1896 San Francisco Firehouse For Sale!!! (And a Tour Business and Memorabilia to Boot!)

I’m giving you a fair warning – this video is addictive, amazing and has a jingle you may not be able to get out of your head for days!!!  It is NOT your typical property listing video.  TRUST me. 

And thanks to the video, I’ve been singing the “The Big Shiny Mack Truck Fire Engine!” for DAYS now!  I haven’t had anyone complain yet, and may have been the cause of people all over San Francisco singing that jingle now too!

But the video and the song are just bonuses…. along with the song, you get over 4000 square feet where you can whirl around the firehouse which, to my knowledge, is one of the last San Francisco firehouses (if not THE last one) that has still maintained it’s historical integrity. 

The couple that owned it lovingly restored it (a before & after pic are below), and fell so much in love with the place and the lifestyle that they added a “Big Shiny Mack Truck Fire Engine” to their collection and used it to create a profitable tour business that had made kids (of all ages) from ALL over the world smile!!! 

But as many stories go, it’s time for the current owners to move on.  Which means you can pick up this HOT (badumpum) piece of real estate for yourself.    As a fellow colleague joked, it would make an especially “HOT” Valentine’s present. LOL!

Though the price is still not yet determined, numbers are being crunched and the list price will be announced in the next few weeks.  The building, business and historic collection will all be for sale – together, or separately. 

In the meantime, email me at luba@zephyrsf.com or call me at 415-307-1392 for more information. 

2009 San Francisco Sales Data

I run this report every month, but this time, I thought I’d let you look at the WHOLE year ALL at once!

So here’s 2009’s summary of home sales pulled directly from the MLS. Remember, these are all closed sales and not pending sales.  (And also remember that very few sales from new developments ever end up on the MLS.) 

Check back monthly to get the latest facts and figures – and if you have any questions about these statistics, or the market in general, feel free to give me a holler! I’m always happy to talk “real estate!”

Here’s a quick snapshot of the market from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009:

Single Family Homes

• 2160 Homes Sold
• Median Sale Price was $748,000
• Minimum Sale Price was $115,000
• Maximum Sale Price was $14,000,000
• Median Selling Price was 99.5% of asking price
• Median Days on Market was 42
• Median Selling Price for homes that sold within 30 days was 102.5% of asking price

Condominiums, Lofts & Co-ops

• 1726 Homes Sold
• Median Sale Price was $670,000
• Minimum Sale Price was $115,000
• Maximum Sale Price was $7,250,000
• Median Selling Price was 96.5% of asking price
• Median Days on Market was 61
• Median Selling Price for homes that sold within 30 days was 98.5% of asking price

TIC’s

• 406 Homes Sold
• Median Sale Price was $540,000
• Minimum Sale Price was $225,000
• Maximum Sale Price was $2,396,000
• Median Selling Price was 98% of asking price
• Median Days on Market was 70
• Median Selling Price for homes that sold within 30 days was 99.5% of asking price

San Francisco Real Estate Sales Data – December 2009

As I do every month, I ran the latest San Francisco real estate sales figures from the month of December for you.  Obviously, I’m a little late, since it’s almost February, but as they say, better late than never, right?  

This month, single family sales volume increased.  Median price dipped and days on market increased (not a surprise with lenders dragging their feet at every corner.)  Condos increased in volume by a smidge and median price increased by a smidge too.  and days on market increased (same as single family homes.)  And TIC sales almost doubled from the month before -a BIG surprise since TIC interest rates aren’t usually very desirable and these days, rates on condos and single family homes ARE awesome.  Without some sort of incentive from a seller, TIC’s just aren’t on everyone’s “to buy” list these days. 

So here’s this month’s summary of home sales pulled directly from the MLS. Remember, these are all closed sales and not pending sales.

Check back monthly to get the latest facts and figures – and if you have any questions about these statistics, or the market in general, feel free to give me a holler! I’m always happy to talk “real estate!”

Here’s a quick snapshot of the market from Deccember 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009:

Single Family Homes

• 200 Homes Sold
• Median Sale Price was $757,609
• Minimum Sale Price was $169,000
• Maximum Sale Price was $14,000,000
• Median Selling Price was 99% of asking price
• Median Days on Market was 53
• Median Selling Price for homes that sold within 30 days was 104% of asking price

Condominiums, Lofts & Co-ops

• 181 Homes Sold
• Median Sale Price was $680,000
• Minimum Sale Price was $212,900
• Maximum Sale Price was $3,375,000
• Median Selling Price was 97% of asking price
• Median Days on Market was 70
• Median Selling Price for homes that sold within 30 days was 98.4% of asking price

TIC’s

• 55 Homes Sold
• Median Sale Price was $587,000
• Minimum Sale Price was $340,000
• Maximum Sale Price was $1,635,000
• Median Selling Price was 98% of asking price
• Median Days on Market was 72
• Median Selling Price for homes that sold within 30 days was 101.5% of asking price

30 Days of Sold San Francisco Real Estate

Want to know know what sold in San Francisco in the last 30 days? Sign up for The City Update(TM) – San Francisco’s Friendliest Newsletter. You’ll get the details, and then some, in your inbox (almost) every Friday.

If you just want the round numbers, you can check them out below.

Sold Listings 12/25/09 – 1/28/10

San Francisco’s Ocean Beach – 107 Years Ago! (Plus Info on a Beach Clean-up!)

Cliff House & Ocean Beach Panorama, 1903 from Richmond SF Blog on Vimeo.

I’ve got my FOURTH cold of the year.  Yeah.  I’m thinking of buying stock in Nyquil. 

But in between blowing my nose and wiping the water pouring from my eyes, the one thing that is keeping me sane is being able to work from home while I watch the ocean from my window (which you can coincidentally do too if you buy my listings at 2458-2460 Great Highway - and as a bonus, you’ll be my neighbor! )

I also happened to find some cool videofootage from the Richmond SF Blog of Ocean Beach back in the days when appropriate beach apparel was a 3 piece suite instead of a wetsuit. 

Since I love San Francisco history, and I LOVE Ocean Beach, I thought I’d share the video here.

And a fat “high-five” the Richmond SF Blog folks for finding this awesome footage!  Keep it coming!!!

Oh, and coincidentally, there’s a clean-up scheduled at Ocean Beach on January 31st at 9am.  From the invite:

Starting at Lincoln Blvd. and moving south, we will pick up the trash that has been deposited by the recent large storm swells on the beach. There is ALOT of very small plastic and styrofoam that is VERY hazardous to the environment and animal life on la playa. Please join us; bags and gloves will be provided.

Two Tales of One (Real Estate) Market

I called the bottom of the San Francisco real estate market last year.  It felt like things were flattening out.  And in some by some reports, prices were even increasing in SF! 

Since the holidays, I’ve been busy as a bee trying to keep up with buyer and seller demands, and you may have even noticed that blog posts, and my “weekly” newsletter, The City Update(TM), have been rather sporadic. 

So MY take on the market is that it’s picking up, volume is increasing, prices have stabilized and most agents I know are in a pretty good mood.

But still, there’s no consensus on whether or not we’re REALLY seeing the bottom of real estate prices in San Francisco, or the rest of the country for that matter. 

Some people (like the folks at Freddie Mac) are saying the market is at or near the bottom, while other folks (like the Center for Economic Policy and Reseach) are saying prices are STILL too high and need to fall.

My thoughts?  With interest rates at all time lows, if you’re looking to own a home in San Francisco for the long term, it’s a great time to buy if you do a traditional thirty year fixed mortgage.  But if you’re looking at a housing here to try to make a quick buck, then back off and invest in something else. 

Same thing goes if you’re selling.  If you need to sell, and your situation dictates you do it now, you will find a buyer.  They’re out there.  (With the caveat that if you just bought a few years ago, don’t expect to make any money on the deal. )   

And if you need help figuring out  what side of the fence your buying or selling situation falls on, give me a call at 415-307-1392 or email me at luba@zephyrsf.com.  I’ll call it how I see it – though fair warning, you may not always get the response that you want. 

Living La Vida Token Free (At Least in Regards to the SF MLS)

No More Tokens for San Francisco Realtors

I don’t know how long it’s been, but for some time now, San Francisco Realtors have been forced to carry around these ridiculous tokens to access listings in the MLS. 

It was meant to be an extra layer of security that made sure we weren’t giving out free MLS access to assistants, or worse yet, to CLIENTS!

But as of February 1st, we will be able to ditch these magical tokens for other secure authentication methods that are akin to those used in the banking industry.

I don’t know what all this means, except that I will no longer be able to identify a Realtor upon seeing their keychain. 

I’m going to have to figure other ways of figuring out if I’m sitting next to a SF real estate agent in a restaurant.

Maybe by their hair?  Their nails?  Their bluetooth earpiece?  Their car? 

I just don’t know.  I’m at a bit of a loss.  I don’t know what I’ll do when I meet a new client and I don’t have a secret key that allows me to unlock the mystery that is the MLS to dangle in front of them?

Hmm…. oh wait, maybe I’ll just do what I’ve been doing all along and give them access to San Francisco MLS for free anyway. 

And in the meantime, I’ll work on some guidelines on ”how to spot a realtor without the use of a token.” 

You’re Smart if you Buy a Home in San Francisco

As I’m browsing the blogosphere, I caught a glimpse of yet another article saying something positive about San Francisco real estate. 

Realtor Magazine quoted Forbes Magazine as saying SF is one of the 10 smartest places to buy a home NOW!

Why?

Well, according to them:

For people who want to own a home, the premium to buy—the spread between what they’d spend to rent and what they’d pay for a mortgage—is much lower than the 15-year average in many cities.

To determine what cities are smart buys, Forbes magazine computed the premium and also identified locales where economists predict home prices will go up the most over the next five years.

Click here for the rest of the “smart” cities for purchasing real estate. 

Oh, and give me a holler when you’re ready to make that SF home purchase. 

You Know You Need a Break from SF Real Estate When…..

I’ve been working extra hard lately.  It seems like a whole lot is going on, all at once.  And honestly, I like the fast pace of the San Francisco real estate market.  In fact, the harder I work, the more I seem to enjoy my job!

But the past few weeks have been a little extra grueling, and with the rains, all I could think of was grabbing a pair of galoshes and going on a puddle hunt.

And then I saw the above pic from Uptown Almanac.  Looks like Dolores Park has a wading pool. 

The one problem???  I don’t have galoshes.  But at this point, I’m itching to play in a puddle so bad that the lack of foot protection might not stop me. 

So, if you see a strange lady romping in a giant puddle in the rain in the next few days, don’t be afraid to say “hi” and if you have an extra pair of galoshes in about a size 8.5 you care to let me borrow, feel free to send them my way – maybe we’ll go romping through San Francisco’s puddles together!

Real Estate Interest Rates from your San Francisco Mortgage Broker

Tim Higbee, from Guarantee Mortgage gives us the latest mortgage rates for the week ending Friday, January 22, 2010.

Please note that rates vary greatly based on credit scores and loan to value.

To get YOUR rate quote, give Tim a holler, his contact info is below:

Tim Higbee
Sr. Mortgage Consultant
CA DRE LIC #01346292

415-648-1202 (direct)