Hello My Favorite People:

If you’d rather just know about the homes hitting the market after the New Year, skip to the bottom of this posting:********************************

Apartment Therapy is committed to “changing the world, one apartment at a time.”

The New York Times calls Apartment Therapy “quietly addicting.”

The SF version offers online tours of local homes, a search engine that allows you to find postings by category (like small appliances, outdoor furniture and flooring), and neat “Top Ten” lists of the best in everything, from bath mats to feng shui tips for kids’ rooms.

http://decor8.blogspot.comThis is another website/blog to get lost in.

Blogger Holly Becker is linked into a world of design addicts who all share her passion for good design.

but there is also a list of ‘favorite websites’ to link to in the left hand column that will take you off into directions you never dreamed of.

www.greenfusiondesigncenter.com The mission of the Green Fusion Design Center is . . .(take a deep breath and repeat after me) “to promote the understanding and use of green building practices by connecting homeowners, design professionals, builders and the general public with natural, eco-friendly, healthy products and services.”

The Green Fusion website is designed to compliment the Green Fusion showroom in San Rafael,

which aims to become the most complete source of green building products in the Bay Area. Green Fusion’s products section opens up a world of ideas, from biodegradable carpets (?!) to Tuliviki soapstone.

Here are more fun places to shop, whether you own a sleek SOMA loft or funky Bernal Victorian:

www.ohmegasalvage.com

www.ohmegasalvage.com – Ohmega Salvage in Berkeley is a great place to find salvaged antique finishings. Their online inventory section has pictures and prices for most of what they currently have in stock.

www.antiquesbybay.com –Before you buy anything vintage for your home, you need to come here first.

Dealers sell directly to the public at this monthly sale out on the old Alameda Naval Base and sell their goods at prices far below what you’ll pay in antique and vintage stores in the City.

www.britexfabrics.com My mom used to take me shopping at Britex each summer to pick out fabrics for back- to-school clothes.Even if you don’t sew, this shop definitely worth a visit if you’re in the market for upholstery or drapery fabric and trim. Don’t miss the remnants section on the fourth floor if you want to find some great deals on expensive fabrics.*****************************************************

If you’re in the market for something bigger, here are some ‘off-market’ deals being offered at Paragon right now. These properties will hit the market shortly, but are available to be shown anytime:

Gracious Inner Richmond Single Family Home.

Price TBD between $1.4M and $1.5M.

4br/2ba plus sunroom. Near California Street. Built in 1925.

Three bedrooms, two baths, 1600+ square feet.

Haight Ashbury condominium flat. $795,000.

1980’s construction. 2br/2ba with patio and garage. Tax records indicate 1,475 square feet. Views to St. Ignatius

3br/1.5ba. Nice yard. Two car parking. Many stairs to front door, but worth the effort for the great Twin Peaks views.

$650,000. 1br/1ba with den/alcove at the Bridgeview.

Faces West with outlooks to Twin Peaks and downtown.*******************************************************

Showings are easy to arrange, so don’t hesitate to call me at 415-577-0809. I also continue to love and appreciate all your referrals. So please keep me in mind should you know anyone who is thinking about buying or selling in San Francisco. I would love to hear from them.

Best wishes for a New Year. Here’s to peace and prosperity for 2007!

Posted in Home Design, Hot Properties | Comments Off

The following information is critical for landlords, tenants and anyone thinking of becoming a landlord or tenant in San Francisco.

Brief caveat: I am NOT a landlord/tenant attorney and this information is subject to change. There will probably be court challenges and different interpretations of this new ordinance and its compliance. If you are a tenant or landlord and want more particular information, please call me for the names of attorneys (I know some good ones).

Effective December 22, 2006, courtesy of Prop H, all tenants who are evicted through no fault of their own get to leave with a suitcase full of cash, courtesy of their landlord.

Now that the Proposition has passed, San Francisco landlords will have to pay substantial relocation payments to tenants who are subject to “no-fault” evictions. This includes owner move-ins or evictions for capital expense improvements.

What follows is a rough overview of the new law. More thorough information is available at the San Francisco Rent Board website.

The cost according to Prop H is $4,500 per occupant.  Additional payments of $3,000 are owed to each minor or occupant over 60 years old. There is a cap (thank God) of $13,500 per unit.

Prop H applies to single family homes and condominiums as well as multi-unit dwellings.  There’s no wiggle-room on this. I checked with a local landlord/tenant attorney. Virtually any kind of eviction on any kind of residential property (except when the tenant is violating the terms of their lease) is subject to this new law.

For Sellers and Buyers, the most obvious and immediate impact this new law will have is on the value and marketability of tenant-occupied properties.  Any home buyer looking at a rented property will have to factor in the additional expense and hassle of evicting its occupants. I’m already seeing savvy agents advertise their listings as “vacant” to alleviate this concern.

If you area homeowner debating between renting or selling, you might want to keep future marketability in mind. You will also probably have to subtract the cost of evicting your tenants from the value of your property if it is tenant-occupied at the time you sell. If you wait a few years, odds are good that your home will have gone up in value beyond the Prop H costs, but this is still a factor worth considering.

Prop H will have a ripple effect on what it’s like to rent and own in San Francisco.

The winners are the tenants who are happily ensconced in properties that are appealing to owner-occupants. They can look forward to a windfall if their place ever goes on the market and their current landlords will think harder before even deciding to sell.

The losers are those who want to rent in San Francisco, especially families or groups of roommates. Multiple occupants in a home will be less appealing to an owner who is thinking of selling in a few years’ time and the hundreds of landlords who are presently keeping units vacant because of rent control have even more reasons to not rent their units out.

Posted in Renting in SF, Investors | Comments Off