You heard me right! You can come and ice skate at the San Francisco Zoo this year! Of course, that’s in addition to visiting the reindeer, taking a spin on the Carousel, taking a ride on the puffer train and getting to know the zoo’s residents a little better.

From the SF Zoo’s December 2007 Animail Newsletter:

ICE SKATING JOINS REINDEER ROMP FOR A HOLIDAY CELEBRATION!
Now until New Year’s Day

Celebrate the magic of the holidays at the 3rd Annual Reindeer Romp! Come to the San Francisco Zoo this holiday season to see Santa’s reindeer and slide, glide and twirl on the ice skating rink. Holly, Velvet, Belle and Peppermint have landed once again to bring the spirit of the season to children of all ages. Families, couples and ice skating enthusiasts will delight in taking to the ice at the Zoo’s first-ever holiday ice skating rink. Make special holiday plans to gather your family and friends to come ice skating, meet Santa’s reindeer, design antlers to wear, enjoy holiday entertainment on December weekends, and even watch other Zoo animals enjoy holiday treats! You won’t want to miss these “en-DEER-ing” creatures. Be the first ever to ice skate at the San Francisco Zoo!

And don’t forget – I donate a portion of every commission I earn to the San Francisco Zoo, another great institution that makes San Francisco a fabulous place to live!

Homeowners all over the country are stuggling with foreclosures and short sales. Even San Francisco real estate is not immune from the drastic mortgage market conditions that have forced homeowners to lose their homes. So SF homeowners should take advantage of every resource available, even if it’s not local, and even if it’s not perfect. Here’s the scoop:

Courtesy of the San Francisco Association of REALTORS

HOPE NOW Provides Support and Guidance for Homeowners

A group consisting of banks and major lenders has been formed under the name HOPE NOW to head off what is expected to be a tsunami of foreclosures by expanding and improving assistance to troubled mortgagors.

The new group was announced by the federal government and participating lenders last month. HOPE NOW participants include Bank of America, Citigroup Inc., Countrywide Financial Corp., Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, First Horizon National Corp., GMAC ResCap, HSBC North America Holdings Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co, National City, Option One Mortgage, SunTrust Mortgage Inc., Washington Mutual Inc., and Wells Fargo & Co.

The group has established a website (www.hopenow.com) which, at present, is not particularly helpful. Among other things, it provides links to helpful information and recommends several approved credit counselors. However, according to Secretary Paulson, participating lenders soon will be sending out direct mail to borrowers to help them understand the available services and the companies have been asked to establish a model which includes a toll-free phone number, email address, and fax number.

In addition, The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has established a Foreclosure Prevention Resource Center on its consumer education site (www.homeloanlearningcenter.com).

The site is part of MBA’s effort to advise those who may face trouble making their loan payment to contact their loan servicer as soon as possible to determine if an alternative to foreclosure may be possible based on the borrower’s financial and employment status.

The site is bi-lingual and includes a listing of major loan servicers and their contact information as well as a guide to the “Things to Know When You Contact Your Lender” so that borrowers having difficulty making mortgage payments can begin an informed dialogue with their servicer about potential solutions.

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.

I’m skipping my commentary this week because I’ve been swamped and don’t have time to really analyze the data for you… but I didn’t want to put this post off, especially since I found out that there are some people that actually read this feature (Hi Jesse!) OK, so I guess that means at least one person.

So this week, it’s “just the facts ma’am” or sir. And the facts are that there were WAY more closed sales this week than last week… guess no one wanted to close during the week of Thanksgiving and some of those sales that would have closed last week have rolled over to this week.

Here’s a quick breakdown of closed San Francisco home sales for the week from November 24 through November 30, 2007:

Single Family Homes –
51 Homes Sold

Condos/Lofts/Co-ops’s –
42 Homes Sold

TIC’s –
7 Home Sold

So November has ended. We’re done scrambling to get ready for Thanksgiving, and we’re now scrambling to get ready for the rest of the year end holidays that happen to all fall at the end of December. But what the end of November REALLY means is that this San Francisco REALTOR can now pass on the latest SF Home Sales statistics to you for the entire month of November.

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 and 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 November 1, 2007 through November 30, 2007:

Single Family Homes

• 172 Homes Sold
• Median Sale Price was $927,500
• Minimum Sale Price was $275,000
• Maximum Sale Price was $7,950,000
• Median Selling Price was 103% of asking price
• Median Days on Market was 32
• Median Selling Price for homes that sold within 30 days was 105% of asking price

Condominiums, Lofts & Co-ops

• 177 Homes Sold
• Median Sale Price was $766,000
• Minimum Sale Price was $210,000
• Maximum Sale Price was $7,000,000
• Median Selling Price was 101% of asking price
• Median Days on Market was 39
  
• Median Selling Price for homes that sold within 30 days was 104% of asking price

TIC’s

• 37 Homes Sold
• Median Sale Price was $639,000
• Minimum Sale Price was $259,000
• Maximum Sale Price was $1,375,000
• Median Selling Price was 103% of asking price
• Median Days on Market was 46
  
• Median Selling Price for homes that sold within 30 days was 105% of asking price
  

So, you’re sitting at home complaining about the nuisance in your neighborhood… whether it’s an unsafe intersection where people speed through the stop signs going 50mph, the giant new development coming to your block that will block half of your block’s sunshine, or the homeless camp down the block from your home (I’m not insensitive to homeless issues, but having a lot of folks without “permanent addresses” can bring some serious problems to a neighborhood), you might have plenty of good reasons to complain. But how about actually getting involved and doing something about it?

You CAN be a part of the solution. Most neighborhoods in San Francisco have a neighborhood community group, and every police station has a monthly meeting where you can come and meet your neighbors and bring up concerns with your local police Captain. Below is a list of of neighborhood community group information, as well as a schedule for the monthly meetings at the police stations.

Before attending the meetings listed below, please check the groups’ contacts, or check with the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice where this list was originally posted.

Standing Neighborhood Meetings

16th Street/Mission Public Safety Task Force
2nd Tuesday of the month, 10 am
1885 Walden House, 2nd Floor | Mission Street between 15th and 16th
Contact: Emily Classen: emily@micocosf.org

Alamo Square Neighborhood Association
4th Monday of Each Month, 7PM
1399 McAllister Street, Basement

Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center:
Youth Violence Prevention Group Discussion Meetings:
Every 2nd Tuesday of the month, 6:00 -7:00 PM
4468 Mission Street, Greater Mission Consortium (GMC)

Cole Valley Improvement Association
1st Monday of Each Month
Call (415) 431-1414 or email cviasf@aol.com for Time and Location.

Community Leadership Alliance
Community Advocacy Commission, Monthly meetings, City Hall Room 034
Tenderloin Public Safety Committee, and Informational Forums, Monthly meetings. Tenderloin Police Station Community Room.
For further information contact: David Villa-Lobos at (415) 921-4192 or admin@CommunityLeadershipAlliance.net

Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association
2nd Monday of EVERY OTHER MONTH, 7PM
CA Pacific Medical Center, Davies Camps, 45 Castro Street

East Mission Improvement Association
2nd Tuesday of the month, 7-8 pm
SF General Hospital, 1001 Potrero Avenue – Hospital Bldg. Room 2A6
Judy Berkowitz (415) 824-0617, sfjberk@mac.com| Milt Gaines, miltgaines@comcast.net

Friends of Boeddeker Park
2nd Tuesday of the month, 3:30-4:30 pm
Boedekker Recreation Center, 240 Eddy Street
Plan Park events, activities and improvements.
Contact: Betty Traynor
Btraynor@rcn.com; 415-552-4866

Haight Ashbury Improvement Association
3rd Wednesday of Each Month, 6:30PM
Urban School, 1563 Page St.

Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association
3rd Thursday of Each Month, 7:00 PM
First Baptist Church, 7 Octavia St.

Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council
2nd Thursday of Each Month, 7PM-9PM
Park Branch Library, 1833 Page St

Haight Ashbury Service Association
Contact Caitlin Henry caitlinh@safetynetwork.org for Time & Location

Inner Sunset/Haight Ashbury Senior Central
3rd Thursday of Each Month.
Call (415) 682-2810 for time and location (Park or Taraval SFPD station).

Inner & Outer Sunset District Advisory Council (DAC) Meeting
Thursday, July 26, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Taraval Police Station Community Room, 2345 -24th Ave.@ Taraval St.
Get together with service providers and community members in the Sunset District to voice out your concerns and opinions, and get informed district news!

Japanese Cultural Community Center
Last Wednesday of Each Month, 7PM
1840 Sutter Street, 3rd Floor Exhibit Hall

Japan town Merchants Association
3rd Thursday of EVERY ODD Numbered Month, 11AM
Kimochi Building, 1715 Buchanan

Lower 24th Street Association
1st Monday of the month, 6:30 pm
L’s Caffe, 24th Street @ Bryant
Contact: Erick Arguello: lower24thst@aol.com

Mid-Market Project Area Committee (PAC)
Second Wednesday of the month, 5:30-7:30 p.m. (canceled in November)
Ramada Plaza Hotel, 1231 Market St @ 8th St
Addresses Market Street redevelopment and improvement issues from 5th to 8th Street
Contact: Carolyn Diamond, 362-2500

Mission Merchants Association
3rd Tuesday of the month – Rotating location
www.missionmerchants.com

Mission Parents
Last Saturday of the month, please contact for more information
The Mission is for families. The Mission Parents Group brings together parents, neighbors, and friends commited to making the Mission a healthy place to raise kids.
To subscribe email: missionparents-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
For more info: Email Kate Pavao at katepavao@yahoo.com

North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association
3rd Thursday of Every Other Month 7:30PM
Cafe Neon, 1801 McAllister Street

Oak Fillmore Neighborhood Association
2nd Tuesday of Each Month, 7PM
Call (415) 255-0665 for Location

Richmond Community Coalition Quarterly Breakfast
Every fourth Tuesday of each quarter, 8:30 am to 10 am
Richmond Community Coalition, St. James, California St. @ 9th Ave.
Sample topic on April 25: “Please come hear the results of the Richmond District YMCA’s recent Community Needs Assessment. This will be an opportunity to learn about the most recent demographics of the community and find out what you, the community, identified as our greatest needs. Light refreshment provided.
Please call Kitty Ha at 415-668-5955 x 375 for more information

Rincon Point South Beach Citizens’ Advisory Committee
Third Monday of every other month, 5:00 p.m.
South Beach Harbor, Embarcadero at Pier 40
The ballpark is a standing item on the agenda, and representatives from the ballpark attend every meeting.
To be added to the mailing list: e-mail Deborah Lucero: Deborah.lucero@sfgov.org

SF-5 Together
1st Wednesday of Each Month, 7PM-9:30PM
Northern Police Station, 1125 Fillmore St.

South of Market Project Area Committee (SOMPAC)
Third Monday of the month, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
SOMPAC Office, 1035 Folsom St, between 6th and 7th Sts.
SOMPAC provides advice, recommendations, and direction to the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency for the revitalization of the South of Market Redevelopment Project Area (roughly 5th to 7th and Harrison to Stevenson Streets).
Contact: 487-2166 or www.sompac.com

SOMA Leadership Council Meeting
Third Wednesday of the month, 6:00 p.m.
The Arc of San Francisco, 1500 Howard St @ 11th St.
The SOMA Leadership Council hosts a monthly discussion of good planning and good government, particularly as they apply to the South of Market. The membership of the council includes a broad spectrum of stake-holders. Meetings open to the general public. Contact: Jim Meko, 624-4309 or visit web.mac.com/jimmeko/iWeb/SoMaLeadershipCouncil/Welcome.html

Sunset District Neighborhood Coalition
Where: Taraval Police Station, Community Room, 2345 24th Ave
The Sunset District Neighborhood Coalition (SDNC) meets monthly to discuss local issues, share neighborhood resources and plan community projects such as the Sunset Community Festival , the Rebuild Sunset Playground Campaign and the Pedestrian Safety Project.
Contact Susan Suval for more information: call 415-665-5579 or email: sunsetfestival@sbcglobal.net

Stanyan Fell Neighborhood Association
2nd Thursday of Each Month, 6:30PM.
Call (415) 221-5567 for location

Sunset Heights Association of Responsible People
Last Tuesday of the Month, 7:00 p.m.
173 9th Ave (Between Moraga and Noriega)

Tenderloin Futures Collaborative (TFC)
Second Wednesday of the month at 10:00 a.m.
Tenderloin Police Station Community Room, 301 Eddy St
TFC is a network of residents, non-profit organizations, and businesses that share information and address neighborhood development issues.
The Tenderloin Futures Collaborative has a new website at www.tlfutures.org.
Contact: Tomiquia Moss, 358-3909, or Glenda Hope, 928-6209

Waller Street Association
1st Thursday of Each Month
Call (415) 252-1550 for Time and Location.

West of Divisadero Emergency Preparedness Committee
4th Tuesday of Each Month, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Boys & Girls Club, 1950 Page St.

Westside Neighbors to End Homelessness Monthly Meeting
First Monday of the month unless otherwise noted 6:30 p.m.
Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center, 3925 Noriega Street
The Westside Neighbors to End Homelessness is a coalition of residents from the west side of San Francisco (Richmond and Sunset districts) which advocate for and serve the growing numbers of homeless individuals in the districts.

SFPD Community Forum Meetings

Central: 3rd Thursday of the month at 6:00 pm
660 Lombard Street

Southern: 4th Monday of the month at 6:00 pm
Yerba Buena Gardens

Bayview: 1st Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm
201 William St. (Bayview Station)

Mission: Last Tuesday of the month at 6:00 pm
630 Valencia Street (Mission Station)

Northern: 2nd Thursday of the month at 6:00 pm
1125 Fillmore (Northern Station)

Park: Last Thursday of the month at 6:00 pm
1899 Waller Street (Park Station)

Richmond: 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm
461 6th Ave (Richmond Station)

Ingleside: 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm
1 John Young Lane (Ingleside Station)

Taraval: 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm
2345 24th Avenue (Taraval Station)

Tenderloin: Last Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm
301 Eddy Street (Tenderloin Station)

It’s happening all across the country, and even in the San Francisco real estate market. Adjustable loan rates are resetting, and people are losing their homes. While it’s not anywhere near as prevalent in San Francisco as it is in hard hit areas, there are definitely short sales in foreclosures here in SF and it’s because the low teaser rate homeowners for themselves into over the last few years have reset and are too high for homeowners to afford.

Unfortunately, many homeowners wait until it’s too late to do anything about the problem. In fact, many short sales could have been avoided had the homeowners taken a preemptive approach. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Monica DiPerna of Guarantee Mortgage gives homeowners a few tips on how to keep themselves out of hot water.

LOCK IN AN AFFORDABLE RATE BEFORE THE ADJUSTABLES MOVE UP NEXT YEAR

Why should you consider refinancing sooner rather than later? Because, based on current market behavior, rates that adjust will likely be significantly higher. Don’t risk getting stuck with a very high interest loan (possibly in the 8′s once the adjustable kicks in) when you can lock in a more reasonable rate now.

Please read below to understand the potential interest rate climate we face:

Market Overview

During these volatile times in the market, we have undergone a recent shift in the Bond Yield. Because of the sentiment with bond traders, money has flowed into the bond market. Investors are seeking a high degree of safety right now. This means that rates have gone down a bit during this window. What economists are concerned about is beginning early 2008, in which many loans will become adjustable. This means that if you have a rate of 4.75%, which many of you do, your rate could jump up to 8.5 or higher. Most likely it will not jump up that high, but it will jump up by at least 2.75%. Many of you will face rates in the low 7′s or 8′s if rates continue to stay at their current levels. If rates move up, it could be worse when your rate is due to adjust.

There are subtle factors that indicate that rates have a chance of rising next year or two:

1. Falling dollar could cause inflation which directly affects rates.
2. Federal debt levels are out of control and will eventually lead to higher rates
3. Oil prices are close to $90 a barrel
4. Elections are one year away. Rates could definitely move higher with a change of government.
5. Banks have lost a great deal of money due to the Sub Prime Bad Credit Mortgage Loans. Next year, when millions of people must refinance their adjustable rate mortgages, the banks are going to be less inclined to lower their rates due to the added stress they have felt these last few months. Most likely, the lenders will make up the money they lost during the Reset Period.

Is it worth gambling your financial future to see if rates stay the same when your Reset Date occurs? We, at Guarantee Mortgage, believe it is wise to refinance soon while rates are low to avoid any surprises. If Bernanke decides to cut rates the next couple of Fed Meetings, we may really have an opportunity to lock into some great rates.

Please contact me anytime to discuss your particular situation and to explore options that fit your needs best. If you have friends or family that are facing this situation, please send them a link to this post so that they can use this information to plan their financial strategy.

San Francisco may recycle more of its waste than any City in the US – resulting in 65% overall diversion of waste from the landfill. But during the holiday season, even San Franciscans are prone to create their (more than) fair share of excess waste.

I don’t remember where I read this, so don’t quote me on this… but I believe that in the U.S., we create up to 4 tons of waste just from the wrapping and packaging of holiday presents every year. That figure doesn’t even take into account the gazillions of toys that break the day after Christmas or the kazillions of somewhat useless gifts that are given and sit on a shelf until they eventually end up in the trash can.

But, there are lots of ways that you can help be a part of the solution and not the problem. Here’s just a few ideas:

• Send e-cards this year – Sending electronic greetings can greatly reduce the amount of paper that gets wasted during the holidays. While they may seem less personal, you can at least send them to all but your closest friends. And if you do send real greeting cards, make sure they are made with recycled content
• Get creative with your wrapping material – I’ve been on this kick for years. I try to always give my gifts in packaging that is not just recycled or recyclable, but is actually reusable. I’ve wrapped presents in scarves, table cloths, clothing or have gone out of my way to find boxes that I know people will reuse. But if you aren’t that creative, or don’t want to spend a ton on wrapping material, try using reused wrapping paper (yes, I unwrap my packages slowly and carefully for a reason), or comic strips, or even brown paper bags wrapped with string (and yes, you should have “These are a few of my Favorite Things” playing in your head right now!).
• Give gifts that don’t require wrappinig – Small gifts such as gift cards or concert tickets don’t require much wrapping paper, and can be shoved into that recycled gift card you’re giving to the recipient. You can also give people the gift of giving – that’s right. You can donate money to a worthy cause in the name of the recipient. There are even websites that allow you to buy a “gift certificate” for your recipient, and let them choose the charity is ends up going to.
• Recycle your tree - There are plenty of things that be done with your tree after the holiday season is over: chipping (chippings are used for various things from mulch to hiking trails); beachfront erosion prevention, lake and river shoreline stabilization, fish habitat, and river delta sedimentation management to name a few things.

There are plenty of other things you can do to keep your holiday green. You can check out the EPA’s site to get some more ideas. But don’t stop there. Rethink your usual holiday patterns and see how you can do your part to reduce some of the waste we create!