Plumbing

San Francisco “Hoarders” home sells for $500K over asking with 12 provides

(Photos by Craig Ackerman)

A San Francisco duplex featured on an episode of the A&E series “Hoarders” recently received 12 offers and sold for $500,000 over the asking price, according to listing agent Craig Ackerman at Proof Real Estate.

The episode aired in early 2020 and was memorable because hoarder Ray Silmon endured the difficult cleanout of the top floor of his NOPA Victorian at the same time that he also had to contend with the death of his brother, who died during the filming and had also lived in the home but did not contribute to the floor-to-ceiling clutter. The brothers had inherited the property from their parents and had lived there for more than 50 years, Ackerman said.

In the years since the episode was filmed, Silmon had completely refilled the cleaned out spaces, Ackerman said. He died last year and the probate court and city attorney “demanded immediate action” on the dilapidated home, he said in an emailed statement.

Ackerman’s crew removed eight 20-foot containers filled with trash. The haul included “decomposing animals,” and the crew had to contend with a collapsing rear porch, a roof with a four-foot-by-four-foot hole, “unworkable plumbing” and an “overwhelming odor.”

“We had to have cleaners mop the floor with full strength ammonia to remove or subside the odors,” said Ackerman, who specializes in trust and probate sales and ranked this among his most difficult properties to prepare for market.

After the cleanout, Ackerman held four back-to-back open houses just before the Christmas holiday. He received 12 offers and the winning bid on 756-758 Lyon Street was all cash at $1.2 million, or 70 percent over the $700,000 ask. At 2,800 square feet, that works out to $429 per square foot.

Each unit has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a family room, dining room and office. The ground floor is a common area, according to listing notes.

Kenix Zhong, a Fremont-based RE/MAX agent, represented the buyers, Lyon Partners LLC, and could not comment on their plans for the property.

The high level of interest in what will be, at a minimum, a down-to-the-studs renovation, is an indication that, even with the market down, the most expensive construction costs in the world, and development at a standstill, builder buyers still think investing in San Francisco is worth it — at the right price.

“The appetite for development is still high,” Ackerman said.

Contact Emily Landes

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