Bay Area Housing Affordability Improves in the Third Quarter

Affordability increased nationwide and in all nine Bay Area counties from the second quarter. San Francisco was the only Bay Area county where annual wage growth outstripped home price gains in the third quarter. Marin County residents must spend more than 100 percent of the average annual wage in order to afford a home. Some welcome news for Bay Area home shoppers: Affordability increased in...

Bay Area Housing Activity Slows in September but More Competition for Homes

Executive Summary: While September home sales in the Bay Area declined year over year, the region saw strong summer activity that outperformed last summer, bringing overall sales this year 2 percent ahead of last year. While all eight Bay Area counties (excluding Solano) posted year-over-year declines in September sales, San Francisco and Napa saw activity cool the most, with San Francisco sales stifled by shrinking...

Please Donate to Pacific Union’s Wine Country Fund

All of us at Pacific Union would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to everyone affected by the wildfires that have devastated Napa and Sonoma counties this week. To help our colleagues in the North Bay get back on their feet, we have established the Pacific Union Wine Country Fund. Please consider making a donation to the relief effort via this PayPal link. You can...

Real Estate Roundup: Bay Area Companies Offer the Nation’s Best Work-Life Balance

Here’s a look at recent news of interest to homebuyers, home sellers, and the home-curious. SAN FRANCISCO, SAN JOSE EMPLOYERS GIVE WORKERS OPTIMAL BALANCE A recent study found that Bay Area employees are the happiest in the U.S., and while large salaries certainly play a prominent role in career satisfaction, an ideal work-life balance also figures into the picture. A Glassdoor blog post says that...

Peace of Mind Is a Well-Stocked Earthquake-Preparedness Kit

When was the last time you refreshed the supplies in your earthquake-preparedness kit? What? You don’t have one? In one of the most active earthquake zones in the world? You’re not alone, of course. It’s a fact of life that we all do a better job of reacting to natural disasters than planning for them. But it’s another fact of life, safety experts say, that...

September U.S. Jobs Report Offers Continued Optimism Despite Conflicting Numbers

While U.S. employment numbers fell for the first time in seven years, the decline was anticipated due to the notable impacts of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which disrupted work and typical hiring trends in much of the South and Southeast. The leisure and hospitality industries the suffered most from the hurricanes’ impacts, losing 111,000 jobs. The net effects of the two hurricanes are anticipated to...

Most of the 20 Best Places to Retire in California Are in the Bay Area

Fourteen of the 20 California cities ranked as the most retirement-friendly are located in the Bay Area. Los Gatos, Saratoga, and Campbell all rank in the top five for best places to retire in California. California’s mild climate, diversity, and natural beauty make it an attractive place to retire, but the state has a higher cost of living than other popular retirement destinations like Florida...

Homebuyers Remain Upbeat, Surveys Say

Two separate polls found that more than 70 percent of Americans think that now is a good time to buy a home. Sixty-four percent of homeowners think that prices have risen over the past year, and more than half expect price appreciation into next spring. Millennials are willing to make extra effort to close a home purchase, including putting down more earnest money, writing letters...

What Is the Down Payment Sweet Spot?

Fifty-three percent of respondents to a recent survey said that 10 percent is the ideal down payment size. Nationwide, the average down payment was 7.3 percent in the second quarter. Homebuyers in San Jose and San Francisco made down payments of more than 20 percent, the highest in the country. More than half of American homebuyers would prefer to put down less than 20 percent,...