Light-filled 1895 Craftsman in great Rockridge neighborhood

Description

When we bought this home 13 years ago, we fell in love with the location, the light-filled upstairs and the great backyard. It's a quiet, friendly neighborhood and our kids walk to school just blocks away at Peralta Elementary and Claremont Middle School. They play in nearby parks (Colby, Bushrod and Frog Park and the Sunday farmers' market are all quick walks away). We are quick walks from Trader Joe's, Safeway, Whole Foods and a variety of smaller grocery stores, and are also close to dozens of cafes, restaurants and shops in the Rockridge and Temescal areas. The upstairs has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a combined kitchen/dining room area, a main living room with a big L-shaped couch and a cozy front room with lots of books, a love seat, upright piano and a slightly finicky elliptical machine. Over the years, we have added a few details -- a gas fireplace, ceiling fan, heat pumps (with AC) and an induction stove/oven/air fryer. One of the bedrooms upstairs has a soft, very comfortable king-sized mattress. We can move a desk in if desired. The second bedroom has a twin bed and a mural; we can move a second twin in there as needed. We have an alarm system, although the neighborhood generally feels very safe. We aren't currently planning to rent out the downstairs (where we have another bedroom, office, living room and bathroom) although we are willing to field inquiries if the upstairs is not big enough. (We are currently planning to use it for storage). We retrofitted the house for earthquakes when we moved in. The private backyard has a very productive Meyer lemon tree and a plum tree that provides delicious Santa Rosa plums in late June/early July. We also have apple, fig, mandarin and nectarine trees dotting the property. For young kids, we have a swing set and small trampoline. For those with green thumbs, there are a few garden beds. We also recently added a great outdoor dining set with an optional fire table and have a gas grill available. We are traveling as a family to South America from January thru July of 2026. We are ideally looking for one longer term renter -- perhaps a visiting academic, or a family or individual needing a place to land while looking for something longer term, or remodeling their own home. But we are open to different possibilities. There is a short driveway that can fit a smaller car, although we normally just park on the street -- no permits are required in our neighborhood, and there are no parking restrictions aside from street sweeping once a month.