I Missed the Mayor, but…
I had a great time anyway! As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to go to the Dwell on Design conference and exhibition today. I hear that our green Mayor Newsom swung by today… but even though I didn’t get a chance to meet Gavin and see his perfect hair in person, I still had a great time at the exhibition and couldn’t believe how much fun stuff I saw (not to mention the cool environmentally friendly bag I got that I’ll be using to carry my groceries in until it falls to pieces). Here’s a partial list of stuff that caught my attention and got my design juices flowing:
To Rent or Not to Rent – That is the Question!
Rents in San Francisco are (surprise) on the rise! As less people qualify for loans due to the tighteninig restrictions in the mortgage industry (restrictions that I agree with wholeheartedly), more people need to rent, rent, rent their homes in San Francisco. And what happens with supply & demand? As demand goes up, supply goes down, and prices skyrocket.
Zephyr Weekly Sales Reports – September 19th, 2007
Below is Zephyr Real Estate’s sales data for the previous week. These are NOT properties that have closed, just listings on which a purchase agreement has been ratified and the property has gone into escrow.
This week, Zephyr Real Estate’s pending sales have gone up by 272% from last week’s reported sales!!! I’d love to say the market has taken a huge jump in sales numbers, but this is common for the San Francisco market. Summer inventory is low, so the first two weeks after Labor Day show slow sales. But by mid-September, all of the properties that came on the market after Labor Day are starting to accept offers and go into contract. This means that we are back in full swing in real estate sales market. And homes in SF are selling!
That Chicken Took My Parking Spot! – PARK(ing) Day 2007
If your usual parking spot has a chicken running around, or has a park bench, or looks like an art gallery, don’t be surprised.
Do It All With Just One Call!
If, in the past, you’ve tried to call a City department, say to get a pothole fixed… only to find that the department you called referred you to another department who referred you to another department who referred you to another department that referred you back to the original department you called, you might have lost faith and decided that you were dealing with a bunch of incompetent individuals. But the City has 2,300 different departments, and frankly, not all know what the other ones are supposed to do.
Lions and Tigers and Bears – At Night!
Those of you that know me, know that I’m passionate about the San Francisco Zoo. In fact, I donate a portion of every one of my commissions to The Zoo. I support their mission of conservation, and am happy to be a part of their goal to create a world class zoo in a world class city like SF! And with the recent additions of the African Savannah and the newest exhibit, Grizzly Gulch, the zoo is on the way there!
Lenders Have Faith in the San Francisco Market!
I am not the only one that believes that the interest rate shake-up we’ve had over the last few weeks will not flatten the San Francisco real estate market. In last Friday’s edition of the San Francisco Business Times, they published an article titled "Lenders still give S.F. condos a green light". Unfortunately, you need to be a paid subscriber to get the full story, but I can give you a little synopsis of what they said, as well as my take on it. (By the way… the annual subscription to the San Francisco Business Times is worth every penny if you’re interested in keeping up with real estate and business trends in the City.)
Fed Drops the Discount Rate – Will Interest Rates See a Difference?
I am not the only one that believes that the interest rate shake-up we’ve had over the last few weeks will not flatten the San Francisco real estate market. In last Friday’s edition of the San Francisco Business Times, they published an article titled "Lenders still give S.F. condos a green light". Unfortunately, you need to be a paid subscriber to get the full story, but I can give you a little synopsis of what they said, as well as my take on it.
San Francisco Home Sales Data – August 2007
So it’s officially September now. Indian Summer is in full force here in the City, the Labor Day weekend is here and August sales data is officially available! People are always asking me how the market is doing and I am always more than happy to talk about it (in fact, San Francisco real estate is one of my favorite things to talk about – yes! I love my job!), but most times, numbers speak louder than words. So I’ve decided to add a new monthly feature to my blog!
To Rent or Not to Rent – That is the Question!
Rents in San Francisco are (surprise) on the rise! As less people qualify for loans due to the tighteninig restrictions in the mortgage industry (restrictions that I agree with wholeheartedly), more people need to rent, rent, rent their homes in San Francisco. And what happens with supply & demand? As demand goes up, supply goes down, and prices skyrocket.