Debra Donovan's (debdonovansf) Blog

I recently read an article from the National Association of Realtors® that only 20% of millennials (aged 22-35) with student debt own a home. Of the 80% who don't own homes, a whopping 83% believe that their student debt has affected their ability to buy. Further, these millennials stated that th...

 We are officially in what we call the Summer Doldrums. Whereas in other parts of the country, summer is one of the busiest months for real estate here in San Francisco it is among the lightest, with only the holiday season being slower. Perhaps it's the fog and chillier weather that compels peop...

My favorite days are when I get to hand my clients the keys to their new home!  After a long search for just the right house to fit their expanding family, my happy clients are now proud first-time homeowners! We were up against 8 other buyers, and were not even the highest-priced offer, but we p...

 After significant jumps in median sales price earlier this year, particularly for single family homes, the market has mostly remained flat for the 2nd quarter. New and active listings continue to be down double-digits compared to the same month last year as our anemic inventory situation continu...

  I've been spending a lot of time in Pacifica lately with clients who had been looking for, and have now just closed, on a new home there. Everytime I go, I am reminded about how much I love it: the water, the mountains, the community. Driving down Highway 1 as the Pacific Ocean appears suddenly...

 After months of hearing that interest rates were expected to rise, we are now seeing that come to fruition. Last week the 30-year fixed rate hit the highest it has been in 7 years. Rates have since fluctuated a bit (for example, on the morning of this writing they went down). Still, overall, mos...

As the first quarter of 2018 ends, the San Francisco real estate market continues to be red hot. As you may have already seen, the median sales price for a single family home jumped to $1.6 million for the quarter. Interest rates are beginning to rise, so perhaps buyers are trying to "lock in" be...

What's that old expression about March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb? That lion sure has been roaring!  I hope you've kept safe and dry over the past couple of weeks. I'm definitely looking forward to some warmer, dryer weather. The wet weather doesn't seem to have slowed down t...

January was a bit topsy turvy. The new tax laws went into effect, the stock market plunged and then mostly settled again. So far, though, none of this seems to have effected our red-hot real estate market.What remains to be seen is whether anticipated interest rates hikes might have an impact in ...

Happy 2018!!2017 is now in the books, so here's a look back at how real estate fared last year. Not surprisingly it was all about inventory...or lack thereof. Median Sales Price:Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably already know that home sale prices increased in 2017. Single famil...