Hello My Favorite People!

Yippee! We’re back after a week off. . . Thanks again for your continued support. I love working with the friends and associates you’re recommending me to and am happy to return to your inboxes!
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This Buzz covers some of my favorite views and secret spots. I’m often surprised by clients who have lived here for some years and still don’t know about the Vulcan Stairway or the view from the top of Golden Gate Heights.

Some of this is inspired by “Yvette’s Joy of Life Guides”– which are buried in the Joie de Vivre Hotels site. I don’t know who Yvette is, but she’s talented and prodigious. If you’re ever bored and looking for something different to do in San Francisco, I recommend printing all of her guides up and keeping them on hand.

Tank Hill
Tank Hill is a breathtaking promontory with spectacular views. It used to be a little known spot until some of those “Insider Tourist Guides” began to cover it. Even so, there are rarely more than two or three people there at a time.

Set high above the Castro, Tank Hill lets the eye take in an entire sweep of the City, from Point Reyes to Hunters Point. My favorite direction to look is dead east where ribbons of streets(16th, 17th, 18th) sail down and away towards Potrero Hill. This vantage point also gives you a strong sense of the City’s eastern geography.

If you’re up for an invigorating walk, I recommend approaching Tank Hill from the Haight Ashbury side. Here are the directions:

Start at Cole and Waller and head south towards Carl. This will take you through Cole Valley, one of the City’s most charming commercial districts. Shortly past Carl, hang a right on Alma, then a left on Shrader and get ready for a hefty four-block climb. At the top make a left on Belgrave and go to the end of the street. There will be a small foot path heading up to some craggy rocks where you can tuck yourself in from the wind and take in the view. .Take a picture for posterity. The skyline is going to change radically over the next ten years and it will be an unusual memento.

This link will take you a picture of just one of the great views from Tank Hill. It’s from Joseph Stubbs’ “Bandit Notes Website,” which is dedicated to surveying the most amazing natural environments in San Francisco.

Vulcan Stairway
If you’re ready to continue your afternoon hike, the Vulcan Stairs is a magical place that I love to introduce to friends. Lined with stunning gardens and turn-of-the century cottages, it’s a quiet pedestrian thoroughfare that runs from Levant to Ord Cout. I think of it as a Filbert Steps redux—shorter (just two long blocks) but better in some ways because it’s a secret spot that only locals know about. It’s also a great way to get from the Haight Ashbury down into the Castro.

To get to the Vulcan Stairs from Tank Hill, head back down Shrader Street to 17th. Then make a right and walk straight downhill for about a quarter mile. Make a left on Roosevelt, then a fairly quick right on Lower Terrace, then an even quicker left on Levant. The top of the stairway will pop up pretty quickly on your right hand side. On your way back up, you can take the Saturn Street stairs, which are almost as good.

The best photos online of the Vulcan Stairway are at Sister Betty’s San Francisco Stairways site

De Young Museum Tower
I got a lump in my throat the first time I stepped out of the elevator and saw this nearly new view from the top of the new De Young Museum Tower. Some of the drama comes from getting there. The Museum’s architecture and Golden Gate Park setting is stunning and the trip through the lobby and into the elevator makes me sentimental and proud all at the same time.

144 feet high, the De Young Museum tower’s sleek top floor offers a crows-nest-perspective of the Park Golden Gate Park. The 360-degree view encompasses everything from the Marin Headlands to the radio tower atop Twin Peaks. Access to the lobby and tower is free to the public.

To get an idea of the De Young Tower view, click on this photo from local photographer John Agoncillo.

Coastal Trail off Lincoln Park
This section of the GGNRA coastal trail offers vistas of the Pacific shoreline framed by twisting shapes of Monterey Cypress. It’s hard to believe that you’re still in San Francisco until you glance right to see the Golden Gate Bridge and the City beyond. I take out-of-towners here because they can get a snapshot of the Bridge from outside the Golden Gate instead of the standard inside view looking across to the Marin Headlands.

I like to get to the Coastal Trail from where California Street dead ends just beyond 32nd Avenue— maybe because my daughter’s alma mater, the Katherine Delmar Burke School for Girls, is there. To reach the trail, head up the stairs at the end of the block and turn right. Work your way along the path adjacent to the Golf Course and you’ll find the trail just on the other side of the El Camino Del Mar. The shoreline part begins on the other side of the 17th Fairway. If you want to get ambitious, you can take the trail the full three miles to Ocean Beach and Cliff House for more sweeping views down the coastline.

Click here to learn more about the California Coastal Trail.

May I be your tour guide?? I obviously love to show people my fair city and am blessed to do it as part of my job. I’m always delighted to introduce newcomers to the City and am happy to share with them my unique knowledge of the neighborhoods and housing styles. If you know someone who is relocating, please have them call me!
See you next week with tips on how to compete in a hot real estate market (yes we’re now back to having more buyers than sellers!)

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When you cruise through open houses, you see them—big, fat disclosure packets full of information about the property you’re looking at.  Their purpose is to help the Seller move their property quickly and enjoy a smooth, easy sale by encouraging buyers to make clean offers with few contingencies.

Buyer’s Remorse

When a buyer balks after getting into contract, it’s usually over a property’s physical defects– like a leaky roof called in a contractor’s report, or the dry rot in the back porch stairs called by their termite inspector. If the contract allows it, buyers will walk away or attempt to drive down the purchase price over these kinds of items.

Selling? Consider pre-inspections. . .

To avoid this scenario, Sellers will usually get a termite report up front and sometimes even order a contractor’s inspection before putting a property on the market. These reports then become part of the disclosure package and available to any prospective buyer who wishes to consider offering on the property.

The Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement is Your Friend

Sellers should also take full advantage of the Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement (RETDS) and RETDS Supplement to offer more details. When I give my Sellers these elaborate questionnaires, I tell them that this is their opportunity to avoid buyer’s remorse and reveal everything about the property that they might get sued for later. That usually scares them into remembering all the dirty details, like the porch they replaced without permits and the cat their kids used to have (cat pee is a ubiquitous source of litigation).

Multiple Offers– Multiple Disclosure Packets

When a property is hot and the Seller anticipates multiple offers, agents will try to get a sense of how competitive the bidding might get by asking how many disclosure packets are out. Lately, though, the number of packets out doesn’t always indicate the number of offers expected. Earlier this year, my clients bid on a property that had seven disclosure packages out. They went in at asking and because they were the only offer, got the property.

What to Look for in Disclosures

When I look at a disclosure packet, I speed read it the first time through. The major items of interest to me are the termite report (also known as a Structural Pest Control Report), the Contractor’s report (if available) and the Seller’s RETDS and Supplement. If it’s a condo, I also zero in on minutes from the HOA meetings, which often reveal the dark underbelly of life in the complex, like the crazy lady who creates disturbances in the lobby or neighborhood criminal activity.

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First Time Home Buyer Tips

This Buzz is geared for newbies– and for veterans of the home buying process who could use a brush-up on the basics:

Most of these home buying tips come from Eric Bramlett, a real estate broker out of Austin, Texas.

Is it time to move?

Weigh the cost versus the benefit. Are you planning to stay for at least three years in your new home? If your answer is ‘yes’ then you should go ahead and buy. You will be at a break-even on your closing costs after two years and start making money at year three.

Home = Money Machine

After year three, you can really experience the benefits of appreciation. In 2002, the median price for a home in San Francisco was $540,000. If you wanted to buy it with 10% down your total investment would have been roughly $60,000 with closing costs. Today, that same home is worth $749,000—a 285% return on your investment.

The first step - Pre-approval

Get pre-approved for a loan. This is the scariest part for many buyers, but pre-approval is a very important step. Pre-approval gives you buying power and allows you to make a solid offer on your dream home when you’ve found it. A pre-approval letter also makes the seller more likely to accept your offer.

Learn your total housing costs

Pre-approval also lets you know how much your new home will REALLY cost—in monthly payments. A $650,000 or $800,000 home price can be an abstract concept, but $3,000 a month or $4,500 a month are tangibles that everyone can understand. When you meet with a lending professional (call me for the names of some great ones) ask them for a “payment table” that shows you a rough estimate of your TOTAL monthly payment, including taxes and insurance or homeowners fees based on purchase price. Pick your payment and you know the price range to shop in.

Call a good Realtor

I know this sounds self-serving, especially when you can find just about every home for sale online, but a good agent will take the spam out of your property showings. I also make it my business to track the market 24/7 and take pride in putting my buyers into carefully selected properties that will hold their value in the short term and offer excellent appreciation in the long term.

Hang tough on negotiating terms and price

I’ll also go to the mat for you when negotiating price and terms to make sure you don’t overpay and protect your interests. With the average real estate file running 100 pages or more, one tiny mistake or omission could land you in court or cost you thousands. Having a Realtor handle the paperwork not only eliminates the headache, it also limits your financial and legal risk.

The “wants and needs in a home” exercise

4. Make a List of “Must Haves” and “Wants.” Your search will be easier and you’ll be more confident in your decision if you take a systematic approach. The best way is to make two lists: Your “must haves” and your “wants.” Your “must haves” are the essentials: parking, bedroom/bath count, square footage and the unique odds and ends like room for your kayak or big walls for your art. Your “wants” are the qualities that you would like for your new home to have, but can live without. Great examples of “wants” are hardwood floors, a gas stove, and type of exterior. By taking the time to articulate what you need and want in your new home, you will know exactly what to look for when looking at prospective homes.

Figure out the best neighborhoods for your needs

5. Learn the neighborhoods. The variety of home styles and neighborhoods is astonishing in San Francisco. You can buy a mid-century house in Midtown Terrace, an Edwardian flat in the Western Addition or a sleek apartment condo in South Beach. Sometimes I like to put my buyers in a car and drive the neighborhoods. It gives them an opportunity to learn some of the City’s geography and get a feel for the different areas. You can also read about San Francisco neighborhoods on my website.

San Francisco’s micro-neighborhoods

San Francisco also has micro-neighborhoods, where housing styles and neighborhood character change within the space of just a few blocks. The 700 block of Waller vastly different from the 300 block, for example. Weather is also a big consideration. If you’re a sun worshipper, some neighborhoods, like the Outer Sunset, are out of the question.

Be a buyer, not a browser

6. Beware of the “Red Shoe Experience.” This tip comes from Elizabeth Weintraub, of Lyon’s Realty in Sacramento. Women will relate to this. Say, you need a new pair of red shoes. You go to the mall. At the first shoe store, you find a fabulous pair of red shoes. You try them on. They fit perfectly. They are glamorous. Priced right, too. Do you buy them? Of course not! You go to every other store in the mall trying on red shoes until you are ready to drop from exhaustion. Then you return to the first store and the red shoes are gone. Do not shop for a home this way. When you find the perfect home, buy it.

Home buyers must vanquish vascillation

7. Make your decision! This tip is a corollary to the Red Shoe Experience. Homebuyers often hesitate after they’ve found the right home because they’re not confident about their decision-making process. Your home is probably the largest investment of your life, and it’s normal to feel those butterflies. However, if you have followed the steps above, you will have your bases covered. If you’ve found a home that meets all of your “must haves,” most of your “wants,” is in the right neighborhood, and in your budget - it’s the one for you! Don’t wait and let another buyer take YOUR home!

More Bay Area Realtor Referrals

I forgot to mention a couple more of my Realtor “she-roes” last week— The fabulous Michelle Rodriguez of Alain Pinel in Los Altos and the wonderful Tess Pollitz from Empire Realty Group last year. If I’ve left anybody else out, please email me and I’ll make sure to mention you next time.

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