What SF Bay Area Homeowners Should Know About the Upcoming Gas Appliance Ban

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As of last week, sales of gas furnaces and water heater appliances (but notably, not gas stoves) are to be phased-out of all new construction. By 2029, replacements for any residential building are required to be a zero nitrogen-oxide emitting appliance. In short, electric heat pumps and electric water heaters are very soon going to be the only approved appliances in the majority of the Bay Area. Enacted by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, this regulation does not

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San Francisco Highest Cost of Living, Reno Near Median

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If you’re already living in San Francisco, it will come as no surprise that the City by the Bay takes the top spot for cost of living—edging out even New York City. That’s according to a new interactive tool from Apartment List, which shows that housing in New York is 210% more expensive than the national average. It’s slightly higher than San Francisco at 20%, but San Francisco takes the top spot for overall cost of living because of higher

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What the Recent Bank Failures Means for Buyers

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One of the unexpected outcomes of the recent bank failures making headline news these past few days is there has been a “flight to safety” which for now, has had a positive impact on mortgage interest rates.  Here’s what has unfolded so far. The difference a week makes Banking clients had been quite happy the beginning of last week with their favorite local lenders (otherwise known as regional banks) until word got out that maybe they weren’t as liquid in

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The Number One Feature All Buyers Look For in a New Home

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Buyers are always motivated by personal preferences, lifestyles, and budgets when they’re house hunting but there are a handful of features with one in particular that just about everyone wants. Here’s a rundown of what buyers tend to prioritize, including the number one feature buyers look for in a new home. What Buyers Look for in a New Home Location, location, location. It’s a famous adage for a reason! The location of a home is often one of the most

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Why Over-Asking Sales are a Useless Stat in Real Estate

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One thing I find annoying in the extreme is click-bait headlines along the lines of: “123 Main Street Sold for 10%….15%…20% OVER list!” That is one of the least valuable stats any potential buyer or seller could read and does the watcher of real estate an incredible disservice. But before we dive into how you should treat a headline like that, there are few facts worth acknowledging.  One, I am not taking anything away from the hard work of a listing agent’s

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