theFrontSteps – San Francisco

What is it exactly that makes that room a bedroom? The question has come across my email enough, and actually I think I even posted on it at some point. Well, it’s resurfaced and maybe time to hash it out, as the opinions on what makes a room a bedroom are anything but concrete. The [...]

Congratulations to Philz Coffee! You have been voted Best Coffee (House) in San Francisco by the people of the internets. The competition was linked to around the world, and we have to say Philz not only got tons of nods during the first round of nominations, but they also swept the voting when thousands more [...]

From a reader: Dear theFrontSteps, After TWO YEARS of intensive search and questioning and hunting ….we closed yesterday on our refinancing! We got a $600,000 loan at 4.5%. (no point, no refinancing costs, except for appraisal and recording fees). By the way, the appraisal came back at $1,200,000, which made us laugh a good time. [...]

Yes, it’s true. You can skip making dinner tonight, and instead get on over to 156 Vicksburg for tacos, and even Margaritas. Fresh lime Margs? Not sure. But with any luck, they’ll at least be heavy on the Tequila. Go one, go all…[REMOVED] rock stars, and even buyers are all welcome to partake in a [...]

It was on September 25, 2009 that we informed you of Stephen Fowler’s San Francisco real estate foibles (you all informed us of his Wife Swap antics), and it is today that we get word of his next people pissing off project: Elevation PDF – Elevation 2 PDF – Floorplan PDF Plans for a vast [...]

Have a look at the front of 815 Alvarado (4 bed, 3.5 bath, 3 car parking, “Single Family Residence” asking $2,965,000) : Now have a look at our reader’s question: So whats the story on 815 Alvarado, SF…..listed as a House…but really has a Legal Inlaw, and only 2 bedrooms upstairs. One can be divided….but [...]

I published this exact thing on sfnewsletter today, but since it is a newsletter there is no room for discussion. Hopefully, we’ll get some here. I recently submitted an offer for $425k on a Short Sale in SOMA (175 Bluxome #119). The “lender approved price” was $450k, but the sellers accepted our offer for $425k [...]

Where readers ask, and we (the community) try to answer: The Front Steps really concentrates on Noe. I live in Noe and understand the attraction and the desirability of neighborhood but I’m not exactly sure why it is the barometer for everywhere else. Can you shed any light on this? Good question. It’s not that [...]

Woah! Where the hell has theFrontSteps been? A few things…I did, in fact, have a birthday (29 for those wondering) and I’ve been slammed with real estate. Thank goodness for the people behind theFrontSteps. This graph again from Misha Weidman: This is median prices, and SINGLE FAMILY HOMES ONLY. If this isn’t ammo for the [...]

This little Noe Valley gem (3 bed, 3 bath, “Mid-Century Modern”, single family home asking $2,579,000) had been burning the candle off the market for quite some time (we showed it to some clients well before it hit MLS), and we thought it was quite a nice house (especially the graduated ceiling). Maybe it’s not [...]