Our Chief Market Analyst, Patrick Carlisle, was recently quoted in a Vanity Fair article in the same paragraph as renowned economist John Maynard Keynes. The subject, a perennial one these days: whether the Silicon Valley, which now indisputably extends north at least as far as the new Salesforce Tower at 415 Mission Street, is in a bubble that’s about to pop. Of course, Keynes is long-dead, but we at Paragon are lucky to have our own resident guru sifting the tea leaves.
My last newsletter, entitled “The Crash That Wasn’t (At Least Not Yet ),” was among my most popular ever. The teaser headline may have had something to do with it. We continue the sensationalist theme here with some observations on the start of the Fall housing market season – typically one of the busiest times.
At our regular sales meeting this morning, attended by around 60 of our finest San Francisco agents, the main topic was whether collectively we were seeing a significant change in market conditions from say, the Spring of 2015. As I’ve said before, things generally slow down a bit in the summer and then heat up in September before cooling off again at Thanksgiving as the holidays and the cold weather kick in. The consensus was that this summer followed the typical pattern. But is what we’ve seen over the last few months just seasonal or is something more fundamental going on, Continue reading ““Fall” is in the Air?”
As of this writing, the S&P 500 took just 3 days to claw back about half of the 11% slide that started on August 18. The last time the S&P went that low was about 10 months ago. With volatility a given, who knows where it will be by the time this post gets published.
Continue reading “The Crash That Wasn’t (at least not yet) – The Stock Market and SF Home Prices”
Guests are coming, the kids are out of school, or you just want to do something different than usual. Summer has arrived in one of the most beautiful and multi-dimensional places on earth, and here is a wide variety of ideas for making the most of it.
Dinner, brunch, burritos, burgers, bars, music, dance, theater, running, biking, hiking, and things to do with visitors, children and dogs.
Food & Drink
Top 100 Restaurants
Zagat’s Best
Outdoor Dining & Drinking
Best Meal Delivery
Best Breakfast
Best Brunch
Best Burritos
Best Sandwiches
Best Pizza
Best Hamburgers
Best Dim Sum
Best Bars
Coffee Drinking
Out & About
Things to Do
To Do with Kids
To Do in Oakland
To Do in Marin
In Napa & Sonoma
City Biking
City Walks
Best Views
Dog Parks
Farmers’ Markets
Sports Calendar
Arts & Culture
Arts & Entertainment
Music
Museums
Important note: You will undoubtedly find yourself disagreeing vehemently with one or more of the above “best lists” – best burrito, brunch and coffee are particularly contentious issues in the Bay Area. Our position is clear: We agree wholeheartedly with you and share your dismay. Still, despite these egregious errors in taste, we hope you and yours are able to enjoy a summer delightful in every way.
“June Gloom” has arrived in San Francisco. We’re talking about the weather, not the housing market, though buyers may well continue to feel gloomy as the market shows no signs of letting up. Both condo and home prices continue to hit record highs, with the average home selling for 10% over the original asking price.
There may be a typical summer slowdown (reflected in the trailing drop in third quarter numbers above) as the Continue reading “Cheat Sheets for (Almost) Everything You Wanted to Know About Rent Control, Owner Move-In Evictions, and Condo Conversion in San Francisco”
Photos and content regarding retail activities in West Portal have been generously provided by LostinSF.com, the only French-American insider’s guide to San Francisco and the Bay Area. The French version of this article can be found here.
Named after the western entrance to a transit tunnel completed a century ago, the quiet neighborhood of West Portal is proud of having been overlooked by much of the frenzied redevelopment going on in many other parts of San Francisco. No big white Google or Apple buses prowl the streets here. You want bars filled with 20 somethings ordering $12 cocktails and artisan beers? Head downhill to the warmer climes of the Mission. Here, in the foggy western shadow of San Continue reading “West Portal, Quiet, and Happy To Be Unnoticed”
I’ve been opining for some time that many of San Francisco’s previously overlooked neighborhoods are seeing rapid home-price appreciation as buyers are being priced out of their first and second choices. I now have data to confirm it.
When the SF market recovery began in 2012, the more affluent neighborhoods led the way in rapid home-price appreciation. This is what you’d expect to happen as the “haves” tend to see their prospects improve before the “have nots.” But starting in 2014, the more affordable neighborhoods have taken the lead. Of course, there are few places outside San Francisco where houses of $1.2 million would constitute the “affordable” segment of the market, but as median house prices in the greater Noe, Eureka & Cole Valleys area Continue reading “San Francisco’s “Value” Neighborhoods Take Off as Inventory Remains Low”
All work and no play makes Misha a dull boy. Anyone that knows me knows that one of my passions is cooking. I wish I could get to more of these farmers’ markets than I do. They’re a credit to this wonderful city we live in.
Continue reading “The Complete Guide to San Francisco’s Farmers’ Markets”