Brokers USA

We Should All Be So Fortunate As To Have A Fireplace In Our Foyer

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:15:00 -0800

The listing currently notes banked owned, but we don’t think it is. And if you caught the estate sale you probably knew it was coming and might have already peeked inside. If not, here's your chance to peruse the...

Nothing A Quart Of Paint Stripper Couldn’t Fix

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:30:00 -0800

For the most part it’s a nicely restored Arts and Crafts home with "updated" baths. We only wish they hadn’t painted the woodwork in the bedrooms. Okay, and that there were another one of those baths. ∙ Listing: 53...

The Early (And Plugged-In) Bird Gets The Couch

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Okay, so we know we’re not giving you much notice but it’s the scoop and best we can do. Today, July 3rd, one of the hipper staging companies in town (Green Couch) is holding a warehouse sale. 11am to...

Thursday PM Linkage

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:55:03 -0700

["Graffiti about King Tut Exhibit at De Young Museum" courtesy Flickr user AgentAkit]

· Outlook Not Good For CitiApartments Tenants Complaining Of Illegally Withheld Deposits [SF Appeal]
· San Francisco: the eldorado of American design [Hoosta]
· National Urban Alliance with San Francisco Unified · School District in Systemic Professional Development Partnership [SFUSD]
Volunteer: Habitat Restoration at Mt. Sutro (Inner Sunset) [Fun Cheap SF]
· Examiner Editorial: Revive construction by changing building fees [An Examiner]

SF Parks Portal Baffling, and is Data Open?

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:15:11 -0700

San Francisco is soon to unveil a new website that tracks goings-on in public parks. If you're holding a public-park event, you can enter it into the website, and then (the thinking goes) users will browse around, find your details, and show up for your BBQ or whatever. Sounds like a nice enough idea, provided that they can get people to actually use it.

Frankly, we couldn't figure it out: there are eighteen different categories on the homepage (with weird titles like "social development" and "special events") and you have to fill out a form (featuring "subcategories" and multiple types of "locations") just to browse events. Most aggravating of all, there's no map! Anywhere! According to SF Weekly, no public money was spent on this visitor from 1997, so that's a relief.

And another thing! Will this be an open database or a closed database? San Francisco's databases have been plagued by secrecy issues, with supposedly-public data locked in government filing cabinets. Will this park database be accessible to sites like EveryBlock and SeeClickFix and, you know, the public? That sure would be nice, but we're not holding our breath.

· San Francisco to Unveil Parks Portal [SF Weekly]
· Cities Roll Out Easy-to-Use [sic] Online ‘Parks Portal’ [Public CEO]

Going going Gone - $10k CA Tax Credit Used Up (with a caveat)

mm@meredithmartin.com — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:24:29 -0700

So for those of you who follow me on twitter you will have seen this last week. For those of you who were trying to get that tax credit under the wire, chances are you were watching it daily - like me. My client who bought at the Arterra got his tax credit request faxed in the day before the Franchise Tax Board reported they had reached their limit of $100 million in credits issued. On Monday the FTB web site issued this new statement:

Tax Credit for New Home Purchase Important update (06/29/09):
As shown in the numbers below, we have reached $100 million in new home credit applications. Because many of these are duplicates, revised, or invalid, we plan to receive 12,000 applications. This will ensure we have more than enough valid applications to allocate the full $100 million.

These additional applications will be subject to the availability of remaining credits. Now that we have received 11,000 applications, we will update this page each business day with the total number of applications received. We will no longer accept applications once we have received 12,000, and the fax service will be disconnected. We will continue to report certificates issued on a weekly basis until the full $100 million has been allocated. We expect to complete processing all certificates inAugust. We will send a notification in response to all applications received, indicating th amount of credit allocated or denied.

Tax Credit for New Home Purchase [Franchise Tax Board]
$10,000 Reasons to Buy a New Development this Year [SFHomeBlog]
The Countdown Begins [SFHomeBlog]

Home prices down – but not as much as the month before

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:15:29 -0700

The slowing pace of decline suggests that the US housing market is moving toward stabilization.

For the first time in two years, a closely watched index of US home prices shows San Francisco posting a month-over-month gain.

The 0.6 percent gain in Bay Area prices is modest, but along with other indicators, it’s a sign that US real estate markets are beginning to move from crisis toward normalcy.

California, after all, has been one of the hardest-hit housing markets in America.

Now the state is showing some signs of improvement, and across the United States, home prices are no longer falling in such a uniform or steep fashion.

Overall, the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller index of 20 large US cities showed home prices down 0.6 percent in April – less than the 2.2 percent one-month drop it posted in March. In other words, the market may be starting to bottom out.

Some metro areas are still in much tougher shape than others, with declines in Miami and Las Vegas offsetting the positive news in San Francisco. But the slowing pace of decline suggests that the housing market is taking important steps toward stabilization.

click here for the complete story from Mark Trumbull

June City/Neighborhood Price Reductions

Tim Ellis — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:46:17 +0000

Let’s take our monthly look at which cities and towns have the most price reductions.

The following charts show the percent of MLS, FSBO or REO listings that were price-reduced at some point before leaving the market (either sold or removed unsold from the market) in the past 90 days. Cities/towns or neighborhoods in which the number of homes taken off the market was too small to provide believable estimates are excluded from ranking.

For those that are interested, I have uploaded the full data set in Excel format here. The downloadable Excel file also includes charts showing the top ten cities/towns/neighborhoods with the least reduced-price listings.

First up are the top ten cities with the most price-reduced listings:

Of the 128 cities/towns we ranked in the Bay Area this month, 23 had price-reduced ratios of fifty percent or more.

Getting a little more granular, let’s look at the top ten Bay Area neighborhoods for price reductions:

Of the 99 neighborhoods we ranked in the Bay Area this month, 13 had a price-reduced ratio of fifty percent or more. Unlike many of the other markets that Redfin serves around the country, there does not appear to be much of a correlation in the Bay Area between the median price of a neighborhood and the number of price reductions.

The general trend in the Bay Area looks to be heading slightly toward less price reductions, however every city and neighborhood is of course different. Some may be getting softer while others get tighter. Download the full spreadsheet to check where your neighborhood came in.

Dept of Real Estate issues fraud warning on Loan Mod's

mm@meredithmartin.com — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:31:53 -0700

The DRE recently issued a fraud warning alerting consumers about loan modification scams and informing consumers of what they can do to protect themselves. The alert is available in both English and Spanish. Last July, the DRE had fewer than 10 complaints involving loan modification companies; today the department has 750 pending investigations. In addition, since last October, the DRE has filed more than 200 Desist and Refrain Orders. A list of the companies and persons the DRE has filed an action against can be viewed at http://www.dre.ca.gov/cons_drs.asp.

It is worth noting that not all firms who collect advance fees for loan modification services do so illegally, the DRE said. In general, only licensed real estate brokers and attorneys operating within the scope of their license may collect advance fees. Real estate brokers must have their advance fee agreement reviewed by the DRE prior to its use to ensure it is compliant with real estate law.

C.A.R. also has learned of what appears to be a loan modification assistance program and lead generator, from a company using the legislative bill number 3648, that looks as if it’s a government entity, complete with a misleading seal closely resembling a governmental seal but that is not affiliated with the government. C.A.R. cautions all members to be on the alert for schemes seeking funds from REALTORS® or consumers with no value, or that may be misleading or unlawful. More info

California Department of Real Estate - Fraud Alert [DRE.Ca.Gov]

Daly's Draconian Renters Relief Package Passes - Mayor veto coming

mm@meredithmartin.com — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:05:44 -0700

It's basically on Beven Dufty and Sophie Maxwell who does not have to vote for now...to make sure it does not end up in a veto-proof vote. I have no problem with certain aspects of rent control (although there's a decent argument that it hurts more than it helps) - but this measure weights all the burden, including the burden of proof on one end of the population so completely I cannot believe it's even legal. Sane people do not just think that a tenant who opts to work half time - or ends up with half their income coming from under the table is not going to apply for a reduction in rent and get it - with no recourse on the property owners part...uh, where's the sanity in that?

Oh yeah, it's a Daly proposal what was I thinking...calling for sanity.

Rent Plan Promises Relief - to Lawyers [SF Buisness Times]
Proposed Laws for SF Renters + Mayor Weighs In [SFHomeBlog]
Beware of Supervisors Bearing Gifts - Jeff Woo [SFGate]

Redfin Open House Tuesday: Great Loft in SOMA

Lisa Taylor — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:06:33 +0000

Check out this loft in SOMA close to everything tomorrow, Tuesday June 9 from 2 - 4 p.m.
Open House Dates and Times
Tuesday June 9 from 2 - 4 p.m.
Sunday June 21 & 28 from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

175 Bluxome St San Francisco, CA 94107
Priced at $629,000
2 BR/1.5 BA
Listing Agent: Gina Pio Roda

Coffee shop of choice
Philz Coffee

Favorite Restaurants in the Area

Coco500
Java House

Favorite Places to Go
Ballpark, downtown shops, Embarcadero

Best Features of Your Home
Great location, high ceilings, hardwood floors

Favorite Room in the House
Family room

Any Remodeling Since You Purchased the Home

Eco Timber Brazilian cherry hardwood floors
Step-in master closet w/ shoji doors
Installed custom blinds, track lighting, stainless steel appliances, glass tub-shower doors
Custom painting

What’s in the Neighborhood
Great restaurants, Safeway/Whole Foods/Trader Joes all within a couple of blocks, Mission Bay Library, UCSF Mission Bay Campus, Mission Creek park (w/kayaks), AT&T Giants ballpark, Caltrain, Muni Rail.

What Will You Miss Most?
Easy access to EVERYTHING, Giants games and Saturday walks to the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market.