A lot of you found thisblog (both regular folks and industry professionals from near and far) thanks to the contest hosted at theFrontSteps.com. If that’s the case, don’t expect the newsletter to be sexy.  Unless, of course, you find real estate (and community) updates writtten by a chick that doesn’t take herself to seriously and likes to provide her clients and the public at large with as much transparent information about our industry as possible sexy!  If you do, you’re in luck, because this San Francisco real estate blog can get pretty sexy that way!

In addition to winning the contest over at theFrontSteps.com, I achieved something else I consider to be even more spectacular in 2009 – Top Producer status at Zephyr Real Estate.  As many of you know, 2009 was a rough year for the real estate business.  There were a lot of ups and a lot of downs.  It was like one long roller coaster ride.  And as usual, I carefully selected the people that I took on the ride with me.  To be frank, I don’t have the time, energy or inclination to work with rude, unrealistic, arrogant, mean-spirited or stubborn clients.  (There are a few other adjectives I could use, but they’re not fit to print!)  I keep my client base small so that (1) it’s manageable and (2) I can pick and choose to work with people that are a joy to work with!  I always say that I love what I do for a living, and that I can only continue to love what I do by working with good people.    So considering that I passed up business several times in 2009, achieving Trop Producer status is something I’m pretty proud of this year.

The other thing I realized this year was just how important it was to stay true to myself.  I work twice as hard as many SF agents, I play twice as hard as many SF agents, and I am pretty real about my personal life, whether talking about the loss of my dogs in this blog, or my back tattoo.  (You can get an update on the back tattoo here.)

Point being, while a lot of agents struggled in 2009 to figure out how to make ends meet, I struggled in 2009 to find ways to be true to myself. I fired clients, passed up business and let people know more about me – not just as an SF Realtor, but as a human being.   Because frankly, if you don’t like who I am as a human being, you shouldn’t consider trusting me to help you with some of the biggest financial decisions of your life.

So, overall, 2009 ended up not being such a bad year afterall.  I not only managed to stay true to myself, to get a little recognition through a rather silly (but fun) contest and to share more of personality with blog readers and clients alike, but I also managed to do so while being a successful real estate agent during a rather crappy time. 

And most importantly, I had a good time doing it.  I had fun with my clients, helped my friends, created some amazing relationships and made a living enjoying (almost) every minute.  (My struggles with the MLS still give me gray hairs.)

And all in all, when looking back at what 2009 brought, I’m looking forward to 2010.  It’s already off to a great start.  I have a few clients that may have found their dream homes, and a few listings you’ll be hearing more about in the near future.  AND, I know that I’ll have a good time helping good people achieve their San Francisco real estate goals.

So, here’s to a healthy and prosperous year to all of us!  May 2010 and the decade ahead bring us good times, good friends and lots of laughter!  And if a real estate opportunity presents itself along the way, give me a holler - we might just find ourselves creating some warm memories on the way to achieving your real estate goals. 

For those of you that like your SF real estate market data without commentary, here ya go. Take a look, check it out, come to your own conclusions. Or – you can always ask me questions.

Single-Family Homes

Condos

2-4 Units

* * * * *

Data provided by Terradatum.

Yet again, Luba’s San Francisco Real Estate Blog brings you latest San Francisco Real Estate market report here. (You can also view previous market updates by selecting the archives on the upper right portion of the screen). Heres’s a little glimpse of the report:

Median Price for Homes Up Year-over-Year

The median price of single-family, re-sale homes in San Francisco saw prices up, year-over-year, for the third month in a row. The median price was up 6.6% compared to last December.

Sales of single-family, re-sale homes rose 2.7% last month compared to November, and were up 46.6% year-over-year. That’s the sixth month in a row year-over-year sales have been higher than the year before. For the year, home sales were up 4.3%. See the Annual Report for full details on 2009.

We expect sales to be strong through the Spring selling season because of the extension, and expansion, of the first-time home buyers tax credit of $8,000 for buying a principal residence. First-time buyer is a buyer who has not owned a principal residence in the three-year period prior to the purchase. There are some income limits. For full information, see: http://federalhousingtaxcredit.com.

In addition, the tax credit was expanded to include move-up buyers. The tax credit for move-up buyers is $6,500.  A move-up buyer is a person who has owned and resided in the same home for at least five consecutive years of the eight years prior to the purchase date. Again, for full info, see the web site cited above.

P.S. The tax credit expires April 30th. You need to have a signed contract by then and close the sale within 60 days to qualify for the credit.

Condo/loft sales were up 5.8% month-over-month, and up 64.2% compared to December 2008. This is the fifth month in a row condo/loft sales have been up year-over-year. For the year, condo/loft sales were down 6.4%.

The median price for lofts/condos in San Francisco gained 5.2% from November, but was up 7.6% year-over-year. This is the first the median price has been higher than the year before since last August 2008.

Read on for full details.

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 12/07/09 – 1/07/10

Well folks, this is the first post of 2010!

We’ve officially made it through the first decade of the millenium.   The first 10 years brought up some pretty intense ups and downs. 

From terrorist attacks, to economic bust and boom cycles, to a new president to housing bubbles and bursting bubbles, the first decade of the millenium wasn’t boring, to say the least.

And real estate, in San Francisco and beyond, has had one hell of a ride. 

San Francisco, unlike most of the country, didn’t see home prices fluctuate through as many highs and lows as the rest of the US.  But we, too, saw some changes. 

Shoot, the MLS in 2001 showed just FOUR single family home sales.  (In case you didn’t read into that statement properly that DOESN”T mean there were just four sales - it means the MLS as we know it was new.  Yes, before the MLS, people were able to buy and sell houses.  In fact, there are days when I think google could do a better job of helping Realtors sell houses than our high priced association – but that’s a different post altogether.)

Point being, we’re in a new year and a new decade, and we’re all wondering where things will end go (and if your reading this blog, you are especially wondering about SF real estate.)  And considering how much things have changed over the last decade, there’s just no way to tell! 

The San Francisco real estate market depends on too many things. 

Is the economy really as stable as the Fed says it is?

Will the tax credit be extended past April, and if not, will it impact home sales? 

Will interest rates stay low or will they continue the upward trend we’ve seen over the last few weeks?

NO ONE KNOWS!

The reality is that there are too many unknowns to guess whether the market rebound we have seen in recent months will continue.  I guess it comes down to individual circumstances.  It might be the right time for you to buy or sell, or it might REALLY be the wrong time to do either.  It all depends on what your needs, goals, lifestyle, job, budget, etc. dictate.

What will 2010 bring????

I don’t know.  I don’t have a crystal ball.

So how do you know what you should do about YOUR real estate goals for 2010? 

Well, you can start by calling a real estate professional.  You know, someone like me. :-)   

If you have certain real estate related goals for 2010, you can give me a call (415-307-1392) or email me at luba@zephyrsf.com and we can sit down and discuss them and work through them together! 

But whether or not home sales or purchases are part of your plan for the next decade, I wish you and yours the best for the next 10 years. 

May the next decade be the best one yet!  Here’s to health, good times and prosperity to all of you loyal readers!