Blog Archives: January 2015 — December 2015

Bay Area home sales continued to set the pace for all of California in May, posting solid sales growth and home prices that rose on a yearly basis at more than twice the rate of any other region. The latest figures from the California Association of Realtors also show that the Bay Area, with more buyers than sellers, was the only region in the Golden State where homes sold at a premium, with final sales prices an average of 7.3 percent above asking prices. Statewide, single-family home sales in May were down 1.1 percent from April but up ...

July 9, 2015 A college degree is almost a must-have for millennials who hope to eventually own a home in major Golden State coastal urban centers, but even with a diploma, young Bay Area buyers can expect to save for more than 15 years to meet the traditional down payment amount. In a new study, Trulia examines how student loans affect millennials’ abilities to amass a 20 percent down payment and the length of time needed to do so. The company found that student debt does indeed temporarily impede the ability to save for a down payment ...

Demand for homes in California showed no sign of cooling as summer officially began, with three Bay Area cities named among the nation’s five most booming real estate markets. In a new report, Realtor.com ranks the hottest U.S. real estate markets in June based on the number of online listing views compared with the number of online listings. The study also factors in the median number of days a property spent on the market in order to analyze buyer demand. Golden State metro areas claimed eight spots on Realtor.com’s list of the 20 ...

June 19, 2015 by Pacific Union • Posted in Industry Surveys & Studies Neighborhood safety is the most important factor in choosing a new home, according to a new survey of California homebuyers. Other top concerns include walkability and quality of schools . The survey of more than 1,200 recent buyers, conducted February through April by the California Association of Realtors, found that safety earned a rating of 8.5 on a scale of one to 10, where 10 is most important, for factors affecting the choice of neighborhood where a home ...

Every great house tells a story. The greatest are those that express history, lifestyle, location, and joie de vivre from the very first moment.  Less than a 15 minute stroll from downtown, this rare offering is such a home. Dazzling new remodeling merges with architectural heritage to yield this “Modern Storybook.” Originally built in 1915, the design overflows with a quintessential San Francisco-style nostalgia complete with columned front porch, 9 foot coved ceilings, and elaborate woodwork. The current owners have just completed a ...

Buying a home is often the most expensive purchase a person will make in their lifetime, so it’s obvious why many consider it one of the most challenging decisions they’ve ever faced. Even deciding how much of a down payment to make can leave buyers hung up, as this may be the single largest transaction in the whole buying process. So what’s the right amount to put down? For some, the answer is as simple as whatever you can afford, but if you have the funds, making a larger down payment could pay off greatly in the end, and here’s why: 1. ...