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Real Data: December Newsletter

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San Francisco Smorgasbord: A Neighborhoods Sampler

Some time soon, we’ll be doing our annual wrap-up of the SF housing market statistics. And I expect it will be a doozie. But for our November Newsletter, our Chief Analyst Guru Extraordinaire did a survey of various neighborhood values. You can find all the ones he covered here. I thought I’d cover just a few of the highlights.

Inner and Central Richmond. These neighborhoods have recovered smartly since the market crash in 2008. They are now almost back to their pre-crash peaks. ...  Additional Details

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Giving Credit Where It’s Due

In my opinion, most real estate brokerage companies’ and their agents’ websites/blogs don’t provide a lot of useful market information.  And that’s being polite.  There are some exceptions, however, and one is Paragon Real Estate Group.

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The 2011 San Francisco Residential Wrap-Up: Things Are (Are Not) Looking Up

Where do you think the market went in 2011?  Come on.  Take a guess.  If you believe my own SF Association of Realtors “stronger affordability conditions, a lower cost of owning versus renting, and declining foreclosures, continue to steer the San Francisco housing market in a positive direction.” [January 2012 Market Focus Report].

“Continue.” Now that’s reassuring. 

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Noe Valley Comes Roaring Back

While single family home prices for San Francisco as a whole can’t seem to recover beyond being around 18% down from their all-time highs, Noe Valley home prices have come roaring back since the start of the year. The three month moving average for April was down just 1% from its all-time high of March 2008.  In May, the moving average slipped back to 6.5% off the all-time high.  Take a look (click to enlarge):

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San Francisco’s Best Schools

Before curb appeal; before “walk-score” and commute; and way before closet space and water pressure, there’s the school.  For people with kids in tow or on the way, the primary determinant of where they want to live, right after what they can afford, is the quality of the schools in the neighborhood.

Where to turn for information?

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What’s Better than One New Home-Buyer Tax Credit? Two.

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As if one new home buyer tax credit weren’t enough, the State of California recently re-enacted and extended the scope of its own version, originally passed in 2009.   As a result, some California buyers can take advantage of both — but only if all the stars align, and only for a short period of time.

The California Association of Realtors has published a useful chart that compares the two tax credits and I’ve reproduced it below (click to enlarge).

The rules are complicated, (see here for the Franchise Tax Board explanation) but here are a few key takeaways: ...  Additional Details