Entries Tagged as 'Misc Musings from Your San Francisco Realtor'

New Fast Facts Format Coming to a San Francisco Real Estate Blog Near You

I can’t say I always like the way the San Francisco Association of REATORS functions.  I definitely can’t stand the exorbitant fees they charge us to use the MLS and to be members (and if you’re not a member, you may as well not try to sell real estate in SF.)  And the MLS doesn’t always work as it should. And, well - I’m not here to diss them, so I’ll just stop.

The SFAR actually just did a pretty cool thing and revamped the fast facts they provide to us, REALTORS.

The SFAR hooked up with Terradatum, the award-winning real estate technology solutions company, to imprive the format of market data appearing in the Fast Facts section of REALTOR® Advantage Online each week, which I, then, share with you all.  But it’s not JUST the format that’s improving, the data itself is getting better too.  Now there will Days on Market (DOM) data as well months supply of inventory.  WOO HOO!  Seriously.  WOO HOO!

According to the email I received today from the SFAR:

Beginning with the August 12, 2008, issue of the publication, and continuing weekly thereafter, the Fast Facts section will provide a snapshot of market statistics for San Francisco and Daly City.  A different property type will be featured each week (i.e., Single Family Homes, Condo, 2-4 Units) and statistics will be given for each district 1 through 11, for the city overall (Districts 1-10) and for Daly City (District 11). 

The data Teradatum and the Association are intending to provide appears below…..

Also appearing below is a set of terms and definitions that will be used in the presentation of market data. Although it was published earlier, it is being published again so that readers can more readily understand the data fields presented.

Teradatum 07/22/08

NUMBER SOLD reflects the number of properties in the market segment that closed escrow during the month.

NUMBER FOR SALE is the number of active properties on the market for one day or more that month.

MEDIAN PRICE (SOLD) reflects the “middle” price point of a group of properties that have successfully closed escrow on a monthly basis, i.e. half sold for more and half sold for less than the median price.  Tracking the movement of median prices over time provides a good indicator of the direction market forces are moving. 

If the percentage change is positive between the two periods then there is upward pressure on prices in that market segment. If the percentage change is negative between the two periods then there is downward pressure on prices in that market segment. 

AVERAGE DAYS ON MARKET (DOM) reflects how long it has been taking (on average) to draw an offer on a reasonably priced property exposed to the market.  The AVERAGE DAYS ON MARKET is defined as:

The average number of days it took all of the properties that went under contract during the period to accept a first position offer.

MONTHS SUPPLY OF INVENTORY (MSI) is a measure of how long it would take, in months, to sell the existing inventory at the current sales rate for the specific neighborhood and property type.  The MONTHS SUPPLY OF INVENTORY is defined as:

The number of active properties on the market for one day or more that month, less the number of properties that have been withdrawn or expired, divided by the number of properties that have gone under contract for the month being measured.
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What’s the MLS Got to Hide?

Many of you know I have a San Francisco real estate newsletter.  In fact, it’s the best San Francisco real estate newsletter ever!  One of the features people love most about this newsletter is the New Listings and Recently Sold reports. 
 
But, while I was relaxing on vacation in Lake County, I got an email from my sales manager telling me the MLS board had contacted him about The City Update™.  I was told that I needed to take down the New Listings and Recently Sold reports or face fines or even worse, suspension! 
 
Someone filed a complaint with the MLS.  grrr.
 
Apparently, sharing this information with the public is against the MLS rules.  Even though you can get information about sold properties all over the internet AND sales prices are public record (anyone can get them by visiting City Hall) - the MLS rules state that REALTORS aren’t allowed to post this information on a public web site. 
This leave me with the question - why the hell is the MLS so afraid of sharing information with the public?
 
I think that the various REALTOR boards across the country have this erroneous belief that if consumers are armed with information, they won’t need REALTORS.  But I think that’s absolute BS.  One thing I really believe we need more of in this industry is transparency.  In fact, I believe that arming people with knowledge will only help our industry.  The public has a bad enough image of slimy REALTORS (and ok - maybe I’ve even met a few stereotypes in my day) and I believe that hiding information only exacerbates the problem. 
 
And frankly, just because Joe Public knows what things are selling for doesn’t give Joe the education, experience, negotiating power and expertise that can make the difference between a successful transaction and a nightmare experience.
 
So, unfortunately, in last week’s newsletter- the links to the reports will get you nowhere.  They’ve been temporarily disabled.  I’ve been working with my tech crew to create a secure way for  readers to view the data on The City Update™ while making sure that strangers can’t get it.  We’ve also been working on a way to make sure the information is less “scrapable.”  By this week’s edition, the reports will be back, and will be 100% in compliance with the MLS rules.
And if you’re not getting The City Update™, you should be.  Your can get your own free subscribtion here. 
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Open Shutter to the Past: San Francisco in Pictures - Barbary Coast (1913)

Welcome back to Photo Friday - my little way of taking a break from San Francisco Real Estate and instead blogging about our great City’s past instead. All photos are published with permission from the San Francisco History Center and San Francisco Public Library.

It’s been a busy busy week!  And it’s going to be a busy busy weekend!  I’ve been hustling to get several listings ready for market and helping several buyers on deadlines to buy homes in San Francisco.  So being that I need a little break, this week’s Photo Friday post is all about trying to break out of the daily grind have a good time.

Back in 1913, the Barbary Coast had calmed down a bit from it’s earlier days of gambling, prostitution and crime.  But it hadn’t calmed down THAT much:

NEWSCOPY:  “Such goings on! Deah, Deah! Good folks talked about the old Barbary Coast in the same way they do today, and with better reason. This is a busy street scene east of Kearny st., on Pacific, with the sin and gin mills going full blast to make the ‘hot spot of the world’ a bit hotter and more worldly.”

Even if you can’t get your hands on a Schlitz for a nickel, you can get out there and have a good time this weekend.  You can always find something to do in the City!  Be safe and have fun and have a happy Friday!

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We’re Number 1!

Ok.  So sometimes we’re number 2.  But hell, according to Curbed SF, Forbes Magazine has rated San Francisco as:

  • one of the best places to buy a home
  • one of the best places to sell a home
  • one of the best cities EVER (at least for young professionals)

Um… like… no duh!  The City is awesome. 

You can’t go wrong buying a home in SF.  As a long term investment, it’s always proved to be solid.  AND it’s just a great place to live.  (Don’t expect to turn around and sell it in a year or two and make a ton of cash.  I did say “long term investment.”)

You can’t go wrong selling a home in SF IF you bought it as a long term investment.  (If you bought in the last two years, try to hold on to it a little longer before selling.  You may very well lose money after factoring in selling costs.)

And if you’re a young professional, “long-term job opportunities, plenty of singles and impressive starting salaries” are just a few othe reasons that makes Forbes fall in love with SF.

Will Forbes’ love affair with the City by the Bay ever end?  How could it.  Even they left their heart here.

· Best Cities To Buy A Home [Forbes]

· Forbes lathers “best city” praise on SF Forbes lathers “best city” praise on SF [Curbed SF]

· The Good News: SF Second Best for Home Sellers [Curbed SF]

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Open Shutter to the Past: San Francisco in Pictures - Ocean Beach Cleanup (1948)

 

Welcome back to Photo Friday - my little way of taking a break from San Francisco Real Estate and instead blogging about our great City’s past instead. All photos are published with permission from the San Francisco History Center and San Francisco Public Library.

The word around the weather channels is that this weekend is going to be NICE in the City!  Today, the weather is supposed to hit the mid 80’s in parts of SF.

And when the weather heats up around SF,  people in flock to Ocean Beach to cool down.  Unfortunately, these same beachgoers bring with them trash, bottles, cigarette butts and general filth.  A photo I took with my cameraphone on a hot April day gives you an idea of the aftermath

And apparently, people have been trashing the beach since long before I was born. 

Today’s Photo Friday shows the “Sand Cleanup Machine!”  The newscopy that went with the photo in 1948:

“BEACH CLEANUP STARTS-There shouldn’t be any broken glass, cigaret [sic] butts or other annoying refuse in the sands of Ocean Beach any more, now that the city’s new sifting and cleaning machine is in action. The device, which cost $9433, went to work yesterday afternoon. It will take a month to go through all the sand from the zoo to the Cliff House.”

Hmmm… I’m not sure how well the machine really worked, but if people trashed the beach then like they do now, I’m guessing that machine wore out after just a few days of cleaning. 

Anyhow - it’s too nice outside to be writing long blog posts, so this about wraps things up for the day.  Get out there and enjoy the nice weather!

Oh, and please, if you do come to the beach to escape from the heat in the rest of the City, please - be coureous and take your trash with you when you leave. 

Thanks and Happy Friday! :-)

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