Danielle Lazier

Sunday Streets are Full Swing in San Francisco!

“Sunday Streets are in full swing! If you have yet to happen across one here’s the scoop: Sunday Streets is a series of events put on by the City of San Francisco to encourage health, community and fun. In layman’s terms? Streets are blocked off to cars on pre-determined Sundays for you and your friends and neighbors to bike, walk, dance, hula-hoop, do the worm, Macarena, moon walk, you name it! Here’s a schedule of remaining dates:

• May 6: Mission
• June 3: Mission
• July 1: Mission
• July 22: Bayview
• August 5: Mission
• August 26 Chinatown
• September 9: Western Addition/N. Panhandle Alamo Square
• October 21: Outer Mission/Excelsior”

…Read this article and more in the new issue of MarketTracker, courtesy of Zephyr Real Estate. Also in this issue:

• Most Recent Sales
• San Francisco Market Overview
• April 2012 Market Update
• Doyle Drive Closures

Want Zephyr Market Tracker in your inbox every 2 weeks? Sign up for local San Francisco real estate updates via RSS or email delivery for neighborhoods like Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Hayes Valley, Mission Bay, Mission Dolores and all SF neighborhoods?

Tags: Market Tracker, MarketTracker, real estate buzz, san francisco real estate market, Zephyr Real Estate

Low Inventory a Boon to Sellers in San Francisco

With the new quarter’s statistics coming out it is becoming more and more clear that it’s currently a great time to be a seller and once again a more challenging time to be a buyer. Over the past year the average days on market for single family homes, condos and TICs has gone from about 70 days all the way up to 100 days around the holidays and now has come way, way down to an average of just over one month on the market.  Most properties are selling FAST!  Sellers may want to prepare themselves for a quick sales cycle.  And Buyers should have all their purchasing power ducks lined up in a row, ready to pounce on the right property before it’s scooped up by someone else.

The “odds of sale” are also up.  This is a measure of how likely it is that your property will sell in a given month.  Since the first quarter of 2010 we’ve seen this rise citywide on average of about 20 percentage points.  And in some areas – such as Pacific Heights and the Marina – your odds of sale have gone up 40 percentage points! Make hay people, make hay!

…Read this article and more in the new issue of MarketTracker, courtesy of Zephyr Real Estate. Also in this issue:

• Most Recent Sales
• San Francisco Market Overview
• Double the View-Blocking on Rincon Hill
• Feeling Handy?

Want Zephyr Market Tracker in your inbox every 2 weeks? Sign up for local San Francisco real estate updates via RSS or email delivery for neighborhoods like Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Hayes Valley, Mission Bay, Mission Dolores and all SF neighborhoods?

Tags: Market Tracker, MarketTracker, real estate buzz, san francisco real estate market, Zephyr Real Estate

Lookin’ Good, San Francisco Real Estate Market!

As you may have overheard in crazed cell phone calls while waiting in line at Whole Foods, or while dishing with friends over coffee – the San Francisco real estate market is back, baby!  We’re currently seeing a flurry of activity unmatched since the pre-2008 go-go days.  Over the last 30 to 60 days there have been countless reports from real estate offices of multiple offers and well-above asking prices in neighborhoods throughout the City. Example: my Pacific Heights condo received 14 offers! Suffice to say the current market is hot

With all the doom and gloom we read in the national press it’s important to remember that real estate is local.  The reason for our local uptick?  Threefold.  Sales activity is up due in part to rising rental costs as well as lending guidelines beginning to loosen.  Also, after being relatively flat for the past two years, prices saw a substantial 6.5 percent uptick in February.  And of course, the big reason Lil’ Miss SF Real Estate is wearing her prom queen crown is due to the very low property inventory. San Francisco is experiencing a four year low in “months supply of inventory,” which is a measure of how many months it may take to sell the current inventory at the current rate of sale.  Work it SF!

…Read this article and more in the new issue of MarketTracker, courtesy of Zephyr Real Estate. Also in this issue:

Most Recent Sales
San Francisco Market Overview
Where to Park your IPO Money
Is San Francisco Hipper Than Ever?

Want Zephyr Market Tracker in your inbox every 2 weeks? Sign up for local San Francisco real estate updates via RSS or email delivery for neighborhoods like Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Hayes Valley, Mission Bay, Mission Dolores and all SF neighborhoods?

Tags: Market Tracker, MarketTracker, real estate buzz, san francisco real estate market, Zephyr Real Estate

Commercial Real Estate Buzz in San Francisco!

“While our focus is residential real estate, we can learn quite a bit about the state of our real estate market and economy in general by watching the commercial real estate market.  Here are three big signs things are moving in the right direction:

• The plan to convert St. Joseph’s Catholic Church at 10th and Howard into 18,260 square feet of office space, 1,300 square feet of retail space, and 2,500 square feet of assembly space cleared another hurdle as it was approved unanimously by the Planning Commission this week. The space will likely attract more tech industry to the already-buzzing SOMA district.

• Tishman Speyer is set to list and sell 555 Mission Street.  This is a 33-story, 550,000 square foot tower that is 90 percent leased.  The transaction could generate up to $450 million and could be the impetus for additional commercial sales.

• The PAC 12 Conference broke ground last week on their new headquarters in SOMA.  They are set to fill 70,000 square feet at 370 Third Street and will house all of their broadcast, digital media and licensing/sponsorship divisions from the new HQ.

Mayor Ed Lee summed it up, stating that “San Francisco is attracting an incredible mix of talent and industry from across the nation.”

Great news for our market!”

…Read this article and more in the new issue of MarketTracker, courtesy of Zephyr Real Estate. Also in this issue:

Most Recent Sales
San Francisco Market Overview
$750,000 Shopping Spree
Take it to the Street on Sundays!

 

Want Zephyr Market Tracker in your inbox every 2 weeks? Sign up for local San Francisco real estate updates via RSS or email delivery for neighborhoods like Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Hayes Valley, Mission Bay, Mission Dolores and all SF neighborhoods?

Tags: commercial real estate, Market Tracker, MarketTracker, real estate buzz, Zephyr Real Estate

Do You Qualify for an Property Tax Reduction? San Francisco, CA

“As our economy continues to recover and the San Francisco housing market follows suit, many home owners have had success with reducing their San Francisco Property Taxes.  “How?”, you may ask, given property taxes are based on the last sales price of the property and are rarely adjusted by the city?  Here’s a quick and dirty explanation:

1. If you own a home and it’s your primary residence, you may apply for a $7,000 exemption from your assessed value.  New property owners will receive an application automatically with their supplemental assessment bill. Existing property owners should first confirm they were not granted this exemption on their current bill.  If you are not receiving it, you can call the SF Assessment Board at 415.564.5542.
2. Can you lower your property tax base due to market value decline? There have always been a variety of ways to lower your tax base.  Disaster relief, builder’s exclusion, veteran’s exemption, exclusions/exemptions for parent to child change in ownership and several others.  With the volatile market, the Assessment office will review individual owner’s requests to reduce their tax base.  The first step is contacting the Valuation Division – 415.554.5596.  If a reduction is “justified,” the value will be reduced.  If the Valuation Division doesn’t agree, an owner can apply to the Assessment Appeals Board for relief.  If you file an assessment appeal on an existing value, you have to file with the County Assessment Appeals Board (City Hall – Room 405).”

…Read this article and more in the new issue of MarketTracker, courtesy of Zephyr Real Estate. Also in this issue:

Most Recent Sales
San Francisco Market Overview
A Peek at Potrero Hill
Bay Area News Bites – Dolores Park, SF Airport, America’s Cup, San Francisco 49ers

Want Zephyr Market Tracker in your inbox every 2 weeks? Sign up for local San Francisco real estate updates via RSS or email delivery for neighborhoods like Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Hayes Valley, Mission Bay, Mission Dolores and all SF neighborhoods?

Tags: Market Tracker, MarketTracker, tax reduction, tax update, Zephyr Real Estate

Transbay Housing Update – San Francisco, CA

“The San Francisco Redevelopment Agency has awarded Golub and Co. and Mercy Housing the rights to develop 557 units of housing on Folsom Street.  This is a deal that will generate upwards of $30 million that will be used for the Transbay Terminal.

…Read this article and more in the new issue of MarketTracker, courtesy of Zephyr Real Estate. Also in this issue:

Most Recent Sales
San Francisco Market Overview (the Single Family Home sector is looking up!)
Make it Your Own- MarketTracker is now customizable for you.
New Construction in Pacific Heights

Want Zephyr Market Tracker in your inbox every 2 weeks? Sign up for local San Francisco real estate updates via RSS or email delivery for neighborhoods like Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Hayes Valley, Mission Bay, Mission Dolores and all SF neighborhoods?

Tags: Market Tracker, MarketTracker, zephyr

Car-Free? No Problem in San Francisco, CA!

“A recent study conducted by 24/7 Wall Street identified the 10 best cities to live without a car. San francisco made the cut!

There were many elements that factored into this decision, including:

• Widely available and efficient public transportation system (Are they talking about MUNI?!)
• Availability of daily amenities such as groceries, shopping, schools and entertainment easily accessible on foot or by bike (We sure do have a lot of Whole Foods!)
• Walkability
• Mild weather

The study looked at the 100 largest metro areas in the country. Each was evaluated based on the percentage of neighborhoods covered by public transit, the number of jobs within 90-minute travel by that public transportation, the walking score of neighborhoods, amenities available via walking, and the biking opportunities within the area. (Of note: Seven of the top 10 cities are also on Top 50 Bike Friendly Cities list).”

…Read this article and more in the new issue of MarketTracker, courtesy of Zephyr Real Estate. Also in this issue:

Most Recent SF Home Sales
San Francisco Real Estate Market Overview
Spotlight on NoPa (North of Panhandle neighborhood)
Gearing Up For the Season

Want Zephyr Market Tracker in your inbox every 2 weeks? Sign up for local San Francisco real estate updates via RSS or email delivery for neighborhoods like Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Hayes Valley, Mission Bay, Mission Dolores and all SF neighborhoods?

Tags: Market Tracker, MarketTracker, zephyr

Half-Off $70 Million Penthouse in San Francisco, CA!

“Currently, the most expensive bank-owned residence in the country is in San Francisco. The Museum Tower Penthouse, a.k.a. the St. Regis Penthouse, was once listed for $70 million.

It’s a 6 bedroom, 6 full bath, 4 half-bath penthouse unit that is well over 20,000 square feet. It’s actually the combination of 3 penthouse units, which span 2 floors. This is a unit that was created by a real estate mogul by the name of Victor MacFarlane, and it has never even been lived in…”

…Read this article and more in the new issue of MarketTracker, provided by Zephyr Real Estate. Also in this issue:

• Most Recent Sales
• San Francisco Market Overview
• Neighborhood Watch: The Sunset
• Dolores Park Update

Want Zephyr Market Tracker in your inbox every 2 weeks? Sign up for local San Francisco real estate updates for neighborhoods like Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Hayes Valley, Mission Bay, Mission Dolores and all SF neighborhoods?

Tags: MarketTracker, San Francisco Penthouse, Zephyr MarketTracker

City-wide, the drop in median sales price for single-family homes from 2005 to 2010 was just under 11% (not bad for the Great Recession)

“Widely read local real estate blog SFCurbed recently posted on the “10 Most Depressing Things . . .”related to the housing market. The early Armageddon that was described included falling home prices, an increase in numbers of homeowners under water and no ‘bottom’ to the free fall until sometime in 2012, “at the earliest.” While I would concur that things could be better, I have to point out that the data cited was from Zillow.com, anything but a local source…”

…Read this article and more in the new issue of MarketTracker, provided by Zephyr Real Estate. Also in this issue:

Most Recent Sales
San Francisco Market Overview
Battle of the Valleys
Looking on the Sunny Side of Real Estate
Resources for San Francisco Green Thumbs

Want local real estate data personalized for your own San Francisco neighborhood, such as Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Hayes Valley or any SF neighborhood? Just send us the request and we’ll get you a hyperlocal Market Tracker report.

Tags: market statistics, market update, MarketTracker, Zephyr MarketTracker

Zephyr MarketTracker

Check out Zephyr Real Estate Market Tracker for San Francisco real estate updates for SF home buyer and sellers.

Want local real estate data personalized for your own San Francisco neighborhood, such as Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Hayes Valley or an SF neighborhood?  Just send us the request and we’ll get you a hyperlocal Market Tracker report.

Tags: MarketTracker, Zephyr Real Estate