyards. Citing its value for entertaining, she observed, "Your guests can really spill in so many different directions!"

As for what work is needed, she said, "The pest report was normal for that size house," quoting the estimate for pest mitigation at $3,700. Recommended repairs to the sewer line are pegged at between $4,500 and $14,680, depending on the degree of thoroughness.

Although Roger Lee was dubbed by one writer as "one of the Bay Area's great forgotten architects," Lum's experience with 73 Tara has not born that out.

"There's apparently quite a following," she said, noting that a tour for realtors last month drew 80 agents, and more than 100 people to open houses. As for Sunday's open house, she predicted, "I am expecting a good number of people to come."

For more on the Lee home at 73 Tara Road, click here.