If we needed further proof of just how hot the Bay Area housing market is, realtor.com® just released a study that shows four of six of the “hottest markets” in the nation for homebuyers and sellers are located in the San Francisco Bay Area. According to realtor.com®, Bay Area markets receive as many as three times the number of views per listing on its site as the national average. Additionally, properties in our area sell between 25-40 days faster than other markets in the U.S. The San Francisco/Oakland/Hayward metro area ranked as the number … (6 comments)
Have you ever found yourself laying there sometimes in the morning before you get up thinking, "I don't feel like it today?" You just are not feeling the enthusiasm for what you're doing. Or perhaps you have a list of things that need to be done that are not going to be fun. Or you just don't want to talk to another human being today.
What I've learned is that most people will feel this way from time to time. Some more than others. I personally love what I do and fortunately I don't feel … (11 comments)
A: In some areas, open house events are one of the very best ways to showcase properties to the public. In San Francisco, they have become a very popular and expected method for viewing homes, allowing for a greater number of attendees to see the property both for themselves and to let others know about it. I treat holding an open house like putting on a Broadway show. For … (0 comments)
san francisco real estate: Coldwell Banker the oldest Residential Real Estate firm turns 106!
- 08/27/12 02:40 AM
Coldwell Banker the oldest Residential Real Estate firm turns 106! A Story of Leadership Coldwell Banker® is the oldest and most established residential real estate franchise system in North America, and it is known as one of the most innovative, forward-thinking real estate brands today. Its story of leadership, innovation and success dates back to San Francisco in 1906. After a devastating earthquake, a young real estate agent, Colbert Coldwell saw the need for trusted, honest and knowledgeable real estate services to help the city rebuild. A few years later, Benjamin Arthur Banker came on board and later became a … (2 comments)
san francisco real estate: San Francisco Condo lottery bypass for TIC's will help so many people!
- 08/16/12 04:42 AM
San Francisco Condo lottery bypass for TIC's will help so many people! I wanted to give you an update on my article a few months ago on the much needed proposed new legislation by San Francisco Supervisors Scott Wiener & Mark Farrell being considered by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. This is a key piece of legislation that will address the annual condo conversion lottery. Designed expressly to squelch condo conversions, the lottery limits conversions of tenancies in common to condos to 200 units per year. Demand has always exceeded supply, with a backlog that has grown steadily to nearly … (1 comments)
san francisco real estate: Selling your home in San Francisco? 8 questions to ask listing agent.
- 07/18/12 11:15 AM
Selling your home in San Francisco? Top 8 questions to ask when interviewing a listing agent. 1) How many listings have you sold in the past 12 and 24 months? The total number of closed home sales over a 2 year period will give you a good ideal of their experience level. Looking at 12 months is a good indicator as to the quality and effectiveness of your agent in current market conditions. 2) How many listings do you have? Knowing how many listings the agent is responsible for will help you assess the agent’s capacity. Can they … (4 comments)
san francisco real estate: San Francisco condo conversion shorcut proposed for TIC owners
- 06/20/12 05:43 AM
San Francisco condo conversion shorcut proposed for TIC owners. The current lottery system for condo conversions doesn't seem to be working. There are more than 2,500 units seeking to convert, but only 50 buildings (or 200 units) that are selected annually, meaning that some people have been waiting for more than a decade. San Francisco Supervisor Scott Weiner is working with his colleague Supervisor Mark Farrell in order to find a way to let those with tenancy-in-common units, or owners with costly 'fractional loans' on a share of their property, to pay a fee to bypass the lottery. A proposal to … (3 comments)
san francisco real estate: San Francisco the perfect back drop for world class events all summer!
- 06/19/12 12:17 AM
San Francisco the perfect back drop for world class events all summer! With summer in full swing our beautiful city will be center stage for one world class event after another. Starting with the U.S. Open, The Film Festival, The 41st annual Pride Celebration and Parade, The Stern Grove Summer Concert Series, and the kickoff of the America’s Cup! Top it off with our diverse, one of a kind street fairs from Filmore to Union, North Beach Festival in Washington Square to Japan Town's Cherry Blossom Fesitival, Castro Street Fair to Folsom Street Fair. There are so many ways to get … (1 comments)
san francisco real estate: Bernal Heights neighborhood spectacular view at night of city lights
- 06/01/12 12:28 AM
Bernal Heights neighborhood spectacular view at night of city lights. it was very cold and windy out on top of Bernal Hill this June night in the Bernal Heights neighborhood. This beautiful dark night in San Francisco was the perfect backdrop to give me the chance to get in a few good shots of the Bay Bridge tower lights and down town. Pictures were taken from the very top of Bernal Hill in Bernal Heights. If you look carefully you'll see city hall is lit up in a dramatic orange glow for the Giants! For more information on life in Bernal … (2 comments)
san francisco real estate: Frank Castaldini prepares a Bernal Heights home for sale part 3
- 05/30/12 12:12 AM
Frank Castaldini prepares a Bernal Heights home for sale part 3 the final episode. I’m back with the exciting conclusion of my video series on preparing a home for sale. In the first two episodes I walked you through the various steps that I take when helping my client's prepare their home for sale. We covered; meeting the client's expectations, working within the client's budget, choosing the best vendors to get the most for your client's money. We then looked at all of the before pictures of the house. In our next episode we came back with work in … (1 comments)
Last week in my series: Preparing a Home for Sale, we talked about the steps I take to help a seller prepare their home within their budget to get the highest sales price for the lowest cost. Today we will look at my latest listing project, 318 Holladay Ave in sunny Bernal Heights in San Francisco. The sellers has a starting budget of $18,000 to put into preparing the house. The plan: Replace Front Deck & Stairs Repaint the entire exterior, adding more detail with two toned garage door, … (0 comments)
san francisco real estate: Preparing a Home For Sale
- 04/29/12 01:24 AM
Preparing a Home For Sale When I meet with a seller for the first time I'm always excited to learning about their home, what has made the house a home for them, what they consider the best aspects about the home and what are the drawbacks. I enjoy the tour they provide as we move from room to room and I get a feel for how the residents have lived in the it and what it has meant for them. I never forget that every house has been a home to it's owner and has had a special meaning to them. … (2 comments)
Here in the Bay Area we've seen a recovery in the housing market for some time now. Things began to turn around in earnest last year and really have gained traction in 2012. But now as spring is in full bloom, it seems that other parts of the state and nation are getting in on the act. "Green shoots" are evident in cities that previously were showing little signs of life, creating optimism among many industry observers. In a recent news report on NPR, reporter Yuki Noguchi said the mild … (0 comments)
san francisco real estate: Noe Valley Homes for Sale - Experiencing Low Inventory Levels
- 04/06/12 11:43 AM
Noe Valley Homes for Sale - Experiencing Low Inventory Levels Rarely have we seen a situation like we are currently seeing with Noe Valley homes for sale inventory being very low. Noe Valley is one of the most desirable neighborhood in San Francisco. As we’ve entered the spring home buying season an unusually and perhaps alarming trend has unfolded. We are seeing low inventory levels remain low. For example in San Francisco, in the last three weeks, March 20th, March 27th and April 3rd we have seen the following number of single family homes for sale as follows: 290, 285, … (3 comments)
san francisco real estate: Bernal Heights Homes for Sale - Experiencing Low Inventory Levels
- 03/22/12 02:55 AM
Bernal Heights Homes for Sale - Experiencing Low Inventory Levels Yes inventory level of Bernal Heights Homes for Sale are way down. Buyers are not finding a large enough selection of properties to choose from. This situation is catching many by surprise as we tend to see an uptick in inventory this time of the year. The Bernal Heights homes for sale list of inventory is certainly low. We need inventory. I do have a few properties that will be coming to market in the next few weeks. This should help. Yet, the trend does not seem to be reversing itself … (2 comments)
san francisco real estate: The Joy Of Giving - You Get More Than You Give!
- 03/11/12 01:26 AM
The Joy of Giving - You Get More Than You Give! A few weeks ago a good friend of mine, Mike Genoshe, who's son Timothy attends the Stratford School in San Francisco, told me that the class needed to get some books for their classroom. I immediately suggested that I would like to make a donation so that the class could have those books. The school graciously accepted my offer and went ahead and purchased the books. The teacher, principal and the students expressed much gratitude. I decided to pay them a visit as they wanted to express their gratitude to me … (35 comments)
san francisco real estate: Meeting With A Seller - What To Cover!
- 02/02/12 12:00 AM
Meeting With a Seller - What To Cover! When getting together with a seller, of course, once you've both determined you are working together, there are several items that need to be covered to effectively prepare a property to be listed. I will outline a few areas that I covered in a recent meeting with a seller of a property here in San Francisco. This is not a all encompassing list. This is a summary of my meeting with this seller. Preparation: Getting a house ready for sale will require making it look as appealing as is possible. Areas covered: Staging. Garden … (3 comments)
san francisco real estate: Adjusting Open House Dates for Major Events? 12-3pm for the Niners!!!
- 01/20/12 01:03 AM
Adjusting Open House Dates for Major Events? 12-3pm for the Niners!!! Niners Play at 3:30pm! Open House at 183-185 Hancock in the Heart of the Castro from 12noon - 3pm on Sunday Jaunuary 22. Holding open houses in San Francisco is a great way to showcase a house, find a buyer for that house and to pick up future business. It a hotbed of opportunity. Sellers usually love it because here in San Francisco buyers attend open houses. It's a great way to see property and often leads to the eventual buyer having found their new home just that way. For the … (1 comments)
Every once in a while you get a listing with a great story behind it. In fact, all properties do have some fascinating history to it. 137 Elsie Street is no exception. It has been owned by the same family since 1930. That is a very long time. I've been given the privilege of listing this home which is located on a much desired street in the very hot Bernal Heights neighborhood in San Francisco. This is another one of my Bernal … (5 comments)
San Francisco Bay Area Dominates National “Hottest Market” List by Realtor.com 
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