Church of Skate?

Thanks for finding us. We have moved. This post and all others are now at theFrontSteps.com.

Having driven by this construction project on the corner of 14th Ave and Clement countless times, I finally stopped, shot, and unfortunately couldn’t roll. And now I’m forced to quit dreaming. According to the construction crew, it is going to be a synagogue, and the vertical sides perfect for a frontside air, or McTwist, will hold seating like a “theatre” and they are “going to put a roof on it”. Imagine what Tony Hawk, or Danny Way could do on this thing:

[Danny Way pulling a 360 OVER the Great Wall of China...on a skateboard.]

Anybody else have any insight on this project?

In record time a reader comes through. It will be the Beth Sholom Synagogue, and the Architect is Stanley Saitowitz. Here is a link to their site, and here are the renderings:


[images pulled from Stanley Saitowitz, Natoma Architects, Inc. website (www.saitowitz.com)]

1326-28 15th Avenue: an update, and wager

Following up to our previous post about 1326-28 15th Avenue (awesome before shots, so make sure to click that link), we know it received multiple offers, and it is scheduled to close June 4th, 2007.  We thought we’d do another little wager. We’re staying out of this one. We leave it up to you. Here are some photos, and here’s the MLS Fact Sheet, and some Inner Sunset comps to help you make a more educated decision. In case you don’t click those links, they’re asking $1,385,000.  What do you think it will sell for?
Pass this around your office and amongst your friends, post your answers in the comments, and feel free to change your guess as much as you like. Just let us know how much you win. A sort of March Madness in May.

Update: It might not actually be marked sold in MLS yet, but we know the scoop, and unfortunately we can’t give you all the dirt. What we can tell you is that they were asking $1,385,000, it went for over $1.6MM, received 11 offers and was only on the market 5 days.

-4065 25th Street: a done deal, and our fun spoiled [sfn BLOG]
-Some Makeup…a little… [sfn BLOG]

[Before photos provided by seller to us exclusively, after photos taken from MLS.]

zūm llc: a 3D “picture medley”

Ever hear the Jane’s Addiction song, “L.A. Medley”? If not, you should. We recently discovered zūm llc as the company that has done some 3D renderings for some of the new developments around town (The Potrero, Blū, Fairmont Heritage Place at Ghirardelli Square, 733 Front Street) and we decided they are deserving of our first “picture medley”. We’re always happy to support local businesses, so we contacted them, they replied, and you get to…ENJOY!

Fairmont Heritage Place at Ghirardelli Square:

733 Front Street:

Blū (631 Folsom):

The Potrero (451 Kansas):

Pretty Impressive isn’t it?
Some bullet points describing in brief what zūm llc does for the owner/developer…
In most cases they are retained directly by the owner/developer to assist the clients’ design and marketing teams for:
·Sales & Marketing
·Pre sales and Pre leasing
·Feasibility and Environmental studies
·Investor review process
·Design review process
·Government review process
As a person in the real estate business, with clients that sometimes make purchases solely off of pictures (myself included…not recommended, but common), the old saying a picture is worth a thousand words holds true. Now I can say a high-res 3D picture is worth two thousand words. Thanks to zūm llc for enlightening us.
We’ll get some information for you regarding Blū, and the Fairmont, and an update on the Potrero and 733 Front as soon as we can. We might also add that we “are the only blog that has these images right now“, so if you’re seeing them somewhere else, remember you saw them here first. Now, go back up and look at those pictures again. You deserve it.

-The Potrero
-Blū
-Fairmont Heritage Place at Ghirardelli Square
-733 Front Street
-733 Front Street: a walkthrough and opinion [sfn BLOG]

4065 25th Street: A Done Deal, and Our Fun Spoiled

It appears our little Wager on 4065 25th Street, and how much over the $2,750,000 asking price it will sell, will be foiled. The parties involved have signed a confidentiality agreement, and the price will not be disclosed through MLS. (Our price guess was $2,895,900, but know it went closer to $2,950,000.) To all those that participated in our wager, thank you.  We’re calling the winners Eddy ($2.9975) and Cece ($2.9)…send us your mailing address, and we’ll send you a couple of “free drink” cards for Blue Bottle Coffee…the best tasting coffee in town. (Hayes and Embarcadero locations).

-Start Drooling Now…A before, after, and First Look at 4065 25th St. [sfn BLOG]
-Is what we’ve been saying for months finally catching on? [sfn BLOG]

$$$ Real Estate Marketing

As much as I love my fellow Realtors (R), sometimes I wonder where they get their “marketing remarks”, and how they tie them into the rest of their materials.
Take for example, 9 Massasoit St in Bernal Heights. It just hit the market and it has “$$$ Bay View”, yet the 76+% of internet home shoppers don’t get to see the “$$$ Bay View”. However, you do get to see four pictures of carpet and wood:

Now this is where the argument for a company like Redfin makes sense. Whereas, these are arguments for using an agent.

-9 Massasoit St [MLS]
-60 Minutes, 60 Billion, and One Redfin… [sfn BLOG]

Tour Friday!

Le Tour de San Francisco (real estate) is back on! Find it here: www.tdsf.blogspot.com. There is nothing like it! We update it on Fridays and we’re not even half-way through. We’ve done district 1a (Central Richmond) thru 3h (Ingleside). Check it out.

Nothing to do with Real Estate

While watching the gut-wrenching defeat of the Warriors by the Jazz last night, I couldn’t help but notice a couple things, and I wish I had a picture to illustrate:
1. How many white people (I’m white) were in the Arena, or do they call it… Arian(a).
2. How many of the Jazz players were sporting the “frohawk”.

Just some observations, and glad I live in a culturally diverse city like San Francisco that has some color. GO WARRIORS!…

Now back to real estate.

We Just Can’t Resist This View

-660 28th St. [Vanguard]
-Comparison Shopping on the sfnewsletter [sfn BLOG]
-Reason We Live Here #1 [sfn BLOG]

Some Makeup (a little), Some Elbow-Grease (a lot), Some Action (a ton)

Way back in 1999, the now owners of 1326 15th Avenue saw gold in that thar pink (or is that peach) wreck of a home. Purchased for $490,000 (roughly 10% below asking), it is now a beautiful 5 bed, 3.5 bath, single family/2-unit (depending on how you look at it) and on the market for $1,385,000. But now it looks more like this:

We’re bettin’ this one flies off the shelf, because there has already been an attempt at a pre-emptive offer and only on the market 3 days. That is usually a pretty good indication of what’s to come. This place has it all: location; amenities; upgraged; space; sunny east facing yard; income potential; parking; yada, yada. Don’t wait. It won’t last.

Update: It might not actually be marked sold in MLS yet, but we know the scoop, and unfortunately we can’t give you all the dirt. What we can tell you is that they were asking $1,385,000, it went for over $1.6MM, received 11 offers and was only on the market 5 days.

-Property Photos
-Start drooling now…a before, after, and First Look at 4065 25th Street [sfn BLOG]
-1326-28 15th Ave. [MLS]
-Bettin’ Fools [sfn BLOG]

Reason we live here #3

“One car parking” will ensure this guy doesn’t outbid you on that condo you’ve been eyeing.

Reason we live here #1

There are many reasons why we love San Francisco, one of the top being the unique real estate in our town. Take a look at 3335 Clay, a 2bed, 2 bath condo in Presidio Heights asking $1,125,000. From the text it sounds like just another condo, but you owe it to yourself to check it out. Keep in mind it may not be your thing, but it is an interesting, charming property with TONS of San Francisco “feel”.

3335 Clay Photo Gallery

Fly on the wall

If I could have been a fly on the wall in this room…  Any guesses where it is?  Think “Whiplash” and Stalefish ™.  The room itself is nothing spectacular, it’s what must have gone down in it that is more intriguing.  It could be yours for a cool $12.5 Million.

Death, Doom, and Destruction

It’s time.  Yes.  It’s time we do it.  Here you have it.  Our top list of Death, Doom and Destruction articles we have found on the web as of late.  (Granted, a few glasses of wine have slipped passed security, so you’re catching us at a weak moment.) 

-Late Mortgage Payments Increase Nationwide [Mortgage Bankers Association]
-Two reports, both with big Flaws[sfgate]
-Mortgage market trouble generates stock sell-off[sfgate]
-More Homeowners Unable to Make Payments[NY Times]
-Subprime Lending Meltdown…[Inman News]
-Bay Area Home Prices Edge Down, Slowest Sales in Eleven Years[Data Quick]
-Hey! Who slipped this in here? [N.A.R.]

In San Francisco, this would be a ______

It looks like it has a garage. Is that included in the sale or is parking leased around the corner, along with ropes, carabiners, crampons, and helmet? Oh…they’re not selling, but who’s bringing groceries? Daly or McGoldrick?

Refusing to Move[Ananova]
Hold Out House[UgoTrade]
[pic taken from UgoTrade]