Bay Area Home Sellers Continue to Enjoy the Largest Returns in the U.S.

U.S. home sellers profited by an average of 32.6 percent in 2018, the most in a dozen years.San Jose and San Francisco led the country for seller returns last year, at a respective 108.8 percent and 78.6 percent of original purchase price.By dollar amount, San Francisco and Los Angeles home sellers turned the largest profits in the fourth quarter. The year 2018 was an opportune...

Home of the Week: Stone Canyon Ranch, an Equestrian Paradise

Just south of Silicon Valley and east of Carmel, one of the premier equestrian ranch properties in the country covers more than 10,000 acres of the pristine San Benito Valley. Developed by internationally renowned entrepreneur George Roberts (KKR) and designed by noted San Francisco architect Ugo Sap, this transcendent retreat was created for both upscale entertaining and quiet connection with nature. The land holds potential...

The Economic Impacts of the Government Shutdown and the Federal Reserve’s Patient Stance

The stock market exhibited volatility early in 2019 but recovered following the Federal Reserve’s announcement that it will leave rates unchanged. The Fed emphasized that it will be patient in determining its next steps, both regarding the federal-funds rate and the unwinding of its reserves. And though markets have widely expected the Fed to keep its target rate unchanged, the market welcomed its emphasis on...

The Bay Area’s 10 Fastest-Paced Housing Markets: Q4 2018

About three quarters of the nearly 70 Bay Area communities in which Compass operates saw the pace of home sales slow year over year in the fourth quarter. Still, some local housing markets were moving quite quickly as 2018 came to an end — particularly those in the East Bay. As in previous analyses using MLS data, we examined fourth-quarter statistics to see where homes...

Most Millennials Would Buy a Fixer-Upper, Survey Says

More than eight in 10 millennials think that owning a home is part of the American Dream.Sixty-eight percent of younger Americans would be willing to purchase a home that needs substantial work, more than any other generation.Millennials are much more concerned with buying a home in a safe neighborhood and with access to highly ranked schools than they are with walkability. A new report again...

Real Estate Roundup: Bay Area Tech Firms Pledge Big Bucks to Help Housing Shortage

FACEBOOK LEADS THE CHARGE TO BUILD MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN SILICON VALLEY Several weeks ago, newly inaugurated California Gov. Gavin Newsom called upon deep-pocketed Silicon Valley tech companies to contribute money to help address the region’s housing shortage, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has already answered. As The Wall Street Journal reports, Bay Area tech companies, led by Facebook, have started a fund to raise...

The Bay Area’s 10 Fastest-Appreciating Housing Markets: Q4 2018

For the fourth consecutive quarter, two of Silicon Valley‘s most affluent communities were among the 10 in the Bay Area to see the most year-over-year home price growth in the final quarter of 2018. Housing markets in Napa and Marin counties also posted solid annual price appreciation, while San Francisco districts are notably absent from the list. The analysis below uses fourth-quarter MLS data to...

The Remodeling Projects That Pay California Homeowners Back the Most

In San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles, adding manufactured stone veneer to a home is the most profitable home-improvement job, returning more than 130 percent of its original cost at the time of sale. In Santa Rosa, nearly half of all tracked remodeling projects return more than 100 percent on investment. Adding an upscale master suite is the most expensive improvement that Los Angeles...

Home of the Week: Grand Sea Cliff Georgian With Golden Gate, Marin Views

Stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, the sweeping Marin Headlands across the Golden Gate, and the windswept Lands End shoreline give this stately residence in San Francisco’s Sea Cliff neighborhood a remote and romantic air. Set on a prime block in the exclusive Sea Cliff neighborhood, 34 Twenty-Fifth Avenue is a stately 1914 Georgian residence on a 10,250-square-foot, fenced, gated lot that backs up to...