Here’s a bleak truth. Homeownership is growing farther out of reach for many Americans, particularly young adults, which means the number of renters is steadily increasing. It’s putting a strain on markets around the country, and prices are ticking skyward as a result. Rent affordability is a hot topic these days, and that’s no exception in San Francisco. The City by the Bay ranked among the top 100 cities with the biggest gap between actual median income and income needed …
Category: rent vs. buying
Many of the residential tenants in San Francisco are covered by rent control, a system that caps rent increases and limits evictions for “just causes.” On the surface, rent control seems like a smart way to ensure that landlords don’t take advantage of tenants. But from an economist’s standpoint, rent control actually puts the very people it’s intended to help at a serious disadvantage. Here’s why San Francisco’s rent control doesn’t actually work. Rent Control 101 Among economists, the ineffectiveness of rent control …
For those of us living in San Francisco, it’s no surprise the price of housing is a big concern both locally and nationwide. San Francisco in fact has been the country’s most expensive rental market (for one bedroom units) since August 2014 when our City by the Bay claimed the top spot over New York City. Thanks to our friends at Trulia, here’s a breakdown of the San Francisco’s neighborhoods where rents are highest: San Francisco Neighborhoods with the Most Expensive 1-Bedroom Rentals …
Unless you are fortunate to live in a rent controlled building, you may have noticed your monthly rent rise dramatically in recent years. Checking in at $3,530 per month, the median rent for a one-bedroom has been the highest in the country for six months following a 13.5% rise last year (and up as much as 29.2% in Noe Valley). For many renters, what they pay out every month could easily be a mortgage payment on a comparable place– the …
I was recently introduced to an international all-cash home buyer who had come to San Francisco for one week on a mission to find housing for his two young adult children. Initially looking at rentals in the Infinity, Ritz Carlton and AVA Nob Hill in addition to some properties on Nob Hill and Russian Hill, it wasn’t long before I was asked the question: Does it make more sense to buy a place? Unless you are fortunate to live in a …
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