If you’ve read my blog in the past, you probably know that I’m a huge supporter of the San Francisco Zoo. In fact, I was just there this last weekend doing some volunteer work. I even spent two years working at the Zoo several years before I found my calling helping people navigate the San Francisco real estate market. The tigers were some of my favorite animals there. In the mornings, before the public got to the Zoo, I’d walk around the grounds, and I’d always take some time to watch the tigers wake up and do their morning stretches.

So it broke my heart to hear about the tragedy that happened at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day. I’ll skip the details that are rehashed in articles plastered all over the media, you can “google” those yourself if you’d like. In a nutshell, somehow, Tatiana, one of the Zoo’s Siberian Tigers, escaped from her exhibit and killed one person and injured two.

I’ll save my commentary - I find it hard to believe that there wasn’t some human involvement in the incident, but can’t speculate as to what might have actually happened. Instead, I’ll just post the statement published by the San Francisco Zoo. But before I do, I’d like to give my condolences to the family of the young man that was killed. I’d also like to give my condolences to everyone whose lives Tatiana touched at the San Francisco Zoo. I know the zookeepers and staff at the San Francisco Zoo are going through a tough time right now accepting and understanding what took place. My thoughts are with everyone who was affected by this tragedy.

Now here’s the official statement from the San Francisco Zoo.

San Francisco Zoo Statement Regarding December 25, 2007 Incident

The San Francisco Zoo wishes to express its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the victim killed in the December 25, 2007 incident involving a Siberian tiger at the San Francisco Zoo. Our thoughts are also with the two people injured and we wish them a full recovery.

At approximately 5:00 p.m. on Friday December 25, 2007, the San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco Fire Department responded to an incident involving a Siberian tiger and San Francisco Zoo guests. One guest was killed and two others were injured. The situation required that the tiger be killed. There is an ongoing police investigation, and the Zoo will also mount its own internal investigation.

Zoo Director Manuel A. Mollinedo wants to commend and express deep gratitude to the individuals involved in yesterday’s activities, including the staff and respondents from the San Francisco Police and Fire Departments.

The Zoo is closed today, December 26, 2007, while the investigation continues. We anticipate that the Zoo will reopen tomorrow from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For information please visit sfzoo.org.

Tags: Misc Musings from Your San Francisco Realtor, San Francisco News and Events by Luba
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Welcome back to the “Over, Under, At” weekly feature. It’s a simple breakdown taken from MLS data that shows the number of closed sales that sold Over Asking Price, Under Asking Price or At Asking Price.

*Just a reminder that new construction sales are rarely included in this list since they don’t get posted on the MLS.

So this post catches us up with the “Over, Under, At” stats in the San Francisco real estate market. No commentary this week, as I’m getting ready for a visit from Santa.

Here’s a quick breakdown of closed San Francisco home sales for the week from December 14 through December 21, 2007:

Single Family Homes - 28 Homes Sold

Condos/Lofts/Co-ops’s - 34 Homes Sold

TIC’s - 17 Home Sold

Tags: SF Real Estate Info for Buyers, SF Real Estate Info for Sellers, SF Real Estate Market Conditions by Luba
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Mention the year “1999″ and it doesn’t seem that long ago. I mean - we waited a long time for it - some waited for 1999 to come since Prince’s party anthem came out in 1982.

But 1999 doesn’t conjure up images of fashion faux pas that won’t ever be seen again, cars don’t look that different and aside from crazy rumors of Y2K computer glitches causing chaos and confusion across the world - life isn’t THAT different.

The biggest difference is that Bill was still president and weren’t even sure that George W. had a chance in hell of becoming the Republican presidential nominee, let alone the president. (I would have been happy to take an 8 year nap had I known then what I know now - oops! I’ve promised myself I’d stay away from political opinion in my blog - that just sorta slipped out.)

Anyhow, to put it in perspective, 1999 was only 8 years ago. But San Francisco real estate prices seem to be generations away!

When I was on vacation in Clear Lake, I was balling up some old newspapers for kindling, and ran across the SF real estate section of the S.F. Sunday Examiner & Chronicle from September 26, 1999. I laughed at some of the prices - and thought I’d share a few of the listings that I found, along with what the property would likely be listed for today. Today’s price will be based on average sale prices for similar homes in the areas - thought it’s a REALLY rough guideline, because without seeing a place in person, a REALTOR just can’t judge a property’s value. Each property is very unique and only an in-depth evaluation could really give an accurate assessment.

Now, there’s too many 199 properties to list all of them - so I figured I’d just share a few with you so you could get a little taste. Feel free to comment or ask questions if these numbers spark any feedback!

FLASHBACK TO 1999

Single Family Homes

Noe Valley $899,000 Custom blt 4+BR/4.5BA oversize lot, 3 fireplcs, social rm, game rm, atrium, Japanese style grdn & more. Today’s price: $2,100,000

Ashbury Heights $825,000 Sensational! 3+BR/1.5BA, huge eat in kitchn, frml LR & DR, decks, balconies & yrd, 1pkng plus legal 1BR Apt. Today’s price: $1,600,000

Bernal Heights $385,000 Lovely cozy 2BR, quiet street, hw flrs, liv rm, rm & ba down, terraced garden, 1 pkng, w/d & storage. Today’s price: $725,000

Richmond $465,000 Detached 2BR/2BA + sunroom, new kitch & mstr bath, refinished hw flrs, period details, multi-car gar. Today’s price: $899,000

Sunset $325,000 2BR/1BA Lvng. Rm. w/Fplc., Dining Rm., Eat-in Kitchen, Gar., Yard, By G. Gate Park! Today’s price: $749,000

Excelsior $279,000 Sharp 2BR/2BA bungalow, stylish remod. kitchen & baths + frplc, yard, 1 pkng. Today’s price: $675,000

Condos

Russian Hill $799,000 3BR/2BA/2Car Pkg. Large, Open, Bright. Today’s price: $1,250,000 and that’s without any views!

Pacific Heights $439,000 Totally remodeled, 1BR/1BA, 1pkg. Private garden, hrdwd floors. Great! Today’s price: $725,000

South Beach $339,000 “The Portside”. 1BR/1BA, pkng, pool. Today’s price: $675,000

Inner Mission $299,000 Spacious lower unit in 2 unit bldg. 2BR/2BA + master suite, liv rm, dining area, laundry rm, 1pkg. Today’s price: $725,000

So, while these examples are by no means intended to be a prediction as to what will happen in San Francisco real estate in the next 8 years, it just might be food for thought. I know people that were looking to buy in 1999 that could afford to buy a home, but decided against it because “prices were just too high!” But now that they’ve almost doubled (and in some neighborhoods, more than doubled) in the last 8 years, those same would-be buyers are now kicking themselves because they’re still renters and not homeowners.

My suggestion - if you’re serious about buying a home, don’t count on returns like the ones listed above on your investment. But you can count on a home purchase in San Francisco being a safe and sound real estate investment (especially if you plan on living there several years), and a sense of pride in owning your very own roof that’s over your very own head.

Tags: Misc Musings from Your San Francisco Realtor, SF Real Estate Info for Buyers, SF Real Estate Info for Sellers, SF Real Estate Market Conditions, San Francisco History by Luba
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Last week I noticed an article posted on MSN Real Estate titled “Rents take big jump in 3rd quarter”. In San Francisco, rents have always been damn high anyway - but with more buyers afraid to buy these days (and yes, there are plenty of qualified buyers out there reading the doom and gloom articles and waiting for them to come to fruition before they decide to spend money in San Francisco Real Estate) rental inventory is going down, and as is typical with supply and demand - rental prices are going UP!

The article points out that “The biggest rent increases came in more expensive coastal markets, where home prices have escalated over the past several years. Here, Chandan says, buyers are nervous about sliding prices, but are also put off by the continued lack of affordable housing and the rising interest rates on the jumbo loans required to purchase houses”

So instead of buying, they’re renting. And this increased demand for rentals in San Francisco has lead to an 8.4% jump in rental prices from a year ago to $1,811 on vacancy of 4.1%. This is second ONLY to New York City whose rents rose 9.1% from last year with 2.2% vacancy.

Other places the article mentions with huge increases in rental prices over last year? “San Jose, Calif. (8.8%); Seattle (7%); Orange County, Calif. (5.6%); Fairfield County, Conn. (4.6%) and northern New Jersey (4.8%) — all areas with pricey and somewhat limited housing stock.”

Coincidentally, these are ALL places where the sky still hasn’t fallen out of the real estate market. Homes in ALL of these cities are still selling, foreclosures rates are much lower than the country in general and the job market is strong. Hmm. I think this might be more than just a coincidence.

The latest statistics from SFRentStats show median rents increasing for all but 3BR properties. My guess is that those that can afford between $3500-4000 a month in rent would rather buy than rent, but that is pure speculation on my part with no data to back my opinion up.

If you have opinions, either about the SF Rental Market or about the SF Real Estate Market, I’d love to hear them.

Tags: SF Real Estate Info for Buyers, SF Real Estate Info for Sellers, SF Real Estate Market Conditions by Luba
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Welcome back to the “Over, Under, At” weekly feature. It’s a simple breakdown taken from MLS data that shows the number of closed sales that sold Over Asking Price, Under Asking Price or At Asking Price.

*Just a reminder that new construction sales are rarely included in this list since they don’t get posted on the MLS.

Allrighty… so we’re almost all caught up with the “Over, Under, At” feature. Today’s post is for the previous week, and this weekend, I’ll be posting this past week’s sales data.

As for this week’s sales data, Condos are pretty much unchanged from last week, but Single Family Home sales took a bit a jump upward, as did TIC sales. Single Family homes are doing well despite all of the predicted doom and gloom, but condos have taken a bit of a hit. For those of you that are Condo buyers - don’t wait too long for a bargain - there might be one out there waiting for you to call it “home” right now!

Here’s a quick breakdown of closed San Francisco home sales for the week from December 7 through December 14, 2007:

Single Family Homes - 49 Homes Sold

Condos/Lofts/Co-ops’s - 36 Homes Sold

TIC’s - 12 Homes Sold

Tags: SF Real Estate Info for Buyers, SF Real Estate Info for Sellers, SF Real Estate Market Conditions by Luba
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