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Luba Muzichenko San Francisco Real Estate

San Francisco SF Realtor

San Francisco Real Estate

Win Play Tickets! Just Share Your Favorite San Francisco Quote!

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Like free stuff?  Like San Francisco?  Like doing free stuff in San Francisco?
All you have to do is submit your favorite quote about San Francisco, either in the comments below or by email no later than 5pm on Friday the 11th for your chance to win!
(And the quote doesn’t have to be real – I just found out one of my go to Mark Twain “quotes” about San Francisco’s infamous weather wasn’t even really said by Mark Twain! My life has been changed FOREVER!)
Win a pair of tickets to the West Coast premiere of Harper Regan at the SF Playhouse and  choose the performance you want to see – either Tuesdays 7 PM, Wednesday 7 PM, or Thursday 8 PM, now through February 17th.
From the National Theatre in London comes this riveting drama named “Best Play” by the Guardian UK newspaper.  For moe information, visit www.SFPlayhouse.org.

San Francisco Real Estate Dances "The Bump"

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As the good folks at the San Francisco Real Estate Blog noted, January is often the time when San Francisco home buyers shake off the holidays and add buying a home to the list of New Years Resolutions.

The San Francisco Real Estate Blog notes:

In years past, when the market was stronger, there was a “January Bump” in the San Francisco real estate market. The surge in activity occurred as droves of buyers came back to the market after the holiday season, while sellers lagged behind.

This meant there were more buyers than property listings, and competition ensued. Last year the San Francisco real estate market didn’t experience a January bump, but there are early signs that one is happening right now.

The blog post quotes a fellow Zephyr Realtor with a recent experience where a home his buyers tried to purchase received 3 over-asking price offers the FIRST day the home was on the market!
And his experience is not rare.
An Inner Sunset single family home received 11 offers on its offer date just 4 days after the first open house.
An Inner Mission condo sold after just 9 days on the market with 8 offers (an offer date was set on this one also.)
In fact, of the 67 reported sales at Zephyr Real Estate’s weekly meetings for January, 15 had multiple offers and 13 sold over the asking price.  Another 11 sold at the asking price.  (One caveat to mention – these are just the sales that are verbally reported – some agents aren’t able to make the meetings and those sales don’t get mentioned.  But BTW – based on those numbers, that means Zephyr represented more than 20% of the sales that occurred in January.  Um, yeah, we ROCK!) 😉
In fact, 329 properties went into contract this January.   There are still a total of 1356 properties on the market.
That means the absorption rate is just 4.1 (or it would take 4.1 months for the market to “absorb” all of this inventory – aka, it would take 4.1 months for these San Francisco listings to be bought up by buyers.)
And according to the standard guidelines that we use to determine whether we are in a Sellers’ Market (1-4 months of inventory), a Neutral Market (5-6 months of inventory) or a Buyers’ Market (7+ months of inventory) – right now, we in SF are actually in (drumroll please) a *Soft* Sellers’ Market!  😀
(Fair warning to sellers – DO NOT get greedy, this ain’t 2005!  Fair notice to buyers – there are still lots of great values out there, but a variety of circumstantial evidence including a decrease in the unemployment rate, especially in high-paying tech jobs, these good values may not be around too much longer!)
So, we in the SF Real Estate biz are enjoying the good news the January Real Estate Bump is bringing us.  And since our spirits are dancing, you may as well dance with us.  If you don’t know how to do “The Bump” – the video above will show you how. 😉

Doggone It – Where Will San Francisco's Dogs Go and Play?

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Adopt a Dog from San Francisco's Animal Care and Control

We San Franciscan’s love our dogs.  In a 2006 National Geographic article, it’s estimated that SF has 745,000 human residents and 110,000 canine ones!  (And a gratuitous plug here, the pic up top is from the the Animal Care and Control’s website.  His name is Moe and YES, he is available for adoption, as are dozens of other cuddly and loving animals!)
We REALLY do love our dogs.  And we love the various places we can take them.  Fort Funston, Crissy Field and Ocean Beach are just a few favorite places to let our four legged friends frolic.  But a lot of them are a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) and to make a really long story short – your dog’s favorite place to burn off some energy may become a “No Dog” zone!
Supervisor Carmen Chu was kind enough to share the below information about the proposed changes as well as ways for you to give YOUR input on what to do with San Francisco’s parks.  They might be Federally owned, but it’s San Francisco’s citizens that use them on a daily basis, and we deserve to make our input heard!
Here’s the scoop from the newsletter:

GGNRA dog management plan

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), a Federal agency, recently released their Dog Management Plan/Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The voluminous document and its recommendations would have significant impact on use of Ocean Beach, Fort Funston, Lands End, Sutro Heights, Baker Beach, Fort Point, Fort Mason and Crissy Field. The document is available at all San Francisco Public Libraries and also online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/dogplan

The Dog Management Plan/Draft Environmental Impact Statement presents several different alternatives for each park in the GGNRA, ranging from “no dogs” to severely restricting off leash areas. Our office wanted to make you aware that public comment on the plan will be accepted through April 14, and that it is important that the GGNRA and National Park Service (NPS) hear the concerns of San Francisco residents.

How to comment:

Fort Mason, Building 201

San Francisco, CA 94123

Public Meetings:

  • March 2, 4 – 8pm , Tamalpais High School, Marin County
  • March 5, 11am – 4pm, San Francisco State University, Seven Hills Conference Center
  • March 7, 4 – 8pm, Fort Mason Bldg. A, San Francisco
  • March 9, 4 – 8pm, Cabrillo School, Pacifica

Comments will be considered during development of the final plan, which is expected to be completed by late Spring/early Summer 2012. When making your comments, please refer to the specific area of the plan you would like to see changed, and your ideas for alternatives.

If you have any further questions about the Dog Management Plan/Draft EIS, please call the GGNRA at 415-561-4728.

The GGNRA is the nation’s largest urban national park, and includes areas of San Francisco, San mateo and Marin Counties.

Another Glorious Sunset at Ocean Beach…

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I’ll never get tired of these San Francisco Sunsets.  Good thing I’m lucky enough to call the Sunset District home and this is just steps from where I’m fortunate enough to live.  If this isn’t a million dollar view, I don’t know what is!

San Francisco Real Estate Trends at a Glance

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Want a brief look at San Francisco Real Estate Trends?  Of course you do!  That’s why you’re reading a Real Estate Blog aren’t you!?!?!

These statistics are for ALL of San Francisco, and I can GUARANTEE you that YOUR neighborhood WILL be different.

Email me and I’ll send you detailed information on your SF hood, whether that’s the Outer Sunset or Outer Parkside, Golden Gate Heights or Pacific Heights, Potrero Hill or Nob Hill, Twin Peaks, South Beach or any other San Francisco neighborhood in between!  Real Estate is local and San Francisco real estate is especially neighborhood-specific.

At a glance, Median Prices are trending up (multiple offers based on some aggressive pricing strategy is helping that trend!), Inventory is increasing (and we’re seeing some good stuff out there people!), and Average Days on Market is trending down (whether it’s another sign of aggressive marketing or a sign of a recovering market – it’s too early to tell.)

A San Francisco Map Like You Haven't Seen Before

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SF Typographic Map
I have awesome friends & blog readers.  Stuff I wouldn’t find anywhere else come jumping into my email inbox on a pretty regular basis.  For a while there, I had stopped blogging about San Francisco Real Estate (and all of the other awesomeness here in San Francisco), but now that I’m back to cranking out blog posts, I can start sharing the awesomeness with you once again.
Like today.  I got an email that said “something for you to blog about” with a link.
Curiosity piqued, I opened the link and *VOILA!* Awesomeness!
The link took me to a magic page where it said:

Axis Maps is pleased to announce the release of our mapping / art project Typographic Maps. Created as a labor of love, these unique maps accurately depict the streets and highways, parks, neighborhoods, coastlines, and physical features of the city using nothing but type. Only by manually weaving together thousands upon thousands of carefully placed words does the full picture of the city emerge. Every single piece of type was manually placed, a process that took hundreds of hours to complete for each map. Take a look at our blog for more on how these maps were made.

We offer high quality poster-sized prints for $30, or a variety of other size and media options.

Oh yes, my friends!  An ACTUAL map of San Francisco using NOTHING BUT TYPE!  We’ve seen other cool maps out there, but the details on this one probably take the cake!
If you care, there are also maps of Chicago and Boston, with a few more that are on their way – but we all know that anything related to San Francisco is ALWAYS BETTER! 😉

San Francisco Realtors and Homeowners Support Condo Conversion

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Fair warning….. this post is taken STRAIGHT from an email from the folks at Plan C, an organization of moderate voices that support San Francisco home ownership and, thus, condo conversion.
San Francisco’s condo conversion lottery requires luck, patience and nerves of steel, but Plan C and its supporters (SF Realtors and property owners to name a few) are yet again, hosting a rally supporting changes to the current condominium conversion rules that would allow TIC owners a chance at owning more than a fractional interest in their properties.
So here’s the scoop, straight from Plan C’s mouth, er, um, email:

Wednesday morning, February 2nd at 8:15AM (before the condo lottery that is scheduled to be held at 9AM),  Plan C San Francisco, in conjunction with the Small Property Owners of San Francisco, will be sponsoring a rally for Condo Conversion reform.

This is one of your primary opportunities to bring attention to the fact that City Hall has failed to support homeownership for the thousands of people that seek it as a means of solidifying their place in our community.

If you are a first-time homeowner please take the time to attend this important event! Let’s show our city’s elected leaders that those seeking housing stability through ownership are the lifeblood of our city. You are the teachers, healthcare workers, public service employees, first responders, even members of our very own Board of Supervisors that are seeking to put down roots in our community. Public policy should be helping you to stay in San Francisco not harming you.

If you are not able to attend, we encourage you to contact the Mayor and city supervisors through our website. Write a note identifying yourself and tell them your story. Tell them that you support overall reform of the completely broken condo conversion process. Tell them that your only path to homeownership was through the purchase of a TIC, but the financial stability you seek won’t fully come until you can convert your shared interest into a condominium. Tell them that as a former renter you are tired of being ignored and vilified for pursuing the American dream.

You can e-mail the Mayor and city Supervisors here. After you have written your e-mail, only click “submit” once. Although it may look like you message has not been sent, it has!

Learn More About Plan C

To learn more about Plan C visit www.plancsf.org

Mortgage Rates Going UP and How it Affects Your SF Home Purchase

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Per the folks over at Daily Real Estate News mortgage rates are heading upwards.  And while rates are STILL historically low, the increase in rates CAN affect your purchase power significantly.

How significantly, you ask?

Well, using some really round numbers, a couple with NO debt that makes $200,000 a year can afford a mortgage of about $780,000 at 4.5% interest.  At 5% interest, the loan about is $745,000.  And at 5.5%, the loan amount is $705,000.  ALL of these amounts will cost you $4,000 per month.

So, remember, rates ARE at historical lows, and if they do go up, they are still expected to stay historically low (let’s not forget, the 1980’s saw double digit interest rates!!!)

But if you pass up a property because you are looking for a bargain, you may find that you can’t afford that bargain if interest rates creep up, even by 1/2 a percentage point.

Good luck and happy hunting!  And if you need a great mortgage broker to provide you with advice on what you CAN afford, give Tim Higbee of Guarantee Mortgage a shout!  He’s professional, honest, available and even does FHA loans.

Sunshine in the Sunset

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The sun here in the Outer Avenues is breaking through the clouds making the Sunset district gem at 1466 42nd Avenue sparkle! 

Stop by from 1-4pm today to see the brilliant juxtaposition of a traditional center patio style home and how it blends with an urban loft!

Google Waves "Good-bye" to Real Estate (But I'm Still Waving "HELLO!")

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Just about this time last year, Google jumped onto the real estate band wagon.

All the other cool kids were doing it, and since Google DOES do lots of things better than their competition, many Realtors in San Francisco and well beyond wondered if this would impact the way buyers searched for properties online.
I, for one, actually rooted for the G-team in the hopes that the various MLS agencies throughout the country would go the way of the dinosaur and that the public would have access to the same listings as Realtors, but at their speed, on their terms and at their leisure.
But as of February (or at least according to the internet gossip), Google will be bowing out of the real estate search game.
Home buyers in some locations will be left high and dry, or relying strictly on emails from their real estate agents (that hopefully are providing them with access to ALL available listings) to search from their dream home.
But here, in San Francisco, you can count on me to get you the real estate listings you crave! 😉
There is a small catch – you DO need to sign up for an account (hey, these are the SF MLS’s rules, NOT mine!!!), but as soon as you sign up, you can start searching MLS listings all day, every day.  You don’t even need to get out of your PJ’s if you don’t feel like it. 😉
So WHERE, you ask?  WHERE do you get this full-blown access to all the listings in San Francisco?
Why, RIGHT HERE!
Yes, you too can have 100% access to the listings on the MLS, even without the help of Google.
So if you’re in the market for a residence (house, condo, TIC, loft or co-op), click right here, sign right up, and get to searching!
And you want one more insider tip???
Not ALL listings are on the MLS!  For a variety of reasons, some agents need to keep a listing in their pocket (that is, NOT public) … and more and more of those listings are showing up on the quickly growing PocketListings.net website.  You won’t be able to see addresses, but your agent can.  And if that agent is me (and hopefully it is!), give me a shout on the ‘ole tellie, or shoot me an email and I’ll make sure to help you get the keys out of the listing agents’ pocket and into yours!
Either way, even without Google, if you’re in the San Francisco area and searching for a home, you have plenty of tools. 🙂  Happy hunting, and I look forward to hearing from you!