We’re this close to wrapping up the wildest year in recent memory. And if there’s a better way to bid 2020 adios than with a look at the most expensive homes sold in the US over the last twelve months, you won’t find it on a real estate blog! #6: $70 million in Palm Beach, FL The “Winter White House” was designed by famed architect Addison Mizner for the Kennedy family, and it’s where former President John F. Kennedy reportedly …
Month: December 2020
Last week, we shared data for San Francisco’s housing market during 2020 with a cautionary takeaway reminding readers that context is everything and some data points are better than others. Here’s the difference between median and average statistics and why you should ignore average sales prices. Old Math Classes Revisited Think back to your college statistics class — average and median both measure central tendency, but huge or tiny observations can skew averages significantly. I mentioned this in my last …
Nothing like a global pandemic to turn the world upside down. The real estate market in San Francisco was no exception. Interestingly, after the initial shutdown that destroyed the traditional “spring selling season,” we seem to have gone back to some semblance of a normal fall selling cycle, with November 2020 giving us the slowdown typical of the holiday season. Here’s what else current data shows both for San Francisco market and the nine Bay Area County housing markets in …
Driving the I-80 corridor or anywhere around Lake Tahoe in the winter months is no joke. Before heading out, get in the habit of checking chain controls in California and Nevada. Here’s a rundown on snow tires and chain requirements, plus my recommendation for the best places in San Francisco and Reno to get your tires ready for winter. Three Levels California highways have three levels of chain requirements based on a storm’s severity: R1, or requirement one: Chains are …
The love letter — that carefully-worded note sent to a home’s seller, meant to make a human connection and personalize what is otherwise truly a business transaction — has its place in the real estate industry. But in California, that place may no longer be legal. Here’s why. New Guidance from the California Association of Realtors In October of this year, the California Association of Realtors took steps to ensure that the standard real estate love letter doesn’t violate fair …
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