Following are two numbers I keep on speed dial: They help me get things done fast and easy:

The first two are public information services:

511 is a free phone service that consolidates Bay Area transportation information into a one-stop resource. I use 511 to get traffic information and estimated drive-times.

When I call 511, I get an enthusiastic automated voice that sounds like a radio announcer.  I usually start my conversation by barking “DRIVING TIMES.” Then I follow his prompts to tell him what City or landmark I’m starting from and where I plan to end up.  He responds with the ideal route, how long it will take and where I can anticipate slow-downs or accidents.

511 also provides schedule, route and fare information for the Bay Area’s public transportation services, instant carpool and vanpool referrals and bicycling information and more.

1-800-GOOG-411  This number is definitely meant for speed-dial. Too many digits and too hard to figure out that alpha-numeric thing.  Also known as “GOOG-411″ its a free information directory that is infinitely better than any 411 you call from any phone.

When I call GOOG-411 I get a sleepy automated voice that sounds like a yoga instructor. I usually start my conversation with him by barking “SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.” Then I follow his prompts with the name of the business or person I need to reach. He responds with the name and phone number and then says “I’ll connect you.” If I need an address, I bark “INFORMATION” and he’ll tell me where the place is. (That was very helpful when I couldn’t find Agave Restaurant on Townsend Street the other night– I thought it was near Delancey Street instead of down by the train station.) 

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San Francisco’s annual Dining Out For Life event known to those who are in the know as the DOL event, is Thursday, April 24 this year—

Step our with your friends and rev up your appetite because DOL promises to dazzle your tastebuds.  This is a chance to get all DOL-led up because San Francisco’s top restaurants are participating.  Dine, drink and be especially merry knowing that 25% of your bill will go to the STOP AIDS Project.
Parlais Vous Ambassador?

I will be serving as your DOL Ambassador at the South Park Café. I chose this restaurant because it’s the closest I can get to an authentic French bistro outside of France and, being a bit of a Francophile, I get to stick my nose in the air and practice my rusty but still fluent favorite language.

As one of the smaller restaurants participating, it will be a great opportunity for all of my favorite, cool people to meet each other, donate and dine for  a great cause. For those of you who have never been there, the South Park neighborhood is un quartier exceptionnel and well worth the visit.
Oooh La La– La Crema.  

Because a special meal deserves a perfectly paired wine the La Crema Winery will be donating $5.00 for each bottle of wine that is purchased that night. To help support the cause and because I am a tres committed to this worthy project,  I will be personally donating a bottle of  La Crema vino for each table.

But wait, it gets better—as part of the event , DOL is holding a raffle for airline tickets for two and a weekend stay in Palm Springs.  Many other restaurant gift certificates will be yours for the winning.  I have a surprise, show- stopping raffle prize of my own which will be available exclusively to all of my favorite people at South Park Café.

If you can’t make it, you can still visit my personal Dining Out for Life Website to make a donation and buy raffle tickets.  For more information about South Park Café, visit:  SouthParkCafeSF.com.  For more information about La Crema wine go to http://www.lacrema.com

I hope you’ll make your reservation soon and join me for this soiree magnifique.

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This Buzz is shamelessly promoting my dear friends John and Leslye Larson, who have amassed a fabulous contemporary art collection over the past 30+ years.

This year, John and Leslye decided to ‘spread the joy’ and offer some of their works for sale, most notably their Jack Hooper prints and paintings. Hooper is a brilliant, eccentric (aren’t they all?) artist John and Leslye discovered living up-country in rural Mexico. 

Prior to Hooper’s move South-of-the-Border in the late-80s, he was represented by Vorpal and enjoyed national renown, with his work featured at the Whitney Museum and SFMOMA. He has remained prodigious during the past twenty years. Still a vibrant artist, his paintings have become increasingly personal and emotionally resonant as he approaches his eightieth birthday.

John and Leslye are putting up a show of Jack’s work at the Thomas Reynolds Gallery, 2291 Pine (at Fillmore)  in April. Jack Hooper will be at the show’s opening on Thursday, April 3 and Friday, April 4 from 5-7:30 pm.

You can preview some Hooper works at John and Leslye’s online gallery. Please be aware that the works are much more vivid live than online. The pieces are relatively large, saturated with color and beautifully framed.

I hope you can join me, John and Leslye to celebrate the life and work of this amazing artist.  I believe you’ll find Hooper’s work to be inventive, lively, surprising and accessible to all. 

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Thanks again for the business you send my way! And special props to Derek Stavenger of Stavenger Painting, lighting contractor Brett Bryant, Dan Baker of Countrywide Loans, Oscar and Cherie Aarts of Paloppo, John and Leslye Larson of LesArtsSf.com, The Grubb Company’s Julie Gardner , and Ben Eilers and Mark Hamilton of Hamilton Zanze. All are cool people who have entrusted me with the sale or purchase of a home. They are also superb entrepreneurs in their own right— and worth checking out for everything from fine art to children’s clothing.

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Hello My Favorite People!

An article from last Saturday’s Chronicle about the consumer habits of the rich was chock full of interesting statistics.  Here are some things I learned:

• Households with $5 million in assets, not including the house, rose by 26 percent in 2006 alone.
• Less than 10 percent of the affluent owe their fortunes to inherited money.
• Half of America’s wealth was created in the last decade.
• 175 of the Forbes 400 are “blue-collar billionaires,” coming from working-class backgrounds. One-third of them had parents who never went to college.
 
This means more wealthy people have middle-class values today—and right now they are spending less.  Insecure about the economy, 39 percent of the well-to-do said they would spend less on luxury goods in 2008 than they had before.  And high-end discretionary purchases are down an aggregate 20 percent in the second half of 2007.  This translates into a softening in sales for yachts, private jets and designer shoes.
Lest you think this translates into a softening in price for upper-end luxury properties however, please remember that real estate is NOT a discretionary luxury purchase.  True luxury properties (think big space, great views, premium neighborhood, and fabulous finishings) are still commanding spectacular prices.  Last month, for example, a Millennium Tower buyer plunked down $11 million for a yet-to-be-built 4,800 square foot penthouse—that’s $2,289/square foot. More data about the healthy upper-end market for new homes in downtown markets is in a  Chronicle article last month. 
Sales prices for resale luxury properties also remain robust– recent property transfers at above asking sales prices include a Pacific Heights full floor condominium at 1940 Broadway that took in a vista of just about everything,  from the Golden Gate to the tip of the Transamerica Pyramid. Listed for $4,350,000, it closed last week for 10+% above asking at $4,911,000.  Another jewel-box apartment home with less square footage (my memory is that it was 1250-1300 square feet) was a co-op at 2250 Hyde listed for $2,300,000—this quintessential San Francisco home had sensational views that encompassed the Bay Bridge, downtown,  Alcatraz and the Golden Gate. The price per square foot seems staggering to someone not familiar with the location and building, but it was snapped up for $2,400,000.
Overbidding is less common and negotiating gets a bit more aggressive for upper-end single family homes. In reviewing prices for houses in the North District (Pac Heights, Russian Hill, Nob Hill and Telegraph Hill), I found that even the showiest homes rarely sell much above their asking prices. Examples are a classic Presidio Heights home at 2756 Jackson with 4 bedrooms and 6+ baths (1.5 baths for every bedroom!) with an extra wide lot and “park-like gardens.” Listed for $5.5M, it sold for same. A completely different kind sale on Telegraph Hill was 281 Chestnut, a contemporary 4-bedroom, 3.5 bath—listed for $5,995,000, it sold for $5,939,000.
These sales at-or-around the listing price indicate caution in the marketplace and pricing strategies are changing.  Last spring, we might have suggested listing prices a hair below market value to encourage overbidding. Today we do our best to assess a property’s present value and ask Sellers to be prepared to take an offer at their asking price.
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Keeping up with the arcane rules for condo-conversion in San Francisco is a full-time job.  As a local Realtor I have a rough knowledge of them but always need qualify the information I give with the “you need to check with an attorney” line. The biggest contributor to the complexity is the evolving rent control rules which affect which buildings qualify for the condo lottery. And the lottery itself has a complex priority system for those who have entered multiple times over the years which I can’t even begin to explain.

Fortunately we have local attorneys willing to study, understand and interpret this mess. And occasionally we are lucky enough to have easy access to them without having to pay them $500/hour.

On February 12 from 6:30-8:00 pm,  attorneys David Gellman and Boy McSparran are offering a seminar entitled The Five Worst Mistakes in Condo Conversions and Condo Alternatives in 2008.  These guys live and breathe the stuff that goes into condo-conversions and tenancies-in-common  I’ve heard David speak at some of our office meetings. He has the ability to make a dry topic entertaining, and I always learn something when I hear him.  Some of their discussion will center on recent court cases and how they affect condominium law.

The seminar is divided into two parts. It looks like the first part is directed towards those who have won the lottery and are beginning the process of converting.  The second half is dedicated to TIC owners and prospective TIC owners. There is an unlimited question and answer period.

A reservation is required to attend! To reserve a place, please call Pierre Beniston at Financial title– 415-512-0123.

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San Francisco’s Dine About Town promotion, offered each January and June, is a great way to sneak into those places that seem intimidatingly expensive the rest of the year. Sponsored by the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB) and Visa, some of the City’s swankiest restaurants are signed up to offer specially-prepared 3-course meals at a set price per person: $21.95 lunches, $31.95 dinners.

I like Dine About Town because it’s an affordable opportunity to check out places that score high points for atmosphere and design but get mixed reviews for the food, like Farina in the Mission District. This is also a good time to go somewhere I might otherwise skip because of the cost, like Campton Place or Vitrine at the St. Regis (both are lunch only).

To get some insight on to best take advantage of Dine About Town, the Single Guy Chef’s blog lists participating restaurants that interest him and offers capsule reviews of the ones he’s been to. Click here to get a complete list of restaurants and make a reservation.

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While most of San Francisco continues to appreciate in value, a handful of neighborhoods (most notably South Beach, SOMA and Mission Bay) have properties that may be worth less today than they were a year ago.

If you’ve owned your property for less than years and think it’s gone down in value, here’s article I wrote for the Chronicle about how to appeal your property tax bill.It was published back in 2003 during our “Dot-Bomb” rut, when we had a similar downward trend.

I pride myself on being a resource for information about all things related to San Francisco real estate There’s no such thing as a stupid question, so if you have one, call me. I promise an honest answer and useful information.

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Complain all you want about how high property taxes are– it could be worse. To wit, an anecdote below from one of my favorite people:

Dear Cece:San Francisco is not the only insane real estate market in the world. About 70 years ago, my grandfather bought a cute little cottage (pictured here) on a barrier island off the New Jersey shore about 100 miles East of Philadelphia. Its now owned jointly by my Mom and her two brothers (baaaaaaaaad arrangement). A couple of years ago the tax assessment broke $1 million dollars, based largely on the land value.

If you have questions about how property taxes are assessed (and re-assessed) in California, logon to The State Board of Equalization FAQs. You’ll learn about when a property is excluded from re-appraisal upon transfer (hint– you have to be over 55, disabled or transferring the property to a child or grandchild.)

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Hello My Favorite People!Needed: One Snazzy Rental

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