Yeah, I know. Real agents love all their listings. (We really do.) But one look at this Ironworks live-work loft and you'll find yourself besotted as well.
The location, layout and amenities are incredible, but it's the parking for two cars that just might make you weep. Two cars!
This is #24, an end unit on the top floor of the Ironworks complex at 1221 Harrison Street in SoMa. It has the biggest floor plan (1,676 sq. ft) and the best views. (And parking for two cars!) Check our website for all the features and photos.
The Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will hold its annual awards shindig in November.
Among the 2009 winners is Zoe Corneli, a reporter at KALW public radio in San Francisco, who nabbed the "Outstanding Emerging Journalist" award for her series on foreclosure scams. Her reporting sparked an investigation by the state Department of Real Estate.
The days of 100% financing with no documentation are gone, but with upgraded FHA loan guidelines buyers can put as little as 3.5% down and obtain a conservative 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.
In the nine-county San Francisco Bay area, the FHA loan limit is $729,750. Put 3.5% down, and this translates into a $756,217 home purchase price. With 10% down, it translates to an $810,833 purchase price.
You might not get a Pacific Heights mansion, but you could certainly get a Cole Valley condo.
Feel like house hunting? Me, too! Email me or call 415/602-9056 to get started.
"The worst housing slump since the Great Depression may be drawing to a close as first-time buyers rush to take advantage of tax credits before a November deadline."
So says reporter Bob Willis on Bloomberg.com. Buyers who want that $8,000 tax credit are seeing reduced prices on new houses because builders must compete with a glut of foreclosures. The median price of a new house fell 9.5%. Sales of new homes in August hit a one-year high.
The City and County of San Francisco established the 311 line to provide an easy-to-remember telephone number that connects residents, businesses, and visitors to customer service representatives ready to help with information and service requests.
But telephoning is so last century.
Now you can reach the same customer service reps 24/7 via Twitter from your computer or SMS-enabled cell phone.
My colleagues at Vision Real Estate have the listing for this amazing Queen Anne Victorian at 710 Broderick Street. For photos, the floorplan, schedule of showings, and more, check the property website.
When the Girl Scouts coined the motto "be prepared," were they thinking much beyond a possible Thin Mints shortage?
On the other hand, the 72hours.org website has all the bases covered: earthquakes, floods, fires, biohazards, zombie attacks. Okay, maybe not that last thing, but you get the idea.
Being on your own in a disaster won't be fun, but getting your home, car, and office ready for the worst is absolutely essential, and 72hours.org spells out what to do to stay sane in during an emergency. Be prepared.
According to this story in the San Francisco Examiner, the nation's biggest drops in residential rent have occurred in the Bay Area. Locally, rents have dropped most in the Marina, Russian Hill and Telegraph Hill neighborhoods.
Here's how I figure it: If I help San Francisco resident Mike Stearns get a job, he and his wife Robin may soon be in a position to buy a house, or maybe trade up to a bigger house.
For that, they are going to need a real estate agent. Granted, they don't know me, but a blog entry is not such a bad way to say "howdy."
So visit (seriously) MyHusbandNeedsAJob.com and check out Mike's education and training. He has the right degree from Georgetown, and has worked on both coasts—and in China.
Spread the word. Help me help him…help me. I can't wait to put those two crazy kids into just the right home.
The 2009 San Francisco Decorator Showcase kicks off on April 25 and runs through Memorial Day weekend.
Designed by noted architect Nathaniel Blaisdell, the formal four-story Georgian home was built in 1910 for George L. Payne, owner of Payne’s Bolt Works. The address is 2830 Pacific Avenue (between Divisadero and Broderick). Your $30 ticket gives you guilt-free looky-loo privileges and supports San Francisco University High School’s financial aid program. Tickets are available at the door.
Residential builders are gearing up for new projects in the Dogpatch, Rincon Hills and South of Market.
The few projects mentioned in this San Francisco Business Times article would create more than 600 units, but no one's breaking out the hammers and nails just yet. The number of active residential listings in San Francisco is 24% higher than a year ago.
Still, developers getting their ducks in a row is not a bad sign.
In a perfect world (or even a normal economy), you choose an experienced real estate agent when you decide to sell your home.
But the authors of "How to Sell a House When It's Worth Less Than the Mortgage" know there is nothing normal about a market in which tens of thousands of homeowners are "underwater." That is, their home is worth less than what they owe.
In fact, a Pew Research Center survey found that 20% of all homeowners believe they if they would have to sell their home right now, it would sell for less than they owe. Read the complete survey results here.
On the market for $2,389,000 in September 2008, and to reduced to $2,280,000 in November, the new duplex property at 1240 5th Avenue in San Francisco was withdrawn without a sale.
Still, someone is going be very happy living there. Imagine forking over a mere $150 for a raffle ticket and winning a brand spanking new custom house with a guest cottage.
Sigh.
What? Oh, sorry. I was just daydreaming about having my morning coffee in my private courtyard before returning to the main house to call all my friends (and maybe a few strangers) to brag about my four-car garage.
The drawing will be held on July 25, 2009. Raffle proceeds benefit the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Details and photos are here.
The former Golden Gate Lutheran Church is on the market for just under $10 million.
The 17,000 square foot Gothic Revival-style building has been completely rehabbed to add a modern kitchen, three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, and an open main floor (the original nave) with miles of glossy wood flooring. (That's a lot of Swiffering.)
Only in San Francisco, the website for tourists, is pretty handy for locals as well.
Their calendar page lets you search by date range, type of event and/or neighborhood. Most of the calendar listings have links to the event websites, so complete details are just a click away.
The other overused word that begins with the sixth letter of the alphabet: FREE.
The San Francisco Really Really Free Market (RRFM) meets on the final Saturday of the month at Dolores Park near 19th and Dolores streets. (It moves to an indoor location on rainy days.)
The market functions as a potluck. Bring things you want to give away, and take things you need. Everything is free. Which you likely guessed from the name of the event, right? Complete details are here.
RRFMs occur across the U.S. and around the world. Check the list.
Zoodango is a city-centric search engine to help you find things to do right near any San Francisco address you enter.
Dozens of perky little icons will dot your map, showing you restaurants, bars, movies, museums, etc. Each destination also has a score based on other destination websites and Zoodango users' experience.
Roost.com now has listings for San Francisco. The site lists all homes and condos for sale in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), plus homes for sale by owner, new construction listings, and foreclosures/foreclosed property listings.
Enter an address on PropertyShark.com and you'll get a description of the property, the most recent sales price, approximate current value, title history, code violations, permits, photographs, maps, etc.
Why aren't any of the real estate sites name after tofu?
Sure, you can wait until the last minute to think about where to take your honey-bunny to dinner on Valentine's Day.
You can also pretend to enjoy the dubious grub at some questionable eatery that just happens to have plenty of empty tables on February 14.
Instead, make a reservation at one of the eight restaurants suggested by Thrillist/San Francisco. Fabulous food without the inflated prix fixe pricing. Yum.
Whether you’re buying or selling, Melané Ali will smooth the way to moving day
She’s ready to offer you personal service backed by the extensive resources of McGuire Real Estate, a well-established agency with offices serving the entire San Francisco Bay Area.
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