| San Francisco Farmer’s Markets | September 4th, 2009 |
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| Why Foot Doctors Love SF | July 25th, 2009 |
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To calculate this year’s list, metro areas were evaluated based on 19 criteria, including population density per square mile, use of mass transit, crime rates, and square miles of local and state parks. Prevention, APMA, and Sperling’s Best Places also consulted with a panel of nationally recognized experts in the field of walking communities, to give each city a 1-5 rating on a walkability scale. New categorical breakdowns for 2009 included listing the Best Walking Cities for Families, Nature Walks, and more. |
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For the seventh year in a row, the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) has joined with Prevention magazine to develop a comprehensive list of the Best Walking Cities in America. This year’s number one Best Walking City? San Francisco, California.| Tricks to Selling Tenant-Occupied Property in San Francisco | July 23rd, 2009 |
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Why you should attend: Learn how to market tenant occupied and rent controlled properties. Speakers are: Daniel Bornstein. Daniel is a founding partner of Bornstein & Bornstein, was well as a realtor/broker, an affiliate member of the San Francisco Property Owners‘ Association, the Tri County Property Owners’ Association and the Professional Property Managers’ Association. Daniel has served as a professor of law and for over a decade and has conducted numerous legal seminars. Leonard Spoto. Leonard is a founding partner of the 1031 Exchange Qualified Intermediary, Asset Exchange Company. He is a frequent keynote speaker and an accredited course instructor on the subject of 1031 Tax Deferred Exchanges. He has presented his popular real estate and tax workshops to over 6,000 Realtors, lenders, title professionals and investors and is the author of numerous published 1031 Exchange articles. You must RSVP to attend. Call me at 415-577-0809 and I will get you on the registration list. |
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Asset Exchange Company, a 1031 Exchange Qualified Intermediary, and the law offices of Bornstein & Bornstein will be hosting a real estate investment workshop on Thursday, July 30th from 10:00am - Noon at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. The workshop is a must for any real estate investor or professional doing business in San Francisco. | So You Think You Want To Live Here In San Francisco? Then Meet Your Neighbors! | July 12th, 2009 |
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So you think you want to live here with us? Well, here’s what we’re like. . .| San Francisco: A Pricey City That Pays Off | July 9th, 2009 |
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Albouy maintains that people are willing to pay a fortune for assets which have ‘amenity value.’ Assets with high amenity values deliver more satisfaction to their owners. According to Buoy, San Francisco ranks #1 when it comes to high amenity and productivity value. A big amenity value tied to a home relates directly to quality of life. Good weather, cultural amenities, proximity to the coast, recreation opportunities all factor heavily into a location’s amenity value and explains why a home in the Bay Area costs so much more than a home in Boise. A city’s amenity value is also tied to its productivity. For this amenity, we become heavy hitters with strong biotech, hi-tech and financial sectors and universities that produce an educated workforce. These advantages draw new businesses which create new employment, increased incomes and consequently higher home prices. . . . |
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I love it when an opinion-maker makes my case for me explains why people are willing to pay so darn much to live here. In this case, I’ve got University of Michigan economist David Albouy on my side, as per his report in the Global Property Guide, an online real estate investor’s guide.| The City would rather you got off that ladder. . . | June 22nd, 2009 |
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These ladders were commonly added to buildings constructed in the City during the 1930’s and earlier. They were never part of a building’s fire escape system; but they often were installed as a ‘convenience’ to building owners who wanted roof access without bringing a portable ladder to the site. These ladders are now prohibited on residential buildings and must be removed with a proper building permit. |
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You know those old wooden ladders popping up to roofs from laundry rooms the top of our exterior stairs? Well, they’re kind of dangerous. And now they’re also illegal. . .| How to File a Property Tax Appeal in San Francisco | June 6th, 2009 |
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If you need help gathering comparable sales data with which to make your case, call me at 415-577-0809 or email me at cblase@paragon-re.com , and I’ll whip up some ‘comps’ for you. Typically, the Assessor’s “valuation date” is January 1, 2009 and any sales comparables submitted must have closed before March 31, 2009. Very generally speaking (it all depends on the neighborhood and other details of your purchase), homes purchased 2006 through mid-2008 probably have the best cases for a property tax reduction. The less affluent areas of the city typically peaked in value around 2006 and the more affluent in 2007 - 2008. Declines from peak value generally run in the 10% to 30% range, with the less affluent southern neighborhoods being hit with the largest reductions. (For a broad analysis of value changes by neighborhood, see the link at the bottom of this posting.) Please note: If your appeal is successful, the reduction in assessed value only applies to the 7/1/09 - 6/30/10 tax year. A decline-in-market appeal is only good for 1 year, the year for which it is filed. If you’d rather try for an informal review, the Assessor’s Office is now accepting, through 8/28/09, “Requests For Informal Review Of Assessed Value” for tax year 2009/2010. This applies only to single-family dwellings, residential condominiums, townhouses, live-work lofts and cooperative units. The SF Assessor’s website offers information regarding Decline-in-Value Informal Reviews: Links to Assessor’s Forms and FAQs: These 2 websites offer details regarding the filing of a formal appeal - the instructional videos are highly recommended for those who wish to proceed: • SF Assessment Appeals Board More on this subject: Excerpted FAQs and Facts from the Assessor’s OfficeHow is the amount of my property tax determined?In order for the amount of your tax to be determined, the Office of the Assessor/Recorder must first assess the value of your property. Generally, the assessed value is the cash or market value at the time of purchase. This value increases not more than 2% per year until the property is sold or any new construction is completed, at which time it must be reassessed. For more information on how the assessed value is determined, contact the Office of the Assessor/Recorder at (415) 554-5596. After the Office of the Assessor/Recorder has determined the property value, the Office of the Controller applies the appropriate tax rates, which include the general tax levy, locally voted special taxes, and any city or district direct assessments. The general tax levy is determined in accordance with State law and is limited to $1 per $100 of assessed value of your property. After applying the tax rates, the Office of the Controller calculates the total tax amount. Finally, the Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector prepares property tax bills based on the Office of the Controller’s calculations, distributes the bills, and then collects the taxes. Neither the Board of Supervisors nor the Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector determines the amount of taxes. Do I have any recourse if I disagree with the valuation placed on my property by the Assessor? Yes. If you disagree with the assessed value of your property you may contact the Office of the Assessor at (415) 554-5596. They can provide you with information on how the value was established. If you still disagree with the assessed value of your property after reviewing it with the Office of the Assessor/Recorder, you may contact the Assessment Appeals Board for the purpose of appealing your assessment. If you choose to appeal your assessment, you must still pay your property tax in full by the appropriate deadlines; otherwise, you will incur penalties while the case is on appeal. If your appeal is granted, a refund will be issued to you. Appeal applications and further information about the appeal process can be obtained by contacting the Assessment Appeals Board. Before You File a Formal Appeal with the Assessment Appeals Board. . . Beginning April 1, 2009, the Assessor’s office started accepting requests for an Informal Review of your 2009/2010 property value. The Informal Review forms can be obtained from the Assessor’s website. If the Assessor’s staff discovers an error, they may be able to correct that error, and you may not need to file a formal appeal with the Assessment Appeals Board. If, however, you and the Assessor’s office cannot reach an agreement, you can usually appeal your assessment to the Assessment Appeals Board during the appropriate open filing period. If you want to file a formal appeal for the value of your property, you must complete an “Application for Changed Assessment,” and your application must be filed with the Assessment Appeals Board in a timely manner. Who Can File a Formal Appeal An assessment appeal can be filed by the property owner or the owner’s spouse, parents, or children, or any person directly responsible for payment of the property taxes; this person becomes the “Applicant”. An application may also be filed by an authorized agent. If an application is filed by an agent - other than a California licensed attorney - written authorization, signed by the applicant, is required. How to File a Formal Appeal Obtain, complete, and return an “Application for Changed Assessment” from the Assessment Appeals Board of San Francisco. We do not accept versions of the form from other counties or the State Board of Equalization. Completed applications must be postmarked on or before the deadline date to be considered as timely filed. |
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If you believe your home may be eligible for a reduction in property taxes based upon a decline in value, there are two ways you might proceed: an informal review by the Assessor’s office and/or a formal appeal with Assessment Appeals Board. The formal appeal, in particular, can be a complicated and time consuming process but may be worth the effort for the savings in property taxes.| if it’s Tuesday, we must be out driving around. . . | May 22nd, 2009 |
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The atmosphere inside a home is different on a Brokers Tour than it is during a Sunday open house. Unlike buyers at a Sunday open, an agent on tour is not so much soaking up a home’s atmosphere as simply assessing it, as they memorize the floor plan, bedroom/bathroom count, and amenities such as a walk-out deck, hardwood floors, or remodeled kitchens and baths. |
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If you’ve ever been out driving in the neighborhood on a Tuesday, odds are you’ve seen the San Francisco real estate broker community out on Brokers’ Tour. You can tell it’s us by the way we double-park up and down the block in front of a home that has a “For Sale” sign on it. Jumping in and out of our cars at a frantic pace, we’re anxious to see as many homes as we can before they close. You’ll also see us chatting up other agents out in front, as we get the latest scoop on which properties have sold or had price reductions.| Shrink and Simplify - The Small House Movement | May 14th, 2009 |
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My sushi-mate probably doesn’t know it, but he belongs to the Small House Movement– an idea that’s been growing steam with the convergence of our lousy economy, concerns about the environment and natural inclination to simplify right now. Some people belong to the Small House Movement out of necessity. In San Francisco, itty-bitty homes are often all one can afford. If you’re willing to go small, there are a lot of options, especially in the condo/tic market. The smallest home on the MLS right now is also the cheapest– a 330 square foot TIC charmer on Russian hill listed for $279,000. The best known builder of tiny houses is Jay Shafer, owner of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company in Sebastopol. His own house is a grand 65 square feet, complete with an itty-bitty front porch and peaked roof. The cost to build this “XS” model is $37,000. This summer Shafer will be driving an “Epu” model (89 square feet; $43,000) from coast-to-coast on the back of his truck so people can see what one of his tiny houses looks like. Alas, no stops are planned for the Bay Area, but people can see Jay’s own house by appointment on the first Sunday of each month. More Tiny House Links |
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I met a guy at a sushi bar last night who divested himself of his four-bedroom house last year, along with all his worldly possessions and moved into a small apartment on the beach in Alameda. His next move is to buy a boat and live in an even smaller space. He says this simplification off his life is the best decision he ever made.| Thursday Hot Links | March 19th, 2009 |
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First you have to figure out where you want to live: Then you have to figure out how close stuff is:Everything Within Walking Distance of Your HomeAnd what your neighbors are up to:Civic Information and News by Neighborhood Then, after you’re done walking everywhere and snooping around, you have to find a place to eat:Chronicle Map of Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants Have Fun! |
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Are you out of town– dreaming of living in San Francisco but haven’t a clue where? Here’s how you can take a virtual tour of any neighborhood in San Francisco: 
