By Zillow

Zillow

This San Francisco home sits above tunneled water caverns.

881 Innes Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124
For Sale: $975,000

It's not every day that you find a home for sale with underwater stone caverns, but this isn't just any home. This unique property on the San Francisco real estate market is the Albion Castle, and even listing agent Debbie Herzfeld, who has been in real estate for nearly 30 years, says she even hasn't seen anything like it.

"It's an interesting property to sell," Herzfeld said.

According to San Francisco City Guide, London brewer John Burnell immigrated to San Francisco in 1868 and purchased waterfront property in a section of San Francisco now known as Hunter's Point. The parcel featured underwater springs, and he set about starting Albion Porter & Ale Brewery.

Burnell dug out low, arched tunnels to serve as reservoirs and built a three-story, Norman castle-style stone tower in which to store the casked beer in a cool, dry space. Although popular, the brewery was short-lived. Upon the onset of Prohibition in 1920, the brewery was shut down and the property was abandoned. The home's three caverns are still accessible, explained listing agent Herzfeld.

"You just go down through a gate."

In 1928 the property found new life. Leonard Mees, president of the Mountain Springs Water Company, purchased the water rights to the springs and reportedly supplied San Francisco with spring water until 1947. Whether the water is still good to drink is unknown; no testing has been done.

While Mees was tapping into the spring water, the property was falling into disrepair until 1933 when sculptor Adrien Alexander Voisin purchased the property and built a home and adjacent studio amidst the ruins.

The unusual mix of medieval-style stone work and 1930s home is now for sale for $975,000. The Hunter's Point home has bounced on and off the San Francisco real estate market in recent years, first listed in 2009 for $2.95 million with a few price changes before the listing was removed in 2011 and re-listed at $1.1 million, and then $975,000, respectively.

The home last sold at an auction for $2.1 million in 2005. Median San Francisco home values are $679,000. According to a mortgage calculator, at the current price, this home will have a $3,619 monthly payment with a 30-year-fixed rate mortgage and 20 percent down.

Currently the home is a receivership sale, meaning that the court has assigned the sale to a receiver to liquidate the assets for the owners. An offer has been accepted, but Herzfeld says that she's continuing to show the property for possible overbids.

Although the home would work as a great single family home with 1,436 square feet of living space and an updated kitchen with new Viking appliances, many of the people who have been interested in the property are brewers, restaurateurs or people who are looking for a place for special events.

Zillow

The home was built in the 1930s on the site of a former brewery.

Zillow

The underground caverns still hold spring water.

Zillow

The home's unusual vibe continues with a literal throne in the bathroom.

See more photos of the Albion Castle on Zillow.

Zillow's site is filled with information on homes for sale and apartments for rent, plus we have data on more than 100 million homes in the U.S., so lots of homes catch our eye.

Hall & Hall

Own your own little ... OK pretty big chunk, of the Cowboy State.

Listing: 3-bedroom main residence, 4-bedroom guesthouse, equestrian ranch

Location: Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Price: $175 million

The Jackson Land & Cattle property has a bit of a Cinderella quality to it. Once an old English discipline riding center, the property has been renovated and upgraded making it America's most expensive home for sale at $175 million, according to Forbes.com.

"Everyone keeps saying it. I really wasn't aware of that fact," said John Pierce, the property's real estate broker with Hall and Hall.

When Richard Fields, a prominent casino developer and the property's current owner, purchased the property in 2003 he brought the original architect, Jonathan Foote, out of retirement to "reconfigure it with a more western feel," Pierce said.

No one had lived on the property before, but Foot converted an old barn into a three-bedroom home and added a four-bedroom guesthouse. The 1,750 acre property also includes a 52-stall equestrian center and indoor and outdoor riding arenas. 

Though it's the most expensive property Pierce has ever attempted to sell, he said it's not unusual for Jackson Hole properties to be listed so high. 

"People come to Jackson Hole from California and experience sticker shock on the prices here," he said. "It's a very unique place and it's incredibly protected. The saying that 'They don't make it like this anymore' really holds true in Jackson Hole."

Pierce said the property, which was just recently listed, has garnered so much publicity that he's already had one showing and a number of inquiries. 

"Word got out and we had to jump in front of the train," he said. "Our whole marketing brochure isn't even complete yet."

Ideally, he said, he doesn't want someone to come in and develop the property, but rather protect the ranch and one of the most scenic valleys in the area. More than 97 percent of Teton County is permanently protected from development in national parks, forest and public lands, and much of the private acreage is also protected in conservation programs through organization such as the Jackson Hole Land Trust.

"It will have to be somebody with a vision and passion for Jackson Hole and a sizable checkbook that can take advantage of tax benefits by working with the local land trust," he said.

Listing courtesy of Hall and Hall

Hall and Hall

Want a little privacy? This might be just the place.

Hall and Hall

If the fish aren't biting, you can restock your own lake.

Hall and Hall

Perfect for your private derby: A 52-stall equestrian center.

Sotheby's International Realty

The majestic view from the pool is just the beginning.

The property: 8 bedroom, 11 bath, customized Southampton home

Location: Water Mill, New York

Price: $58.5 million

Anything you think a house should have, this house should have it, says Sotheby's real estate broker Harald Grant. The 20,000-square foot property includes a grand master suite, four separate guest suites, three staff bedrooms, two powder rooms and eight fireplaces (with 100-year-old mantelpieces, of course). It also has a tennis court, pool, movie theater that seats 20, professional gym that would make any trainer drool, and a state-of-the-art kitchen designed by restaurant consultant Mark Stech-Novak. (The kitchen is so extravagant that it was featured in Forbes's America's Most Decadent Kitchens).

The waterfront home also has a dock, which is unusual on a four-acre piece of land, Grant said. The Water Mill community is considered part of the Southamptons, about two hours from Manhattan. In 2010 Water Mill was listed as number 14 in America's 100 Most Expensive ZIP Codes.

In designing his dream home, expense was not an issue for the owner, Grant said. After beginning construction in 2003, it took two years for the owner to see his vision come to fruition. But now, with a change of lifestyle and an interest in other properties, the owner is looking to sell to someone who will appreciate the attention to detail.

Details such as the grand staircase cast in bronze and silver and gold leaf that ushers guests in under an early 19-century, stained glass skylight. Or the coffered ceilings in the library and living room, and coffered cross beams in the living room.

"This would attract a person of accumulated wealth who understands the cost of finishing a house to the detail this house is finished in," Grant said. "This is not for your typical bargain hunter. This is not a typical Hamptons traditional home."

View the listing here.

Sotheby's International Realty

True beauty is in the details, but the living room is pretty grand even before you get to those.

Sotheby's International Realty

The investment-grade grand staircase is a performance in heavy metal.

Sotheby's International Realty

The kitchen could double as the set for a new Food Network show.

Shapiro & Sher Group

A serene desert setting 15 minutes from the action.

Listing: 6 bed, 10 bath, golf-course location

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

Price: $4,999,900

After selling homes for almost 40 years, real estate agent Florence Shapiro has seen changes in her clients' real estate preferences.

"In 1973 we didn't have million dollar houses," she said. "Now people are looking for style. They want lines, they want the house to be unique."

That's just what this property is, she says. It took three years for this custom built home to be completed in 1990. Shapiro talks passionately about the house's architectural merits, saying "When you have good lines to start with, the house always keeps those lines."

It's an extravagant home with a dining room table that can seat 12 to 14 people, a living room that looks more like a hotel bar, a gourmet kitchen with a separate prep kitchen behind it and a hidden entrance to the study from a door located in one of the master bedroom's closets.

"Even though it's grandiose, it's still very warm and inviting. Very timeless," Shapiro said.

A highlight of the home is the placement of the bedrooms. The master suite is on the main floor, off to one side, while there are three bedrooms upstairs, ideal for the children.

"Even if the children leave to go to college, you can still live downstairs without having to go upstairs," she said. 

The home, which is 15 minutes from the airport and 15 minutes from the Las Vegas strip, is located right on a golf course in the Spanish Trail Community, which also features a private country club.

The home has been on the market for three months.

Listing courtesy of Luxury Real Estate and Shapiro & Sher Group.

Shapiro & Sher Group

You don't necessarily need a cart since the course is in your backyard.

Shapiro & Sher Group

Las Vegas heat starting to get to you? There's a pool for that.

Shapiro & Sher Group

All that's missing from the living room is a casino. Or you could get in the car and drive 15 minutes.

Courtesy of Alain Pinel Realtors and Pacific Union International

Welcome to your home in the wine country.

Listing: 2 bedroom, 4 bath, 2 additional guest residences, Cabernet vineyard

Location: Napa Valley, California

Price: $13.75 million

More than 25 years ago, the Ristows thought they knew exactly where they wanted to build their first Napa Valley home. But then a friend showed them a 30-acre plot near Silverado Trail in the Napa Valley and they bought it on the spot. They named it Quinta de Pedras — Portuguese for "place of stones"— because they would have to plant the vineyard on a very rocky terrain.

The Ristows worked with a San Francisco architect to build their dream home, which also includes a pond, pool, tennis court and two guest residences. But the real magic of the property is the Cabernet vineyard, where the Ristows produced their own wine under the Ristow Estate label up until 2004. They used the home as a weekend getaway and hired a vineyard manager to oversee the vineyard.

"The property could be a lifestyle only or for someone who seriously wants to make their own wine and market it," said property realtor Nicki Naylor, of Alain Pinel Realtors.

The drive from the Napa Valley to San Francisco is only about an hour, Naylor added.

Seem expensive? Maybe. But consider the average price for an acre of vineyard land in Napa County is between $70,000 to more than $300,000 according to Dave Holt, owner of Agri-Comm Appraisal in Napa and Sonoma counties.

Listing courtesy of LuxuryRealEstate.com, Alain Pinel Realtors and Pacific Union International

Courtesy of Alain Pinel Realtors and Pacific Union International

View of the pool, vineyard and tennis court

Courtesy of Alain Pinel Realtors and Pacific Union International

One of the bedrooms in the home

Courtesy of Alain Pinel Realtors and Pacific Union International

Living room