Blog
When the Grocery Store Becomes the Listing: What Two Safeway Sites Say About Bay Area Housing
If you want to know where the Bay Area housing market is headed, skip the headlines and watch the grocery stores. In the past 30 days, plans landed on planners’ desks to turn two Safeway sites into housing — 710 new homes between them. As someone who reads planning filings the way other people read…
We Were Never Meant to Do This Alone: Collaboration in Real Estate
Thirteen years in real estate has taught me plenty about houses — foundations, staging, the way morning light moves through a kitchen. But the hardest lesson had nothing to do with property. It’s that most agents don’t work together. They work against each other. And for someone whose great joy in life is bringing people…
The 55 Number: What Prop 19 Means for San Francisco Homeowners Over 55
Prop 19 in California: How Homeowners Over 55 Can Move Without Losing Their Low Property Tax
Fifty-five feels like a regular birthday until it isn’t. For a California homeowner who’s been holding onto a low property tax bill for decades, turning 55 quietly unlocks one of the most valuable moves in real estate — and most people have no idea the door is even there. I had a client recently who…
The Other Side of the Table: Why the Listing Agent Matters in Your Deal
Why Your Buyer’s Agent Matters More Than You Think
What “Active,” “Pending,” and “Contingent” Really Mean in a Listing
Most buyers think that once they find a home online, the hard part is over. It’s not. That’s usually where things start to get complicated — beginning with a single word on the listing: its listing status. A client recently sent me a property they found online. Looked great. Marked active. Seemingly ready to go.…
What a Foundation Retrofit Means When You’re Buying a Bay Area Home
Buying a home is never really about the part you can see on the tour. It’s about what sits behind the walls and inside the paperwork — and nowhere is that more true than in the disclosure package. A while back I was working with buyers who were serious — pre-approved, motivated, watching the market…
What Happens If You Fall Behind on Your California Property Taxes
Most homeowners worry about the mortgage. What quietly gets people into real trouble is everything around it — and near the top of that list is California property taxes. They feel simple until they’re not. One missed year turns into two, and two turns into a balance that grows while life keeps moving. One of…
Home Maintenance and Insurance Claims: What Every Homeowner Should Know
The scariest part of owning a home usually isn’t the mortgage — it’s the home maintenance. Knowing what needs attention, when it needs it, and what happens if you miss something. Roofs, foundations, paint, pests, drainage. The list never ends, and most people can’t keep it all straight. How could they? A family friend sent…