Active Properties Districts 1-10 San Francisco

 Will 2013 be the year that sellers feel confident about selling their properties?  Well, the data shows it should be…

What we are seeing in the market currently is shocking low levels of inventory.  Every Monday morning, I pull stats on district 1-10, looking at SFR, Condos, Lofts, TICs, Stock Cooperatives and 2-4 unit buildings.  These are the properties that most people interested in a residential property are shopping for.  And while I thought that last year had low inventory, I’ve never seen it drop as low as it had recently. While we are starting to see  the beginning of the spring inventory which typically picks up after SuperBowl Sunday, let’s look at some numbers over the last few years:

As of January 21st, 2013 we are at 490 active properties

As of January 23, 2012 it was 827 active properties

As of January 24, 2011 it was 1363 active properties

As of January 25, 2010 it was 1147 active properties

As of January 26, 2009 it was 1463 active properties

As of January 21, 2008 it was 1186 active properties

So if you are a buyer looking at properties right now, you are experiencing the squeeze of the low inventory along with multiple bids on properties.  If you’re a seller or about to become one, you may well experience the benefits of this remarkable lack of properties along with low interest rates and pent up buyer demand.

This data is believed to be accurate and sourced from the SFAR MLS, but not guaranteed.This data is based on SFR, Condo, Loft, Tics, Stock Cooperatives and 2-4 unit buildings.

Rita Roti is a broker associate / assistant manager at Zephyr and can be reached at Rita@ritaroti.com

[ Posted in best performing housing markets, home values, Market Statistics, real estate san francisco, San Francisco, san francisco buying, San Francisco Real Estate, San Francisco Real Estate; real estate trends ]

FULL disclosure, I haven’t tried these – nor have any of my clients yet.  In fact they just emailed me today and I jumped all over it simply because it looks like such a practical, cost effective (and and added green benefit) to a HUGE problem here in SF.   I’m definitely not getting any kickbacks from promoting them but I can see I may need to have a test window installed in one of my listings – you know – for market research.  The company is from Portland, which already makes me like them even more….oh, those Portlandian’s always coming up with practical green solutions.  Here’s the unedited full on sales pitch…

Year-round chill poses an ongoing problem for Bay Area residents. Many of us have beautiful vintage windows that are often drafty and poorly insulated, especially notable when the weather turns cold. Indow Windows are snap-in ‘window comforters’ that provide the benefits of double-paned windows at 15% of the cost–and preserve Victorian charm. Indows are thermal inserts that are laser-tailored to each unique window and can ‘snap-in’ to existing frame interiors without structural alteration. As a result, Indows keep homes warm, slash energy costs and reduce noise pollution by up to 70%. 

 

[ Posted in Green, real estate san francisco ]

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, or in this example an extra $8580 in pocket a year.  

Tags: San Francisco Real Estate
[ Posted in interest rates, San Francisco Real Estate ]

Final day at Inman Connect, Charles Duhigg speaks about his book “The Power of Habit”

Yes, I suppose I try to make a habit of following the trends in Real Estate and technology, as I enjoy it. So this year at Inman Real Estate Connect San Francisco I did pick up lots of tips and tech news to integrate into my business and share with my colleagues, but I also enjoyed one of the last speakers of the conference which had nothing to do with technology per se.

Charles Duhigg spoke to us about his book “The Power of Habit” and as a talented presenter, illustrated his points through compelling stories. I am fascinated by how our minds work and how we can change, not just our minds, but our behaviors so I was thrilled to hear that we are most flexible during times of big transitions. So when we are getting married, divorced, having a child or moving, these can all be times of greater openness to changing habits.

In real estate, we say that we aren’t just selling a property, but a lifestyle.  And it turns out that we could be right if our clients embrace that!  Perhaps that new community you purchase your home is very walkable and you move from driving everywhere to doing most of your errands on foot or bike.  Or you create a new habit to run in the park that your new house is three blocks away from.  It is fun to think about it in those terms.

Want to get a jumpstart on creating new habits?  Here’s a flowchart from “The Power of Habit”

I’m going to listen to a piece from This American Life based on a story from the book and pick up a copy of the book!

Rita Roti is a broker associate / assistant manager at Zephyr and can be reached at Rita@ritaroti.com

[ Posted in San Francisco Real Estate; real estate trends, This American Life, Uncategorized ]

I get asked ALL the time what effect the Facebook IPO is going to have on real estate in San Francisco.  I’m usually circumspect because the truth is FB stock has been for sale for years on the secondary market, but it will have some impact no doubt.  How much…we’re soon to find out.

The Facebook Effect on Real Estate: It’s Very Real [The Basis Point]

[ Posted in FaceBook, real estate san francisco ]