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“Fall” is in the Air?

Falling-House
My last newsletter, entitled “The Crash That Wasn’t (At Least Not Yet ),” was among my most popular ever. The teaser headline may have had something to do with it. We continue the sensationalist theme here with some observations on the start of the Fall housing market season – typically one of the busiest times.

At our regular sales meeting this morning, attended by around 60 of our finest San Francisco agents, the main topic was whether collectively we were seeing a significant change in market conditions from say, the Spring of 2015. As I’ve said before, things generally slow down a bit in the summer and then heat up in September before cooling off again at Thanksgiving as the holidays and the cold weather kick in. The consensus was that this summer followed the typical pattern. But is what we’ve seen over the last few months just seasonal or is something more fundamental going on,  ...  Additional Details

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1000 Ways to Enjoy San Francisco & the Bay Area This Summer

Guests are coming, the kids are out of school, or you just want to do something different than usual. Summer has arrived in one of the most beautiful and multi-dimensional places on earth, and here is a wide variety of ideas for making the most of it.

Dinner, brunch, burritos, burgers, bars, music, dance, theater, running, biking, hiking, and things to do with visitors, children and dogs.

Food & Drink

Top 100 Restaurants

Zagat’s Best

Outdoor Dining & Drinking

Best Meal Delivery

Best Breakfast ...  Additional Details

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Cheat Sheets for (Almost) Everything You Wanted to Know About Rent Control, Owner Move-In Evictions, and Condo Conversion in San Francisco

“June Gloom” has arrived in San Francisco. We’re talking about the weather, not the housing market, though buyers may well continue to feel gloomy as the market shows no signs of letting up. Both condo and home prices continue to hit record highs, with the average home selling for 10% over the original asking price.

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There may be a typical summer slowdown (reflected in the trailing drop in third quarter numbers above) as the

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West Portal, Quiet, and Happy To Be Unnoticed

Photos and content regarding retail activities in West Portal have been generously provided by LostinSF.com, the only French-American insider’s guide to San Francisco and the Bay Area. The French version of this article can be found here.

Named after the western entrance to a transit tunnel completed a century ago, the quiet neighborhood of West Portal is proud of having been overlooked by much of the frenzied redevelopment going on in many other parts of San Francisco. No big white Google or Apple buses prowl the streets here.  You want bars filled with 20 somethings ordering $12 cocktails and artisan beers?  Head downhill to the warmer climes of the Mission.  Here, in the foggy western shadow of San  ...  Additional Details

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San Francisco’s “Value” Neighborhoods Take Off as Inventory Remains Low

April Newsletter

I’ve been opining for some time that many of San Francisco’s previously overlooked neighborhoods are seeing rapid home-price appreciation as buyers are being priced out of their first and second choices. I now have data to confirm it.

When the SF market recovery began in 2012, the more affluent neighborhoods led the way in rapid home-price appreciation. This is what you’d expect to happen as the “haves” tend to see their prospects improve before the “have nots.” But starting in 2014, the more affordable neighborhoods have taken the lead. Of course, there are few places outside San Francisco where houses of $1.2 million would constitute the “affordable” segment of the market, but as median house prices in the greater Noe, Eureka & Cole Valleys area  ...  Additional Details

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Here We Go Again?: Signs Point to Another Feverish Spring Market

Spring-shoots-dollars

It’s easy to sympathize with potential buyers who are sitting the market out in the hope that … “sanity will prevail” …”…the market will stabilize…” “…prices have to come down sooner or later….” Alas, for buyers at least, our analysis indicates the contrary: 2015 looks like it’s getting off to a very strong start.

Below are key takeaways from our recent analysis of sales trends over the last few months, which include the seasonally quiet year-end holiday period, along with what we’ve been seeing since the start of the year. These preliminary statistics, and, even more so, reports “from the trenches,” suggest that we may well be looking at the fourth intense spring season since the market recovery began in early 2012. ...  Additional Details