A Midcentury Marin Home Lists for the First Time in 60 Years at $3.3M
Realtor.com · Larissa Runkle · 6 September 2026
TL;DR
A four-bedroom midcentury modern home in Kentfield, California — part of Marin County's Laurel Grove neighbourhood — has come to market for the first time since it was completed in 1966. Listed at $3,295,000, the 2,784-square-foot home sits on a rare 0.22-acre level plot and has been owned by the same family for roughly six decades. In preparation for the sale, the sellers undertook significant updates: a fully rebuilt kitchen with quartzite countertops and new appliances, refreshed bathrooms, wide-plank oak floors throughout, and updated lighting. The property includes a two-car garage, mature gardens, a gated backyard, and a charter membership to the Priory Tennis and Swim Club across the street — transferable to the new owners, bypassing the waitlist. The listing is held by Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty.
Our take
This listing is firmly a US property story with little direct relevance to the South African market, but it carries a few threads worth noting for local readers. First, the concept of a long-held family home coming to market after 60 years is not unique to California — South African sellers in established suburbs like Constantia, Westcliff, or the Durban Berea occasionally list generational homes, and the pricing and preparation dynamics are strikingly similar: pre-sale renovations to modernise without erasing character, and a premium placed on original architectural integrity. Second, the value attached to a transferable club membership is an interesting parallel to SA lifestyle estates, where levy-funded amenities and membership rights are increasingly factored into asking prices. Third, for SA agents and sellers, the story reinforces a practical truth: targeted pre-sale investment — floors, kitchen, bathrooms — can meaningfully lift perceived value and reduce time on market, regardless of whether the home is in Marin County or Morningside. Buyers and sellers in SA's R5M–R15M bracket should take note of how presentation and provenance together justify a premium.
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