Available Now! The “Realistic Guide To Buying A Home In San Francisco in 2024”

February 8, 2024

Let’s face it. 2023 was just a weird year in residential real estate. The Fed raised interest rates 11 times over the last two years, making potential mortgages and payments much more expensive. There continues to be a severe shortage of new housing being built. And it is very difficult to find available housing for […]

How Much is that Mello-Roos? A Comprehensive Guide on Mello-Roos in San Francisco Real Estate

November 30, 2023

If you are considering buying a home in San Francisco, budgeting for your monthly housing payment will include budgeting for property taxes. The primary determinant of your tax bill will be the purchase price of your property, which is taxed at about a rate of .0118%/year. A substantial addition to these bills for some homes […]

Can I Sell My ADU? Exploring the Newly Enacted AB 1033 Law

November 8, 2023

What do you do with your ADU? Until AB 1033 and AB976, you didn’t owner occupy them! Because they were already occupied by tenants or your in-laws, grandparents, or extended family or friends. Until now, accessory dwelling unit – aka efficiency flat, in-law unit, granny flat, or just plain ole ADU – occupancy has so […]

When an Escrow is an Impound Account

July 12, 2023

Escrow or Impound? Some loan scenarios require the buyer to have an impound account with their mortgage. These impound accounts are often also referred to as escrows or escrow accounts, but these escrows aren’t those escrows. For other loans, an impound/escrow account is an option. What is an impound account and should you get one? […]

Can I AirBnB my SF Condo?

July 10, 2023

We are often asked by buyers considering a condo, TIC, or stock cooperative purchase if they will be able to use their new home as a short-term rental. The answer is almost always: No, no you may not.    Short Term Rentals in SF Condos, TICs, Stock Cooperatives The use of your home in a […]

Living On Yerba Buena Island – The Yerba Buena Island Ferry – Matt On The Move

March 13, 2023

A new ferry service just opened, serving Yerba Buena and Treasure Islands. Matt went to see what the new ferry experience was like, and all the changes happening on #YBI. ⁠ San Francisco’s newest neighborhood is located in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, on Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island. The Treasure Island […]

Real Estate Racism in California, Proposition 14, Housing Discrimination, and an Apology from CAR

February 2, 2023

San Francisco homes for sale in 2023 have a story that goes with them, from the home to the neighborhood to the people that developed and built it to all of its past owners. Some of those stories are recently written, like the newly developed Mission Bay neighborhood. Other neighborhoods, like St. Francis Wood or […]

Interior Bedrooms in Your San Francisco Home – The Pros and Cons

October 6, 2022

Meet the Interior Bedroom It’s pretty well known that real estate professionals; developers, builders, and agents can be optimistic and exuberant when marketing their properties. A layout I’d never seen in two decades debuted around 2015 at The Rockwell, a condo building in Lower Pacific Heights. Residence 901 was the first two-bedroom layout I’d seen […]

Bigler Avenue, the Clarendon Heights Avenue That Isn’t

September 20, 2022

The homes on Belgrave Avenue in Cole Valley did not exist until developed as part of the Clarendon Heights neighborhood on the northern slope of Twin Peaks. Why does Cole Street dead-endsat the base of a rocky cliff while Stanyan and Shrader dead-end at a two-block street that goes from a hike/bike trailhead at Sutro […]

Will SF Bay Area Housing Prices Drop?

September 14, 2022

Everyone has been asking me what’s up with the market, will SF and bay area housing prices drop? While I have no crystal ball, this is what I know: Real estate is exceptional (unlike other goods), and real estate stats eventually reduce to the three basics of  how many, how much, and how long: How […]

Using Terrazzo In Your San Francisco Home

September 12, 2022

From venetians to victorians, terrazzo tile has been in and out of style more times than San Francisco has foggy days and bad press on Fox-aganda “news”. What is Terrazzo? Terrazzo tile is a low-maintenance material that is: A composite made from types of stone such as marble, granite, quartz, glass, and more… Held together […]

Understanding Mello Roos Property Tax & Fees with Proposition 19

September 3, 2022

There are many factors to consider when you buy a house. Price…location…school district…type of loan…  One more issue you’ll want to understand before you buy in California: Mello Roos. Understanding Mello Roos is critical if you’re new to the area, and come from a part of the country that doesn’t have the same kinds of rules, […]