Buyers aren’t buying this buyers market

Time to buy or time to bide your time? Photo- Jason Nin-Pixabay

San Francisco homebuyers have leverage for the first time in 14 years. Ironically, many buyers are shying away from a market that now seems to favor them. Clearly, buying a home i... Read More

Real Estate

The way it once was in real estate

By Garey De Martini

Eileen Mougeot, an agent with Corcoran Global Living in San Francisco, has been in the business a long time. She is a great storyteller, so we thought we’d ask her how things ha... Read More

There might be more expectations of a downturn than there are actual signs of an economic downturn. Photo: Garey de Martini

Real Estate

Context for today’s real estate news

By Garey De Martini

Looking ahead, Zillow recently predicted a sharp slowdown in the nation’s annual home value growth from the current pace of 19.8 percent to 7.8 percent growth through June 2023.... Read More

Mortgage rates and fear of recession have hit housing expectations. Photo: Garey De Martini

Real Estate

Perspective on the housing market’s headwinds

By Garey De Martini

A recent study found that five of the 10 U.S. housing markets that have cooled the fastest this year are in northern California, including San Francisco, San José, Oakland, Sacr... Read More

More homes are on the market, but the number of sellers accepting offers was down by double digits year-over-year. Photo: Garey De Martini

Real Estate

The sky isn’t falling, but …

By Garey De Martini

Over the last several months, we’ve been reporting that while San Francisco’s residential real estate market has been extremely hot, there were some early signs that things mi... Read More

The pricier the home, the happier its sellers might be as the market softens. Photo: Garey De Martini

Real Estate

Buyer caution versus pent-up demand

By Garey De Martini

After an incredibly hot early spring start, San Francisco’s real estate market may be cooling off a bit. But just a bit. “Anecdotally, we are hearing that some buyers are s... Read More

San Francisco's a unique city, and its markets are a bit surprising now. Photo: Gary De Martini

Real Estate

May’s mixed bag of real estate news

By Garey De Martini

Sure, home prices in San Francisco are high, it’s a seller’s market with fierce competition among buyers, and single family homes are more in demand than condos. Blah-blah-bla... Read More

Some glimmer of hope for buyers — but not a lot. Photo: Hsansone17/Pixabay

Real Estate

The real estate market, two years after shelter in place began

By Garey De Martini

A year ago I wrote in this column that it had been a little over 12 months since shelter in place protocols were initiated due to the coronavirus pandemic. I wrote, “At long la... Read More

It’s no longer “location, location, location.” Now it’s “move-in ready, move-in ready, move-in ready.” Photo: Garey De Martini

Real Estate

Affordability is in the eye of the beholder

By Garey De Martini

San Francisco is not the most expensive place to live in the world. In fact, it doesn’t even crack the top 10. Bet you can’t even guess which city is the most expensive place ... Read More

Real Estate

One big real estate mystery solved

By Garey De Martini

The fact that demand for San Francisco real estate remains high is not a mystery. The city is surrounded by water on three sides, so geography alone limits the number of homes tha... Read More

Real Estate

San Francisco real estate in 2022

By Garey De Martini

In short, next year is likely to be a lot like 2021 when it comes to San Francisco real estate. A seller’s delight, and not much fun for buyers — especially if you’re lookin... Read More

Expect fewer crazy price hikes in 2022, analysts say. Photo: Sylvain Collet/Pixabay

Real Estate

A sign of the times

By Garey De Martini

Think you’ve seen fewer open house signs in San Francisco lately? That is likely the case, but perhaps for a different reason than you might expect. It’s not necessarily becau... Read More

There’s an intergenerational competition in the evolving housing market. Photo: Kevin Schwarz/Pixabay

Real Estate

Playing the percentages

By Garey De Martini

The arrival of November typically marks the beginning of a slowdown in San Francisco’s real estate market. Everyone seems to take a collective breath — including buyers, selle... Read More

Multifamily rentals are tied to office leasing, and that’s lagging in the city. Photo: aschaeffer/FreeImages.com

Real Estate

The more, the merrier

By Garey De Martini

We wanted to know how multiunit properties are faring in light of the pandemic and eviction restrictions. We spoke recently with real estate broker Terrence Jones and found his an... Read More

Real Estate

A moderating market, homeowner wealth, migration trends, and more

By Garey De Martini

The national housing market appears to be slowing down, according to Michelle Robertson, reporting for SFGate. She quotes Daryl Fairweather, the chief economist at housin... Read More

Real Estate