Selling the house where an elderly woman’s body was found last spring will certainly not be the death of a real estate agent in San Francisco’s housing market.

In fact, Tim Hawko, the listing agent for the “major-fixer” at 152 Fourth Ave. in The City’s Richmond district, is confident the two-bedroom, two-bathroom home will sell for more than its $928,000 list price despite the house’s sordid past.

Emergency personnel discovered the body of 99-year-old Anna Ragin on April 1 after receiving a report the day before of a possible deceased person inside the home. Ragin’s daughter and a dog were also found living in the home amid 4-to-8 feet of debris that took authorities days to sift through, police spokeswoman Grace Gatpandan said.

The home hit the market late last week and 65 people attended its first open house on Sunday, Hawko said. Another open house is scheduled for this Sunday, but the home is available to be shown by real estate agents 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Many of the attendees at Sunday’s open house were unaware of the home’s history, Hawko said. However, state law requires that a seller must notify a buyer of a death on the property within the past three years, meaning the future owner of the home will know of its past.
Still, Hawko expects the house – described by Zephyr Real Estate as a “major-fixer with peaked roof, lots of vintage charm/details and a real news-worthy history” – will sell for above asking price.

“The houses with history are more challenging than those without,” Hawko said. “However, this is an excellent sellers’ market… The house will fund a buyer and it will sell for more than the list price.”

The house is being sold as-is in San Francisco’s probate court.

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