While the above question sounds very existential, I’m not really talking about my place in the world – I’m really talking about my words on this website and real estate blog. I guess you can say the real question is - why do I blog?
I started this blog sometime last year (I’ve lost all track of time so can’t quite place the beginning) because a friend of mine convinced me that blogginig is good for business. I laughed at her and thought that she was crazy…. but decided that I’ve done crazier things in my life than start a real estate blog, so I went for it.Â
At first, I didn’t really know what to write about. But I’ve lived in San Francisco just about my entire life (or at least since I was two years old) and I know what I’m talking about when it comes to San Francisco real estate – so I fumbled around and tried to find a way to put all of my random thoughts into a format that people wanted to read.Â
And frankly, it has indeed turned out that this blog really is good for business. This blog allows me to share statistics with buyers and sellers of SF real estate. It allows me to share my expertise with buyers and sellers of SF real estate. It allows me to share my experiences with buyers and sellers of SF real estate. And because I do so much sharing, and because some readers take the time to contact me, it allows me to meet buyers and sellers of SF real estate – and often times, we end up working together and I help them in the process of buying or selling a San Francisco home.  I have worked with several clients that have found me through my blog, and in every case, I have had a great time working with them.
The best part about writing this blog is that by the time someone contacts me, they know a good bit about me, about my sense of humor and about what I expect from them as a buyer or seller of San Francisco real estate and I know that they will be comfortable with me guiding them through the purchase of their new home, the sale of their old home, or sometimes – both.
So why am I here?
I’m here to meet people like you – people that are interested in San Francisco real estate, and specifically, people that want to buy or sell a home in San Francisco. If you’re one of those people, please contact me. I look forward to hearing from you! 🙂
SF Rents
Busy as a Bee!
It’s been a few days since I’ve posted, and will likely be a few more before I get a chance to post anything with any substance to it. The truth is, I’ve been remarkably busy. I’m working with a few sellers to get their homes ready for sale in the next few months, and I am also working with a few very active buyers.Â
So, between the daily grind of emails, property inspections, meetings with stagers, last minute property showings, and working on The City Update – The Best San Francisco Real Estate Newsletter Ever! and The Avenues Blog, I’ve been busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest (quote courtesy from an old friend – thanks Tom!)
But regulularly scheduled programming should be back in the next few days as I think I might have a moment to come up for some air. So stay tuned…. and do come back soon, since it’s now June, and that means I should have the sales figures for this May posted soon for your statistical pleasure. 😉
Weekend Blog Linkage
Here’s the weekly collection of the internet’s greatest hits (so to speak) from the past week. Some have something to do with San Francisco Real Estate, and some don’t even come close to being SF Real Estate related. Expect these to pop up sometime during the weekend – as my time permits. Enjoy!
“Tread” Carefully [Apartment Therapy]
Another Example of a “Savage” Pit Bull (note sarcasm)Â [Bad Rap]
That IS Rather Hideous! [Curbed SF]
Can this Really be Safe? [Laughing Squid]Â
Is that a Mini-City Driving Down The Street? [What I’m Seeing dot com]
SF Rental Prices Skyrocket Yet Again!
According to this article in SF Gate, San Francisco rents shot up 14.4 percent from a year ago!
So here’s my hypothetical question to the renters that can afford to buy – (and I’d love to hear from some of you readers if you feel like answering):
If you can afford to buy and aren’t planning on moving outside of SF in the next five years, why are you still renting?
Now – don’t get me wrong – I get it. Buying a home is expensive. Lenders aren’t exactly giving money away. In fact, there’s all sorts of stuff they want you to do to get pre-approved. They want money in reserves in addition to your down payment. They want good documented income. They want your first born child. (Just checking to make sure you’re still following along :-))
But the reasons I hear for not buying real estate just don’t make sense to me. Shoot, they don’t even make sense to Donald Trump.Â
In fact, the Don’s blog says:
Are you the type of investor that waits for a stock price to escalate before you buy? Do you wait for that sale to end before going into the store and purchasing the item you have been dreaming of? Of course not! “Buy low, sell highâ€Â is capitalism at its finest. The best times to make money in real estate as well as the stock market, is when you have volatility.Â
The emphasis at the end was added by me. But it’s a damn good point!Â
Now – we’re not exactly seeing what I’d call “bargains” right now in the San Francisco real estate market, but we ARE seeing relatively good deals that you can buy without a lot of competition from other buyers. In fact, the people that have the most at stake to lose if the real estate market collapses (that would be REALTORS) are the people that are out there and buying real estate right now! They are “buying low!” or as low as this market will let them buy, that is.Â
So, if you’re renting but have good income and a ton of money for a down payment AND aren’t planning on moving out of San Francisco in the next few years, get off your behind and buy something. And then you can call me in five years and thank me for telling you to do it!
