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 persevered!! While not always easy to do in this market, a well-prepared and qualified buyer combined with a strong offer and offer presentation can make a big difference. They say good things come to those who wait, and in this case it's certainly true. I first met this lovely couple about 5 years ago when they were dating and thinking of buying a BMR (Below Market Rate) condo to get in on the homeowner action. After a few months of looking, they decided to wait until they could afford the home ... 07/25/2018

Parkside Home Values - San Francisco I tend to study neighborhood trends in San Francisco, and what I'm seeing these days is rather astounding, if even frightening. San Francisco as a whole is booming and there is a lot of money out there - from the tech industry to foreign investments. This study is about the Parkside district. It stretches from San Francisco's West Portal neighborhood where my office is 34 blocks to the ocean, and is divided into 3 areas: Inner Parkside, the Parkside and Outer Parkside. You can see it on the map below. Much of Parkside was built on sand dunes after WWII, a mass building operation creating homes for returning servicemen and their new families. Typical homes in Outer Parkside were mostly 2 bedroom attached homes over a grade level garage. Average 1000 s... 05/31/2014

Avoid Costly Mistakes When Selling Your Home - Part 2 Whether you've lived in your home a short time or a long time, you know it's not just an investment. It's a place of dreams, family memories, backyard barbecues, and a whole lot more. But when you put your home on the market, there are a number of things to think about - things you need to prepare for, and to organize. So if you are thinking of selling your home in San Francisco's West Portal, Parkside or Forest Hill, this is important! Number 1: You need to Dress your home for sale! In Avoid Costly Mistakes When Selling Your Home - Part 1, we approached the exterior of your home. And we looked at the landscaping and the exterior of your home. Now it's time to go inside, just like a buyer would. You want to be aware of four senses: s... 05/27/2013

Ocean Beach - San Francisco It's a beautiful warm spring day in San Francisco. I visited my clients and friends at my latest listing in San Francisco: 2186 43rd Ave. today. They're a wonderful couple in their early 80s, and are selling their home of almost 50 years to move to Atria, an assisted living facility in Burlingame. I sincerely hope they'll be happy there - there's a whole back story to this, maybe I'll tell in a future blog series. I sure hope this all has a happy ending since it is so important to them. We sat and chatted for an hour or more and then I convinced them to let me take a few photos of them for their memory, in the garden and in front of their home. Not to be published here - those photos are private and for their eyes only. From their home, it's a short 5 block w... 04/21/2012

A Beautiful Day in Outer Parkside Today was a good day to visit my new listing in Outer Parkside and put up a For Sale sign. Usually we have a company plant a post but in this case it is easier just to mount it on the front gate. I was halfway there and realized I didn't bring my camera. But wait, I have my iPhone! I already have pictures, but today is a sunny day and the sun is in the right place for a better picture. The iPhone takes great quality photos at 3264 x 2448 pixels. And with iCloud they're waiting for me on my computer when I get home! How cool is that. For more on the details of this listing follow this link: 2186-43rd Ave. After I put up the sign I rang the doorbell  and of course it was insisted that I come up and stay awhile. They're an elderly couple and this is hard o... 04/14/2012

Old Fashioned Marketing - The Newsletter. An elderly couple walked in to my office this afternoon. They looked familiar. One of my other agents asked them if he could help them - they asked for Mr. Scott. They asked me if I remembered them, and I remembered they lived next to a listing I had out in the Avenues near the ocean. I sold it first in 2005 for a family and then again as a short sale in 2008. I got to know them fairly well during those times. They're a German couple on a block that is rapidly becoming all Chinese. They told me how it used to be - all the neighbors had keys for each other's house - they looked out for each other. I started sending them my monthly newsletter. I've cut way back in the number of people I mail it to and now send it every other month to people I know... 04/05/2012