This email talks about some good real estate buys in San Francisco and a new real estate website that I think is pretty cool.

First off, here’s my potpourri of good deals this week. These are only a few of the best values available—space doesn’t allow for them all in this email. But call me (415-738-7040) if you want where the best buys are this week.

39 Carmel—a single family ‘urban retreat’ listed for $999,000. 2br/2ba (1189 square feet) with lovely Victorian trim, hardwood floors, a fireplace and a small office cottage (unwarranted). Carmel is one of my favorite streets. It sits above Cole Valley so you can get some nice views, but you’re still close enough to walk down to the shops and restaurants.

317 29th Street, #310—2br condo listed for $795,000. If you’ve never visited this building you’re in for a treat—it’s a converted Catholic school with thick plaster walls and extra high ceilings. Unit #310 is one of the development’s larger floor plans that rarely come available. Huge windows, big views, incredible light. Dynamite Outer Noe location near shops and restaurants.

969-971 Hampshire – 2 flats listed for $989,000. This little corner of the Mission is looking better and better as owners are sprucing up their facades. 5 and 6 room flats with newer kitchens and baths and neat period Arts and Crafts detail. Yes, there is parking. Yes, there is a yard. Perfect for partners. I’d scramble on this one. It will go quick, quick quick!

88 Hoff, #208. Mission District loft condominium listed for $619,000. I have a love/hate relationship with Hoff, a narrow alley dominated by a big parking garage. But it’s right off of 16th Street and a half block away from the best parts of the Valencia Corridor. I also really like this loft building, which has dramatically increased the overall quality of the block. #208 is a little different from your average loft with nice city views and an upper level that offers better than average light. Square footage is 954. Has an extra half bath.

If you like Mission District lofts, then you should definitely come visit me at my open house at 728 Alabama, #205 open from 1-4 on Sunday. This building has angled designs and an industrial styling that has stood the test of time. Price is $629,000 for 969 square feet.

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There’s a lot of buzz these days about zillow.com, a new website that offers free, instant home valuations—and you don’t have to enter your personal info and no one will contact you. It’s very easy to use. All you do is go to the home page, enter an address and bam!—it delivers ‘zestimate’ of value along with an anticipated sales price range.

I tested the service and found Zillow surprisingly on the mark, especially with their ‘value range estimates.’ For instance, a single family in Noe Value that just went into escrow for around $1.3M had a value range estimate that topped out at $1,377,000. I was equally impressed when I requested a ‘zestimate’ on a small Marina condo at 400 Avila. Zillow checked in with $629,000—right about where (I think) the unit just went into escrow.

The site isn’t perfect. It was wildly off the mark for a South Beach condo (too low) and dead wrong on a condominium flat in Cole Valley (again, too low by over $100K). Even so it’s a fun site to play with. Just take any info you get with a grain of salt and remember that the best way to get an accurate assessment of your property’s worth is to call a full time Realtor (like me) who can analyze the comps and relate them to current market conditions.

Another great new site is mine—SFRealEstateBuzz.com Logon there and you can see all my old newsletters back to late summer, when I first started.

My aim with my website and emails is to inform and entertain. If you know of anyone else who would enjoy receiving “The Buzz,” please send me their name and I will add them to my list of “Favorite People.” My interest in helping you and others continues. If you know someone who could benefit from my expertise, I’d love to hear from them. And remember—there’s no such thing as a ‘stupid real estate question!’

See you next week!

This entry was posted on Friday, February 17th, 2006 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Hot Properties, Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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