Looking for Home Improvement Ideas? Consider Upgrading to a “Smart Home”.

Never mind painters and interior designers. Your next remodeling job at home may call for technology consultants. Many new homes today have “smart home” technologies already wired into their walls, offering a range of automated options that were unthinkable even 10 years ago. And owners of existing homes will soon be scrambling to catch up, if they haven’t already done so. Smart homes have home-security and energy-management devices that can be controlled from a smartphone or over the Internet. Some of these devices allow homeowners to […]
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1BR Rentals – Now Average $2,800 in SF!

SOMA Leads the Way, with an Average Rent of $3,475/mo, from SFList.com   Image via Priceonomics.com. Unless you’ve been living under a (rent-controlled) rock, you know that rental wars are in full swing, and another rent map shows just how expensive the city has become. According to the map, the average rent for a one bedroom in the city is now about $2,800, a two bedroom is $3,875, and a three bedroom is $4,750. The map is put together by online price guide Priceonomics, whose genesis story (“We hate getting ripped off or […]
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Majority of Buyers Would Pay Extra for Home in a Prefered School District

From the Pacific Union Blog: School-district boundaries are an important consideration for most homebuyers — so important, in fact, that 54 percent of people who plan to buy a home within the next two years said they would be willing to pay from 1 to 20 percent over their budget to purchase in a desirable school district. In a recent survey by Realtor.com, 24 percent of future homebuyers said they would pay 1 to 5 percent above their budget for a home in the school district of their choice. […]
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Marin County Q2 Report

Marin County: Q2 ResultsMay was the busiest month anyone in our Marin County region can remember, contributing to an outstanding second quarter. Sales were robust in all areas but particularly strong in San Rafael and Novato. Marin County, with its gorgeous countryside, good schools, short commute to San Francisco, and proximity to two international airports, has always been a popular destination for homebuyers. Add to that a booming stock market and the lowest unemployment rate in California, and it’s easy to see why real estate markets […]
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May Market Focus Report

As we close on the halfway point for 2013, San Francisco continues to be one of the fastest moving real estate markets in the nation.  The strong local economy and low interest rates have been impressive drivers of growth, and constricted inventory has intensified the market.  Here are some highlights from the most recent SFAR Market Focus Report: The year to date median sales price is up 29% for single family homes and 24% for condos The month’s supply of inventory is down substantially – 23% […]
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Western States Lead Rebound in Home Prices

Strong price growth in California and other Western states helped the U.S. see its biggest year-over-year jump in home prices in almost seven years. U.S. home prices in February rose 10.2 percent from a year earlier, the research firm CoreLogic said. It was the 12th straight month of steadily rising prices — up 0.5 percent from January. “The rebound in prices is heavily driven by Western states,” Mark Fleming, CoreLogic’s chief economist, said in a statement. “Eight of the top ten highest appreciating large markets are in California, […]
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2013: The Right Time for Bay Area Sellers

The Bay Area’s real estate markets are poised for a busy year ahead. Buyers are eager and anxious. The pent-up demand that sparked bidding wars and pushed home sales into record territory in 2012 shows no sign of slowing down in 2013, as buyers rush to take advantage of bargain-priced properties and mortgage rates still hover near historic lows. Now it’s time for sellers to join the party. With the U.S. economy on the mend and home prices rising, many sellers are entering a sweet spot where they’re able […]
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Home Prices Keep Rising

The Bay Area marked nine straight months of steadily rising home prices — the longest continuous run in seven years — according to the latest statistics from the Case-Shiller home price index. Home prices rose 1.4 percent from October to November and were up 12.7 percent since November 2011 in the San Francisco metro area, which includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties. Bay Area home prices recorded the second-highest annual growth rate in the nation, following Phoenix at 22.8 percent. Nationwide, […]
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2012 Q4 SF Housing Report

The year 2012 was one of the strongest in recent memory for real estate, and the frenzied pace continued through the fourth quarter, even accounting for a brief lull during the holidays. Pent-up buyer demand and an exceptionally tight supply of properties on the market meant that many homes sold quickly and with multiple offers. A balanced real estate market typically has a six-month supply of inventory, but the supply of single-family homes and condominiums in San Francisco hovered near record lows in the fourth […]
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On KQED’s Forum This Morning: The Rising Price of Housing in the Bay Area

The price of Bay Area rentals and for-sale homes rose sharply last month, by as much as 16 percent in some areas. San Francisco ranked as the second-healthiest housing market in America, according to the real estate site Trulia. Why are prices rising, and how are costs affecting Bay Area residents?   Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Guests: Carolyn Said, staff writer covering economics and real estate for The San Francisco Chronicle Jed Kolko, chief economist for Trulia and author of the new Public Policy Institute of California report, “Business Relocation […]
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