Archive for January, 2009
Posted by insidesfre on January 30, 2009
Though Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans cover single-family homes and multi-unit buildings, these loans include condos, too. The loan amount maximum is $625,500, and you can obtain a loan with as little as three percent down.
However, the condo must be located in an FHA-approved building. So what buildings are approved? Here’s a partial list:
Arterra (300 Berry, Mission Bay)
Baycrest (201 Harrison, South Beach)
Candlestick Point, The Cove (301 Crescent, South SF)
Diamond Heights Village (115 Red Rock Way, Diamond Heights)
Dolores Plaza (15th Street, Mission Dolores)
Goldmine Hill (Ora Way, Diamond Heights)
McAllister Mews (Western Addition)
Parkview Commons (Carl and Arguello, Cole Valley)
Symphony Towers (750 Van Ness, Van Ness Corridor)
Keep in mind that, according to my loan guru, Sue Ballinger at Guarantee Mortgage, the loan limits are set for the year, but will change on December 31st. However, many lenders begin the loan limit change in November if the maximum is lowered.
Posted in FHA, Home Buyer Tips | Tagged: condo loans, FHA, FHA loans | 1 Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on January 29, 2009
The past month’s sales figures are an excellent indicator of how the market is doing for single-family homes. Here are a few quick updates:
Total Houses Sold: 59
Number Sold Under Asking Price: 36
Number Sold At Asking: 4
Number Sold Above Asking: 19
Average Sale Price: $747,231
Though sales were scattered across many neighborhoods, a bulk were centered on the Bayview/Excelsior/Visitacion Valley/Portola/Silver Terrace areas, which had an average sales price of $488,270.
Only nine single-family homes sold for above $1M. I’m thinking there are quite a lot of first-time buyers out there using the market to their advantage.
Posted in Market Snapshots | Tagged: first-time home buyers | Leave a Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on January 27, 2009
Got a luxury tenancy-in-common (TIC) building you’re ready to sell? Keep this in mind: Buyers are just not into luxury TICs these days.
TICs were traditionally a way for first-time home buyers to get into the housing market. So TICs priced well above $1M are facing particular challenges.
Case in point: 1278-1282 Church in Noe Valley. These three TIC interests hit the market in July 2008. Though the developer did a great job with the floor plans and finishes, the property has had poor sales luck. The two-level unit with the deeded yard sold for under the $1,395,000 asking price in September. But the other two units were withdrawn in December. (Both had accepted offers at one point, but the contracts fell out.)
The top unit is back on the market for $1,165,000, but the owners haven’t officially brought the middle unit on; they may rent that out if no buyers materialize. Its last official price was $1,179,000.
But in an age of loan defaults and job losses, do buyers want to be on title with other owners? Condo prices are dropping, and buyers have their pick of units in this price range (not to mention houses). Though many TICs did sell for above $1M over the past year, many more such listings have been withdrawn.
Posted in TICs | Tagged: luxury, TICs | 2 Comments »
Posted by insidesfre on January 23, 2009
The San Francisco Realtor Association recently launched a great new online resource for homeowners, called San Francisco Bay Window. The site contains more than 130 articles on issues such as property taxes, insurance, and home maintenance, as well as background on neighborhoods. There’s also a government section that provides descriptions of legislative proposals and ballot measures that affect the interests of property owners at the local, state, and federal levels.
Posted in Homeowner Tips | Tagged: san francisco bay window | Leave a Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on January 22, 2009
I stopped in this week at two condos on Dearborn Street in Mission Dolores that were a few doors apart. Both have been sitting on the market, which is surprising given the very popular location: 
26 Dearborn is a 2BR/1BA unit with less than 1,000 square feet and no parking space. It’s a first-floor unit that feels a bit cramped and dark, listed at $599,000. Last sold in 2005 for $560,000, the owners are now relocating and need to sell.
Over at 38 Dearborn, things are a little brighter. Though the unit is technically smaller than that of 26 Dearborn, this 2BR/1BA seems more spacious. You also get your own garage. Asking price is $649,000, down from $679,000 when it first came on the market in December 2008.
Posted in Mission/Potrero | Tagged: dearborn | 1 Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on January 21, 2009
After coming on the market in November 2008 and going in and out of contract, 212 Santa Rosa is back on the market at its holding-strong list price of $649,000.
This 2BR/1BA house in the popular Mission Terrace neighborhood definitely has potential. Big-ticket items are the $35,000 pest work, asbestos removal from the ceiling, and a kitchen remodel. But the average price of a two-bedroom home in the neighborhood is about $620,000 (based on sales from Oct 1, 2008 to today). So if you factor in anywhere from $50,000-$100,000 worth of work on probably the low end—I’m not factoring in all the odds and ends that the contractor report indicated—the list price is probably too high.
But as with all homes on the market, this one is likely ripe for negotiation (especially given the fact that it’s a probate sale). For the right price, the project could be a sound one—especially given its prime Mission Terrace location.
Posted in Bernal/Excelsior | Tagged: mission terrace | Leave a Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on January 20, 2009
I saw 884 Douglass on my Tuesday broker tour last week, and thought it was a great project house. Given the overall size, and the fact that the the 4BR/1BA floorplan is reasonable and intact, a good down-to-the-studs situation may be in order, with plumbing/electrical system upgrades, and the addition of a bath or two. But you don’t have to necessarily expand horizontally or vertically, so you could probably get permits fairly easily. In fact, the neighbors and the Building Department would appreciate the improvements. And the location within Noe is excellent. We will wait and see who has the financial means to purchase the property and complete the renovation. My guess is it will be an owner occupier.
Posted in Noe/Eureka Valley | Tagged: fixer, noe | Leave a Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on January 19, 2009
14 Harris Place isn’t stunning to see from the curb, but the home has been featured in various design books in the past. Situated at the end of a small street off Laguna between Filbert and Greenwich, this 3BR/2.5BA home has a master suite on the third floor with partial views of Angel Island and Mount Tam. There’s an open floor plan with a loft-like feel, and the living room has 17′ ceilings and looks out through walls of glass at a private garden with hot tub. The price tag for all this? $2,150,000. The property last sold in 1999 for $525,000.
Posted in North End of Town | Tagged: cow hollow | 2 Comments »
Posted by insidesfre on January 16, 2009
With a penchant for warm weather, Bernal Heights, The Mission, and Potrero Hill are popular among first-time home buyers. Here’s a look at the price averages in these neighborhoods over the last quarter of 2008:
Bernal Heights
Single-Family Homes
$827,877 (25 sold)
Condos
$641,333 (6 sold)
The Mission
Single-Family Homes
$690,220 (4 sold)
Condos
$638,545 (11 sold)
Take note: The most expensive condo sold was a 3BR/2BA, top-floor condo built in 2000, on Capp at 22nd Street with one-car parking.
Potrero Hill
Single-Family Homes
$811,250 (4 sold)
Condos
$619,677 (21 sold)
Take note: The 888 7th Street development represented many of the 21 condo sales in the past quarter. The highest-priced condo was a two-story 3BR/2BA unit on San Bruno Avenue (right opposite 280) that was listed at $869,000 and sold for $920,000 in early October.
Posted in Bernal/Excelsior, Market Snapshots, Mission/Potrero | Tagged: bernal, mission, potrero | Leave a Comment »
Posted by insidesfre on January 15, 2009
I toured the recently opened 2200 Mission building, at 18th Street. Though the 23-unit property won’t win any architectural awards, you get pretty good square footage for the money. The building has one- to four-bedroom units, some with private patio areas (though in a few cases, you can’t access those deeded areas from your actual unit). If you can score a unit on the fifth floor, you can actually get some views, and avoid seeing eye-to-eye with some of the less attractive properties at the intersection. Many of the units feature bedrooms which face Mission Street; for some prospective buyers, the noise level will likely be too abrasive. But if you’re looking for reasonably priced units in a very central, urban area, 2200 Mission’s got it goin’ on. There was a steady stream of foot traffic in and out of the building during the first Sunday open house, and a few of the units are already in contract. Prices range from $449,000 for a one-bedroom with parking, to four-bedroom units starting at $674,000.
Posted in Mission/Potrero | Tagged: mission | Leave a Comment »
