Dream Homes Can Be a Tough Sell

People driving along California’s Interstate Highway 280 always slow down to stare at this unofficial San Francisco Bay Area landmark—“Flintstone House,” an earth-colored, multiple-domed home nestled in the hillside overlooking Crystal Springs.

Bay Area architect William Nicholson designed the house in 1976 to experiment with new building materials and techniques. By spraying concrete onto wire mesh frames and giant inflated balloons, Nicholson created an exterior that looks as if it were made of giant bubbles and marshmallows.

The interior has some interesting design features as well, including a bedroom with a loft and a biologic kitchen, which was the creation of architect Eugene Tsui.

The current owner, who declined to be interviewed, loved living in this house for the past 20 years, according to listing agent Judy Meuschke. “It really pleased her aesthetics,” Ms. Meuschke said. “It has an art gallery feel.”

MORE:How Do San Francisco’s Two Most Expensive Homes Compare?

Yet, when it was time to find a new owner, the unique “Flintstone House” turned out to be a tough sell. The 2,730-square-foot home, sitting on almost two acres and including three bedrooms and two baths, was first listed last September for $4.2 million. The price dropped to $3.195 million last week, following a 10% reduction in February.

“The special design narrows the numbers of potential buyers,” Ms. Meuschke said. She added that because there is great public interest in this home, she never hosted open houses, “to prevent it from becoming a museum tour.”

“It is also limiting in the luxury price range.” she said. Ms. Meuschke has increased the number of showings, but no offer yet.

Specially designed homes are taste-specific, which restricts their appeal to only certain buyers.

“A customized home is like a piece of art,” said Roh Habibi, principal of The Habibi Group based in San Francisco. “When it comes to the resale, you will need to find the lover who will appreciate the home.”

MORE:Historic London Apartment on Sale for a Record £150 Million

Ali Jafri, an agent with Compass’s New York office, agreed. He has had some success selling design-specific homes in the past.

“There is always a story behind the design; you need present it in a certain way and target certain audiences,” Mr. Jafri said.

Sometimes, exact matching does happen. “When the right client comes along, it actually pays a premium to buy a design-specific home,” he said.

“Gingerbread House” on the market for more than a year

Another uniquely designed home that has not been sold as quickly as the owner might have hoped is the “Gingerbread House” in Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge neighborhood. It had been the dream home of Jerry Fishman since he was a little boy, his wife Diane Fishman told Mansion Global in an earlier interview. The couple purchased the estate in 1983.

The Arts and Crafts-style home is made from uncut stone, topped with a rounded roof that resembles melted icing. The 5,746-square-foot house features six bedrooms, five full bathrooms and one partial bathroom.

The Fishmans put the house on the market for $10.999 million in July 2015, when they decided to move to a warmer climate. But it has been sitting on the market for more than a year, which is unusual for Brooklyn’s luxury market. According to Douglas Elliman, Brooklyn luxury properties spent an average of 99 days on the market in the second quarter of this year.

Listing agent Marion Fiore of Douglas Elliman declined to comment on the challenges of selling the property.

Specially designed homes often come with a high price tag

Considering that specially designed homes generally cost millions to build, the difficulty in reselling these unique houses might lie in the mere price point.

The so-called “Jetson House” in La Jolla, Calif., features curvilinear architecture and dramatic walls of glass that accentuate the home’s panoramic ocean views. Owner Mark Kooklani commissioned architectural firm CDGI to design the 9,200-square-foot contemporary residence in 2007. It has six bedrooms and seven bathrooms.

MORE:How to Market Multi-Million Dollar Listings Through Feature Films

Mr. Kooklani put the house on market in January with an asking price of $16.75 million. The price dropped to $14.6 million in April, but the home has not found a new owner yet.

Amy de Leon, marketing coordinator of listing agent Berkshire Hathaway’s La Jolla Arcade Office, said she believes it is not the design that is hindering the sale. “The design has actually sparked a lot of interest,” she said. “But the demographic who can afford to buy is very small.”

Write to Fang Block at fang.block@dowjones.com