It's always enjoyable and very educational to attend the National Association of Realtors Convention. This year it was in Las Vegas and after having attended two conventions (we also had our Keller Williams Realty "Family Reunion" there) in Vegas this year, I am so done with Vegas. With 30,000 people attending, I think that I heard someone say that it was the largest one ever. This is somewhat disappointing that more of us weren't in New Orleans last year to help the economy there.All of this rambling brings me to my point:  the common thread that I heard from at least 3-4 of the speakers was to get a blog! So here I am--through with procrastinating and all set to share my unique perspective on the wonderful city that I call home:  San Francisco.I love San Francisco and the real estate ... 11/23/2007

Don't believe all of the doom and gloom that you may be reading about. The City by the Bay is still very popular with buyers--especially homes with a cetain je ne sais quoi or cachet. By this I mean that reticent charm of an earlier era that hasn't been painted or asbestoed over. On a recent property, my clients were one of 16 offers and the property went 25% over asking!With interest rates low, it is a good time to buy. But in San Francisco, there are no guarantees as many buyers are emerging from hiding to take advantage of low rates. The lower end of the market is not as hot and there are some better opportunities here. SF currently has about 50-60 short sale or pre-foreclosure properties available. Learn more here... http://www.shortsalesanfrancisco.com/ I discovered a new restauran... 11/21/2007

In San Francisco no longer is the question; Paper or Plastic? Tuesday November 26th marks the birthday for San Francisco's ban on plastic bags in Grocery and drug stores.Plastic bags by the numbers. (Borrowed from SFGate.com)180 millionRoughly the number of plastic shopping bags distributed in San Francisco each year.2 to 3 centsAmount each bag costs markets, compared with anywhere from 5 to 10 cents for a biodegradable bag.4 trillion to 5 trillionNumber of nondegradable plastic bags used worldwide annually.430,000 gallonsAmount of oil needed to produce 100 million nondegradable plastic bags.Source: S.F. Department of the Environment; Worldwatch InstituteSan Francisco is not the pioneer in banning plastic bags in grocery stores. Ireland has outlawed plastic bags throughout the whole cou... 11/20/2007

I recently completed a staging installation and I have to say… it is my new favorite project! I think the outcome looks really sharp. The Staging Project: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, San Francisco The Scope: Vacant Home Staging The specs of the Home: Main level has 2/Bed,1.5/Baths w/remodeled Baths + Eat in Kitchen w/ new appliances, cabinetry, granite countertops and flooring.Back deck off Kitchen overlooks level yard, new hardwood in L/R + D/R w/ high coved ceilings. New carpet + paint in/out.Lwr lvl w/ large garage, unwarranted room and 1/4 bath. Wide street, ample parking. Easy access to Hwys 280/101. Listing Price: $829,000 SFAR MLS#: 334089 It was again a pleasure to work with the Listing Agent Jim again, whose San Mateo listing (click to see the before and after of this San Mateo st... 11/19/2007

Finally we got our chance to remove ourselves from in front of computers, green festivals, and green buildings to volunteer for the recent Cosco-Busan Oil Spill. Granted this last training session will allow us to take part as official Disaster Service Worker Volunteers but at this point the San Francisco city officials have or will soon re-open the local beaches. Some Greenerati members, along with 300 some odd volunteers sat through a well organized session that included educational, safety and informational elements. Although the training did offer lots of interesting info, it certainly could have been condensed into a session about one-half as long. City officials + training equals a long, repetitive session. Various leaders from the city public works department, parks and wildlife... 11/19/2007

Single-Family Homes           District 1 Oct-06 Oct-07 Number of Sales 22 19 Median Selling Price 1,237,500 1,625,000 Average DOM 35 32       District 2 Oct-06 Oct-07 Number of Sales 41 34 Median Selling Price 805,000 802,000 Average DOM 36 35       District 3 Oct-06 Oct-07 Number of Sales 26 13 Median Selling Price 735,000 700,000 Average DOM 45 47       District 4 Oct-06 Oct-07 Number of Sales 28 36 Median Selling Price 980,000 1,001,500 Average DOM 52 36       District 5 Oct-06 Oct-07 Number of Sales 30 26 Median Selling Price 1,287,500 1,338,000 Average DOM 29 16       District 6 Oct-06 Oct-07 Number of Sales 8 3 Median Selling Price 1,380,000 1,710,000 Average DOM 35 23       District 7 Oct-06 Oct-07 Number of Sales 16 10 Median Selling Price 2,825,000 3,575,000 Average DOM 33 34  ... 11/14/2007

We felt a little guilty strolling through the San Francisco stop on Green Festival tour while others removed black gold from the  beaches and wildlife that the Cosco-Busan cargo ship an Exxon Valdez-like tanker recently dumped into San Francisco Bay. At least a good percentage of the environmentalists, vegan hipsters, LOHAS types and simple non Green classifieds rode bikes, walked, skateboarded and even took Muni to the SoMa location. Unfortunately, the packed nearby parking lots had their share of cars which didn't exactly make our green hearts go pitter-patter. Once we entered, the various green venders assaulted our minds and stomaches with organic, free trade, vegan desserts, drinks and energy bars. With all the samples, who even needs to eat lunch at these Green festivals? Maybe w... 11/12/2007

235 Berry, 99 residential condos in Mission Bay’s Berry St is now down to 14 condos. Berry Street is Mission Bay's condo row and it's great to see activity in this area. We acutally put the last one in contract - #605 - asking $1,014,900 for 1214 sf (and we love to brag that we sold 6 others in 235 Berry). As with all the projects we write about, feel free to get in touch with us if you would like more information or to be placed on an interest list.See more on www.sfnewdevelopments.com  11/10/2007

 If you’d like a more complete list of a particular neighborhood, write SanFranciscoSchtuff@gmail.com and let us know which ‘hood you have interest in. Ashbury Heights: 2:00-4:00pm 224 Upper Terrace: $3.175mm Bernal Heights: 1:00-3:00pm 50 Roscoe Street: $549K Corona Heights: 1:00-4:00pm 39 Ord Street: $899K Dolores Heights: 2:00-4:00pm 65 Caselli Ave: $2.295mm Excelsior: 1:00-3:00pm 61 Naples Street: $595K Freddie Mac in the news Glen Park: 2:00-4:00pm 89 Miguel St: $2.495mm Haight Ashbury: 1:00-3:00pm 1915 Oak Street: $1.775mm Ingleside: 1:00-3:00PM 31 Caine Ave.: $509K Just move along… Keep on movin’… Lower Pacific Heights: 2:00-4:00pm 2482 Bush Street: $759K Marina: 2:00-5:00pm 143 Alhambra Street: $1.595mm Noe Valley: 1:00-4:00pm 221 29th Street #101: $975K Outer Sunset: 2:00-5:00... 11/09/2007

We have the latest info on Park Terrace's availability - 33 homes remaining: 22 flats and 11 townhomes. There are only three 1BR's left...#422 803sf#522 803sf#719 962sf 1BR's are priced from the low 700's to the low 800's. What else is left?11 Townhomes - one of them a large 2406 3BR/3BA corner townhome asking over $1.6M. Townhomes range in size from 1247sf to 2406sf and priced from around $849k.The balance of the units are 2BR's and 2BR+Den's from 1200 sf to 1957 sf and prices from $904k to just over $1.7M.Go here for more: http://www.sfnewdevelopments.com 11/08/2007

School was never like this when we were kids. Recycled this, renewable that. We certainly weren't phi beta kappas but the Mission based Children's Day School gets an A- for its recent Green additions. We expect it to bump that grade to a full fledged A when some of the other Green items come on board in the next few years. In the meantime, the kids get into the Green scene with the updated Warhol-like bathroom partitions made from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic detergent bottles, and the flooring concocted from 100% recycled marble and granite terrazzo tiles. The bathrooms offer the kids a chance to use low flow toilets as will but Green architect Lincoln Lighthill told us that he wanted waterless toilets installed in the school, however the City put the kabash to that idea. Doesn... 11/08/2007

2-4 Units           District 1 Sep-06 Sep-07 Number of Sales 8 6 Median Selling Price 1,044,000 1,252,500 Average DOM 43 50       District 2 Sep-06 Sep-07 Number of Sales 11 2 Median Selling Price 1,050,000 1,482,500 Average DOM 30 90       District 3 Sep-06 Sep-07 Number of Sales 0 0 Median Selling Price     Average DOM           District 4 Sep-06 Sep-07 Number of Sales 0 1 Median Selling Price   1,500,000 Average DOM   131       District 5 Sep-06 Sep-07 Number of Sales 10 5 Median Selling Price 1,367,500 1,625,000 Average DOM 44 45       District 6 Sep-06 Sep-07 Number of Sales 8 5 Median Selling Price 1,214,500 1,199,000 Average DOM 76 31       District 7 Sep-06 Sep-07 Number of Sales 5 2 Median Selling Price 1,830,000 2,163,500 Average DOM 52 20       District 8 Sep-06 Sep-07 Numbe... 11/07/2007

In a city known for its architecture and now Green building, the Sunset Idea House hasn’t stirred up so many “ideas” since the Transamerica Pyramid made its way into the SF skyline. We’re all about tossing the Green spotlight on Green building but we had to step back from this one before going on a rant. Before we even entered the $4 million plus display home, one of the City’s notable Green builders mentioned to us after touring the Sunset House, “ That house is going to set Green building back 10 years”. Gasp. Not the super-hyped Sunset Idea House. At first glace, the house looks like a green museum containing an abundance of sustainability. The house contains energy efficiency and renewable energy systems (solar hot water, a five Kw photovoltaic system, hydronic floor heating, and t... 11/06/2007

314 College Ave. in Bernal Heights 4 beds 2 baths 1975 square feet 2 car parking Listed at $1,079,000 on 9/10/07 Sells for $40,000 on 11/03/07 *image courtesy of MLS (This information was provided by the MLS and may contain inaccuracies)$1,039,000 UNDER asking! [SanFranciscoSchtuff.com]  11/05/2007

 Ashbury Heights: 2:00-4:00pm 30 Loma Vista Drive: $1.250mm Bernal Heights: 1:00-3:00pm 527 Holly Park Circle: $849K Cole Valley: 2:00-4:00pm 753 Clayton Street #753: $1.039mm Dolores Heights: 1:30-4:30pm 462 Diamond Street: $1.399mm Excelsior: 2:00-4:00pm 535 Athens Street: $700K Financial District: 2:00-4:00pm 170 Pacific #19: $1.549mm Glen Park: (no time mentioned in MLS) 525 Laidley St.: $1.295mm H is for Halloween en español, aka Dia De Los Muertos Ingleside Heights: 2:00-4:00PM 379 Orizaba Ave: $640K Jeff Duncan-Andrade Forest Knolls: 2:00-4:00pm 301 Christopher Dr.: $969K Lower Pacific Heights: 2:00-4:00pm 2872 Pine Street: $2.995mm Marina: 2:00-4:00pm 1529 Beach Street: $1.698mm Noe Valley: 1:00-4:00pm 1607 Noe Street #1615: $510K Outer Sunset: 2:00-4:00pm 3043 Noriega St.: $70... 11/01/2007

San Francisco Real Estate: "The Scoop"October 30th, 2007 10/30/2007 09:05 PMWhew, That Was Fun9:10 Update Cranky reports that MTV is showing reruns of A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila.  Regarding aftershocks, the USGS says:... the probability of a strong and possibly damaging aftershock IN THE NEXT 7 DAYS is approximately 30 PERCENT. ... there is a small chance (APPROXIMATELY 5 TO 10 PERCENT) of an earthquake equal to or larger than this mainshock in the next 7 days. ... approximately 15 to 40 SMALL AFTERSHOCKS are expected in the same 7-DAY PERIOD ...So there.Here's where some of the aftershocks have landed - as you can see, they're pretty small:9:00 Update: Plug1 reports an orange glow in the east bay sky. We can see nothing out of the ordinary from home at the top of St Mary's Height... 10/30/2007

Don't blame us for attending the CCOF Second Annual Organic beer & Wine Tasting this past Friday at SF's Ferry Building but someone has to check out the legit status of these beers and wines and see (we mean taste) just how organic organic is. We didn't get to sample all of the 26 wineries and breweries but we did our darndest to sample several and ask all those important questions such as what counts as organic wine? Wineries such as La Rocca from Forest Ranch, CA created some various varieties, which not only harvest organic grapes but use no sulfites. That seems to be the key. What's the point of using organic grapes then shoving in sulfur dioxide? We sampled Le Rocca 's premier 2003 sparkling wine that is "Grapefully Organic" and includes bottle grade organic sugar from Brazil. Yes... 10/29/2007

Any commercial agents want to work a 56 bed drug and alcohol rehab facility?  Pro forma cap rate is almost at a 20%.  Visit the website or google it.  http://www.gregorygarver.com - and click Brokers USA listings.  We are cooperating and the commission is 6%, split 50 50.  Property is a foreclosure and located in Oakland California.  Can be bought for a good price.  If you have someone let me know and I'll send you a broker co-op form. 10/27/2007

Just wanted to network and let everyone know that I am a cooperating broker and I will work with any other broker/agent on my listings.  In addition if you have a client in the area and need a local broker I will pay 20% referral fees.  If you handle some of the work I can pay more.Please check out our site: http://www.gregorygarver.comhttp://www.motelbrokersusa.com  10/27/2007

10/27/2007 10:09 AM CurbedWire: Case Closed at La Casa VerdeAROUND CURBED SF-We need a bottle of red. Or six. Hell first broke loose last week when we ran a reader tip concerning the sale of the Sunset Idea House. After receiving an explanatory note of sorts from owner/contractor Robin Wilson, we cut-and-pasted once more- it's even easier than Photoshop! Reader response indicated a palpable interest; as we looked in to the matter further new details emerged, some of which were arguably unflattering to La Casa Verde and The Gang. Bottom line: Believe it or not, we do not hold a vendetta against La Casa (or anyone/ thing else for that matter- remember: this is Curbed SF 2.0. We haven't been around long enough to meet everyone, let alone hate on them). We have not fabricated lies about the... 10/27/2007