John M. Scott's Blog

1st Time Home Buyers Win Again! These were some of my favorite clients. We met each other almost every weekend for almost 8 months looking for that special home they could aford. They also needed help with closing costs, which was a difficult thing for sellers to accept as the market kept heating...

Buying a Condo in San Francisco One of my favorite buyer clients are a couple - I'll call them Jake and Dan. They live in Sonoma and were looking for a pied-a-terre in San Francisco for when they want to enjoy the nightlife and cultural activities. Dan also goes to school part trime and needs a p...

Something always seems to be changing in San Francisco's West Portal Village. As a member of the Merchant's Association, I heard about this one in advance. And all the neighbors seemed to be very supportive and happy about the change - at least from what I was seeing on Nextdoor West Portal. Befo...

Earth Day 1970 I was reading an article about Earth Day, which is held on April 22nd. I got to looking on Earthday.org's website and clicked on History. The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970 - the year I graduated from high school.  The website said "The height of hippie and flower cultu...

It was a dark day in San Francisco in October 2012 when a four alarm fire at the corner of West Portal Avenue and Ulloa Street took out some very popular businesses - Squat & Gobble Restaurant, the wine bar and shop Vin Debut and a large dental practice. By early 2013 the debris had been cleared ...

The area from Golden Gate Park south to the San Francisco Zoo, and from busy 19th Avenue out to the Pacific Oean is generally known as the Sunset District. Originally nothing but sand dunes, it was built up gradually after WWII. The majority of homes in the area are built side by side with no spa...

The February issues of Market Focus Report. Issued by the San Francisco Association of Realtors characterized a continued return to market normalization. As mortgage delinquencies fade, banks are listing bargain-priced porduct less often. That means investor activity - which accounts for a substa...

The results of the 2013 California Association of Realtors® (C.A.R.) Home Seller Survey have been released. The survey finds that California home sellers are excited about the market again, and have confidence to repurchase. More than two-thirds of home sellers purchased a home after selling thei...

The January issue of Market Focus Report, issued by the San Francisco Association of Realtors characterized the market recovery continuing in 2014, though at a more moderate pace as it returns to a stable, healthy pace. The report identifies trends to watch for in 2014, including increased seller...

LED light bulbs for your home, are they worth it? I had to make a trip to San Pablo from San Francisco 2 nights in a row, at rush hour. A trip that would take less than 30 minutes in mid-day, but takes 90 minutes at 6pm. I was noticing the new tail lights on cars, and then the spectacular light s...