From time to time I take a break from Active Rain, like I've done this past month. Sure, I sign on just about every day, read a few great posts, comment on some and then--I stop.So what do I do with the time I don't spend blogging?  I might enjoy a City hike through a different San Francisco neighborhood like I did Friday afternoon - I always find that refreshing, and always find something new to make me smile and excite me while I re-visit some favorite places.On a recent March day, we walked to the Civic Center BART station and took BART to Glen Park. A walk along a few blocks took us to the Sunnyside Conservancy, then up to little Dorothy Erskine Park, down to Glen Canyon Park, up to Walter Haas Playground (view of the city from there was stunning- see above photo) down to Billy Goat... 03/27/2018

What's that old expression about March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb? That lion sure has been roaring!  I hope you've kept safe and dry over the past couple of weeks. I'm definitely looking forward to some warmer, dryer weather. The wet weather doesn't seem to have slowed down the San Francisco real estate market though. In February the median sales price for single family homes spiked again, and with inventory still down double-digits, the vast majority of homes are selling quickly and for over their asking price. Here are the numbers: Median Sales Price: A new high or just a blip?The median sales price for a single family home soared to $1,730,000. That's up 34% over February of last year. Condo and loft prices, on the other hand, decreased almost 9% compared to the ... 03/16/2018

January was a bit topsy turvy. The new tax laws went into effect, the stock market plunged and then mostly settled again. So far, though, none of this seems to have effected our red-hot real estate market.What remains to be seen is whether anticipated interest rates hikes might have an impact in the future. Just today new Fed Chairman Jerome Powell seemed upbeat about the economy, leading many to believe that the Fed will increase the number of interest rate increases in the coming year from a planned three to four.  Many also believe the first of such increases could happen as soon as the March 20th when the Fed meets.We will find out soon enough. In the meantime, here are the numbers for January. Median Sales Price:The median sales price for single family homes was $1,330,000. That's ... 02/28/2018

  Too Many Buyers, Too Few PropertiesA lack of inventory has been the pattern for several years now. With diminishing inventory, we also see a decline in the number of new sales, which makes sense: what is a buyer to buy?While the lack of inventory is no surprise, the percentage of homes that sold within the year is shocking. Over the last five years, the percentage of pending sales to new listings of single family homes has averaged 86.6%. In 2017, 89% of new listings sold during the year. This is equivalent to selling out of properties every year for the last five years. Condos were only slightly behind single family homes.Unfortunately, January of 2018 doesn't seem to have provided much relief. New listings in January this year are down from the previous five Januaries.           Ne... 02/27/2018

Financing Real Estate with Cryptocurrency & ICO Financing Real Estate with Cryptocurrency & ICO (initial coin offering)  will be the newest form of construction, mortgage and REITS financing and investment.Abraham Valentino Founder and CEO of iMetros (a real estate development, investment, and technology firm), founder of Nummus ICO (an asset-backed cryptocurrency) explains: “Typical Real Estate financing is granted by a financial institution such as a bank, private hard money lender or by filling PPM (Private Placement Memorandum), which allows accredited and/or un-accredited investors to participate in such deals.Financing by a financial institution is a straightforward deal where the middleman and the financing firm receive all financial benefits and the investee agrees to pay a cert... 02/13/2018

Fire Resistant, Earthquake Resistant, Zero Net Energy, Luxury, IoT Smart Homes, Millennial Homes From $700s in CA Fire Resistant, Earthquake Resistant, Zero Net Energy, Luxury, IoT Smart Homes, Millennial Homes, 1200 and 1500 square feet of luxurious 2 and 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, two stories with 2 car garage single family homes that are totally IoT Smart HomesiMetros a real estate investment, technology, and development firm is launching its state of the art luxurious single family residence that are CA 2020 Zero Net Energy (ZNE) project. Starting in CA, the early ZNE Zero Net Energy home projects will be limited in the number of homes, growing to a community  of  Net Zero, IoT Green Homes.  Abraham Valentino CEO of iMetros stated “We want to make our IOT Homes standard of the industry ... 02/12/2018

As January draws to a close and thoughts turn to February, my thoughts turn to Chinese New Year and the many activities in San Francisco that celebrate the new year.February 16, 2018 ushers in The Year of the Dog. Several astrological sources believe that people born in the Year of the Dog (1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 and 2018)  are objective, constructive and efficient thinkers. (Since that is me, I like to think so!!)The Asian Art Museum celebrates the Year of the Dog throughout the day on Sunday, February 18 with story-telling, art activities, calligraphy, chin readings and more.The big celebration, San Francisco's annual Chinese New Year Parade, will take place on Saturday, February 24. Beginning at the corner of Market and 2nd Streets at 5:15 PM, over 100 units w... 01/28/2018

Did you ever spend time at Alcatraz? I have: Confessions of a Beverly Hills Realtor Endre Barath,Jr.Honest, I have spent time at Alcatraz.  Three times to be exact! I have been in the same Cell Block where James “Whitey” Bulger stayed. Well it is not what you think…The first time Diane and I went there, was on our first visit to San Francisco. I wanted to check out the “Rock” that was made famous by their infamous and hardened residents of the likes of the “Birdman of Alcatraz”. BTW if you never saw the movie it is worth looking for it, Burt Lancaster played the role of the Birdman of Alcatraz. (The movie debut was in 1962)The second time we went to Alcatraz, was with my parents. My dad wanted to go to Alcatraz, since he also saw the Burt Lancaster movie as well as “Escape from Alcatraz... 01/27/2018

Happy 2018!!2017 is now in the books, so here's a look back at how real estate fared last year. Not surprisingly it was all about inventory...or lack thereof. Median Sales Price:Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably already know that home sale prices increased in 2017. Single family homes ended the year with a 12-month rolling median price of $1,420,000, up 7.2%. Condos and lofts prices were up 5.5% to $1,155,000 for the year.2017 Median Price by Number of Bedrooms:I thought it would be interesting to see what the annual increase in median price for homes were when broken out by number of bedrooms.  Single Family Homes:Two bedroom single family homes saw the greatest percentage of increase in median sales price, followed by 4+ bedrooms, and then 3-bedroom homes.One could ... 01/23/2018

Pacific Place, a condominium project where you can Live your San Francisco Dream.Urban living at its best! The right place to call home is as varied as each individual. One place that works for many is Pacific Place, a two-tower condominium project built in 2001. Buildings built in 2001 still offered at least 1 parking space per unit, not always the case in newer complexes. 1701 Jackson Street (known as the Jackson Tower) and 1800 Washington Street (The Washington Tower) are linked together at groud level by 3 commercial condo spaces along Van Ness Avenue.Highlights of Pacific Place, one of Pacific Heights' most coveted buildings, include: 24-hour security; secure package delivery! Designer courtyard with swimming pool, spa and lush plantings High-speed elevators, two in each tower, to ... 01/22/2018

We're fortunate to live in San Francisco where there are plenty of good service providers. However, finding the best of the bunch isn't always easy, so today I'd like to introduce you to Restorative Bodywork by Mila Hutchinson. While Mila is a superb massage therapist who understands and utilizes a number of different types of massage practices, her true calling is as a pain specialist, utilizing neuromuscular reprogramming.I went to Mila one day a number of years ago when my regular massage therapist wasn't available. It didn't take more than a few minutes to know I had found the right person to work to alleviate pain in my knee. She quickly discovered a range of issues that were connected to my painful knee and worked on those diligently. Much to my delight, her practice is now locate... 01/18/2018

We are fortunate in San Francisco to have many superb services available to us, including health and wellness. Today I'd like to introduce you to Jamie Lieber, owner of the Nurturing Life Clinic, located at the corner of Bush and Baker Streets in San Francisco. I discovered Jamie Lieber and Nurturing Life Clinic about 6 months ago when I woke one morning with a severe stiff neck. She fit me into her schedule that day, and when I left after an hour's treatment, the pain had been reduced by about 90% and my range of motion was about 85-90% better. I could function again--I could drive, I could dress, I could keep my client appointments! Since then I continue a wellness regime with regular visits.Living in San Francisco means great people and services are at hand. If you need a wellness ch... 01/17/2018

"Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced".......... Soren KierkegaardExperiencing life in San Francisco ..... welcoming in the new year at Ocean Beach along the Great Highway near the Cliff House.Are you ready to make the move to San Francisco? Let me help you find the right spot for you to enjoy on a full-time or part-time basis. Call me today and we'll get the process started.  01/08/2018

While much of the country is keeping warm indoors, we're fortunate to be able to enjoy being out and about (much to Tanner's delight as well as ours.)Playing in the bay at Crissy Field is Tanner's first choice for a great outing, and we enjoyed doing just that a couple of days ago.However, on New Year's Eve day we enjoyed a 5-mile walk through Golden Gate Park, out to Ocean Beach near the Cliff House and meandered back to our car.This is one reason we pay the big bucks to live here! Our houses tend to be small, and very expensive -- but we don't stay inside much -- we have the coastal hills, and beaches, and mountains and parks as our backyard.(Tanner and I both look like we had already partied!)(The golden light of late afternoon streaming through the eucalyptus--magic!) 01/01/2018

On January 5, 1933, construction on the 3.25 million cubic feet of dirt for the structure’s huge anchorages began.  The job went to a Chicago-based engineer named Joseph Strauss, a drawbridge builder who believed he could complete the grand-scale project between $25 to $30 million. Mr. Stauss's team consisted of Leon S. Moisseiff, who submitted a plan that scrapped the original hybrid design in favor of a suspension span capable of moving more than two feet laterally to withstand strong winds. Irving F. Morrow was responsible for the art deco towers, and later decided on a paint color he dubbed “international orange.” Charles Ellis worked out the complex engineering equations as the primary structural designer. He was fired before construction began and didn’t receive proper credit unti... 01/01/2018

Condo Sales Prices Reach New High As the year winds down to a close, the real estate market tends to wind down as well. Fewer homes came on the market as is typical for this time of year, especially in the high-end luxury market. Condos saw an all-time high in median sales price, while the single family home median price dipped slightly compared to last month. Both, however, were up compared to this month last year. Months supply of inventory also plunged, though the percentage over list price homes sold for remained fairly steady compared to last month. Here are the numbers. Median Sales Price:Though down slightly compared to October's high of $1,500,000, single family homes ticked up almost 11% compared to last year's November median sales price. Meanwhile, condos prices reached an al... 12/28/2017

      Market Insights | Recent Sales | Local News             Median Sales Price Avg. Days on Market # Homes Sold % List Price Received $1,497,500 26 240 116.68%   A Look at the PastPrior to November of 2015, inventory of condos and single-family homes was similar in San Francisco. For almost a year, the numbers were, in fact, identical. Then, in January of 2016, condo inventory soared in relation to that of single-family homes. Consequently, condo prices started to level out while the median sales price (MSP) of a single-family home continued to climb.What's a Buyer to Do?Based on the drought of supply and onslaught of demand, it’s no surprise that the median number of days a single family home spends on the market has been at an all time low. This creates intense competition for buye... 12/21/2017

Kathy Streib, in her December challenge, has asked us to share a special holiday memory, and the posts are pouring in. I've read a few of them and am blown away by how heartfelt the memories are. Next week I'll be reading more of them. I have lots of memories of Christmas, both past and present: the year we almost didn't have a tree (happy ending: we rushed to a tree lot on Christmas Eve, to find it had just closed up; the owner let us children pick any tree we wanted--and it was big and beautiful!); the year I opened all my gifts the day before, then re-wrapped them the best I could and pretended to be surprised (moral of the story: I learned that waiting for the right time was its own reward) the year my little daughter bit into a glass ornament (happy ending-no problems!)  the 22-yea... 12/10/2017

Just like catchy blog titles or ad headlines, clever license plates are also a lot of fun.These two plates are on cars in a condo garage in San Francisco. I don't know the owner of "4TUITUS" but I like his car and think the plate is quite apt.Now, this second plate, "NO SHMPU" leaves one with no doubt about this guy's hair style! He's one of the nicest guys around, and each time I see his plate I smile.Hope this bit of whimsy has you smiling. Have you seen some other great plates in San Francisco? Please share!  11/28/2017

I've enjoyed writing these Thankful posts this week leading up to Thanksgiving Day; the words flow as does the thankfulness. Today I'm very aware of how much I enjoy living in San Francisco and how thankful I am for the many wonderful things here that bring joy and ease to my life.This morning was the day all the time Rachael Kendall spent planning and organizing a birthday party for her sister at the Academy of Sciences came to fruition. We had a wonderful time with lots of fun, and VIP treatment at many of the popular exhibits like the Rain Forest, the earthquake shake table, and a show at the Planetarium. The girls were happy, we adults were too. We came home exhausted in the best possible way.This evening my husband headed across town to the home of one of the members of the San Fra... 11/19/2017