Eileen Bermingham's Blog

Couldn't Sell in 2009? Give It a Shot in 2012!

Posted On: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - 2:35pm
Topics: Buyers and Sellers

Many homeowners who attempted to sell property in the 2009-2010 timeframe weren’t successful. The MLS is littered with property histories showing withdrawn or expired listings across those two years. This activity was mainly due to the fact that buyers were sitting out the market and economy, loans were a challenge to obtain, and sellers generally were looking for more money than their homes were worth.

But the variables have certainly shifted this year in San Francisco. Cash

The SF Inventory is Finally Arriving

Posted On: Wednesday, May 9, 2012 - 6:00am
Topics: Buyers and Sellers

Buyers and Realtors have been complaining about the lack of residential inventory in San Francisco since earlier this year. Indeed, it seems like buyers are fully engaged in our single-family home, condo and multi-unit offerings and have hit the market looking for property all at the same time. That means that for every cool house in a central location, there are 10-15 sets of buyers waiting to pounce.

Buyers Will Pay For "Done," Even in So-So Locations

Posted On: Monday, May 7, 2012 - 5:25pm
Topics: Buyers and Sellers

Despite most San Francisco buyers' firm proclamation at the outset of their house hunt that they won't pay for someone else's renovation, many are doing just that. One trend that doesn't appear to be slowing is that of buyers snatching up fully renovated single-family homes---and paying dearly for them, even if the homes are not in prime locations within a given neighborhood. (Because not everyone can afford a newly renovated home in the heart of Noe Valley, right?)

Mission All Grown Up---And Still Growing

Posted On: Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - 6:00am
Tags: 179 san carlos | Topics: Buyers and Sellers

I was running home on Monday morning after dropping my car off for servicing in SoMa. My route home brought me through the Mission, and I suddenly found myself reflecting on how much things have changed there since I first moved to San Francisco in the late '90s.

Back then, I remember picking up my personal trainer to go to Crunch on Van Ness at 6:00am. She lived on San Carlos and 19th, and though she was willing to take public transportation to meet me at the gym in the early morning,

Preview: 299 Valencia in The Mission

Posted On: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 - 6:00am
Tags: 299 Valencia

I took a tour of the new 36-unit development at <a href="http://www.299valencia.com/">299 Valencia </a>in the Mission yesterday. The units are built out, but many aren't quite finished and construction continues. However, it was easy to get a sense for the space, outlooks and overall potential appeal of the project.

First, the lay of the land: 299 Valencia has one- and two-bedroom condos with a variety of floor plans. The

"Manipulative Pricing" Returns to SF Market

Posted On: Wednesday, April 18, 2012 - 6:00am
Tags: 1219 Cole

It started in the latter half of 2011: Well-appointed, "value-priced" properties came on the market, and quickly went into contract. Also making a steady reappearance were <a href="http://www.insidesfre.com/sf-market-sees-return-of-extreme-multiple-offers/">multiple-offer</a> scenarios, particularly in neighborhoods like Noe Valley and other tech employee

You're Invited: Home-Buying Workshop for the Tech Community

Posted On: Thursday, April 12, 2012 - 6:00am

If you’re in the tech industry and are considering purchasing a home in a central San Francisco neighborhood that offers proximity to tech shuttles, freeways, restaurants and cafes, please attend my upcoming San Francisco Home Buyer Workshop for the Tech Community.

We’ll cover all the basics to get you started, like where you should start with financing, neighborhoods you shouldn’t miss, and how you can compete in the current market. My colleague, Guarantee

First Quarter of 2012 Ushers in Busy Spring Season

Posted On: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 - 6:00am
Topics: Buyers and Sellers

Momentum seems to be steadily building as we enter the Spring real estate season. Though volume for single-family houses was down in comparison to the last quarter of 2011, condo and TIC sales remained steady---as did prices.

For example, a total of 514 single-family homes sold in the past quarter at an average of $963,337 (down slightly from the average $970,872 price in Q4 2011). And 504 condos sold at an average of $748,622, along with only 66 TICs (average of

Short Sales Require Committed Buyers

Posted On: Friday, April 6, 2012 - 6:00am
Topics: Buyers and Sellers

It's unfortunately been fairly common over the past couple years to encounter properties being offered as short sales. In a nutshell, a short sale simply means that the seller owes more on the property than it's worth. Not only is the owner going to come up short on what's owed on one or two loans, but he or she will also not be able to cover selling costs such as broker commissions, city and county transfer tax, and various reports typically paid for by the seller and provided

Should I Remodel My Kitchen Before I Sell?

Posted On: Monday, March 26, 2012 - 6:00am
Topics: Buyers and Sellers

Three potential sellers have asked me this question in the past month, so I thought it would be a good time to let everyone know where I stand when it comes to remodeling in order to sell your home.

You can certainly command more money when you're selling if you have a remodeled kitchen. Buyers come through the property and don't knock money off the list price for the new kitchen they "need" to do. But that's only if they like the remodeling you've done.

And