Quirky floating home, “Fortune Cookie,” comes up for sale in Sausalito
SAUSALITO, California—Houseboats have been disappearing along the West Coast, but a rare find came up for sale in Sausalito: A small, one-bedroom floating home, known as “Fortune Cookie,” is for sale in Marin County.
Fortune Cookie, which is 330 square feet, is currently priced at $475,000 – a steal in comparison to land prices in the exclusive Sausalito area – according to the listing on realtor.com.
Property details on the listing read, “Own a piece of history at an affordable price on the Sausalito waterfront! The Fortune Cookie is a well recognized floating home intertwined with the colorful history of this iconic area in the sixties. Freshly painted and updated, this gem retains its charm while offering cozy spaces that sleep two or four comfortably. Located at a convenient stroll from the beautifully renovated parking lot. New 12’ x 5’ float included.”
In an article about floating homes published by CNN, a real estate agent named Michele Affronte stated she bought a floating home in Sausalito in 1991 with the intention of moving back to land. However, Affronte, who “fell in love with the community,” decided she loved living on a floating home so much she never sought to return to a landlubber’s life.
In Sausalito, floating homes were an answer to housing issues in the bustling San Francisco Bay Area. After the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, homeowners transitioned into floating abodes after becoming homeless. Artists began to inhabit the floating homes in the 1960s, which started a kind of cultural revolution in Marin County.
Most of the floating homes have seen expensive transitions the same as many coastal homes up and down California such as roof deck hot tubs and other luxury amenities. However, Fortune Cookie is a sweet throwback to the days when things were simpler. May the new owner who lucks out with Fortune Cookie be graced with an amazing view for life.