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All You Ever Need to Know About SF House Hunting in 4 Simple Infographics. Everything's a Trade-Off!

9/19/2014

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The peeps at The Bold Italic totally nailed it! Four charts sum up everything about the SF renting game...but it applies to buying too! Doesn't matter if you are renting/buying nor what price range, you can't have it all here! 
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SF Housing Standards vs Rest of Nation...As Food Portions! Yum!

9/11/2014

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We are so bored with all the real estate infographics about San Francisco real estate gone bonkers. But this one is great. It takes the cake! It is only fitting a city so obsessed with food and homes would inspire a comparison chart like this! Good job, The Bold Italic!
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The San Francisco Rent Explosion Ain't No Joke. It's Real Folks! 

8/13/2014

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Our friends at Priceonomics  are tracking just how hot the SF rental market is. They are calling it a rent explosion! Below are the updated averages for a 1bd in the City by the Bay, broken down by neighborhood and year-over-year. 
The Changing Landscape of the City
Long time San Francisco residents will notice something strange in the above charts: historically inexpensive neighborhoods, especially downtown and the surrounding areas, are now some of the most expensive...Over the past year, rents have continued to increase, but not uniformly. Asking rents have increased tremendously downtown, mid-market, and in the southern part of the city that offers the shortest commutes to the South Bay.

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Niche Interiors Interview Herman Chan about SF Luxury Homes 

8/13/2014

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Niche Interiors sits down with Herman Chan to pick his brain the San Francisco Luxury Real Estate and Design Market! Find out the answers these pressing questions on their site! 


  • What are the biggest mistakes you see on the exterior of luxury homes on the market?
  • What are the top three things homeowners can do to make the best first impression?
  • Would you recommend the same improvements in Pacific Heights as you would in Noe Valley, Piedmont or Palo Alto? Are there regional trends sellers should pay attention to? 

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Bad News for Millennials! SF is Least Affordable Place to Rent in the Nation...And East Bay Ain't Much Better! 

7/31/2014

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Curbed SF is saying Millennials are paying top dollar to live in the City by the Bay, but it's not sustainable! 
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San Francisco has become a hotbed for millennials. According to new research from real estate website RealtyTrac, between 2007 and 2013 the city saw a 68 percent increase in its population of millennials...RealtyTrac then tells us what we already pretty much knew: San Francisco is the least affordable city for buying a house and the fourth-least-affordable city for renting.
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3 of the Top 10 Most Expensive ZIP Codes Are in SF Bay Area, Median Home Price Over $3 Million

7/3/2014

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Citylab crunches Zillow data & finds:
Ten percent of ZIP codes in the San Jose metro have median home values of more than $2 million....In the Bay Area... housing has become so expensive that much of the middle class has been effectively priced out of home-ownership. Forty-four ZIP codes have median home values above $1 million, just nine have median home values below $300,000, and not a single ZIP code has a median home value below $200,000. 
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SF Bay Area Rents Rocket WAY Past Incomes!  

7/2/2014

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Wall Street Journal says:
Rent growth exceeded 6% over the past year in San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle....But household incomes have stagnated, resulting in a financial squeeze for a growing number of renters. 
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SF Bay Area Home Prices Shot Up 18% in 1 Year....and 42% in past 2 Years! Nope, That Ain't a Typo!

6/25/2014

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SF Business Times says of the 5 inner Bay Area counties, prices are up 18% since last. Interesting that some places are 14% beneath the 2006 peak,  but some places are soared past the peak. With the exception of Berkeley and SF (urban meccas & always desirable), notice the other cities they mention below all have excellent school districts. 
Prices shot up during the tech boom in the late 1990s then dropped after the bust. They peaked even higher in 2006 before hitting a recession low in 2011. They have been on the upswing again, but as of April, the region as a whole is still 14 percent lower than its previous peak in May 2006.

That's not true everywhere. Several cities in the region have already zoomed past previous peaks such as San Francisco, Fremont, Berkeley, San Mateo, Redwood City, Alameda, Pleasanton, Menlo Park, Foster City and Lafayette.

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To Get A Home in San Francisco, First Get A $140,000-A-Year Job...The Struggle Is Real!! 

5/20/2014

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Wall Street Journal Reports:
What kind of job do you need to afford a good house in San Francisco? One that pays around $140,000 a year before taxes, according to a new report from financial publisher HSH Associates....And even then you’ll be unable to qualify for a good number of homes on the market. That salary makes the City by the Bay the least affordable major city in the country
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Clutch My Pearls! Pacific Heights 2 Bedroom Sells for $1.405M...OVER List Price (That's 70% over!)

5/7/2014

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Utter insanity! A San Francisco home just sold for $3.4M. That's normal...except that it only had 2 bedrooms and was listed at $1.995M. It soared 70% OVER the asking price. Geez! 


Sellers market is escalating to dizzying heights here! Those poor buyers out there can't catch a break. 




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Don't Blink! San Francisco Bay Area Waits for No One! Top 3 Fastest  Moving Markets Are Right Here! 

4/29/2014

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Business Insider's got the scope! 
The fastest-moving markets had a lower percentage of homes still listed after the two-month period, while the slowest-moving markets had a higher percentage. 

Trulia found that the top three markets were Oakland, San Jose, and San Francisco — all major tech hubs where rising rents and gentrification have been hot topics as of late. In all three of these metros, only roughly a third of the homes that were listed in February were still for sale in April. Nationally, the rate was about 55%. 

They also found that the fastest-moving markets had the highest gains in prices, with year-over-year increases well over the national average of 10%.

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San Francisco Mechanic Sold His AutoShop Building for $9M & You Know The Buyer Is a Condo Developer! (It's the Mission)

4/28/2014

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ABC News reports:
(KGO) -- One of San Francisco's newest millionaires is not the inventor of a clever new start-up, he's a mechanic who cashed in on the city's soaring real estate market.

The sale of the Mission District building also means the auto shop that was there is gone. It's the latest in a series of businesses to close lately, all on Mission Street.

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Like It or Not, What They're Saying About SF is True...Prices & Rents Soar in Past Decade! 

3/20/2014

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Property Shark did some investigatin' and found that what they're saying about SF is true. Prices and rents be soaring! 
They looked at every home that was sold in the years 2003 and 2013, then compared the median sale prices, adjusting the 2003 prices for inflation.

What they found from comparing the more than 6,000 transactions completed in San Francisco in 2003, and the 8,000 done in 2013, was that prices are indeed on the rise in most parts of the city.  


"It's a very hot, hot market, and this really underscores everything else everyone is talking about in San Francisco," Jorisch said. "Whether it's the rental market or sales market, there's not much available in San Francisco, and if you're intending to live there, it's costly. It's the best example of supply and demand out there." 
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My Property Beat Radio Interview! Secret Tips For Buyers in SF, Where's Market Headed & Whats 'Price to Entice' About?

3/20/2014

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New Real Estate Podcasts with The Property Beat on BlogTalkRadio
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Real Estate talk show hosts Cliff Perotti & Lisa Perotti  had me on their program The Property Beat...and boy what fun! These 2 grilled me about what's happening in this outrageous SF market, how I started videoblogging and more!  

Tune into the show to find out my answers to:

1.   What are the challenges you see for a first time home buyer in SF today?

2.   What do you think about the market today vs. last year… is it better, flat or not as good?

3.  what advice do you give a buyer who’s writing an offer in a multiple offer situation?

4.   So, is your notoriety helping your clients? Or is it helping you get clients?

5.   We’re seeing some agents out there that like to price a property on the low side, in an effort to generate overbid frenzy. Do you recommend this strategy for a seller today?

6.   What are the top three things you think a seller can do to maximize the selling price of their home?



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Did Rent in Your San Francisco 'Hood Go Up or Down in 1 Year? 

3/2/2014

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Zumper crunched their numbers and found the rental increases weren't city wide since January 2013!  Marina, SOMA, Dogpatch, Bernal Heights saw highest gains. But some places went down, contrary to popular belief. 
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Walkscore.com Ranks San Francisco As 2nd Best City to Live Car-Free After NYC (But Just By 1 Point! We Catching Up!) 

1/28/2014

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I've increasingly seen my clients pay a premium to be close to things to do, eateries, amenities and just life! (especially my Millenial and baby boomers clients). No one wants to drive 20 minutes just to get a latte!  Now there's proof from Walkscore.com
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From WALKSCORE.COM: 
Living Near Public Transit

There’s growing evidence that buying a house or renting an apartment near public transit is a smart idea.

  • First, it’s likely a better investment.  The National Association of Realtors found that home values performed 42% better when they were located near public transit1.  In Boston, a recent study showed that home prices near public transit outperformed the region by 129%2.
  • Living near public transit saves you money. The average American spends $9,859 per year on their car3. Did you know this is the equivalent of a $135,000 mortgage?!  Transportation is the second largest expense for American households4.
  • And living near good public transit might just make you happier5 — after all, nobody likes being stuck in traffic.
Are WalkScores important to you when buying a place?
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SHOCK STATS: For Each Mile Further You Go From SF, Rents Drop $17!!...The Struggle is REAL in SF! 

1/27/2014

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Modern Luxury breaks down the cheapest and priciest rents around San Francisco: "According to a simple linear regression we ran, for every mile that you move away from San Francisco, you save $17 a month on rent."
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Least Expensive
10. City: Rohnert Park
Average Rent: $1,382
Region: North Bay
Distance to SF: 48.2 miles

9. City: Concord
Average Rent: $1,375
Region: East Bay
Distance to SF: 30.8 miles

8. City: San Leandro
Average Rent: $1,305
Region: East Bay
Distance to SF: 21.3 miles

7. City: Richmond
Average Rent: $ 1,305
Region: East Bay
Distance to SF: 18.1 miles

6. City: Pittsburg
Average Rent: $1,278
Region: East Bay
Distance to SF: 40.9 miles

5. City: San Pablo
Average Rent: $ 1,266
Region: East Bay
Distance to SF: 19.9 miles

4. City: Vacaville
Average Rent: $ 1211
Region: East Bay
Distance to SF: 54.4 miles

3. City: Fairfield
Average Rent: $1,172
Region: East Bay
Distance to SF: 47.1 miles

2. City: Vallejo
Average Rent: $1,148
Region: East Bay
Distance to SF: 31.9 miles

1. City: Antioch
Average Rent: $1,120
Region: East Bay
Distance to SF: 45.3 miles

Most Expensive
10. City: Mountain View
Average Rent: $ 2,362
Region: South Bay
Distance to SF: 38.1 miles

9. City: San Mateo
Average Rent: $2,397
Region: South Bay
Distance to SF: 19.5 miles

8. City: Redwood City
Average Rent: $2,437
Region: South Bay
Distance to SF: 26.5 miles

7. City: San Bruno
Average Rent: $ 2,479
Region: South Bay
Distance to SF: 12.1 miles

6. City: Berkeley
Average Rent: $2,502
Region: East Bay
Distance to SF: 13.9 miles

5. City: Cupertino
Average Rent: $2,539
Region: South Bay
Distance to SF: 46.3 miles

4. City: Los Gatos
Average Rent: $2,540
Region: South Bay
Distance to SF: 53.9 miles

3. City: Foster City
Average Rent: $2,584
Region: South Bay
Distance to SF: 22.0 miles

2. City: Palo Alto
Average Rent: $3,013
Region: South Bay
Distance to SF: 33.7 miles

1. City: San Francisco
Average Rent: $3,056
Region: West Bay
Distance to SF: 0 miles




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Danielle Steele Defends Her Wall of Shrubs Around Her Pacific Heights Compound. It IS Impenetrable (I Sold Home Next Door. We did Try to Peek!!) 

1/9/2014

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From SFist.com:
 Catherine Bigelow chatted with the noted scribe about the "comically off-putting" shrubs in front of her limestone Pac Heights palace, Steel had this to say: "Sometimes I think San Francisco hates successful people ... No matter what I do, people say nasty stuff. I mean, the world is falling apart and people complain about my hedge. It's a mystery."
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Clutch My Pearls! SF Didn't Even Crack Top 10 Gayest Cities...Are We Losing Our Edge?! 

1/8/2014

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The Advocate placed San Francisco as 11th Gayest City in America!? People are all up in arms about this, but if you think about it, is it because gays are so inter-woven in the fabric of SF that it's just not that big a deal anymore?....Or is the methodology just screwed up?!...Probably both. HA!  Did your city make the list? 
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Gulp! Brace Yourself! SF real estate boom: Taller buildings, steeper prices (Video)

12/27/2013

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OH NO! Another Casualty of SF Astronomical Rent: Haight’s Homeless Youth Drop-in Center Shutting Down. What About the Children?!

12/22/2013

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This is sad. The Homeless Youth Alliance is closing down this Xmas. The owners of the building terminated their lease, and plan to bring in a new commercial tenant.  A city needs safe havens for homeless youngsters! My friend Steve Elias came to SF with nothing and stayed here while he got on his feet.  He since went on to become a highly renowned stylist & is now Editor-In-Chief of TANTALUM Magazine. Not sure if that would have happened if he didn't have a place to crash temporarily. 
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When Tech Companies Rename Downtown San Francisco as #CloudCorridor, It's Cool. When Realtors Rename Area, They Are Slammed! WTH?

10/23/2013

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When realtors rename a neighborhood, all hell breaks loose! (ie, check out this scathing Bold Italic article about NOBE in Oakland)   But when tech companies do it, they get praised to high heaven! What's up with that?!  BuzzFeed has more.
SF Examiner:
It’s a concentration of more than 50 cloud-computing companies that have set up shop between Market Street and AT&T Park. Today’s Cloud Corridor is roughly located in what used to be called the Multimedia Gulch during the first dot-com era. Names come and go. But with our digital lives moving to the cloud, these techies claim their innovations will determine the future as much as Silicon Valley has transformed our lives already.

Such impact requires a memorable name.

Is Cloud Corridor a marketing ploy? Sure. But so was Silicon Valley. No one called it that until 1971. The media forever branded it the place where cool stuff happens.

Names matter because any city that gets to coin the zeitgeist’s next big tech destination will enjoy economic benefits for decades to come. Based on the venture capital dollars flowing into San Francisco, we’re already being called the “new” Silicon Valley. But we deserve a unique name.

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SF Chronicle Selects My Photo For #HowSFseesSF! 

9/3/2013

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San Francisco Chronicle Herman Chan Realtor
I was so flattered when Jeff Elder (San Francisco Chronicle's social media guy) approached me: They wanted to feature my image! SFgate.com started a new Instagram gallery #HowSFseesSF: "An SFGate project letting San Franciscans capture The City their way."  

Over 3,000 pics posted & they picked just 30, including mine! OK, guys, this has given me the courage to greenlight a project I'm secretly working on. Stay tuned! Meanwhile, follow me on Instagram.com/hermanity PLZ! 

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New SF Oakland Bay Bridge Debuts Against Backdrop of Old Bridge

9/3/2013

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San Francisco Oakland Bridge shot by Herman Chan Realtor
Photo Credit: Herman Chan
The new Bay Bridge just opened and I drove across it to snap this photo! It did take 11 yrs and $6.4B, but I think it was worth it. It's about time we got a trophy bridge, eh?  Atlantic Cities:
The new span of the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland has been under construction for 11 years, during which time it grew to become the largest public works project in California history. At final tally, the construction cost $6.4 billion, five times what the bill looked like a decade ago. And in all that time, the project has been famously dogged by political controversy, construction delays, and engineering flaws.
Below is a cool timelapse video of the construction!
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San Francisco Sellers Are Freaks! Check Out Mirrors Above Bed! 

9/3/2013

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I would hate to think what would happen during an earthquake while you were boinking....Ouch! This 608 sq ft junior 1 bedroom (aka "studio") condo at the Opera Plaza is for sale at$419,000. This is going to make an ideal mid-day love nest for some downtown exec. You know who you are! ...Oh wait, there aren't even curtains to cover up your modesty. An exhibitionist's dream home!   
SF Condo | herman chan realtor luxsfhomes.com
SF Condo | herman chan realtor luxsfhomes.com
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