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If you’re at Fort Point today, you’re probably a tourist or you’re wearing a wetsuit!

This photo from 1890 is from the Golden Gate Recreation area from Above Fort Point – but if you notice, something is missing.  It’s big, it’s red, and it’s being retrofitted right now!  (Yes, it’s the Golden Gate Bridge if you hadn’t guessed.)

Fort Point was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1853 and 1861 to prevent entrance of a hostile fleet into San Francisco Bay during the Civil War.  Between 1933 and 1937 the Fort was used as a base of operations for the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Today, it’s not just a place to go and explore history, but it’s also one of the most unique surfing destinations in the world.

The photo is brought to us courtesy of Bennett Hall, and was hand-tinted by him as well.  It comes from his collection of San Francisco Images, the original photo is mostly like attributed to Taber/Watkins

This image is on display publicly at Momos Restaurant and in the US District Courts Exhibits at 450 Golden Gate Ave
US District Courts  San Francisco Bay Area • Community History exhibits, 2002-2011.

A little bit about the guy kind enough to provide us with such an awesome pic:

Bennett Hall, San Francisco native, photographer and design, operates a San Francisco studio dedicated to sustainable U.S. forested custom picture framing at lower prices for everyone.  Currently, Hall is selling his 30-year collection of framed and unframed San Francisco, and world historical photography, personal art photography and other collectible pieces at clearance prices.  Services for businesses are emphazed through Hall’s company Business Image Group, creating graphical environments that express the culture, history and marketing messages of his clients.

Many of you remember the historic Firehouse 33 at 117 Broad.  This unique San Francisco property had a long history on the market while the search for new owners, ready to respect the building’s history and integrity, were sought out.  In 2010, when I took over the listing of this unusual San Francisco home, the property was featured on Yahoo.com in their real estate and finance sections, NY Times , Zillow, Curbed SF, CNN Money, and SFGate, JUST to name a FEW!

And after 3 years (and 5 agents before me), I can proudly say that I helped sell Firehouse 33 for $875,000 in December!  The new owners, also in love with the integrity of the Firehouse, have promised to cherish and preserve its history!

But, the story of the Firehouse and its place in San Francisco history isn’t completely over!

Robert and Marilyn Katzman, the sellers of Firehouse 33 after living there for 33 years, had hoped to find someone that was ready to slide into their entire fiery lifestyle, which included the Firehouse, the memorabilia and their amazing World Famous San Francisco Fire Engine Tour Business. However, the new owners of Firehouse 33 already had careers they loved and they had their own furnishings.

And so, once the Firehouse sold, it was time to finish the rest of this chapter for the Katzmans.  They had an estate sale so mind-blowing that it was even covered by the California Home & Design Blog, and this took care of the memorabilia.  But San Francisco Fire Engine Tours & Adventures still has not found the right owner.

They started the business in 1998 and in a short time the business’ popularity had spread like a wildfire all over the world.

Featured in guide books worldwide in a variety of languages and featured on The Travel Channel, regional travel shows, on airline arrival films, news & magazine travel articles and web sites, create an ongoing demand for this tour.  But it is the AMAZING word of mouth advertising that REALLY separates this tour business from the rest!  And now, it’ll be much more affordable for the right person(s) to step into the Katzman’s fireboots… and make it their own!

So now, with two big parts of this chapter of the Katzman’s firelife complete, they have decided that the best way to sell a fire related business is, well, to have a FIRE SALE!

The business (when it was listed together with the Firehouse) was listed at $249,000.  But as of today, the Katzman’s will entertain offers starting at $125,000!!! Yes folks, that’s 50% off!

To further entice you, here’s a little note from the Katzmans to give you a glimpse into the life they’ve enjoyed while running the San Francisco Fire Engine Tour Business:

“It was our dream to become part of the fabric of San Francisco. We Love This Beautiful City and we had always loved taking friends and visitors on adventures. When The Big Red Shiny ’55 Mack Fire Engine came into our lives, our entrepreneurial spirit kicked into high gear.  We knew there was something magical about this Fire Engine and we were right .  Everyday is filled with smiles and happiness and to be able to make a living having so much fun has been a dream come true”.

So, if you have always dreamed of making a living entertaining people in your own unique show on wheels (or maybe just got bit by the bug while reading this post) please give me a shout! Whether you have lots of personality, energy and desire OR just have the talent to hire the right people to work for you, this may very well be the opportunity of a lifetime for you!

It’s the perfect time of the year to get up to speed before “the season”.     And at 50% off, you can now afford to get behind the wheel of the amazing San Francisco Fire Engine Tour Business yourself!

I’ve always had a soft spot for cows.  In fact, I envy those with the willpower to be vegetarians.  I even tried it.  Granted, it was only for a week, but I love meat.  I love beef.   But I definitely love cows.  (And yes, I’m  just city slicker enough to make “MOO” noises at them when I drive by them on the back roads of the Bay Area.)

And well, given the state of our current urban environment, it’s hard to believe there was a Ranch in Glen Park.  Even harder to believe that there were ranches and farms all over San Francisco, but I’ll tell you more about that some other day.

I found this photo taken in Glen Canyon where the Good Brother Dairy, among several other dairy companies, had dairy farms.  The notes attached to this photo read:

“Valborg C. Tietz, owner of picture below. The lady pictured was my mother-in-law: Elise Beneke, who later married Alexander William Tietz in 1910. Her husband Alexander Tietz was crushed by 2 railroad cars at the Santa Fe yards in 1920, where he worked. He was taken out beyond the ‘Three-mile Limit’ where he was found. There never was anyone charged with throwing the wrong switch. The family was paid $9000 for his death by the Santa Fe R. R. She never re-married, and lived with her son Wilhelm or ‘Bill,’ who was my husband. We married in 1955. She lived with us for 25 years, and died at age 86 in 1976. This picture was taken of her in the Glen Canyon, where there was a dairy for years. The cows were quite tame, as you can see. The Good Brothers owned the dairy.”

“ca. 1910. originally part of the San Miguel Rancho, by the 1890?s there were several dairies located in the Glen Park Canyon. (Loaned to the San Francisco Public Library by Mrs. Tietz)”.

Poor Mr. Tietz.  I’m kind of curious how you can be crushed by not one, but TWO railroad cars, but I think I probably don’t want to know the answer to that.

I hope you have a safe and happy weekend!  And be sure stay away from railroad cars. 

Cliff House & Ocean Beach Panorama, 1903 from Richmond SF Blog on Vimeo.

I’ve got my FOURTH cold of the year.  Yeah.  I’m thinking of buying stock in Nyquil. 

But in between blowing my nose and wiping the water pouring from my eyes, the one thing that is keeping me sane is being able to work from home while I watch the ocean from my window (which you can coincidentally do too if you buy my listings at 2458-2460 Great Highway - and as a bonus, you’ll be my neighbor! )

I also happened to find some cool videofootage from the Richmond SF Blog of Ocean Beach back in the days when appropriate beach apparel was a 3 piece suite instead of a wetsuit. 

Since I love San Francisco history, and I LOVE Ocean Beach, I thought I’d share the video here.

And a fat “high-five” the Richmond SF Blog folks for finding this awesome footage!  Keep it coming!!!

Oh, and coincidentally, there’s a clean-up scheduled at Ocean Beach on January 31st at 9am.  From the invite:

Starting at Lincoln Blvd. and moving south, we will pick up the trash that has been deposited by the recent large storm swells on the beach. There is ALOT of very small plastic and styrofoam that is VERY hazardous to the environment and animal life on la playa. Please join us; bags and gloves will be provided.

SF Department of Public Works Map from 1997

I was digging through emails that I meant to get to “one day” on my quest to someday address all the things on my “to do” list when I stumbled upon an awesome map that Mark Pfeiffer, reader of The City Update(TM) – San Francisco’s Friendliest Real Estate Newsletter, sent to me MONTHS ago!!!  Geez – I knew I was behind, but not THAT behind!!!!

Mark wrote:

Hi Luba,

I like your newsletter.  I thought you might be interested in the attached map of San Francisco Neighborhoods that was put out by the Department of Public Works in 1997.  My wife has worked for “the city” for 35 years, in DPW and now PUC, and she gave me a copy of  this map when it first came out.  I’ve searched the DPW web site and have been unable to locate it, so I scanned it.  I’m sorry about the cropping, but my copy is in 8^1/4”x17” format.

v/r Mark

Thanks, Mark!!!  The map is AWESOME!  And I haven’t had time yet, but I’d like to see how it lines up with the SFAR map.

San Francisco Association of Realtors Map

I’d also LOVE to know if anyone has a more current map???  Anyone in DPW now???  Email me if you do!

And for that matter, email me if you come across ANYTHING cool and San Francisco related! Readers don’t just want to read about San Francisco Real Estate, they want to read about San Francisco!  Right?

As I do every most months, I ran the latest San Francisco real estate sales figures from the month of August for you.  Last month I published three month’s of data, but this time, here’s the data for August, raw and unfiltered, just how you like it.

This month, as is common for August, volume is down from July across the board.  The other numbers, including days on market, median sales price and percentage where all across the board.  Another reason sales volume might be lower might have something to do with lenders taking their sweet ass time closing deals.  They seem to like to throw up a lot of road blocks these days, but if you’re a good agent and happen to have internal GPS (the kind that lets you think outside of the box so you can still get deals closed), you just look for a safe detour and keep driving the speed limit.  Yes, it’s a weird analogy, but believe me, it fits. 

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 about 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 August 1, 2009 through August 31, 2009:

Single Family Homes

• 196 Homes Sold
• Median Sale Price was $705,000
• Minimum Sale Price was $170,000
• Maximum Sale Price was $5,500,000
• Median Selling Price was 101% of asking price
• Median Days on Market was 40
• Median Selling Price for homes that sold within 30 days was 104% of asking price

Condominiums, Lofts & Co-ops

• 151 Homes Sold
• Median Sale Price was $712,000
• Minimum Sale Price was $135,000
• Maximum Sale Price was $6,000,000
• Median Selling Price was 98% of asking price
• Median Days on Market was 71
• Median Selling Price for homes that sold within 30 days was 98.5% of asking price

TIC’s

• 31 Homes Sold
• Median Sale Price was $508,000
• Minimum Sale Price was $299,000
• Maximum Sale Price was $1,340,000
• Median Selling Price was 99% of asking price
• Median Days on Market was 68
• Median Selling Price for homes that sold within 30 days was 98.5% of asking price

If you’re like me, you LOVE San Francisco history.  Photos tend to make me especially nostalgic. 

So I’ve always enjoyed the San Francisco Images Web Gallery.  And that means that I was extra excited to tell you about San Francisco Images.

They’ve been around for a little while, but recently redesigned their web galleries.  San Francisco Images features an expanding range of photographic images from San Francisco, the Bay Area, California and around the world. Their historical images are exceptional, San Francisco especially, and include a unique hand-tinted collection.  The new interface makes it easy to select and design a custom frame on-line and (who doesn’t love to hear this part), everything is value priced for 2009!  Orders are shipped from out-of state so they are also tax free.  Or, if you prefer to work with a local vendor and help California earn a little extra cash with your sales tax dollars, they will also custom frame the work locally at their San Francisco shop, Eco-framing, www.eco-framing.com

A little note from Bennett Hall, one of the companies owners:

All images are scanned at high resolution and digitally refined to museum standards suitable for large reproductions for your home or office.

We also design and produce custom projects for your business – if you would like to explore this, let me know you ideas.  We offer on-site consultations, scanning, images restoration, hand-tinting, graphic design, exhibit production, and publishing services.

I know, I know, I’m a few months behind.  But things have been hectic to say the least.  So this month, I’m catching up, and putting all the numbers into one concise little post for you.  And while I don’t plan on doing it this way every month, it might be a nice little break to stack the months up against each other and see if we can find a trend. 

So, across the board, sales volume is up month over month.  As a Realtor, that makes me excited.  Single family home prices have increased month over month, condo prices have fallen and TIC prices (which do have a much smaller sample, so statistics are less accurate.)  In a nutshell, the San Francisco real estate market is all over the place.  Stay tuned in to the blog the next few days for some details of what I’ve been seeing take place in the crazy world of the SF market.

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 about 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 May 1, 2009 through July 31, 2009:

Want to know a little secret?  I know where you can find the largest permanent exhibit on San Francisco History anywhere.

Distributed over 4 floors at the top of 450 Golden Gate, the program details the tales of the City from 1850′s through the construction of the TransAmerica Pyramid. Vignettes feature the Panama Pacific Exposition of 1915, the creation of the Bay Bridge, Treasure Island,the 1939 Golden Gate Exposition, the Palace Hotel, the Earthquake and Fire of 1906, the Cliff House and Sutro Bathes, Civic Center, Recreation, Districts around town, the Waterfront, transportation and cablecars, the City’s great hotels, notable characters, as well as selected content from others areas around the 9th District the Court serves. Each images has a detailed narrative telling the story behind the picture.

The program was conceived as a gift to the public from the Court, led by Judge Breyer in San Francisco and Judge Seeborg in San Jose. The intent was to express the integration of Courts with the community, providing education heritage content, foregoing conventional decorative art for the interior walls. Displays are located throughout the public space of the San Francisco and San Jose building, as well as chambers and Jury Rooms. The project started by considering the Jurist experience in the deliberation rooms, which often were windowless.

Business Image group, led by Bennett Hall, design and developed the content, accompanying narrative, refined the often faded original images and framed and install the pieces through his production company in San Francisco, Eco-Framing.  Each photograph was digitally mastered at the highest possible resolution.

Remember to bring your ID when you visit – it is a Federal building and security check-points are at the entrance

Carriage Entrance of the Palace Hotel, originally uploaded on by Bennet Hall

It’s Photo Friday again here on Luba’s San Francisco Real Estate Blog! 

This photo is sort of a early-days shot of valet service.  According to SF Images “the Carriage Entrance of the Palace Hotel was used for grand entrances upon its opening in 1876. The area was renovated to become a restaurant due to guests’ complaints over the smell of manure.”

I’ve had bad valet service before, but never did the valets smell like manure.

This week’s photo was brought to you by Bennet Hall but if you love the image, or a variety of other historical SF Images, you can get them yourself, in a variety of sizes, to hang on your very own wall.   

Don’t forget to check back next week for another glimpse of San Francisco.

And if you’d like to throw your photos into the pool of candidates for my SF Photo Friday collection, tag your SF Photos from Flickr with LubaSF.

Happy Friday!