I think that most of us have either been there, or – are there now:

More debt than we are comfortable with, less money than we’d like to have and no plan for getting out of a downward spiral.

Well, a former client (and someone I consider a friend) of mine that bought a home in 2008 has taken it upon herself to beat the downward spiral many Americans find themselves in.

Now, I’d like to say a few things – she’s a single woman home buyer (like more and more of my clients seem to be these days) and probably, one of the smartest and most observant women I’ve had the pleasure of working with.  (Seriously, she even got me off my butt to work on setting a budget for myself! )

But, even she found herself in a less than desireable (though far from dire) financial position.

So, she decided to create a blog to talk about the experience of the various steps she’ll be taking to get herself back on a track she’s comfortable with. 

In her blog, Unraveling Money – My Exploration of Personal finance and Productivity, she talks about her journey to getting total control of her finances. 

In the blog she says she will be:

1. Publishing a monthly breakdown of debt payoff, expenditures and perhaps income. (Note: I have been tracking my expenses now for 5 months so I have a pretty good system down.)

2. Distilling strategies for financial freedom from other personal finance writers, perhaps devising my own.

3. Exploring strategies for personal productivity and other “lifehacking” tips as time allows.

But above all else, she’s being open and honest about her journey towards financial security, and frankly, she’s inspired me to examine my own financial situation.  I find I focus more on helping my clients realize their homeownership goals than I do working on my own personal finances.

While I don’t have the time now to follow a similar path with the same gusto this very moment, I admire her strength, her ability to share and articulate her experiences and one day, I hope to follow in her footsteps.  (Yes, not only do I help my clients, but I learn from them as well! )

I help people with their personal long term wealth by guiding them through the pros and cons of buying real estate in San Francisco and how it applies to their personal financial situation, but real estate is just one small component of a financial plan. 

In her blog, my clients tackles her home loan, her credit card and other debt and even her personal financial choices that come down to the little things like not buying extra things you just don’t need.  (Yes, simple concept, but do you really NEED to buy the Sham Wow, the Ped Egg, the Montel Williams Emulsifying Blender thingy, etc.???  Probably NOT!)

I know that already, in the short time that she’s been writing her blog, I’ve been able to learn from her experience, and know that you can too!!!

Follow her on her journey by visiting her blog Unraveling Money – My Exploration of Personal finance and Productivity.  And let me know what you’re able to learn from it!  Ideally, we can all learn from each other!

Adam Greenfield recently produced a video with the Neighborhood Empowerment Network covering the first Inner Sunset farmers market back on June 7th.

As expected, the Farmer’s Market was a hit!  

As an aside, there are more Farmer’s Markets to come in San Francisco, including one coming to the Outer Sunset as well!

Adam also founded the Inner Sunset Neighborhood Group of Facebook, which he still helps run.

Through the Facebook page, several hundred members have a steady stream of information to keep in touch with the Inner Sunset neighborhood. The group also organizes monthly social gatherings, which have gotten a great response since they began last December.

The community is really taking off now. And if you live in the Inner Sunset, I’m sure you’ll enjoy being a part of it!

OK folks, I have to apologize for being gone so long without even the slightest explanation. 

At the begining of June, I had a hernia repair surgery (I actually had hernias in a few places.) 

Needless to say, I needed a few days to recover, but honestly, it took me WAY longer than I expected.  

And, in addition to just getting my strength back, I ended up with superficial thrombophlebitis of my right arm (which is basically a giant swollen hardened painful vein.) 

So, in a nutshell, this here San Francisco real estate blog and The City Update(TM) – SF’s Friendliest Real Estate Newsletter were put on hiatus. 

I still worked, but kept it light and made many more phone calls and sent many fewer emails, and unfortunately, put both the blog and the SF newsletter on hold. 

The nice thing?  Many of you actually missed me!  I got several emails asking if everything was ok!  And that folks, reminded me why I do this.

It’s not just about SF real estate, it’s about the relationships I build with my readers – both personal AND virtual. 

Postings will still be light over the next week or so, but both my hernia(s) and the painful vein in my arm are on the mend, so you should be seeing a few more postings here and there, and within another 2–3 weeks, I should be back to my normal posting schedule AND to the regular weekly edition of The City Update(TM) – SF’s Friendliest Real Estate Newsletter.