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Ethnic Dance Festival TBA

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The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, founded to present the ethnic dance companies in the Bay Area, includes performers from throughout Northern California with over 600 dance companies and 100 different genres. During its rich history, the Festival has celebrated and fostered appreciation for the diverse cultural communities in the Bay Area and Northern California. As the first multicultural, city-sponsored ethnic dance festival in America, the Festival has a responsibility and the honor to provide an outstanding opportunity for artists who seek to present the dance expressions of their cultural and ethnic heritages. Participants come from varied socio-economical backgrounds, representing a broad range of occupations and lifestyles and during the month long festival. Students, masters and groups from regions as varied as Senegal, Tobasco and Barangay all dance together on the same stage.

The four programs, one on each weekend of the month, feature 7 to 11 companies and are comprised of performers selected from an annual audition with World Arts West, the presenter of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. WAW’s mission is to support artists sustaining the world’s diverse dance traditions by providing needed services and performance opportunities and to provide the general public with opportunities to experience and learn more about world arts and cultures. The Festival plays a crucial role in California’s cultural ecology, highlighting the diverse heart and soul of San Francisco.

June 1st to June 30th, 2013

For more information go to www.worldartswest.org

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How Hot is My Valley

Real Data SF: May 2013 Newsletter

How Hot is My Valley

Noe Valley that is. The place I’ve called home since May 1991 when I bought a vacant two unit building with a monumentally dreary exterior, deeply embedded cat-pee stains in the hardwood floors, and rooms with great volume and light.

This month’s newsletter is dedicated to the Noe Valley market, and the nearby areas of Eureka Valley (aka the Castro) and Cole Valley, which have a similar feel and housing stock. Continue reading “How Hot is My Valley”

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Carnaval Parade TBA

Carnaval 2011 mios - 011

Source : http://www.flickr.com/photos/sfcarnaval/5797557214/

The 35th anniversary San Francisco Carnaval Parade on May 26th, 2013, is the city’s largest multi-cultural event and a breathtaking display of community and colors, drummers and dancers, traditions and fellowship. This Latin inspired moving party celebrates global heritage with this year’s theme of “Spanning Borders; Bridging Cultures.” From music and dancing of the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Polynesia, Puerto Rico and Trinidad to African and Japanese drumming, the Memorial Day Weekend happening blossoms with intricate costumes, fantastic floats, stilt-walkers and thousands of people out to celebrate culture and international friendship.

Making its way through the Mission District with a simple message of love and peace through diversity, the Carnaval Parade is sure to awe and delight with its flashy dancers, passionate music, artistry, diversity and amazing percussion performances. Free to attend and family friendly, the Parade is a sensual intoxication both in spectacle of sight and sound and in the dynamic array of food from Latin America and the Caribbean. The Parade is the grand finale of the San Francisco Carnaval celebration and welcomes all who seek a message of peace and joy from the whole world.

May 26th, 2013 from to PST.
Mission District –
Free to attend, donations welcomed.

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Bay to Breakers – May 19, 2013

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The 102-year old Zazzle Bay to Breakers 12k is one of the world’s largest and oldest footraces, held annually in San Francisco, California. The name reflects the traditional course which takes tens of thousands of participants from the northeast end of downtown near The Embarcadero (the bay side of the city) to the west end and the breakers of Ocean Beach. Originally started as a spirit-lifter of civic morale after the devastating earthquake and fires of 1906, the 7.46 mile race features world-class athletes, costumed runners and fun loving participants out for a great day of running or walking through beautiful San Francisco.

This historic event is USA Track & Field certified and registration is required, but this isn’t just a race for the serious runner. In the true spirit of San Francisco, the race is a celebration for everyone. Families, weekend runners and walkers, and thousands of costumed participants (there’s a contest for the costumes, too!) make their way through the heart of the city cheered on by 100,000 spectators, cheering and bursts of live music. Throughout its long history, Bay to Breakers has been a showcase for the City’s irrepressible color, spirit and affection for eclectic traditions. This is a quintessential San Francisco experience and a true reflection of the heart of the city.

Sunday, May 19th, 2013 at 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM PST
Start location: See website for appropriate placement.
Registration fees: $53.00 per adult and $48.00 per child (must register to run/walk)

For more information go to www.baytobreakers.com

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Uncorked! – May 18, 2013

On Saturday, May 18th, 2013, from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, Ghirardelli Square will host the Eighth Annual Uncorked! Wine Festival. Partnering with local non-profit organizations, Uncorked! is a public event which provides a delicious opportunity to taste, educate, learn and experience wine from throughout internationally acclaimed Northern California. Last year’s event, the 7th Annual Uncorked! Festival drew nearly 8,000 attendees.

Cooking demonstrations by renown Bay Area chefs, seminars, musical entertainment and food and wine purveyances will take place throughout the courtyards of Ghirardelli Square as well as extend onto the adjacent Beach Street. Tasting tickets for Uncorked! are $50.00 and include a souvenir wine glass and unlimited tastings to satisfy your Bacchanalian desires. There is no admission fee to enter the event. Revel and sip while learning wine basics, pairings and profiles.

Saturday, May 18th, 2013 from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM PST
Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco
Tasting tickets: $50.00
Event entry: free

For more information go to www.ghirardellisq.com/events/uncorked-wine-festival/

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Paragon’s May 2013 Market Snapshot

The San Francisco Homes Market

Paragon’s May 2013 Snapshot

April’s market was basically more of the same of what we’ve been seeing for the last 12-16 months in San Francisco. Virtually all of our statistics are at historic or near-historic readings: number of homes for sale way down, months supply of inventory way down, percentage of listings accepting offers way up, days on market way down — all leading to overall house and condo median and average prices climbing to perhaps the highest points they’ve ever reached. We will add the usual caveat that no one or two months of data should be considered definitive until confirmed over the longer term: though there is no doubt that San Francisco is experiencing a red hot market, prices can fluctuate for various reasons, including seasonality.

We will have to wait and see if the current heights reached in home prices are the new baseline, a springtime blip, or a way station to even higher real estate values.

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San Francisco & Bay Area Home Values – in Maps

May 2013 Update

Below are 3 maps delineating recent median home sales prices and/or average dollar per square foot values for San Francisco neighborhoods and communities around the Bay Area. These statistics are generalities which may fluctuate for a variety of reasons, but still give an idea of comparative home values in and around the city.

Generally speaking, home price appreciation is continuing and indeed accelerating in 2013, extending the upward swing that began in 2012. This is being supercharged by increasing demand meeting inadequate supply. For more information about current market conditions and trends, please click on the “Market Dynamics Charts” link above.

In the maps below, “k” signifies thousands of dollars; “m” signifies millions; “$/sf” means average dollar per square foot; and “N/A” means there wasn’t enough data to generate a reliable number.

Home Values around the San Francisco

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San Francisco Neighborhood HOUSE Values

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San Francisco Neighborhood CONDO Values

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Real estate statistics in the Bay Area are based upon that relatively unique basket of homes that happen to sell within any given period, so instead of being exact measurements applicable to specific properties, they should be considered indications of the direction and approximate scale of market trends.

Median price is that price at which half the sales occurred above and half below – a single additional sale can sometimes make a 3-5% difference in overall median price, especially when the number of sales is low. Dollar per square foot is based on “livable space”, which should not include decks, patios, yards, garages, unfinished basements and attics, or rooms built without permit (“bonus rooms” and “in-law apartments”). Square footage figures are often unreported, measured in different ways or simply unreliable. Both these statistics can be affected by other factors besides changes in value, such as seasonality, available inventory, variations in buyer profile, changes in the distressed and luxury home markets, and variations in average home size (all things being equal, a smaller home will have a lower sales price but a higher dollar per square foot value than a larger home).
These analyses were performed in good faith with data derived from sources deemed reliable, but they may contain errors and are subject to revision. If you have any questions, please contact us.