One of San Francisco’s famous Seven Sisters is back on the market. Leah Culver, the current owner, bought the Victorian house in 2020 for $3.55 million and she’s now listing it for the same price.
“It is with a heavy heart that I’ve decided to sell the Pink Painted Lady. This was an extremely difficult decision that I have been considering for several months,” Culver wrote on Twitter on an account she runs for the home. “Please feel free to share with anyone you know who might be interested in this beautiful home. Thank you for your support and understanding.”
You may recall when this serious fixer-upper at 714 Steiner Street last hit the market just prior to the pandemic, and then sold for $750K over asking, to Culver, in January 2020.
This particular Painted Lady overlooks downtown, Alamo Square, the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s three stories tall and also includes a garage level. It has five bedrooms and was built in the late 1800s.
Since buying the property, Culver had posted a sign on the steps showing tourists that this home had an Instagram account — and while she called it, hopefully, The Pink Painted Lady, she still had not gotten around to repainting it pink.
Culver told the Wall Street Journal the pandemic delayed her renovation plans. She says it had been owned by the same family for six decades, which isn’t uncommon for those homes.
It needed some major repair work before she could move in full-time. The house wasn’t just lacking modernization, it was falling apart. In January, the ceiling caved into the downstairs bathroom. The fireplace isn’t functional.
Culver planned on maintaining the historical elements of the home while making it livable again. Some parts of the house, such as the powder room sink and tile, were carefully removed so they can be preserved, reinstalled, or repurposed.
Since the coronavirus prohibited her from getting the permits she needed in a timely manner, she was never able to start the work.
The Planning Department did finally get her those permits, and the Building Department should soon follow suit, but now she doesn’t have the time to fix the house up, she says. She’s offering those remodeling plans up to the buyer, if they’re interested. The architect she was working with is also willing to switch over to a new partner. Boxleaf Design is serving as the landscape architect.
“I would love to transition to a new owner who cares as much as I do (or more!) about this special home,” said Culver. “That’s why I am listing it for sale for the same price I purchased it for and am including the current building plans, permits, and social media accounts with the sale.”
Construction costs are up since Culver bought the house, so it might be a bigger project now than it would have been when she first purchased it. However, home prices have also skyrocketed, so keeping the house at the same price as it was two years ago is a major deal.
The Painted Ladies, part of what’s known as Postcard Row, famously appeared in the intro to Full House. The term “Painted Ladies” is used for any group of brightly-colored Victorian or Edwardian homes.
“I really want to find a buyer who cares about San Francisco, and this property and the location,” Culver told the WSJ.
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