Stopping the evictions?

An editorial in this week's Guardian (yes, I know) applauds Chris Daly's efforts to stop evictions, and mistakenly calls this a good idea...

"Daly's bill, which cleared the Land Use Committee Dec. 14 and will go before the full board Jan. 3, is aimed at the rash of evictions of low-income tenants whose apartments are turned into condominiums. The way the state's Ellis Act works, any landlord has the right to go out of business – that is, to stop renting housing units – and to evict all of his or her tenants. That leaves the building vacant and allows the landlord to sell it to people – generally better-off people – who want to buy their units as tenancies in common. In a lot of cases, the TIC owners then turn around and apply for permission to convert their apartments to condos."

Once again, Daly is messing with a free market. Just when buyers might just see some inventory to choose from in our fair city, Daly is looking to fatten the pockets of those who own real estate by restricting people's ability to do as they wish with their properties.

Finding a way to lessen evictions of elderly or disabled tenants is not a bad thing, it's the manner in which he is trying to go about it. Especially with his attempt to force all condo conversions through the Planning Commission.

"Daly wants to require that condo conversions involving two, three, or four units (and that's most TICs) go before the Planning Commission – and that the commission enforce a 24-year-old law that bars conversions that involved evicting a protected class of tenants. If the commission actually follows those rules, then Daly's bill would have an immediate dampening effect on the most serious, and dangerous, Ellis Act TIC evictions."

And meanwhile, those who thought they might just have been able to afford one of the lowest-priced TICs in San Francisco would be screwed. This attempt to 'help' would only temporarily slow the inventory while attorneys representing building owners squash this attempt just as they have squashed EVERYTHING Daly has done to screw with the housing market.

Doesn't he get it yet? Unconstitutional legislation aimed at helping those who need it most is STILL unconstitutional.

And rather than looking for viable ways to build more housing to help his constituents, he just takes the easy route and throws wrenches into the system. These are only temporary band-aids for much larger problems. If he (and others in office) keeps avoiding the real problem, we'll be in a worse situation next year and the year after that.

For those of you who live in two, three, or four unit TIC buildings, this could be disastrous for your ability to acheive condo conversion. Even if you bought a legitimately vacant building, if your conversion ends up in the Planning Commission, you can add at least a year to your process. If you're lucky.

As always, you may want to add your voice to the discussion at the board's meeting on January 3rd. Send your supervisor an email if you can't make it and let them know how you feel about this one.

Record home sales in California in 2005

From today's San Francisco Business Times, "A record number of homes changed hands in 2005 - almost 2 percent more than the record number of homes sold in 2004, according to the California Association of Realtors."

"The association reported Wednesday that 635,000 homes sold this year compared to last year's record of 624,700. In 2006, sales are expected to drop by 2 percent - still a healthy number."

"This was the fourth consecutive year for double-digit appreciation - though the pace slowed from the 18-to-21 percent annual gains experienced from 2002 to 2004 to 16 percent in 2005."

Bay Area wages highest in nation

From today's Chronicle, "The Bay Area, heavy with technical and business management jobs, leads the nation in wages, with workers in the region earning 17 percent more than the national average, the U.S. Labor Department reported Wednesday."

"In the latest study, which examined the relative pay of jobs in 78 metropolitan areas in July of 2004, the Bay Area set the pace in four of nine occupational classifications, including "management, business and financial" and "professional and related" categories, which together encompass most high-tech jobs."

"The study did not specify actual wage levels. But in a separate November 2004 report, the bureau found that the mean annual salary of a worker in metropolitan San Francisco, including San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties, was $52,100, compared with $37,440 nationally. The mean annual salaries in San Jose and Oakland metropolitan areas were $57,080 and $46,990 respectively."

""It's not just the demand for hiring skilled people, you also have to look at the high cost of living here. You've got both in the Bay Area," said Sharon Turner, Northern California district director for Robert Half International, a specialized staffing service. "It's an expensive place to live.""

City to plant 100 trees in SoMa

From today's Examiner, "The South of Market neighborhood will get a little greener today and tomorrow, when The City plants nearly 100 new street trees in the area."

"The majority of the trees will be planted on thoroughfares that act as major gateways into and out of The City — 10th, 11th and Fourth streets. Most of the trees will be evergreen magnolias, but the planting will also include deciduous Raywood ashes and London plane trees."

"The planting, said Department of Public Works spokeswoman Christine Falvey, is part of Mayor Gavin Newsom’s goal of planting 5,000 trees by Arbor Day 2006. Since the mayor set that goal at this year’s Arbor Day celebration, on March 12, more than 2,000 trees have been planted. After the SoMa planting and the 330 trees that are currently being planted in street medians by DPW on Juniper Serra Boulevard and Portola Drive, the total will reach 2,845."

Median price of a home in California rises in November, up 16.2 percent from a year ago

From the California Association of Realtors, “The California housing market continues to experience year-over-year double-digit price appreciation, which is consistent with our expectation that the statewide median for 2005 will increase by 16 percent over last year,” said C.A.R. President Vince Malta.

"The median price of an existing, single-family detached home in California during November 2005 was $548,400, a 16.2 percent increase over the $471,980 median for November 2004, C.A.R. reported. The November 2005 median price increased 1.8 percent compared with October’s $538,770 median price."

The number of homes sold also dropped 11.2% this November compared to last November.

Bike thieves caught on video

Potrero Hill's neighborhood blog has photos of a couple of guys who were caught on camera when they broke into a condo on Missouri Street and stole some bikes.

If you've seen either of these guys, contact the proper authorities... And perhaps it's worth considering adding surveillance cameras in buildings where robberies have occurred...

Thanks to SFist for the tip on this one.

City officials hope condos spur waterfront revival

From today's Examiner, "Well-heeled condo buyers, drawn by glorious floor-to-ceiling views of the Bay, are ponying up $1.7 million for a three-bedroom unit in the Watermark tower. But officials hope the spectacular views will eventually include another component — a new cruise ship terminal just across the street."

"It is estimated that $9 million from the condo sales proceeds will go toward a public park and probably about $20 million will help fund the substructure costs for the terminal and office complex, said John Doll, a project manager at the Port."

"Despite the success of the Watermark, the cruise terminal and office complex will have to wait until the office market recovers. Paul Osmundson, project manager for the developer, San Francisco Cruise Terminal LLC, said the company is asking for an extension until mid-2007 to begin building the terminal, office and retail complex. The project must begin construction by mid-2008, according to the terms of the deal."

Top Mistakes of Home Buyers and Sellers in 2005

This isn't necessarily 'my' list, but it brings up some interesting points...

RIS Media published their list of the top mistakes that buyers and sellers made in 2005.

Buyers
-- Bought properties to flip at top-of-market prices.
-- Utilized Interest-Only Mortgages.
-- Overlooked Resale Characteristics.
-- Skipped Performing a Home Inspection.
-- Misinterpreted developers’ giveaways.
-- Were represented by the same agent representing the sellers.
-- Didn't Read Homeowners Association Documents.
-- Neglected to request rates of state, county or local transfer taxes paid by buyers at closing.

Sellers
-- Overpriced homes.
-- No Internet property marketing.
-- Stop showings too early after contract.
-- Refused to pay buyers closing costs.
-- Exclusion confusion.
-- Knowing your market and competition.
-- Paid document fees on top of full-service commissions.

Click on the link for the descriptions of each item.

Buyer snaps up penthouses for $30 million

From today's SF Business Times, "Urban development pioneer Victor MacFarlane has created his own urban environment in San Francisco, buying all three penthouses at the new St. Regis condo/hotel tower for an estimated $30 million."

"MacFarlane's plans for the units -- whether he'll combine them to create one super-condo, will keep one or more separate as an investment, or will seek to flip any or all of them -- are unknown. Reached at the San Francisco office of MacFarlane Partners, he declined comment."

"At the St. Regis, his neighbors will include former vice president and presidential candidate Al Gore and his wife, Tipper. Prices for two-bedroom units there have reached $1.8 million."

"As a private pad, MacFarlane's penthouse would be in the same league with the priciest condo sales in New York. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch bought a Fifth Avenue co-op for $44 million a year ago, according to the New York Times, and a hedge fund manager is now reportedly poised to top that deal by $1 million."

Transbay planners see new landmark

From today's Chronicle, "Transbay Terminal planners are viewing their controversial idea for a new San Francisco high-rise as nothing less than the signature building of our time -- much like the Transamerica Pyramid defined the skyline in the 1970s."

"The current proposal is for an 850-foot mixed-use tower on Mission Street, but a spire on top of the building would bring the height to 925 feet, making it the city's tallest."

Four named to Building Inspection Commission

From today's Examiner, "Four new appointees to the Building Inspection Commission were announced this week. The seven-member commission oversees the building, housing, public and electrical codes for development."

"The Mayor appointed Mel Murphy, a licensed real estate broker, and Michael Theriault, a delegate for the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council representing ironworkers."

"Supervisor Aaron Peskin appointed Debra Walker, a tenant and arts advocate and previous Building Inspection Commissioner, and Joe Grubb, a former employee of the Building Inspection Department."

City’s survey of historic buildings expands

From today's Examiner, "Costly and contentious preservation battles have only increased during The City’s development boom. One way to head off those fights is to identify historic buildings and neighborhoods upfront before preservationists and developers come to loggerheads. And that’s exactly what city officials hope to do."

"Preservationists are optimistic that the initial funding will be supplemented by the Historic Preservation Fund Committee. Recently formed, the committee will dole out $2.5 million from a legal settlement with developers of a shopping complex at Fifth and Market streets who demolished part of the 1896 Emporium department store building they had promised to preserve."

"Dennis Antenore, a member of the Historic Preservation Fund Committee, said conflicts such as the one over Harding Theater, which developers wanted to raze and turn into condos before neighborhood activists stepped in, might be avoided in the future."

“For developers, neighborhoods and preservationists, identifying what might be worth preserving in advance solves a lot of problems,” he said. “Last-minute fights cost a lot of money and a lot of grief.”

Parking meters now take prepaid cards

OK, you can file this under "things that make me happy", even if it's not exactly real estate-related...

After years of traveling to other cities and seeing the logic in prepaid parking meter cards, we have finally joined the modern era here in San Francisco.

From today's Chronicle, "San Francisco's 23,000 parking meters began accepting prepaid cards this week as part of a pilot program that allows drivers to replace the process of depositing coins with the quick swipe of plastic."

"Drivers can purchase the cards in $20 and $50 increments at six locations around the city, with more locations to open during the next month. Eventually, the meters will also take Translink cards, which are debit cards that can be used to pay for a BART, Municipal Railway or AC Transit ride."

The DPT web site has more information including the six locations that currently sell the cards.

The House That Google Bought

From this month's Noe Valley Voice, "Okay, everyone. Hold onto your hats. A sleek contemporary house that took more than four years to build atop one of Noe Valley's highest vantage points has been sold to a former dot-com'er for an astonishing $5.3 million."

"Frank Jernigan, a Google millionaire who retired from the search engine firm this summer, purchased the home in October. It's the most expensive home ever sold in Noe Valley, by far, and the deal has set off a buzz in real estate circles and among nearby residents. The home is secluded at the end of a cul-de-sac in the 500 block of Duncan Street near Newburg Street. It sits on the precipice of an oversized lot that provides panoramic, 270-degree views from Twin Peaks to downtown San Francisco to across the Bay."

"Jernigan, whose offer was $50,000 less than the seller's asking price, paid cash for the property, and the transaction closed escrow in a mere 17 days. According to [real estate agent Anthony] Oltranti, "it would have been hard to accept anything but a cash offer," because there were no similar homes in Noe Valley on which to base an appraisal."

Ho, ho, ho: Good news on housing starts, prices

From today's USA Today, "The economy delivered good news on housing starts and wholesale prices Tuesday. Housing starts rose 5.3% in November as groundbreaking on both single-family and multifamily units climbed, the Commerce Department reported. In a second report, the Labor Department said wholesale prices fell a larger-than-expected 0.7% last month, biggest drop in 2-1/2 years, according to a report that showed prices well contained outside of the volatile food and energy areas."

"November housing starts increased to a 2.123 million unit annual rate, faster than the 2.017 million unit annual rate expected by economists, who expected that rising mortgage rates would cool activity. October starts were revised up slightly, to a 2.017 million unit annual pace from the originally reported 2.014 million unit rate."

Zephyr: Riding San Francisco's hot-and-cold housing market

From today's SF Business Times, "...[new technology] helps San Francisco-based Zephyr to appeal to the hometown resident, who loves to click around on Zephyr's site to see what his neighbor's home sold for and to consider trading up. If a would-be buyer at an open house requests legal documents related to the property, a Zephyr agent can use their Blackberry or Treo mobile phone to beam the documents electronically in minutes."

"The recent residential real estate boom is just the latest growth spurt for Zephyr, which [company owner Bill] Drypolcher started in 1978 with four partners and an office at 4200 17th St. in the Upper Market neighborhood. Within two years he was advising on his first tenancy-in-common deal, in which several people share ownership of a single home. Zephyr's expertise in such deals has been a continuing source of strength for the firm."

"In 2004, Zephyr was the seventh largest real estate firm in San Francisco by gross sales, according to San Francisco Business Times research, and the largest independently-owned firm in San Francisco."

Not coincidentally, I joined Zephyr Real Estate's SOMA office earlier this fall.

Divisadero corridor greets new businesses

From the Examiner, "As the Divisadero corridor sees an influx of new businesses including a hip new pizza place and art gallery bar, it’s no surprise that developers are eyeing the once sleepy area."

"A new restaurant called NOPA, for “North of the Panhandle” as the neighborhood is sometimes called, is slated to open soon in an old laundry near Hayes Street. Sameer Nasser, who owns a liquor store at Divisadero and Fell streets, plans to open Ziryab, a Mediterranean restaurant, across the street in January."

"Faced over the years with interest by Burger King and Domino’s Pizza in moving in, the neighborhood supported legislation that bans chain stores."

I've lived in this neighborhood for nearly ten years now, and am happy to see some change, especially with the addition of restaurants... There has been a dramatic lack of options available on both Divisadero and Fulton...

San Fran 100 Years After

Gridskipper has a piece on an exhibition which opens on Saturday at the Legion of Honor.

"Starting Saturday (December 17), the Legion of Honor hosts an exhibit called “After the Ruins, 1906 and 2006: Rephotographing the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire.” The show commemorates the 100th anniversary (April 18, 2006) of the 1906 earthquake and fire which devastated San Francisco. Over 70 pairs of photos document how parts of San Fran looked like after the disasters, compared with the same view of the same location now. The project is the brainchild of photographer Mark Klett, who has done similar work with other historical-contemporary photo pairs out elsewhere in the western U.S. The exhibit runs until June 4, 2006."

Home sales slow a bit but price growth is still strong

From today's Chronicle, Kelly Zito covers the latest data on home sales around the Bay Area. "The median price for a single-family home in the nine-county region hit a record $656,000 in November, up from $644,000 the month before, according to research company DataQuick. Last month's median price represented a 17 percent climb over November 2004 -- at the lower end of the 17-to-20.5 percent increases seen during the past 11 months."

"Home sales already appear to have passed their peak in a historic housing boom that forged ahead despite the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the region."

"After arguing for several years that California home prices were steeply overvalued and cruising toward a sharp correction, economists at UCLA's prestigious Anderson Forecast switched gears and now say the market will level, but not plummet."

Once again, we're seeing the exact same trends as we have in the past few years in November/December... Everyone is now curious to see if things will take off again in January as they have for so many consecutive years...

Survey Asks Why More Delinquent Borrowers Don't Call Lenders For Help

"Freddie Mac and Roper Public Affairs and Media, a division of GFK NOP – a leading international market research firm, today announced the results of the nation’s first ever survey to learn why more late-paying borrowers risk losing their homes rather than reaching out to their mortgage servicers. The borrowers never contact their lender in over half of all foreclosure cases. "

"Freddie Mac requires mortgage servicers to explore several workout options with late-paying borrowers. These options include forbearance, which temporarily delays or reduces payments, and loan modifications, which can restructure the payment terms for a fixed period. Many servicers typically describe these options in their collection letters. However, it is up to borrowers to follow-up with their servicers to learn more about these options."

Additionally, I would also suggest that homeowners consult with their mortgage broker and/or real estate agent if things are getting a little dicey on the payment front. Nearly 100% of foreclosures could be prevented by selling the home before the bank takes possession, which also results in a higher sales price and often cash back to the owner (as opposed to just turning the property over to the bank), rather than just forfeiting the downpayment or worse...

Treasure Island Plan Might Be Model for Cities Everywhere

From today's Chronicle, "Whether or not it ever gets built, the most intriguing development proposal in America right now involves our very own Treasure Island. It's got organic gardens and a 60-story tower, wind farms and glitzy hotels. Restaurants beckon beneath an enormous glass roof that doubles as a solar panel. You don't need a car because everything essential is within walking distance, including a ferry straight to downtown San Francisco."

"There'd be as many as 5,500 housing units on an island that now has 750 apartments built by the U.S. Navy before it closed a base there in 1997. There would be two hotels, a conference center and a commercial district near a proposed ferry terminal sliced into the west side of the island. There also will be five residential towers near the ferry. The model includes a central high-rise twisting 60 stories into the air, though Anthony Flanagan, president of Lennar's urban division, stresses that everything being shown is conceptual: "What we're trying to define is the character of the community, not the specific architecture."

"The northeastern half of the island is treated, in the plan, as a landscaped world apart, a 120-acre swath with ball fields and marshes as well as conventional parkland and 20 acres reserved for organic farming."

There's also a great computer-generated model of how the island might look.

New housing in industrial areas lack open space

This is not news to anyone who's paying attention, but still highlights some of the growing pains that San Francisco faces as development moves into industrial neighborhoods. From today's Examiner, "...one of the challenges developers and current residents face is that as [the Central Waterfront/Dogpatch] potentially welcomes thousands of new residents in the next decade, there’s little open space, reflecting its past as an industrial hub."

"While officials, residents and business owners continue to debate how much of this area should be preserved for industrial uses, condos continue to be built."

Banks warned they must scale back on payment-option mortgages

From today's Chronicle, "Federal financial regulators appear to be on the verge of reining in one of the most popular "affordability" mortgages in hot housing markets nationwide -- loans that allow 1 to 2 percent payment rates leading to negative amortization."

"Payment-option mortgages have accounted for roughly a third of all new home loans originated by some major lenders this year. They are especially popular in high-price, high-appreciation markets on the West and East coasts because their low payments permit buyers to purchase costly properties they'd otherwise be unable to afford."

I personally have one of these loans and rarely make the 'lowest' payment option, but it's nice to know it's there... I guess the Fed feels that people can't be trusted and they need to eliminate this option lest people be able to make decisions for themselves...

"The task force is expected to issue new guidance to banks and their mortgage subsidiaries by the end of December on how to market, underwrite and service loans that carry elevated risks of borrower default. Among the key focuses of the new rules will be toughened standards on loan-applicant suitability: If home buyers are not likely to be able to afford payments higher than the minimal rate, lenders should not extend payment-option mortgages to them at all."

24th Street Real Foods Building Changes Hands

After more than two years of fighting between the building owner and the tenant at the former Real Foods location on 24th Street in Noe Valley, the tenant has bought the building which hypothetically opens the door for immediate renovations and a re-opening of the grocery store.

From this month's Noe Valley Voice, "Real Food's Utah-based parent company, Nutraceutical Corporation (which also does business as Fresh Organics, Inc.), terminated 30 employees and shuttered the organic grocery store on Aug. 28, 2003, ostensibly for the purpose of a long-overdue remodeling. The fired workers accused the company of closing in order to halt their unionizing efforts and filed a lawsuit with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)."

"While the NLRB took its time reaching a decision this summer, Nutraceutical and building owners Jane and Kimball Allen, who are Marin County residents, fought a separate legal battle over who should pay for extensive repairs to the storefront at 3939 24th Street. In early November, the Allens sold the building that houses Real Food to Nutraceutical. Although a jury trial had been scheduled for next spring, the legal action was dismissed in its entirety on Nov. 15."

"Given the vagaries of the permit process, [the tenant's representative] said he was unable to estimate a completion date. According to the Department of Building Inspection's web site, no new permit applications for the property have been filed since the sale."

Mayor doesn't want a 'dumbing down of quality' in architectural design

From today's Chronicle, "San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who has spent much of his first two years dealing with issues such as crime, single-sex marriage and homelessness, is now taking on a more rarefied topic: architecture."

"We've played it safe for too long," Newsom said in an interview this week. "The visual aspects of the city, the exterior realm, need to invite and excite and illuminate and challenge. ... Bring on the criticism. I'm ready for the outrage."

"The bar fell very low. It became all about a return on investment rather than an investment in San Francisco," Newsom said. "Now the idea is to ... hold some of our friends in the development community more accountable for the quality of their product and the architectural merit."

"I love what Chicago has done. ... I go to Millennium Park, and I pull my hair out," Newsom said. "It's frustrating we're not doing anything like that."

Affordable housing might get new set of rules

From today's Examiner, "Supervisor Chris Daly introduced legislation to increase the percentage of affordable units developers would have to set aside. The legislation would also lower the income levels necessary to qualify for those units."

"Supervisor Jake McGoldrick introduced legislation to require that projects with five or more units, as opposed to the current 10 or more, include affordable units."

Unfortunately, both of these proposals will set aside a few units that will be affordable, but the net result will be that market-rate units will be more expensive and more developers will be scared off by these new, tighter restrictions.

From BeyondChron, "McGoldrick’s legislation also raised the hackles of some developers. The proposal would lower the number of units a building must have before it becomes subject to affordable housing laws from 10 units to 5 units. Local developer Dick Millet argued that should the proposal pass, he would simply start reducing his projects of 5-9 units to 4 units to avoid having to provide affordable housing units. In addition, SPUR and other development interests said the law should be tweaked so that the amount of affordable housing required is increased incrementally as the number of units in the development increase."

Rincon Hill's huge towers put on hold over seismic concerns

From today's Chronicle, "San Francisco building inspectors are withholding permission for construction of a towering residential complex on Rincon Hill over concerns about whether it would withstand a major earthquake and remain habitable, The Chronicle has learned."

"Despite approval of the project's design and engineering by other city bodies earlier this year, staff members of the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection want further assurances about the seismic resilience of One Rincon Hill -- which would consist of two residential towers, one 55 stories high and the other 45 stories -- at First and Harrison streets."

"Nothing in building inspection files reviewed by The Chronicle or said in interviews with building inspection officials indicates that concerns over the engineering can't be satisfied and the construction permit eventually issued. But the inquiry by the city building inspectors carries enormous financial and public policy implications."

"Engineer Ronald Hamburger, a member of the special city design-review panel, which recommended this summer that a construction permit be issued for One Rincon Hill, said nothing about the concerns being raised by city building inspectors gave him any doubt."

"I think it is likely that this building would resist a repeat of the 1906 earthquake," Hamburger said. "I think there's a good probability that the building would be immediately re-occupiable."

Proposal to restrict parking hits snag

From today's Examiner, "Controversial legislation that would limit parking downtown hit a snag recently when an opponent filed an appeal related to the measure. The proposed regulations, sponsored by Supervisor Chris Daly, would limit parking in new housing downtown as well as ban any new stand-alone parking garages."

"The Board of Supervisors Land Use committee was scheduled to hear the legislation Wednesday, but Wade Randlett of SFSOS, a quality-of-life advocacy group, challenged the environmental review by the Planning Department. Randlett said his intent was to slow down the proposed rules to allow more time for scrutiny."

"Last month, the Planning Commission recommended a maximum of three parking spots for every four housing units. Daly’s legislation calls for one spot for every two units. Already, several downtown housing projects have less than one space per unit."

I still don't understand why they don't just drop the parking requirement and see what the developers would build on their own. Again, forcing the market to do something artificially is only going to cause problems. Right now there is a minimum number of parking spots per unit that must be provided. If the requirement was axed (with no new requirement) perhaps we'd get a best-of-both-worlds situation where some buildings (in the right locations with lower priced housing) could be built with less or no parking, while the locations and unit types that would only sell if there were parking could be preserved.

Just a thought... And nobody has seemed to have suggested it...

5 school mergers, 8 closures recommended

From the Examiner today, "The San Francisco Unified School District will save nearly $8 million if it merges 10 schools into five sites, closes eight schools and relocates three schools, according to a list of cost-cutting measures suggested to the Board of Education."

"Of all of the suggestions presented to the board [of Supervisors] Tuesday, discussions indicated that they were resigned to the mergers, which would move entire school communities to another site, and absorb their students and programs. If the district were to approve all the merger and relocation suggestions, it would save the district about $2.8 million."

"Last year, the board also had to make tough school-closure decisions and voted to close four schools after several months of deliberations. A decision on which sites will be closed or merged is hoped to be done before Jan. 13, when school enrollment applications for next year are due."

Ellis Act Task Force Disbands

BeyondChron today complains about the recent disbanding of the three-month-old Ellis Act Task Force. "The Ellis Act Task Force, convened by Mayor Gavin Newsom and Supervisor Aaron Peskin in the hopes of reaching a compromise in the city’s increasingly heated battle over condo conversions, disbanded last week after less than three months of existence. While tenant participants offered a variety of proposals benefiting both sides, it appears landlord intransigence towards changing state law regarding conversions proved the primary roadblock in the way of any progress being made. The Task Force’s failure and the speed of its demise raise important questions about what’s next in the fight over Ellis Act evictions."

"Despite their nice speeches about how they didn't like Elllis Act evictions, the real estate industry representatives were not willing to agree to any reforms that would discourage evictions,” said Dean Preston, another tenant representative on the task force. “Believe it or not, the realtors' "solution" to the epidemic of Ellis Act evictions was a proposal to allow practically unlimited condo conversions."

OK, so did anyone really expect that homeowners and landlords would just give up their already-limited rights to do what they wish with their properties? I won't say that I expected much from this task force, but the fact that any tenant activists thought that they'd find support from the Realtor community with regards to changing the statewide Ellis Act proves that nobody is paying that much attention to reality.

Mess with a free market and what happens? You get slapped every time. Tell a property owner that he can't do something that he could do anywhere else in the country, then try to restrict those rights even further? Who are you kidding?

Once again, for the record, I do not condone evictions of any sort, but I am also an intelligent and reasonable person who does not think that there is any solution out there that involves any further tightening of this already ultra-restricted market.

I'm sure that there's an economist out there that wants to argue with me about this, but I still feel strongly that San Francisco will never make any progress by trying to limit anything having to do with housing.

And you all know my solution: build more housing and build all types of housing. Period.

And as for the BeyondChron article, it's always the Realtors and the landlords fault that nothing gets done in this town. Right.

Jon Carroll on Home Staging

The Chronicle's Jon Carroll takes on home staging in an article yesterday from SFGate.com. "...because good staging can add $50,000 to the selling price. Or so they say. I have a strong feeling this is an urban legend, because 10 years ago there was no such profession as "house stager" and now there are millionaire house stagers who make television appearances and, for tax purposes, are registered in the Cayman Islands."

"Y'all do know about house staging, yes? Maybe not everyone. For the uninitiated, just before a house goes on the market, busy people in jumpsuits come in, take away every stick of furniture and replace it with selected furniture that screams "Buy this house, buy this house." The homeowner has no say in the furniture. If the homeowner is still living in the house, the homeowner must be very careful not to interfere with the stage set. Much better if the homeowner is not living at home, or in the country, or at all."

San Francisco rated among nation's healthiest cities

In case you're wondering, someone thinks we're healthy... I guess a few people are getting up before sunrise and getting those laps in at the pool....

From today's SF Business Times, "San Francisco is the nation's fifth-healthiest large city, according to a ranking by Self magazine."

"The Nassau-Suffolk County region of New York ranked No. 1, followed by San Jose, Orange County and Burlington, Vt."

Awwww... We got beaten out by San Jose! Guess they're all just getting up a little earlier, or sleeping a little less, while somehow avoiding the millions of fast food joints down south, and hitting those weekend farmer's markets...

Condo market is running out of office-to-residential conversions

From today's SF Business Times, "The condo conversion craze which resulted in nearly 790,000 square feet of San Francisco offices being transformed to residential use since 2004 is slowing down."

"Although there are 15 properties totaling more than 1 million square feet which real estate sources say are conversion candidates, the pipeline after that is tiny -- and the ever improving office market means it's getting harder to make a conversion play pay. Experts say conversion activity will be brisk while these move through the pipeline, but then tail off sharply."

"Not all developers are giving up on the conversion game however. Bryan Domyan, a partner at Los Angeles- based Atlantic Pacific Partners, purchased 733 Front St. and 201 Sansome St. earlier this year and is converting them to high-end condos. The projects will include 69 and 46 units respectively."