Click the "Walkable" map below to find out all of the fantastic places around 333 1st Street. You will see that it is a walkers paradise with a "Walkable score" of 91 (out of 100) for this property because of all the great things around!

Go to the Property Website for 333 1st Street. You will find detailed information, photo slideshows, videos, neighborhoood and 'walkable' maps and more.

Daily Real Estate News  |  April 25, 2008

Affordable Ways to Makeover Bathrooms

Source: The Washington Post, Terri Sapienza (04/24/08)

A dreary, outdated bathroom can be a home sale deal breaker.

Remodeling magazine says the average price of a mid-range bathroom remodel in 2007 was $14,445. But $500 worth of nips and tucks can upgrade the room, says Lytel Young, host of HGTV’s "Save My Bath."

"There are three important things in a bathroom," Young says. "Clean, simple, and orderly. That's the key for every budget, whether it's $500 or $40,000."

He recommends these inexpensive steps to sellers whose baths need a facelift:

• Rip out the dated medicine cabinet and replace it with a big mirror.

• Replace the lighting with new sconces on both sides of the mirror plus a new overhead fixture on a dimmer.

• Re-caulk the tub and shower.

• Repaint with a neutral color, but decorate with big, fluffy colorful towels.

• Hang some framed art.

If you are interested in a 'bathroom makeover' call me. I have a person that does this type of light construction who is dependable and very resonable.

How is the market? That is what I get asked every single day from at least one person. My answer is always, depends on the property.

Forbes.com just released a Top 10 Best Cities for Home Sellers list by analyzing and comparing "job growth, amount of new construction, vacancy rates, and credit availability" in the top 40 metro areas in the United States.

And San Francisco ranks #2, just behind San Jose, CA and above Salt Lake City and Austin, TX!

There are buyers in San Francisco and when the conforming loan limit recently jumped from $417,000 to $729,750, it made it easier for them to get financing. In addition, our economy is still doing well, and perhaps more importantly, it is more diversified than in 2000 during the dot.com revolution.

It is definitely not a market where every property goes over asking with multiple offers, but there are certainly properties that are getting multiple offers and going 6-figures over asking. And more than just a few. At the same time, there are properties that are sitting, and not selling at all. For these properties, it seems like no matter how much the agents lower the price, they still sit.

The tale of two markets, which is quintessential San Francisco.

District 1—Northwest: Central Richmond, Inner Richmond, Jordan Park/Laurel Heights, Lake, Lone Mountain, Outer Richmond & Sea Cliff. District 2—Central West: Central Sunset, Golden Gate Heights, Inner Parkside, Inner Sunset, Outer Parkside, Outer Sunset & Parkside. District 3—Southwest: Ingleside, Ingleside Heights, Lake Shore, Lakeside, Merced Heights, Merced Manor, Oceanview, Pine Lake Park & Stonestown. District 4—Twin Peaks West: Balboa Terrace, Diamond Heights, Forest Hill, Forest Hill Extension, Forest Knolls, Ingleside Terrace, Midtown Terrace, Miraloma Park, Monterey Heights, Mount Davidson Manor, Sherwood Forest, St. Francis Wood, Sunnyside, West Portal, Westwood Highlands & Westwood Park.

District 5—Central: Buena Vista Park, Clarendon Heights, Corona Heights, Duboce Triangle, Eureka Valley/Dolores Heights, Glen Park, Haight Ashbury, Mission Dolores, Noe Valley, Parnassus/Ashbury Heights & Twin Peaks.

If you are planning on selling your property to one of the largest buyer segments in the local San Francisco Bay Area real estate market, you can not do it in English-only anymore. In a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle, it was reported that 20% of one new condo building's buyers were foreign, and that Chinese were in the top 5 of the list. With San Francisco's close proximity to Asia, the large Asian population and the recent developments by the Chinese government to allow Chinese citizens to buy real estate overseas it is wise to make sure that your property is being marketed properly to this market.

Marketing vs. Translation

While there are translation widgets available that will translate your properties information into every language in the world, reviews by native speakers often reveal that they are less than perfect when conveying your properties unique characteristics. Translation like these do not pick-up on translating English nuances well into foreign languages at all.

At sfcondomap.com, a recent listing also prominently offers information in Chinese that captures the true meanings and essence of the English text. The differences can be as dramatic as reading bad writing vs. good writing to the reader! And this will effect their perception of your property.

The "Best Practices" in marketing to particular foreign buyers is to have a native speaker that is fluent in the target markets language and that is also fluent in real estate marketing to do the translation. You can see the example at sfcondomap.com here.

For more information on marketing your property to foreign buyers, please contact Scott Pierce at 415-595-3519 or email at scott@sfcondomap.com.

Click the "Walkable" map below to find out all of the fantastic places around 306 Eureka Street. You will see that there is a very high "Walkable score" of 86 (out of 100) for this property because of all the great things around!

Go to the Property Website for 306 Eureka Street. You will find detailed information, photo slideshows, videos, neighborhoood and 'walkable' maps and more.

Symphony Towers, a new condominium development in San Francisco, has now had buyers move into 51 of the 130 units for sale, with 36 more now in contract. Having 87 of 130 units already sold or in contract is a great sales rate and is a testament to the design (LOVE the roof deck), quality, price and location. We love Symphony Towers as it is one of the few new condominium buildings built within an already established neighborhood.

Read "S.F. housing boom moves to Van Ness" by J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Business Times for more information about the development of the Van Ness Avenue corridor.

For more information on San Francisco condominium sales and closings, including list price, detailed property information, MLS listing information or anything else, email us here and send us the property name and unit number.

Of the 8 sales listed, only the 3 Jackson Square listings were on the MLS. Which would make the MLS reported sales statistics much lower than they really are.

A couple of items of interest to San Francisco real estate home owners, buyers and sellers from the March 5, 2008 Department of Planning Board of Appeal's meeting.

(4) Appeal No. 08-018
455 Vallejo Street

Sandeep Hingorani (Appellant) vs. DPW and Bureau of Street-Use & Mapping (Respondent).

In order to do work on a building on Montgomery Street, a crane was placed by Sheedy Crane across the street from 455 Vallejo Street. The owner, Hingorani's representative, argued that the Path of Travel requirements were not being observed, and wanted restrictions placed on the location and use of the crane. 

After testimony from both sides, the Board agreed keep the crane in it's current proposed location, but to increase the Path of Travel requirements from 10'
to 11' for day use and from 12' to 18' at night.

The board also directed the DPW/BSM representative (who was present) to provide the Hingorani representative with a direct phone number to call for violation reports, and for an inspector to be available for any problems.

Sheedy agreed and the appellant voiced agreement.

If the goal of the appellant (the person with the complaint) is to just get equipment removed because they do not like it, you probably will not succeed. But the Board of Appeals will hear a complaint and judge it on its merits.

Here the Board would not remove the crane as Sheedy demonstrated that this was the best location out of all possible locations that were available. Sheedy suggested the increased distance for the Path of Travel, and it was agreeable to all sides.

(6) Appeal No 07-230
1884 San Jose Avenue

Keith Foote (Appellant) vs. DPW and Bureau of Urban Forestry (respondent).

Foote argued that the decision of the respondent (DPW) to remove a 33 year old tree in front of his residence was wrong. That it was their lack of proper maintenance of the tree that caused the current problems, and that DPW should be directed to nurture the tree back into good health and condition.

DPW and the BUF argued that the tree needed to be removed and that it was the fact that the roots were very aggressively destroying the sidewalk and that this was causing a hazard that necessitated the decision. And that nurturing the tree back into health was not likely do to the species of tree.

President Garcia remarked that it was the first time he heard of a homeowner being the appellant with the DPW and BUF as respondent in a case like this. But it was
Commissioners Haaland, Knox and the new Peterson who overruled the DPW and directed the DPW to work to bring the tree into good health and conformity regarding safety issues.

NOTE FOR HOMEOWNERS: Homeowners are responsible for the condition of sidewalks in front of their property. The city can and does issue 30 day notice to repair notices to homeowners to correct deficiencies in the condition of sidewalks.

For more information, including list price, detailed property information, MLS listing information or anything else, email us here and send us the property name and unit number.

Of the 10 listed sales, only 3 of them were in the MLS.

New Development Sales for the week ending December 3, 2007

235 Berry:
2/2/1000 sqft - $860,000

325 Berry: Park Terrace
#418 - $895,000
#520 - $1,095,000
#617 - $721,000

451 Kansas: The Potrero
#362 - $550,000
#409 - $725,000
#420 - $214,500 (BMR)
#448 - $786,000
#607 - $479,500
#631 - $780,000

201 Sansome Street: The Royal
1 bed, 806 sqft - $650,000

1 South Park: South Park
#205 - $1,250,000
#206 - $950,000
#406 - $1,060,000
#409 - $1,375,000

310 Townsend Street:
#201 - $1,040,000