$2.15 million waterfront house in a central Bay Area town that's a 'hidden secret'

A waterfront property at 845 Grenada Ln. in Foster City offers resort-style living close to San Francisco. A waterfront property at 845 Grenada Ln. in Foster City offers resort-style living close to San Francisco. Photo: Dennis Mayer Photo: Dennis Mayer Image 1 of / 39 Caption Close $2.15 million waterfront house in a central Bay Area town that's a 'hidden secret' 1 / 39 Back to Gallery

Among a maze of islets and canals, a unique home listed for $2.15 million sits right on the water.

The four-bedroom, two-bathroom home with soaring ceilings and wide-open spaces sits on a tiny island only 22 miles from downtown San Francisco — but where?

The property is located in Foster City, a town of only 20 square miles, with 80 percent of that being water, and a place listing agent Emily Lim thinks is off-the-radar for Bay Area prospective home buyers.

"I don't think enough people know it well enough," said Lim of Remax. "We have visitors at our open houses who would come from Palo Alto and they'll say, 'Wow a realtor never took us here.' They're pleasantly surprised because Foster City is a 'hidden secret.'"

Foster City was the Peninsula's first planned community and was founded in the 1960s on engineered landfill in the marshes of the bay. It was officially incorporated in 1971 and named after T. Jack Foster, a real estate magnate who owned a lot of the land making up the city.

The city has seen a 14 percent year-over-year rise in median sales prices of both homes and apartments, according to Trulia. The median sales price for homes from July to October 2018 was $1,465,000 based on 57 home sales, the real estate website reports.

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Lim says her listing at 845 Grenada Ln., on Plum Island offers "resort style-living" with a massive deck and grassy lawn spilling from the home toward the water. The Plum Island community offers lots of water access, and a pool, spa, tennis and pickle ball right across the street.

"When you you live on the water, you feel like you're on vacation," says Lim. "It's very relaxing and soothing, but there's always movement because of the water birds. You get visits from pelicans, egrets and herons. In some areas, you have sand pipers. When the wind blows a bit, the water ripples. It's quiet but it's never dull."

The home features a bright, open floor plan and has been renovated with white oak engineered flooring, Berber carpet, quartz counters in kitchen, new bathroom vanities and fresh interior paint throughout.