TDSF Stage 1...district 1A, Central Richmond

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Le Tour de San Francisco is beginning today. It's our real estate version of the great cycling race. We are going to take a look at our nano-markets (thanks John!) around town. Like any good giro di ciclismo there are going to be the leaders, the domestiques (markets that just keep working no matter what), and the drop outs (those that don't finish the race). We begin with district 1A...Central Richmond. We'll finish after 86 stages with district 10K...Bayview Heights. So if you have anything you want to say about your district, we want to hear it. Yes, that means there are 86 different reasons not to believe what you learn about the San Francisco market from the main-stream media.


MARKET UPDATE

The market in Central Richmond is good. (some stats) It appears that many a person is just now discovering that, HEY! it's not such a bad place to live after all. Sure, the weather can be pretty bleak in the summer, and some of the streets aren't the most attractive, but the houses are nice and so are the restaurants, coffee shops, and sushi joints. Not only that, but access to downtown, Golden Gate Park, Marin, and the beach couldn't be easier. Of course there are a few over-priced Stalefish sitting on the market, but there are also one-of-a-kind homes flying off the shelf. There are deals galore to be had in this neighborhood right now from 1 bedroom condos to multi-unit buildings, so if you're on the fence, you might want to consider getting off. (Central Richmond Listings) Unlike SOMA, you can't build up (generally). What you see is what you get.


STORY ABOUT A HOUSE

All you Central Richmond residents (Shari, Steve x2, Mark, Shelly, Sergio, Susan) have been asking about this property for a while. Well voila! 698 19th Ave. @ Cabrillo has sold. The magic number...$1,560,000. Here's the deal. It was on the market June '05 as a 2 bed, 2 bath, 2100 square foot...dare we say fixer, asking $995,000, sold for $1,175,000. Here's the then photos. Have a look at the now shots, a 5 bed, 4 bath, 3100 square foot remodel. This almost hit our stalefish list. Why? The seller made the mistake of listing it with a different agent than the agent that represented them on the purchase. What happened? Listed for $1,645,000, sat for 60 some odd days, didn't sell at the reduced price of $1,575,000, agent loses the listing. Comes back on the market, with new agent that represented them in buying it, new price $1,495,000, sells in 28 days for $1,560,000 on 10/24/06. Karma.


COMPARISON SHOPPING

For this week's Comparison Shopping, we're going all the way over to Washington, where $1,565,000 buys you 3 beds, 2 baths, 2,327 square feet, views of bay and downtown, a mature garden, and 2 parking spaces. Oh, we forgot to tell you, that's Washington Street in Nob Hill. Check this house out! Great time to be a buyer.


SFHOTSPOTS

Where do we begin? This is going to be the hardest part of our Tour de San Francisco. There are soooo many good places in this city, and each little nano-hood (oooh...that's good) has all their own. How do you list one good place and not all the good places? Well, you just list one, that's how.

Gaspare's Pizza on Geary between 19th and 20th Ave. It's Pizza and so much more, and gives Giorgio's on Clement a run for its money.**Warning** their site has loud music if you are in cube land.

Kabuto Sushi on Geary at 15th Ave. Quite possibly one of, if not, the best sushi joints in all of San Francisco. It ain't cheap though, so bring your wallet, and get their early for a table. It is a tiny place.


Okay, we mentioned two, but there is so much more to the Central Richmond. Go explore it, and let us know what you find.