Real estate is local. It is very local. If you want to understand home prices, you must look closely at your "nano-market." In some case, this is a neighborhood but more often, it is a block or even side of the street! In San Francisco, home prices and market activity vary greatly due to architecture, type of housing (condo vs. TIC; single family; multi-unit), condition, and vacancy. If it's vacant or will be at close of escrow, it will sell for more money. Take a look at these numbers. They … [Read more...]

Zephyr sales this week posted: 27 sales, 14, over the asking price, 7 with multiple offers, 5 at the asking price and 8 under the asking price. One Sunset house received 51 offers. Yes, folks, 51 offers! Again, I must ask, is this a down market? It is true that there are values to be found for buyers willing to follow sage advice and take the plunge. What is this sage advice, pray tell? As a finance guru once said (whom I'm horribly paraphrasing), "I like to buy around the bottom of the … [Read more...]

Buy What You Can Afford, As Soon As You Can Afford It! Example: Studio - Diamond Heights Village, $140,539 in TAX-FREE PROFIT Since 2000.What if you can afford to buy in San Francisco but what you can afford is a small studio? Should you buy? Will the studio appreciate over time? Will buying a studio now get you into your dream house sooner? Or is renting until some unknown time when you can afford your "dream" home a better plan? Unless there is a windfall of money in your future (lottery, … [Read more...]

Is it necessary to have your own agent when purchasing a new construction condominium? There are two options. You can work with the sales staff directly or you can work with your own buyer's agent. If you are interested in purchasing a new construction condo, for example, a unit in one of Mission Bay or South Beach's new developments, you can go directly to the sales office. The sales staff is hired and paid by the developer to sell their units. Or you can choose to hire your own agent to … [Read more...]

When preparing your property for sale, it is always a good idea to hire a professional home inspection and/or pest inspector to conduct a comprehensive report on your home's condition. Why? To sum it up, the more a buyer knows about a property upfront, the more likely your sale will be smooth and hassle-free. You know your property's good and bad points and so does the new buyer. They will write the offer with this information in mind. Surprises rarely work out well for anyone in real estate … [Read more...]

Weekly Zephyr Sales Statistics--- Zephyr is San Francisco's largest, independent real estate company, making it a good indicator of our market's activity level. How did we fare? 24 properties were put into escrow this past week. Of these 24, 12 were for over-asking with multiple offers, 8 were at the asking (listing) price, and 4 were under-asking. So, 50% of homes sold went for over the list price. Certainly, there are values to be had right now but we are far, far, far from a crash, bubble … [Read more...]

Insider tip from the pros! According to our local real estate board, Gen Yers find those who wear their headsets as a permanent accessory to be uncool. They write: "What do Gen Yers think of people who walk around wearing Bluetooth headsets? Well, a new study shows that they consider them to be decidedly "uncool" and an indication the wearer is not giving them his or her full attention." The article goes on to recommend that we take off our headsets when dealing with a Gen Y client! As someone … [Read more...]