-
Dec 2, 2024 | 
marinatimes.com | Garey De Martini
San Francisco finally experienced a post-pandemic October where residential real estate sales began to come alive. According to a recent report published by the San Francisco Business Times, monthly sales volume was up 19% year-over-year, year-to-date sales were up 11%, days-on-market declined, and overbidding increased.
-
Nov 4, 2024 | 
marinatimes.com | Garey De Martini
This is the week most Americans have anticipated with dread and apprehension. The election takes place on the 5th, and if the polls are correct, at least half the country is going to be sorely disappointed, one way or the other. Perhaps even devastated. Whoever wins, there is much work to be done on the ground. This is certainly true for the housing market — it’s a mess. And there are no easy solutions. NBC Bay Area reports that nearly half of Bay Area residents are thinking of moving out.
-
Oct 1, 2024 | 
marinatimes.com | Garey De Martini
The arrival of October means there are only a few weeks remaining in this year’s fall selling season. Historically, home sales have tended to slow towards the middle and end of November. This year’s presidential election may impact sales as well, but not as much as you might think.
-
Sep 3, 2024 | 
marinatimes.com | Garey De Martini
Most experts seem to agree that the Federal Reserve will finally reduce interest rates this month. It’s been a long time coming, because most experts also believed that earlier in the year there would have been one or two cuts prior to this.
-
Jul 6, 2024 | 
marinatimes.com | Garey De Martini
San Francisco was just ranked among the top 10 most “impossibly unaffordable” cities in the world, according to a recent CNN report. It wasn’t the planet’s most unaffordable city — that honor belongs to Hong Kong, in the No. 1 position. San Francisco wasn’t even among the top five most impossibly unaffordable, though the California cities of San Jose and Los Angeles came in at No. 4 and 5 respectively. No, San Francisco placed in the eighth position, tied with Adelaide in Australia.
-
Jun 2, 2024 | 
marinatimes.com | Garey De Martini
In San Francisco, the three-month rolling median sale price for homes in April was $1,725,000, up nearly 10% year-over-year, according to Ted Andersen with the San Francisco Business Times. At the same time, the average San Francisco house sale in April went 12.4% over the original asking price — the highest percentage over asking since summer 2022. The number of new listings coming on market in April also soared 30% year-over-year.
-
May 3, 2024 | 
marinatimes.com | Garey De Martini
My recent column mentioned that given current conditions, San Francisco’s real estate market may at any time take one step forward, and two steps back, or vice versa. It appears in recent weeks that the market has taken a nice big step forward. “In March, the real estate market witnessed a remarkable resurgence.
-
Mar 31, 2024 | 
marinatimes.com | Garey De Martini
Earlier in the year expectations were high that a real estate rebound was imminent. Inflation looked licked, the Fed was optimistic, sellers were preparing to put their houses on the market, and many buyers had resumed looking for their very own home sweet home. More recently, a sense that maybe it’s time to slow our roll has surfaced. Inflation ticked up slightly. The Fed has said it still plans to reduce interest rates, but not as much as once expected.
-
Mar 2, 2024 | 
marinatimes.com | Garey De Martini
By all accounts, 2023 was a difficult year for San Francisco real estate. Mortgage rates were incredibly high, and inventory was terribly low. Buyer interest seemed to evaporate. And across the nation there was incessant talk about San Francisco’s so-called inescapable doom loop. This year has to be better, right? It’s still early, but so far, so good. SFGate.com reported that there has been a significant shift in the city’s real estate market. Even older listings are beginning to heat up.
-
Feb 3, 2024 | 
marinatimes.com | Garey De Martini
Traditionally residential real estate sales slow down over the winter months, and the market doesn’t really come to life until well after the Super Bowl. This year, the rebound in sales might take a little longer. Economists and real estate experts seem to agree that things won’t really heat up again until midyear, when mortgage rates are likely to be reduced even further. Until then, inventory will remain low, and most buyers will stay on the sidelines.
