Our Blog

The Latest Market Stats–Curious?

Well, the latest market information, through the month of November, is available.  Curious? Read on! Bay Area Housing Inventory Again Posted a Solid Increase in November Executive Summary: Overall Bay Area home sales (single-family homes and condominiums) declined by 17 percent year over year in November, with all counties and price ranges posting decreases. Year to date, total 2018 sales are 5 percent below last year; however, sales of homes priced higher than $1 million are still trending above 2017 levels. Some communities — particularly Marin County’s San Anselmo and a few others in San Mateo and Contra Costa counties — continued to post more sales compared with last year. Inventory...

read more

Latest Housing Market Stats

Well, as we near the end of 2018, we have the latest market statistics for your consideration. These should help you decide on buying or selling a home in the Bay Area. Read on! Executive Summary: Overall Bay Area home sales (single-family homes and condominiums) declined by 17 percent year over year in November, with all counties and price ranges posting decreases. Year to date, total 2018 sales are 5 percent below last year; however, sales of homes priced higher than $1 million are still trending above 2017 levels. Some communities — particularly Marin County’s San Anselmo and a few others in San Mateo and Contra Costa counties — continued to post more sales compared with last year....

read more

Good News! Most Folks Like Their Neighbors!

One important thing when buying  home is how your neighbors are--are they friendly, helpful, welcoming to the area or NOT?  Recent surveys indicate that often the answer is positive. Curious?  Read on. THREE-QUARTERS OF HOMEOWNERS SAY THEY HAVE GOOD NEIGHBORS Here is some promising news for anyone who is planning a move: There’s a better-than-average change that you’ll like your new neighbors. Realtor.com’s 2018 Good Neighbors Report found that 77 percent of Americans think that they have good neighbors, compared with just 7 percent who believe the opposite. Males are more likely (82 percent) to say they like their neighbors than females (72 percent), and those age 55 and older have...

read more

Like Wine Credit Scores Improve With Age

I'm sure you've all heard the old expression that wine improves with age.  Well, recent research indicates that the same is frequently the case with people's credit scores.  Curious? Then read on. Millennials have the lowest average credit score of any age group (634) while members of the silent generation have the highest (734). Homebuyers with fair credit scores will pay nearly $30,000 more over the life of a mortgage than those with very good ratings. Older Americans have better credit scores in part because of lower child-care costs and student debt, and many may not have such expenses at all. Back in the summer, an Experian study found that 61 percent of millennials lack a prime...

read more

What’s YOUR House Worth?

Following up on my earlier post today, you may be curious as to your own home's value in the current market.  How to find out?  Well, it's never an exact science, but one easy (for you) way is to pick up the telephone.  Call us! We'd be happy to come by, take a thorough look at your home and, based on the current status of the market, give you our best estimate of its value.  Our numbers: Peter: (415) 279-6466; Jane: (415) 531-4091.  We look forward to hearing from you!

read more

Bay Market Slows–LA’s Moves Forward

Well, the longstanding rivalry between the Bay Area and LA continues--even in real estate.  As the Bay's has pulled back in valuations, LA's has continued to expand. • Luxury home sales took a pause in the third quarter after a strong second quarter, particularly in the Bay Area, although they were in line with seasonal trends seen in prior years. • While Los Angeles luxury home sales have generally trended higher since 2016, the Bay Area saw a dip in luxury sales in 2017 followed by a 2018 rebound. • Luxury buyer sentiment was stronger in Los Angeles in the third quarter than in the Bay Area, with an improved list-price-to-sales-price ratio and fewer days on the market. • Bay Area luxury...

read more

Home Prices to Moderate–Not Drop–in 2019

California’s median single-family home sales price is expected to hit $593,400 by the end of next year, an annual gain of 3.1 percent. More than one-third of homebuyers in the Bay Area and Southern California are forecast to leave the county in which they resided this year. In 2019, California’s gross domestic product is projected to grow by 2.4 percent, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.3 percent.   Golden State home price appreciation is projected to slow to a six-year low in 2019, although rising mortgage rates will reduce affordability even further. The California Association of Realtors’ 2019 Housing Market Forecast expects that the median single-family home price...

read more

Save Money–Downsize!

Today, everyone's looking for ways to save money.  One ne way is to downsize your residence.  Curious? Read on! Downsizing by two bedrooms in San Francisco can save owners as much as $677,500. Selling a five-bedroom home then buying a three-bedroom home saves six figures in 19 of 20 major California cities.   Many Golden State baby boomers and other empty-nesters may no longer need that spacious home they bought when they were raising a family, and a recent study may give them a significant incentive to downsize. A PropertyShark study published last month determines how much homeowners in 20 major California cities can save by purchasing a smaller home. The report calculates the...

read more

Something to Be Proud Of

In the true American tradition, diversity, what state is the most diverse? Answer: California.  Read on to see how we are so diverse and the benefits of this status. A new study names California as the most diverse state in the U.S., scoring a 70.89 on a 100-point scale based on six major criteria. California ranks as the most culturally diverse state in the country. A separate study released in the spring ranked Los Angeles and Long Beach among America’s 10 most diverse cities.   The United States is a nation that was built on embracing diversity, and nowhere exemplifies this most American of principles more than California. That’s according to a new analysis from WalletHub, which...

read more