So it looks like Halloween just ain’t going down in the Castro this year. Bummer. I remember my first Halloween in the Castro (long before I was a San Francisco REALTOR®)… I think Foster’s Beer had sponsored it that year or something because I remember drinking many cans of the stuffs and it wasn’t (still isn’t) a beer that I go out and drink by choice.

I don’t remember police barricades, or stabbings, or shootings. But I remember some awesome costumes, including a whole JFK scene complete with a cardboard version of the Lincoln Continental he was shot it Continue Reading

So the latest market report is in. Sales are down, prices are up, and even though there’s a massive “credit crunch”, the average days on the market for September of 2007 is 37, which means that homes, in this “crappy, scary, collapsing” market are actually selling 4 days faster than last year where the average days on the market was 41.

All in all… the market in San Francisco is cyclical. It goes up, it goes down, and then it goes back up again. January sales increase, they slow down in Spring, pick up at the end of Spring and beginning of summer, the late summer months are slow, and then September and October sales typically jump before Continue Reading

So if you’re following my steps, you are now pre-approved, and know exactly how much home you can afford in San Francisco.

Now would be a good time to pull out your wish list from Step 1 of Buying the Home That’s Right for You. And take out your loan pre-approval…. now go to your REALTOR®’s office and put together a realistic list of goals that match both Continue Reading

To my loyal readers (and random readers that visit my San Francisco real estate blog on occassion)… I just wanted to let you know that I haven’t forgotten about you, or about my blog!

I’m a full time San Francisco REALTOR® and a part time San Francisco blogger… and this week, duty calls, so the blogging is on hold. I’m busier than usual, with several properties in escrow, and a few new listings that need to be juggled too… so clients come first, and the blog comes second.

But I wanted to let you know that Continue Reading

Please join Co-Chairs, Barry R. Lipman and
Merrill L. Magowan "under the canopy" as we…

Journey to the 8th Continent

October 18, 2007
6:30 PM
The Lipman Family Lemur Forest at the San Francisco Zoo
1 Zoo Road – San Francisco, CA

Continue Reading

San Francisco is an urban city, so to pretend that crime doesn’t exist would just be silly. But last week, my neighbor’s house was broken into and burglarized, and I was still somehow surprised. I’m not sure exactly what they took, it was listed as a petty theft, but frankly, it has me, and the rest of my neighbors on edge.

Luckily, no one was home, and no one was hurt. But it got me thinking just a little more about protecting my home from a break-in, and it made me more aware of crime activity in my neighborhood (you can check on your neighborhood my looking on SF CrimeMaps) and the steps that I (or you) can take to not become a potential victim. Read on for some tips and suggestions on what you can do to protect your home. Continue Reading

I just discovered a new web site that let’s you shop for (drumroll please) title insurance. I know! This is probably the most excitement title insurance companies have seen since, well, probably ever, really.

CLTA TitleWizard(tm) lets you search title insurance rates. This new service is being brought to consumers and real estate professionals by from Closing.com and the California Land Title Association.

You might be wondering that exactly title insurance does for you. Well, Continue Reading

Below is Zephyr Real Estate’s sales data for the previous week. These are NOT properties that have closed, just listings on which a purchase agreement has been ratified and the property has gone into escrow.

It’s been a busy week, and I almost forgot to post this data today! But here it is, for your statistical pleasure. Continue Reading

If you’ve picked your agent already, they’ll be able to guide you through Step 4 of Successfully Selling your San Francisco Home. And right about now, you should be taking the first steps to get your home ready to put on the market. 

You are probably thinking about what to fix, what to paint, what to do with your furniture…. but before you do a single thing to get your home ready for the sale, Continue Reading

So you hate your landlord, or your tenant? Or maybe you own a TIC and you and your co-owners can’t seem to agree on anything? Or is your neighbor the neighborhood nuisance? No matter what the situation, Elizabeth Erhardt, a litigation attorney and partner of Sideman & Bancroft LLP will provide you with answers at the upcoming FREE public seminar sponsored by Zephyr Real Estate and yours truly. Continue Reading