Alexander Clark/Cow Hollow/Marina/market info/Maximum Overbid ™

Marina / Cow Hollow Property Gets $1,200,000 More Than Asking

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If you haven’t noticed, posts on this here site have been sporadic to say the least, and will remain so for the rest of the year. That said, I couldn’t help but share this Cow Hollow/Marina District property at 1959 Lombard that just closed for $1,200,000 over the list price!
lombard

For you Commercial geeks, the cap rate on this bad boy is a 2.69%! And “long-term” tenants mean 1 of 2 things…potential to increase rents, or potential to increase headaches. Regardless, somebody saw great value in this building (as they should), and IMHO should be thrilled.

Underpriced? Probably. But let’s consider the larger market logic that compels someone to not only list a property more than one million dollars below market value (when you just don’t know you gotta price it low), but the psychology as an agent that must convince a buyer to offer $1,200,000 MORE than what the seller is “asking”, and the buyer that has to come to grips with that reality.

I’ve been in this game for nearly 15 years now, been through two monstrous peaks and subsequent declines, and some things just haven’t changed…namely San Francisco has long been a premier destination to call home, start a business, raise a family, and invest in real estate. Surrounded by water on three sides, heavily restricted on vertical development, and historical preservation, it’s just that tough to get your hands on some choice San Francisco property.

Pray for snow! Dream of surf. Enjoy the day.

–The Goods: Real-Time market data for my clients

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Bayview/Cow Hollow/Inner Mission/Marina/market info/Nob Hill/Noe Valley/Pacific Heights/real estate/Stats & Numbers/Telegraph Hill/theFrontSteps/Western Addition

Underbids All Over The Map | San Francisco

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Did you miss the Top 10 Overbids last week? Don’t worry, SFGate has em posted, but since it’s Monday (well it was yesterday), we like to bring you the weekly top 10 Underbids. Sounds like SFGate might recap them there too, so keep your eyes peeled.

The top dogs are a variety this time around. Locations are spread out – Western Addition, Bayview, Nob hill, Telegraph Hill, Marina, Pacific Heights, Inner Mission, Cow Hollow, and Noe Valley. Sizes range from a 232 square foot micro studio condo, which sold for $390,000 (don’t get too excited, that’s nearly $1700/sqft), to a 5590 square foot 5 bedroom mansion, which sold for only $1500/sqft (don’t get too excited here either, that’s $8.4M). There’s even a commercial unit in the mix, that fetched “only” $430/sqft (we ain’t talking apples to apples to the above.)

Just goes to show, in real estate, particularly in San Francisco it’s all about location, location, location…and pricing, marketing, presentation, and timing.

Regardless, have a great work week. Enjoy the top 10, stay dry, and pray for more rain/snow.

Address BR/BA/Units List Price Sold Price Underbid
1406 Golden Gate Avenue 3/2/0 $1,399,000 $1,200,000 -14.22 %
1311-1313 Palou 2-4 Units $995,000 $875,000 -12.06 %
1300 Pacific Avenue 0/2/0 $468,000 $425,000 -9.19 %
412 Green Street #A 0/1/0 $425,000 $390,000 -8.24 %
3315 Pierce Street 3/3.5/3 $2,699,000 $2,500,000 -7.37 %
2470 Broadway 5/4.5/2 $6,995,000 $6,500,000 -7.08 %
1326 Utah Street 2-4 Units $1,289,000 $1,200,000 -6.90 %
33 Perine Place 2/2/1 $1,500,000 $1,400,000 -6.67 %
2828 Divisadero Street 5/5.5/2 $8,995,000 $8,400,000 -6.61 %
425 28th Street 3/2/1 $1,695,000 $1,588,888 -6.26 %

–theFrontSteps Overbids on SFGate [SF Gate, San Francisco Chronicle Online]

About/Alexander Clark/Cow Hollow/Inner Richmond/Jordan Park/Laurel Heights/Marina/Mission Dolores/Outer Parkside/Pacific Heights/San Francisco/San Francisco Real Estate/Sunset/Testimonial

Client Testimonials From Way Back

thefrontsteps

Bear with me while I reorganize my testimonials into individual posts. These are a few put together from way back.

*Alex was very easy to work with. He was straightforward, gave good advice about how the condominium should look when it was being shown, and managed the negotiations with the buyer perfectly. I always felt he was dealing with me honestly, and he kept me fully informed. I will go to Alex any time I want to sell a house in San Francisco. JOHN BARTON

*I don’t know any Realtors in this city [San Francisco] that have a better grasp of technology as it applies to real estate than Alex. His sfnewsletter is a phenomenal resource and great way to begin your home search, or research home sales should you be selling, and he is a pleasure to work with. He seemed to get along great with the other agents involved in our transaction and we’re sure it helped get us the price we want. He negotiated hard, but made everyone laugh the whole way and it was great. Now we live in the suburbs, but if we ever move back, we’ll use Alex for sure. Not to mention he’s a decent golfer too. -Joe Condy

*Carole and I feel that we were very fortunate to have met you at the open house and I am glad we chose you to work with. Be assured in the future when we are ready to look at the market again we will be calling, as well as referring any house hunting friends to you. Read More-Carole and Bruce Derr

*Alex combines an insider’s knowledge of San Francisco, innovative marketingskills and the honesty and integrity of a down to earth guy.-Rich Singer

*Like a lot of SFNewsletter readers, I figured Alex would be either too busy or simply uninterested in representing a first time buyer with a sub-seven figure budget. Ten months of searching and four offers later, we’re homeowners, and he’s still returning my calls…The cool thing about Alex is he’s new-school enough to embrace technology’s influence over his profession, but old-school enough to hold your sweaty hand through every step of escrow. 

Bottom line, if you’re looking to be escorted from property to property in your agent’s Mercedes while being lavishly praised for your exquisite taste and style, Alex ain’t your guy. But if you’re looking for consummate San Francisco market expertise, every tool you’ll ever need to find and evaluate your properties, and a Tiger Woods-like closing mentality – hell, you’re already reading his newsletter, posting to his blog, and god forbid you’re receiving his twitter banter – seriously, why use anyone else?! -Tim Stevens

*We had our condo at the St. Regis listed for close to 8 months with another agent. We hired Alex and he sold it in two weeks! Amazing! Truly amazing and he was fun to work with the whole time, knew the market, knew we should take the offer we received, and knows where I should buy my next place. He is truly a pleasure to work with and really knows his stuff. His newsletter is great too. -Stephanie Morris

*I had been reading Alex’s “sfnewsletter” for over a year, so I knew when I was ready to sell my house in San Francisco, Alex was my choice. His newsletters were very informative and intelligently written. I know this sounds corny, but I really liked his sign-off at the end of each newsletter — “Happy Aloha Friday”. Alex kept on top of all correspondence and paperwork and kept me apprised every step of the selling process. I am happy to say that we accepted an offer after only 2 weeks on the market. I would recommend Alex to anyone in need of a superior REALTOR.-Debra Comstock

*I can and have enthusiastically recommended you to my friends who are looking at purchasing property here in San Francisco. Specifically, I appreciate your diligent work and follow-through, as well as your integrity in working with the seller’s representative and myself that made it possible to get this deal done. Read More.-Larry Singer

*Wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your assistance and help during the purchase of my new [home] in San Francisco. You did a great job of working with me all Summer long trying to find my dream house on my crazy schedule. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted, but by Fall you had identified my criteria and started showing me homes that suited my needs. The house we found has a great ocean view and is close to the beach with a big yard and potential to add on. Read More. -Ryan Seelbach

*Alex and I worked together for over 3 month searching for the right property. He showed me several properties and advised me on the pros and cons of each property. On [my home] he assisted in compiling a very strong offer on property where multiple bids were accepted. I strongly believe it was due to his assistance that I was able to purchase the proeprty despite the other offers being close to or higher than my own. Read More-David Kaneda

*I had met with several real estate agents before I decided on Alex, and it proved to be an excellent decision. He knew the market, had excellent recommendations based on my specific requirements and goals, and most importantly: he knew how to package and position the offer for quick acceptance once I decided on a property. We quickly closed on a condo at 1998 Broadway that was a great fit for me. And I believe the price and conditions make it an exceptional investment. I’d recommend Alex to anybody. Read More-Drew Sechrist

2-4 Units/Announcements/coming soon/Cow Hollow/Marina/Noe Valley/Off Market/Pacific Heights/pocket listings/Presidio Heights/Property Type/San Francisco/San Francisco Real Estate/Sea Cliff/Single Family

Opportunity For Fence Sitting Sellers And Desperate Buyers

thefrontsteps 2 Comments

Are you somebody that lives in San Francisco, has a home that is either on one level or contains an elevator, and you’ve been on the fence about selling your home? PocketListings.net has a buyer for you, they aren’t picky about their neighborhood, and they have $2,000,000 to spend.

Maybe you are a resident living in Pacific Heights, Sea Cliff, Cow Hollow, or Presidio Heights and you don’t want all the hullabaloo of listing on MLS, but you’d love for a buyer to come take a look at your home. PocketListings.net has a couple of those multi-million dollar buyers too.

Are you a buyer looking for a two unit building in the Marina? PocketListings.net has that too!

The moral of this story is if you are a buyer or seller anywhere in the United States, and especially in San Francisco (our hottest market), you should not only be visiting the site yourselves, but telling your real estate agent to do the same. There are opportunities galore, and it’s getting better every day!

–Single Family Home Buyer Needing One Level Or Elevator Home
[PocketListings.net]
–Pacific Heights, Presidio Heights, Cow Hollow, Sea Cliff Buyer [PocketListings.net]
–Marina Two Unit Building “Not On MLS”, $2,800,000 [PocketListings.net]

Bernal Heights/Central Sunset/Cow Hollow/General Info/Inner Richmond/Inspection/Disclosure/Marina/Mission District/Noe Valley/Potrero Hill/real estate/San Francisco/San Francisco Real Estate/South Beach/theFrontSteps/West Portal

What Makes A Room A Bedroom?

thefrontsteps 11 Comments

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 initial question:

A few months ago an email was circulated as to what defines a bedroom. There were several responses, but if I remember correctly a bedroom does not have to have a closet to be a bedroom…

And the varying replies from various real estate agents:

-My understanding is it technically must have a window – ideally with a means of egress
-My understanding is two methods of egress. A door, and another door or a window or some way to get out in the case of an emergency. No closet necessary.
-Operable window, that a person can fit through AND the minimum size is 70 square feet, where the minimum for one of the dimensions is 7 feet.
-I believe that HUD requires a closet in order to count it as a bedroom for financing purposes. A lender could probably clarify that.
-I’d suggest using the International Uniform Building code that refers to a specific size of window based on square footage of BR. It needs to have a door and a window and the window has to be the right proportion. Read More.
-The Building Code requires an operable egress window with minimum size requirements as [the other agent] indicated. In addition the window needs to be sized for light and air requirements. If I remember correctly it is 10% of the floor area. A closet is not a requirement to satisfy the building code, but it may be a HUD requirement for financing, as [another agent] mentioned.

Perhaps the most accurate answer?

1. The first bedroom must be at least 120 square feet.
2. If your first bedroom is at least 120 square feet, you get to call your second bedroom a bedroom if it’s at least 70 square feet with 7’ on a side.
3. Required natural light and air: 8% of floor area of natural light, and 4% of floor area of air (operable window). A traditional double-hung window can cover both bases, because when it is open, it provides half the air as natural light.
4. Minimum clear headroom of 7’-6”
5. You need two means of egress. One may be a window. If the second is the window, fire department requires minimum area for personnel access of width 20”, minimum height 24” with net clear opening minimum of 5.7 square feet.
6. A closet is required.

And the first comment from that thread:

What you’ve written here is not entirely correct – I believe you may be conflating Realtor’s rules-of-thumb with actual Code requirements.

1) Sort of. Any habitable room (Living Rm, Dining Rm, etc) can be larger than 120 SF (2007 CBC SEC 1208.3)
2) Correct. Minimum Habitable room size (includes bedrooms) is 70 SF, 7′ minimum width (2007 CBC SEC 1208.3 & 1208.1)
3) These are correct window areas for required natural light (8% floor area) and ventilation (4% floor area), but neither is required if sufficient artificial light and mechanical ventilation are supplied (2007 CBC 1203.4.1 & 1205.3).
4) Correct – Minimum ceiling height for Habitable rooms is 7′-6″, however it is 7′-0″ for bathrooms, storage, kitchen, laundry (2007 CBC 1208.2).
5) Sort of. Only one exit (Means of Egress) is required, the other is an Emergency Escape & Rescue requirement. This is not a Fire Department requirement, it is a California Building Code requirement (SEC 1026.1)
6) Wrong. No closet is required by any State or Local code (Building, Housing, Health or otherwise).

So there you have it…the jury is clearly still out on this one. My advice, get used to living in closets if you’re living in San Francisco.

Cow Hollow/Nob Hill/Russian Hill/San Francisco/San Francisco Real Estate/SOMA/South Beach/Telegraph Hill

(Potential) America’s Cup Race Route For San Francisco Revealed: Realtors Frothing

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Well…it’s official (sort of). There is a route sketched out for the 2013 America’s Cup planned for San Francisco and every Realtor in the city wants you to get front row seats (living rooms, balconies, and even bathrooms). While many agents have always been touting their listings as marvelous places to live and own a piece of San Francisco real estate, now they’re claiming views of the course, and One Rincon Hill is first out of the gate today Tweeting that, “Americas Cup draft route released! Many at One Rincon Hill to enjoy spectacular views of the race from home.” Let’s just hope they don’t decide to build Tower #2 all of a sudden.

Every agent in the city that has ever sold a home in or near SOMA, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill, Pacific Heights, and/or South Beach (to name a few) is already on the hunt, sales centers are ramping up their marketing, and the real estate community is buzzing. There are big bucks in sailing, and what agent wouldn’t want a piece of that action.

But the fact remains, watching a sailboat race is free, and if you can find a view of the water, you’ll likely have a good view of the race. We find it hilarious that the map above shows only one “Public Viewing Area”, as San Francisco is full of hills with amazing (FREE) water views. However, should you happen to desire protection from the elements (think howling San Francisco wind), we happen to know a good Realtor or two who’d be happy to help you find that room with a view. ;-)

–2013 America’s Cup Race Route [SF Gate}

Architecture/Cow Hollow/Modern/theFrontSteps

Modern, Big, and Beautiful, 2915 and 2917 Laguna Go Buy Buy

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We’ve been told that 2915 and 2917 Laguna (two very sweet modern condominiums), have been purchased, all cash. Here’s the kicker…to the same buyer!

The top unit living area (notice that big red bridge?)

Lower unit bath…

One buyer, two buyers, three buyers four. Who really cares! Five million seven hundred twenty five thousand dollars ($5,725,000) of property is about to change hands just behind the Wells Fargo on Union Street.

Those homes are sweet and some clients we know aren’t too happy they’re gone. Do let us know if that all cash offer should fall out of escrow!

–2915 Laguna [Listing Details]
–2917 Laguna [Listing Details]

Classic/Cow Hollow/market info/Neighborhoods/Off Market/pocket listings/San Francisco/San Francisco Real Estate/Single Family/theFrontSteps

Lemonade for sale! And a Cow Hollow Single Family Home Pocket Listing too

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As you know, we are out enjoying the weather, but said we might come in for some lemonade and do a post. And since our phones and emails never get a break, we thought we’d introduce you to something sweet, that hit both the phones and emails today:

[Update:]

1807 Greenwich: Contemporary Cow Hollow House

Offered at $2,350,000

Move-in Ready!

* Large-scale living/dining area with gas fireplace

* Kitchen/family room with new stainless steel appliances

* New Brazilian Cherry Floors

* 3 bedrooms on top floor

* Office on ground floor opens to secluded South-facing yard

* 2.5 baths

* New Loewen double paned Windows

* 2 car parking

* Detached on 3 sides

* Fantastic Location … 2 blocks to Union Street shops & cafes

Cow Hollow Single Family Home on 1800 block of Greenwich @ Octavia

Will hit the market Memorial Day weekend

3 bed, 2.5 bath, 2 car tandem with bonus room off the garage.

Built 1996

Contemporary, Granite, Stainless, the whole bit

Approx 2600+ square feet (waiting for exact number)

South facing yard

Price $2,350,000 new description above is better

Interested? Contact us. As soon as we have pics and more details, we’ll let you know.

Announcements/Architecture/Cow Hollow/Decorator Showcase/Luxury Homes/Neighborhoods/real estate/San Francisco/San Francisco Real Estate/Single Family/theFrontSteps

From Blank Canvas to Decorator Showcase, 2820 Scott gets the nod in 2008

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“Since 1977, the annual San Francisco Decorator Showcase has benefited San Francisco University High School’s financial aid program, raising nearly $10 million in its first 30 years. The San Francisco Decorator Showcase is widely considered to be one of the premiere showcase events in the country, featuring the work of the region’s top interior and landscape designers,” and this year they take you inside 2820 Scott, a magnificent eight bedroom, eight and one half bath, 14,000 square foot residence that last changed hands in 2006 (asking $8,500,000), and was (at the time) void of any furniture. Not any more.

You and yours can go check it out April 26-May 26, cost is $30, (Seniors $25).

We have one ticket for Monday May 5th (6-8pm), we cannot use. Who wants it?

–2820 Scott [sfnewsletter listing detail]

–Decorator Showcase [website]

2-4 Units/Classic/Condominium/Cow Hollow/market info/Maximum Overbid ™/theFrontSteps

2956 Webster: 8 Offers, 4 Cash, 1 Winner, 7 Losers

thefrontsteps 10 Comments

From sfnewsletter:

We’re really trying to stop publishing these things, but they just keep coming up. This week we have 2956 Webster in the oh so popular Cow Hollow District. This is a 2 bed, 2 bath condominium that was asking $1,279,000 was absolutely swarmed, received eight (yes 8 ) offers, four of them all cash, and ultimately closed at $1,410,000. Yes…that much over ($131,000).

Forget for a minute this property sold above asking, because as we’ve said before there are some grey areas regarding sales above asking. What we all need to focus on is that there are still seven (yes 7) very hungry buyers for two bedroom condos in this area at this price that were beat out, and those were the buyers that stepped up to write an offer. There were probably more that didn’t even want to compete. Guess what? Those buyers are likely still out there.