The Elephant in the Room: Family, Real Estate, and Why You Should Care
I was talking to a friend the other day about elephants—don’t ask me how we got there, but it was one of those conversations that just kind of happens. And it got me thinking. Elephants are pretty amazing, and not just because they can literally uproot trees. It’s their sense of family that really sets them apart. These guys take “it takes a village” to a whole new level.
Design Trends – Dwell Conference and Exhibition
Woo Hoo! This is the first year that I’ll be attending the Dwell on Design Conference and Exhibition! And I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am! (maybe the exclamation points are giving it away though.) Since July of last year, I’ve been (re)building a house on the Great Highway and during the whole process, I have found that I have become quite addicted to design. Modern design to be specific. Which, if you know me, is quite a transformation for me.
The 2nd Best Place to Sell a Home
I ran across an article a few days ago on Forbes.com that listed the 5 Best Places to Sell a Home. Frankly, with more than half of all properties in the San Francisco Market going for significantly over asking price, and approximately half receiving multiple offers, there’s no wonder that San Francisco made the top 5. What did surprise me is that we only came in second. I mean, when is San Francisco second to anything? But whatever, that doesn’t matter too much to me… Raleigh, NC came in first, and I’ve never been there. I’m sure they don’t have Mitchell’s Ice Cream or dim sum that comes close to being as good as Yank Sing.
Got San Francisco Building Permit Questions?
If you have questions about permits and inspections in the San Francisco building process (and who doesn’t?!), The annual Department of Building Inspection Summit is right around the corner!
Meet the DBI Summit, on October 11 and 12, 2007, between 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco Civic Center.
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.