Mindy Henderson San Francisco Real Estate: November 2014

Friday, November 21, 2014

Celebrating the deYoung Museum - Moraga Library Exhibit

Moraga Library Photography Exhibit by Thomas Pappas, November 1 - 30th, 2014

Art in public spaces is always a special treat because of the joy it brings to so many people! For me, finding the art, then creating an image of the artist’s work that stands out in its surroundings is a challenge, so I am always looking for an opportunity to capture such images.

The deYoung Museum is a beautiful copper-clad structure set in beautiful surroundings in Golden Gate Park. It is a hard structure to photograph because of the twisting 144 foot observation tower, never quite seeming to be level! As befitting such a fine museum, the surrounding gardens and outdoor sculpture are unique, and provide a wonderful experience on their own. This show is focused on the gardens and free spaces in the museum.

A visit to the deYoung usually means a walk through one of the nearby neighborhoods to the park. The photos of the succulent plants were captured while strolling on upper Ashbury Street, with the exception of one, which was taken in Moraga on Rimer Drive.

Finally, I have included some photographs of the beautiful Heart Sculptures that can be seen around San Francisco. Sponsored by the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation, more than one hundred have been created. The first artist to create a Heart was singer and artist Tony Bennett. Entitled “I left my Heart...” it is permanently displayed on the northwest corner of Union Square. Many of the sculptures photographed during this project have since been removed, with many of them going to private spaces where they can no longer be enjoyed by the public.

About the Artist

Thomas Pappas is an eclectic photographer with interest in street, landscape, portrait and nature photography. Working with both digital and film, his work encompasses many locations including the Western United States, San Francisco, New York, the Bahamas, and Greece. He has also photographed many local events including the CAIFF Film Festival, Heritage Bank Tennis Championships, and Campolindo and Miramonte sports.

Technical Information
All of the prints on display were made digitally, using Canson Baryta Photographique archival paper and Canon Lucia Inks.

This article and photo sourced from: http://patch.com/california/lamorinda/celebrating-deyoung-museum-moraga-library-exhibit-0

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Bay Area Home Prices Closer to Peak Than Rest of California

Home and condominium prices across the nine-county Bay Area are about 10 percent shy of their 2007 highs, says recently released data, closer than they are in other parts of California.

According to a new report from CoreLogic DataQuick, the median sales price for single-family homes and condominiums across the nine-county Bay Area was $601,000 in October, 9.6 percent below its summer 2007 peak of $665,000. The company notes that the median sales price in the Bay Area is closer to its prerecession high than it is in any other major region of the state.

In a separate report, CoreLogic DataQuick said that the median sales price in California is still 21.1 percent shy of its spring 2007 peak of $484,000.

Bay Area home prices have been declining since June but are up 11.3 percent year over year, the company says. Annual price gains ranged from 18.3 percent in San Francisco to 3.5 percent in Sonoma County. San Francisco claimed the highest median sales price in the Bay Area at $999,250.

In a statement accompanying the report, CoreLogic DataQuick Analyst Andrew LePage attributed slowing prices in the Bay Area to both a lack of affordability and modest inventory gains while cautioning that further economic growth could reverse that pattern.

“Still, if we see more job and wage growth heading into 2015 it’s easy to imagine demand and price pressures building again,” LePage said.

The company says that 7,693 properties changed hands across the nine-county region in October, an annual increase of 1.3 percent. October’s sales volume was 9.7 percent below its average over the past 26 years when the company began tracking data. Contra Costa County saw the largest-year-over-year sales-volume gains (6.8 percent), while declines were greatest in Napa County (7.4 percent).

Both investor activity and all-cash sales throughout the Bay Area were down from one year earlier, according to the report, which will hopefully provide some relief for would-be homebuyers who have been struggling in one of the nation’s most competitive real estate markets.

The number of buyers offering all cash in October dropped to 20.5 percent, down from 24.2 percent a year ago and the second lowest recorded since November 2008. Purchases by absentee buyers, which the company says are mostly investors, declined to 19.4 percent, down from 20.3 percent in October 2013.

(Image: Flickr/401(K) 2012)

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

SeaWorld’s Plunge Demonstrates Potential of Animal Rights Movement

The documentary film Blackfish sparked a movement to free catpive whales that has spread like wildfire into the mainstream public. As SeaWorld attempts to douse the flames in an effort to protect the multi-billion dollar empire it built on the backs of orcas, a shareholder lawsuit against the company is fanning them to greater heights. In 2014, SeaWorld stock has dropped about 50%, and attendance is down almost 5%.

SeaWorld San Diego (photo: Mike Blake/Reuters)

How did SeaWorld’s stock price, reputation and popularity decline so quickly? It was the combination of a killer documentary that aired on mainstream TV (CNN) and a relentless campaign by animal rights activists worldwide to expose the cruelty of orca captivity. The animal rights community is bringing SeaWorld to its knees.

As SeaWorld puts bandaids on the gaping wound of orca exhibits, such as announcing plans for bigger tanks, activists are ratcheting up the campaign against the company.

Wild orcas swim up to 100 miles/day

In the streets, protests are being staged at SeaWorld parks; at parades which feature SeaWorld floats; and at meetings with SeaWorld executives. A massive protest at the Miami Seaquarium, where the orca Lolita lives by herself in the smallest enclosure in the country, is planned for January 17th, 2015. Already, almost 500 people have signed up to participate.

Photo: Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

The battle to liberate captive orcas is reminiscent of the campaign to legalize gay marriage. On both issues, activists have relentlessly educated the public about an injustice, and they have complimented that effort with litigation, lobbying and street activism. It is because of activists that gay marriage is a foregone conclusion in the United States, and it is because of activists that orcas captivity will be outlawed.

Approximately 52 orcas are being held captive in aquariums in the U.S., Argentina, France, Spain, China, Japan and Russia. Coastal sanctuaries can accommodate these orcas when they are liberated.

Article and Photo Sourced From: http://theirturn.net/activists-cripple-seaworld/

November May Be the Perfect Time to Sell Your Home

Conventional wisdom says that most sellers take their homes off the market in November and December because potential buyers are focused more on the upcoming holidays than on escrow agreements.

That’s probably true – which is why clever sellers might want to act fast and take advantage of a unique opportunity to sell their homes quickly to highly motivated buyers who don’t want to wait until spring to close a deal.

Several studies show that, on average, homes listed in November and December are more likely to sell, and at a quicker pace and closer to asking price, says an article at Forbes.com.

One of the key reasons is that sellers in off-peak periods face less competition. With other properties off the market, serious buyers have fewer homes to choose from during the holiday season.

And buyers who are looking at properties this time of year are highly motivated. Maybe they weren’t able to win a bidding war during the busy summer season, or perhaps they face time constraints due to professional or personal reasons.

Another big motivator for buyers to close a deal before the end of the year are taxes. Buyers looking to lower their taxes may purchase a home now so they can deduct costs such as points, interest, and property-tax payments.

Also, certain sellers who sold their homes during the summer season may be facing a capital-gains tax. They may be highly motivated to buy in November to avoid paying this fee, since closing on the purchase of another home within 180 days allows them to get around this tax.

“End-of-year tax benefits can be a big deal for buyers,” Linda Carroll, regional executive of Pacific Union’s Napa County region says. “So if you’re considering putting a home on the market at this time of year, go ahead.

“In the spring you’re going to be in competition with everyone else,” Carroll adds. “Right now there’s not much to sell, so your home is going to get noticed.”

Brent Thomson, senior vice president of Pacific Union’s Marin County region, cautions sellers that even highly motivated buyers won’t settle for second-best.

“A home has to look good and be priced right for it to sell,” Thomson says. “There’s less competition out there at this time of year, and that’s good for sellers, but remember that buyers will still be picky.”

Monday, November 17, 2014

Commercial crab season kicks off; let the holidays commence

For some, the holidays begin early, when stores march out their Christmas displays. Others mark the start of the season with the planning of Thanksgiving.

And yet for others, it begins with crab.

On Friday, hundreds of fishermen launched boats off the California coast to snag sweet, tender Dungeness crab. They hauled it to shore as early as Saturday night, providing customers in the region with a long-awaited feast.

Saturday was the first day anglers can reel in the crustacean south of Mendocino County.

“Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, crab — it’s perfect,” said Allen Kuehn, owner of the San Francisco Fish Co. at the Embarcadero, who hopes to be selling fresh crab by Monday. “It’s part of the tradition this time of year. San Francisco is blessed to have it.”

The Dungeness — whether boiled, grilled, roasted or fried — will soon be a staple at seafood markets, a centerpiece on menus, and grounds for household celebration in the city and beyond.

This year’s crab season, like the last two, is expected to be good.

The sheer number of commercial boats at San Francisco’s Pier 45 on Friday — perhaps the most seen at the start of a season in a decade — was a good sign amid healthy catches from recreational crabbers who hit the water two weeks ago.

“I’ve looked at some of the crabs, and they look real nice,” said Larry Collins, president of the San Francisco Community Fishing Association.

John Mellor, 51, sounded as optimistic as the name of his 40-foot boat, High Hopes.“I’ve looked at some of the crabs, and they look real nice,” said Larry Collins, president of the San Francisco Community Fishing Association.

The 36-year fisherman out of San Francisco had already made one trip from the city to the Gulf of the Farallones on Friday, about a 2½-hour ride, and dropped 90 crab traps. He intended to make two more trips before the day was done.

“It seems like the area’s crab fishing has been real strong in recent years,” he said. “All indications look good.”

Unlike some fisheries, such as salmon, California’s Dungeness crab has been robust. Fishermen remember a lull in the catch in the 1960s, but the ensuing decades showed improvement — with the normal ups and downs, of course.

The past decade was probably the best, said Christy Juhasz, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Game. Fishermen unloaded their biggest catch in state history two seasons ago, she said.

While the crab season extends to June, the majority of crabs will be caught in the first six to eight weeks. The sea floor outside the Golden Gate is currently bustling with crabs, but the pickings will get slimmer.

Marine biologists estimate that 90 percent of the legal crabs — adult males that have reached 6¼ inches across — will be plucked from Central Coast waters over the next eight months.

The wholesale price for fisherman this year is $3 a pound for whole crabs, but retail shoppers can expect to pay two to three times that.

On the streets near Pier 45 this week, where tourists ambled slowly by the trinket shops of Fisherman’s Wharf, crab pots were piled high and fishing crews made last-minute preparations before they could legally drop their traps at 6 a.m. Friday.

“You have to go through all the gear,” said Jake Johnson, 34, who ventured down from Crescent City (Del Norte County) to fish for crab. “You have to get all your groceries, make sure the boat is gassed up, get your bait and gather all your personal belongings.”

Johnson said he’s been fishing since 2001, often in the waters off Northern California. But this year, he said, the docks looked more crowded than he had ever seen them.

“It looks like you might damn well be able to walk across the buoys out there,” he said.

Article and Photos Sourced From: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Tis-the-season-for-California-crab-5893895.php#photo-7151201

Friday, November 14, 2014

We Wanna Be Friends With Local Artist Michael McConnell

Photo via artspan

Michigan-born artist Michael McConnell may have gotten his love for furry animals from the long days he spent watching squirrels out the front window of his childhood home.

After graduating from design school followed by a cross country move to San Francisco, McConnell continues to draw upon the youthful anxieties and awkwardness that caused him to sit for hours watching squirrels play to create striking visual narratives that examine loneliness, responsibility, and choice. In his paintings, the innocence and vulnerability of children and animals is a prevailing theme in his work, which depicts woodland creatures caught in complicated binds. See for yourself at Dolores Park Cafe, where he's hung his current show "Tethered."

Loosen Your Hold: Acrylic on wood panel, 45" x 60", 2011

1. What neighborhood do you currently call home? Would you ever move or are you happy in your 'hood?

For the past 13 years, I have lived in the Mission District. I am totally content as I pretty much live within a 4 block radius. My partner lives in Oakland so I brave crossing the Bay all the time in the name of love. Plus, Oakland is pretty cool.

2. What's your hands-down, absolute favorite thing to eat in SF?

I could pretty much eat a taco every single day of my life. (My ladies at El Buen Sabor can vouch for this.)

3. What's your perfect night on the town?

I'd probably be out midweek walking around catching up with a friend and then grabbing a drink and dinner. I'm very low key I suppose.

4. Where do you go for down time?

I spend many afternoons in my studio; it's one of my favorite places. If I'm not there I'd probably be hanging out on the Faye's bench having coffee.

5. What's your favorite place to go on a day trip from the city?

One of my favorite day trips was spent at the Headlands, seeing art, visiting the lighthouse, and hiking out to the beach. There are so many amazing places around the city to experience nature and relax a little bit.

6. Quick-fire round

Burrito or Burger: Burrito

Presidio or Golden Gate Park: Golden Gate Park

BiRite or Mitchell's: Mitchell's

Bike or MUNI: Bike

Fort Mason or Dolores Park: Dolores Park

The Independent or the Fillmore: The Independent

Baker Beach or Ocean Beach: Baker Beach

7. Three words that describe your life in SF?

Community, Artistic, and Super (especially when ordering tacos)

Article and Photos Sourced From http://www.7x7.com/culture/we-wanna-be-friends-local-artist-michael-mcconnell

Thursday, November 13, 2014

First-Time Homebuyer Activity Reaches Three-Decade Low

A combination of factors is keeping many younger Americans out of the real estate market, pushing the level of first-time homebuyer activity to its lowest level in more than 25 years.

The National Association of Realtors’annual Profile of Home Buyers and Sellersfound that first-time buyers accounted for 33 percent of purchases in its most recent survey, down 5 percent from one year earlier. First-time homebuyer activity hasn’t been this low since 1987, when NAR measured it at 30 percent.

Since NAR began conducting the yearly poll in 1981, the average level of first-time buyer activity is 40 percent.

NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun attributed the decline to a number of hurdles that younger homebuyers face, including student debt, flat wage growth, and rising rents. Yun also partially blamed a lack of homes for sale on the market – a particular issue here in the Bay Area – along with a handful of other factors.

“Adding more bumps in the road is that those finally in a position to buy have had to overcome low inventory levels in their price range, competition from investors, tight credit conditions, and high mortgage insurance premiums,” Yun said.

And for the first-time buyers across the country who were able to successfully purchase a home, about one-quarter required financial assistance from friends or family members, survey results found. Nearly all younger buyers — 97 percent — financed the purchase, compared with about two-thirds of buyers age 65 and over.

Across the country, the average first-time buyer paid $169,000 for their home, but here in the Bay Area the barrier to entry is much higher. NAR’s most recent monthly housing summary put the median list price for a home in the San Francisco metro area at $949,000 in September, making it the country’s priciest housing market. The San Jose metro area was the third most expensive in the U.S., with a median list price of $718,000.

Younger Bay Area home shoppers also face competition from all-cash buyers and affluent international investors. First-time buyers here must further contend with some of the highest rents in the U.S., which make it more difficult to save money for a down payment.

So what can first-time Bay Area homebuyers do to give themselves a leg up? Two of Pacific Union’s top real estate professionals in Silicon Valley recently gave SFGate a few tips, including getting prequalified for a loan and maintaining a focused attitude.

They also noted that while many first-time buyers initially find homes online, employing the services of a knowledgeable and dedicated real estate professional plays a critical role in a successful transaction.

(Photo: Flickr/Rob Cruickshank)