ActiveRain SFRealEstateBuzz

San Francisco Disclosures needn't be daunting, although they can look that way the first time you see them. In our market, the disclosure package made available to buyers in advance of writing an offer can be quite thick, especially if the home is a condominium-- because they usually contain a co...

To some, these terms may seem elementary, but Scott Godzyk, a Realtor in New Hampshire, explains them in a bit more detail and explains their consequences. His point about 'pre-foreclosure' is especially well taken. Worth a read.THE BANK OWNED DICTIONARYIf you are looking at bank owned homes, the...

This Pay it Forward is happening without my even trying. . . . here is what I did: I recently went to my little rental building and emptied out the washing machine of the quarters. I don't do this often so I get a lot of quarters. My practice is to fill a little coin purse with them and keep them...

An Ode to the Elfa Closet System. Closet space in San Francisco is a premium because Victorians didn't have much in the way of clothes and what they did have they preferred to store in armoires. My latest buyer can only fit her current season's clothes inside her house. The rest has to go in the ...

The typical condo disclosure package has a standard list that we ask from our sellers when listing a condominium. If you live in a smaller building you may not have these precise documents, so please don't worry if some of them don't exist:•1.      Codes, Covenants and Restrictions (aka CC&Rs) •2...

My 2011 Business Plan is sticking to two basic principles. Both are defined by acronyms. The first is K-I-S-S or "Keep It Simple Stupid." This concept is pretty self-explanatory. The other is S-M-A-R-T-- Specific. Measurable. Action-Oriented. Realistic. Time-Defined. Here's what these terms mean ...

Cynthia Larsen asks what may seem like a rude question, but it's a necessary one in this market. I always know why my sellers want to sell, but I also always ask when showing a home. A seller who wants to sell because they are 'ready for a change' may not listen to my offer, while a seller who ne...

It's Not Apples to Apples when pricing a home, especially when one of the homes is a whole lot bigger. Like the condo our client wanted to sell. It was larger than the other units in her building, but not necessarily worth a whole lot more than the smaller units that had recently sold. Her place ...

OK, I'll admit it-- I never ate at Ike's sandwich place  when it was at 16th and Sanchez because I hate crowds and lines. I'm told  the "Dirty Secret Sauce" and home made bread make it worth the wait, but  I don't care if Alice Waters is serving her goat cheese salad for free: I'm simply not goin...

Trulia has predicted that San Francisco is one of the 10 real estate markets that will thrive in 2011. Here's why: 1. We're an overlooked micro-market.  Most real estate statistical reports lump us into an entire region that includes about a half-dozen other Bay Area Counties. Sorry-- but you jus...