31967 Albany St, Hayward: A Remodeled Single Story on a Flat 5,000 Sq Ft Lot, Open Saturday and Sunday

Open House Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 4, and You Do Not Need an Appointment

31967 Albany St, Hayward, CA 94544 · Listed at $898,000 · 3 Bed / 2 Full Bath / 1,276 Sq Ft on a Level 5,000 Sq Ft Lot · Single Story, Built 1951, Remodeled · No HOA · MLS #41148631

I am hosting the open house at 31967 Albany St this Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Both days. Walk in, look around, ask me anything, leave. No appointment, no gatekeeping.

Here is the short version of why it is worth your afternoon. This is a detached single story house on a flat 5,000 square foot lot, it has been through a full interior remodel, and it is asking $898,000, which is below the median price 94544 houses actually closed at in August. At this price in this ZIP, buyers usually have to pick between a house that is finished and a house that is detached with its own yard. This one is not asking you to choose.

One Level, Your Own Lot, and Nobody Sending You a Monthly Bill

Start with what the floor plan does not have. There are no stairs anywhere in this house. Everything, all three bedrooms and both bathrooms, sits on one level at 1,276 square feet. That matters more than it sounds like it should. If you have knees that have opinions, a parent moving in, or a stroller you are tired of carrying up half a flight, a single story on a flat lot is the search filter that quietly eliminates most of the inventory.

Then look at what it also does not have: an HOA. No dues, no board, no approval process to repaint the trim or park a truck in your own driveway. The lot is yours, the fences are yours, the roof is yours.

That combination is the scarce part. As of the current data pull, ZIP 94544 shows 221 listings for sale across all property types, and only 71 of them are detached houses. The rest are condos, townhomes, mobile homes and multifamily. The chart further down shows that split. When people say Hayward inventory is healthy, this is the fine print: the detached house market is under a third of it.

What the Remodel Actually Covered

The 1951 shell is original. Almost nothing inside it is.

The kitchen is the centerpiece, and it is the part where the budget clearly went. Per the listing, it carries a suite of Bertazzoni Italian appliances in a counter depth layout, so the refrigerator sits flush with the cabinet run instead of bulging into the walkway. The cabinetry is solid wood, the range is a gas range under a proper hood, and the sink looks out a window rather than at a wall.

Underfoot, the listing describes new European oak hardwood floors running continuously through the living space, with tile in the wet areas. One flooring material across the main rooms is what makes 1,276 square feet read larger than the number suggests. There are no thresholds chopping the space into rooms.

The kitchen opens straight into the living room, so whoever is cooking is still in the conversation. The living room keeps its fireplace, which the MLS lists as the home's one fireplace.

• Kitchen: Bertazzoni appliance suite per the listing, counter depth layout, gas range, dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator included
• Floors: new European oak hardwood per the listing, tile in the baths
• Cabinetry: solid wood
• Living room: fireplace, open to the kitchen and dining area
• Windows: window coverings in place
• Heating: forced air. Cooling: none listed
• Laundry: hookups in the attached garage

Three Bedrooms, and the Primary Opens to the Back Yard

All three bedrooms are on the same hall. The primary has a slider to the back yard, which is the kind of detail that sounds minor at an open house and then turns out to be the reason you drink your coffee outside every morning. Two of the bedrooms carry mirrored sliding closets, which is both storage and a light trick in a house of this vintage.

The listing calls the primary a suite. Walk it and decide for yourself what that means here, because "suite" is a word the MLS lets people use loosely. I will show you exactly which bathroom serves which bedroom when you are standing in the hall.

The Bathrooms Are the Second Thing People Will Talk About

Both bathrooms were rebuilt. One has a freestanding soaking tub and a separate glass walk-in shower, with a wood console vanity and a window that puts real daylight on it. The second has a tiled walk-in shower with a stall enclosure. The MLS field for the baths reads, simply, updated.

Two full bathrooms in a 1,276 square foot single story from 1951 is not a given. Plenty of houses this size and age in this ZIP still run one and a half.

The Yard Is the Part You Should Actually Walk

Here is what a 5,000 square foot level lot gives you, and level is the operative word. The back yard is a full rectangle of lawn, fully fenced, with a mature tree throwing shade over one corner and a wood deck and oversized paver path connecting the house to the grass. The landscaping is new.

Nothing here is on a slope, which means every square foot is usable. Flat also means the yard is a candidate for the things people actually want, a bigger patio, raised beds, a play structure, or a conversation about what the city would allow in the way of an accessory dwelling unit. I am not representing that an ADU is permitted or buildable here. That is a question for the City of Hayward planning counter, and I will make that call with you rather than guess at an open house.

The Numbers

Where $898,000 Sits in the 94544 Market

This is the question every buyer asks in the driveway, so here is the honest answer with the numbers attached rather than a feeling.

Three things in there are worth saying out loud.

The asking price is under the market's own middle. In August, 94544 single family homes sold at a median of $912,500, and the homes currently sitting on the market are asking a median of $948,500. This one is asking $898,000. That is a list price set below both, in a ZIP where the typical sale closed at 101.6% of asking.

Inventory is tightening, not loosening. Months of supply fell to 1.47 in August, down about 18% from July and down about 32% from a year earlier. Under three months of supply is the conventional line for a seller's market, and 1.47 is not close to that line.

But the market is not frantic either. The median home took 16 days to go pending, which is up 23% month over month. A seller's market with slightly slower days is a market where good houses still move and overpriced ones still sit. That is the backdrop this house is walking into.

About That $704 a Square Foot

You are going to do this division in your head at the open house, so let us do it together.

$898,000 across 1,276 square feet is about $704 per square foot. The homes that went pending in 94544 during August did so at a median of $684 per square foot. So the ask is roughly 3% above the pending median on a per foot basis, while sitting below the median sold price in absolute dollars.

Both things are true at once, and the reason is size. Smaller houses almost always carry a higher price per foot than larger ones, because the lot, the roof, the kitchen and the two bathrooms cost what they cost whether they serve 1,276 square feet or 2,000. A remodeled small house is the most expensive kind of square footage in any neighborhood. What you are actually deciding is whether a finished interior on a flat, fenced, no HOA lot is worth a modest premium per foot over the median. That is a judgment, not a calculation, and I am happy to walk you through the trade honestly even if the answer for you is no.

Schools, and What to Verify Yourself

The listing states the home falls within the New Haven Unified School District, which is the Union City district rather than Hayward Unified. Boundaries in this pocket genuinely do split, which is exactly why you should not take my word or the flyer's word for it.

Confirm the current assignment for this specific address with the district directly before you rely on it, especially if a particular school is part of why you are buying. Assignments and boundaries change. I do not rate or rank schools, and that is deliberate: it is not a licensee's call to make, and the district is the only source that is actually authoritative on where a given address enrolls.

Getting Around

The listing points to South Hayward and Union City BART, plus Interstate 880, Highway 84 and the San Mateo Bridge for the Peninsula commute. If your commute is the deciding factor, tell me where you work and when you leave, and I will drive the route at that hour before you write an offer. A ten minute difference at 7:30 AM is worth more than any listing adjective.

Three Things I Would Look at Closely

I am hosting this open house, and I would rather you hear the honest list from me at the door than find it in a disclosure packet two weeks in.

1. There is no cooling system. The MLS lists forced air heat and no air conditioning. In this part of Hayward that is normal and many owners never add it, but if you want AC, the existing ductwork is what a contractor works from, and that is a real quote worth getting before you commit.

2. The garage holds one car, and the laundry is in it. That is a 1951 floor plan doing 1951 things. Measure it against what you actually park and store.

3. Ask for the permit history on the remodel. The interior work here is extensive, and extensive work is exactly when you want to see what was pulled and finaled with the City of Hayward. Request it through the disclosure package, and if it is not there, ask. I will ask on your behalf.

None of those three are deal killers. They are the difference between buying a house and being surprised by one.

Come See It Saturday or Sunday

31967 Albany St, Hayward, CA 94544. Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 1:00 to 4:00 PM. I will be the one at the door. Bring your questions, bring your contractor, bring the person who has to agree with you.

If you cannot make either day, call or text and I will open it for you privately. And if this house is not the one but the search is real, tell me what you are actually after and I will send the ones that fit as they hit the MLS instead of letting you find out about them on a Saturday when eleven other people already have.

Harv Balu, REALTOR®

• Cell / Text: (510) 600-3425
• Email: homes@HarvRealtor.com
• Web: HarvRealtor.com
• REALTY EXPERTS® · 41051 Mission Blvd, Fremont, CA 94539 · DRE #02195792

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Disclosures & Disclaimers

Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All measurements, square footage, lot size, zoning, permit history, school assignments and features should be independently verified by the buyer through disclosures, inspections and their own due diligence. MLS and public record data may contain errors or omissions and can change without notice.

Listed by Steve Dhilon · REALTY EXPERTS®. Harv Balu is hosting the September 26 and 27, 2026 open house and is available to represent buyers. He is not the listing agent. Price, availability and open house times are current as of publication and can change at any time; confirm before you drive out.

Source: Bay East Association of REALTORS® / bridgeMLS #41148631 · Harv Balu CA DRE #02195792.

Property facts are drawn from the MLS listing for 31967 Albany St and from the REALTORS® Property Resource (RPR) property and market trends report for the same address, September 2026. Descriptions of the kitchen appliances, the flooring, the remodel scope and the school district reflect statements in the listing, which I have not independently verified. Market figures cover single family residences in ZIP 94544 for August 2026 and describe the ZIP as a whole at every size and condition; they are not an appraisal or a valuation of this or any individual property. Statements about accessory dwelling unit potential are not a representation that any ADU is permitted or buildable and must be confirmed with the City of Hayward. Flood zone information reflects the RPR report and must be confirmed with your lender and insurer. Buyer representation compensation is negotiable, is not set by law, and must be agreed in writing. This is not intended as a solicitation if your property is currently listed with another broker. Equal Housing Opportunity.

REALTY EXPERTS® is independently owned and operated. © 2026 Harv Balu, REALTY EXPERTS®.