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    A Real Estate Tech Pioneer’s San Francisco Live-Work Loft Lists for $3.2 Million

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    Not only did Mark Choey reside in this sleek San Francisco loft for over a decade, but the real estate tech entrepreneur also created a couple of innovative companies while he was under its roof. Now the guy behind the indie brokerage Climb (acquired by Realogy subsidiary NRT in 2016) and the real estate tech platform HighNote Labs is ready to part ways with his live-work spread at the historic Lighthouse Lofts in the SoMa District, asking $3.2 million.

    Originally built in 1924 by the Samuel H. Cowell family as a headquarters for the San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind, the Howard Street structure was transformed into a live/work community in the late 1990s and is designated as a Category III contributory landmark. Other well-known residents who have lived at the 22-unit building include artist Klari Reis and the Battery social club founders Michael and Xochi Birch.

    One of the living areas is equipped with a basketball hoop.

    Robert Borsdorf Media

    RELATED: Celebrity Chef Charles Phan Relists His Live/Work Loft in San Francisco for $5.5 Million

    Records show Choey first acquired a corner loft consisting of two combined units in spring 2013 for $1.4 million and subsequently added an adjacent unit—for a combined total of four bedrooms and three baths spread across a little more than 3,600 square feet of flexible living space on two levels. Whimsical yet stylish interiors crafted by Lauren Geremia of Geremia Design are complemented by a mix of epoxy and wood floors, soaring ceilings, exposed concrete, and oversized steel-frame windows providing city views.

    The first two lofts Choey purchased consist of units 201 and 202. Those combined spaces span 2,633 square feet with three bedrooms and two baths, plus an enclosed office and several workstation nooks. Especially standing out on the lower level is a living/dining area that connects to a kitchen outfitted with custom cabinetry, a ceramic backsplash, and top-notch Bosch, Bertazzoni, and Fisher-Paykel appliances, as well as a game room. A mezzanine level houses a music lounge and the primary suite.

    One of the bedrooms includes a lofted area.

    Robert Borsdorf Media

    RELATED: Car Collector Magnus Walker Lists Downtown L.A. Live-Work Building for About $20 Million

    The smaller 1,056-square-foot loft (unit 203) that was tacked on later is clad with bamboo floors and includes a combined living/dining room, a kitchen and a full bath on the lower level, as well as a bedroom and an office up top. The lofts come with three parking spots and a private storage unit. Rounding it all out, a roughly $2,715 monthly HOA fee allows residents access to a roof deck and a dedicated custodian.

    Per the listing held by Chris Lim and Michelle Balog of Christie’s International Real Estate, “this residence feels boundless in its possibilities—flexible for residential living, a family compound, or a creative office space with private living accommodations for a founder.”

    Click here for more photos of the San Francisco live-work loft.

    Robert Borsdorf Media More

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      Car Collector Magnus Walker Lists Downtown L.A. Live-Work Building for About $20 Million

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      A 26,000-square-foot live-work warehouse building in downtown Los Angeles, owned for almost 25 years by bon vivant former fashion designer and inveterate car collector Magnus Walker—one of the largest collectors of Porsches in the world—has zoomed onto the market with an asking price of around $20 million.

      Walker initially housed his Serious Clothing company in the building—the brand was popular in the L.A. music scene and worn by everyone from Gwen Stefani to Alice Cooper and Madonna—but later converted it to a live-work space through an adaptive reuse program. It wasn’t long after acquiring the property that Walker fell into the film location business, and Walker told Robb Report that “Filming was a happy accident. We saw the opportunity to build something into a pretty lucrative film location business for the next 10-12 years.” Since then, the building has been the site of numerous films, commercials and videos for Kevin Costner, Mary J. Blige and The Eagles.

      RELATED: This 1998 Porsche 911 Is a Low-Miles Unicorn That’s up for Grabs

      The two-story brick building, which dates to 1903, occupies three parcels over two lots with multiple street frontages and a heavy-duty gate that opens to a courtyard parking area with room for up to a dozen cars. Indeed, Walker has filled the courtyard with a gleaming selection of his vast collection, including a vintage Rolls Royce and a couple of ‘70s-era Corvettes.

      Part of the building serves as a workshop and showroom for Magnus Walker’s classic car collection.

      Gavin Cater

      Raw and industrial, the cavernous and rambling interior spaces have exposed brick walls, patinated wood floors, a functioning freight elevator, soaring ceilings punctuated by skylights, and enormous south-facing casement windows that fill the upper level with sunlight.

      A massive roll-up door allows cars to be driven right into the building. In one section of the ground floor, a brilliant blue Pininfarina Battista is on display, while another area serves as a garage and workshop where Walker, famous for never selling a Porsche once it comes into his possession, keeps more than a dozen collectible versions of his favorite automotive brand.

      Making for an easy commute to his workshop and studio on the ground floor, the 11,200-square-foot upper level served as Walker’s bohemian residence, which he described as “a mini Hearst Castle/English stately home mixed with midcentury modernism and 60/70s furniture pieces.”

      RELATED: The 7 Best Air-Cooled Porsches We Saw at Luftgekühlt

      Huge casement windows on the upper-level living area frame city views.

      Gavin Cater

      In addition to an enclosed courtyard garden enveloped in lush greenery, flaming bougainvillea and fragrant night-blooming jasmine, the building’s prairie-sized rooftop offers 360-degree vistas over the city, including an up-close view of the downtown skyline.

      The number of bedrooms and bathrooms found throughout the massive structure is available by request via Tori Horowitz and Rinat Greenberg of Canyonhaus at Compass as well as through Geoff Anenberg at Normal Properties.

      Click here for more photos of Magnus Walker’s live/work building.

      Gavin Cater More