January 22, 2021
I am very excited, for someone. I don’t know who yet… On January 31, I will draw a name and announce the $1000 winner of my annual referral contest. In past years, I was offering dinner for ten cooked in your home by esteemed chef Daniel Petrie, from Mis En Place. Due to current situations, I am not encouraging gatherings, so I cannot do that....
January 21, 2021
The San Mateo County real estate market ended the year with sale prices for single-family homes (SFR) up, and condos/townhouses down, +9.2% and -2.9% respectively. This isn’t unexpected. When real estate markets shift or face uncertainty, condos and townhouses will lose their value faster, and recover slower, than single-family homes. Demand is still very strong, with SFR inventory down 20% from last year’s already low...
January 14, 2021
Passage of Prop 19 + Historically Low Rates Proposition 19 took effect on January 1, 2021. The rules for tax assessment transfers have changed. Previously, in California, eligible homeowners could only transfer their tax assessments to a different home of the same or lesser market value to move without paying higher taxes. Homeowners who were eligible for tax assessment transfers were persons over 55 years...
December 18, 2020
Polish Christmas Traditions Poland is a largely catholic country and for that reason, the time around Christmas is full of traditions originated from and directed to religion. Although the religious aspect of Christmas, the 25th of December is the most important day of the holiday season, the truth is that it is Christmas Eve that has the largest number of traditions and customs. Also, for...
December 18, 2020
For the first time in 6 months, median sale prices for single-family homes (SFR), condos, and townhouse prices are all now rising. This underscores what we’ve been seeing – the real estate market is thriving on the Peninsula, and properties are selling fast. For single-family homes, 2020 has proven to be a banner year, with prices up 11%. The rapid rate of price increases we...
November 23, 2020
I love tradition. Tradition adds meaning to what would otherwise be mundane. Sometimes, tradition impels us to do things we might not otherwise bother to do. It can seem pedantic and boring. But tradition can also make a simple event seem potent and imbued with significance. I, for one, love the idea of carrying on, as has been done for generations. Thanksgiving is about as...
November 23, 2020
It was so fun and such a pleasure to see so many clients. Of course I miss having the actual party, like past years, but this was certainly enjoyable as an alternate. Thanks for taking the time to come by and say hello. I hope you fully enjoy your pies and cakes with your families and loved ones. And don’t forget, this is the dessert...
November 16, 2020
Single family homes showed strong gains again in October, continuing the acceleration that started in July. Inventory is continuing to decline, with the lowest levels we’ve seen in 2020. Overbids (sales that close higher than list price) are slowly inching up – now at 3% over asking county-wide. The number of houses being put on the market is up significantly, while the number of houses...
November 5, 2020
Are you looking to buy or sell your home? Please see the November market update for each city in the Peninsula. Let me know if you want to discuss. Peninsula Home Updates
October 28, 2020
As you all probably know, I love to keep in touch with my clients. I don’t have ex-clients; I just have more and more friends. I had sold a home for my clients, Sarika Singh and her husband Deep Majundar, and recently called to see how things were going. To my delight, Sarika explained how she had opened a studio, and was painting and selling...