McGuire Real Estate

Articles, Stories & Questions

Displaying all 14 submissions

An Academic Honor in Nob Hill: The Spring Valley Science Elementary School Finding a great elementary school in San Francisco is quite the buzz for city parents. They’re curious and looking for answers to their many questions: “Which school is best? What about private school? Why is the lottery system so tough in San Francisco? What about charter schools?” I was recently asked by a buyer to provide information about the elementary school acr... more... Blogged on 6/1/2011	Stasi Martin
How to Save Money While Saving Energy I recently had a family member begin making several changes and improvements to their dated single family home. Walking through the property, we started brainstorming about how to get rid of clutter, furniture, old electronics and appliances. Their budget included replacing major kitchen appliances, which I agreed was needed to prep their home to be listed. They informed me of a few s... more... Blogged on 9/16/2010	Stasi Martin
What Is The Foreclosure Timeline For My Type Loan? Q: Is there really a special foreclosure timeframe for certain loans? A: I was recently asked this by a client and after doing some research through various sites, I thought I’d share this useful information. When a real estate transaction involves a property in foreclosure, knowing the foreclosure timeline helps assess what you options you have. California has a special foreclo... more... Blogged on 8/31/2010	Stasi Martin
San Francisco's Down Payment Assistance Program Is Coming Back Mayor Newsom announced that the DALP (Down Payment Assistance Program) will return on August 1, 2010. The DALP program assists low- and moderate-income first-time home buyers in San Francisco with purchasing any market rate value home. Bear in mind what San Francisco considers low- to moderate-income, in other cities would be recognized as high income. One benefit of this specific program is th... more... Blogged on 7/15/2010	Stasi Martin
Prospect: A New Restaurant in San Francisco's SoMa District There is a delicious new restaurant in SoMa/South Beach! Having clients at The Infinity, I decided to be among the first to dine at the newly opened restaurant, Prospect. Located on the ground floor of The Infinity Towers, this is the second restaurant from chef Nancy Oakes and the owners of Boulevard. They have successfully combined the same formula of elegant service, a delectable, simple men... more... Blogged on 7/15/2010	Stasi Martin
SoMa: Coffee Central Seattle may be home of the venti-sized coffee house chain, but San Francisco is inspiring a new wave of coffee gurus. And SoMa is ground zero for all of the action. Coffee production has been a big part of San Francisco since the 1900s thanks to the Hills Brothers. Their name still sits atop the beautiful historic waterfront building, right in SoMa. Since the 1990s, coffee has evolved from... more... Blogged on 7/8/2010	Stasi Martin
Local Farmers Markets Happy Summer Solstice! Our Summer Solstice is finally around the corner (Monday June 21st), and the opening of the seasonal Bay Area Farmers Markets are in full speed. Throughout San Francisco, from district to district, one can stumble upon your local street side Farmers Market and enjoy the taste of Summer! These type of markets are one of the oldest forms of direct income for various sm... more... Blogged on 6/18/2010	Stasi Martin
SoMa's Newest Addition: The Museum District San Francisco has maintained stature amongst the world’s most famous art/museum communities. Cities such as Barcelona, Washington D.C and Paris are prime examples of stellar urban communities intertwining high-end living with the culture of museums. Up until the 90s, the quality of museums, traveling exhibits and artistic development in San Francisco had been scarce due to the lack of ci... more... Blogged on 6/2/2010	Stasi Martin
Dolores Park, The Line That Divides Home Values? The Mission District is rich in culture, alive with activity. It offers the city’s most eclectic choices in delicious, affordable food and supports a wide array of art, creative thinking and shopping. So why do home values not reflect this? I have noticed there are notable property value differences between the Castro and the Mission, and interestingly enough, there is a physical div... more... Blogged on 5/23/2010	Stasi Martin
One Hawthorne: A Professional's Opinion The doors of San Francisco’s newest boutique luxury condo building, One Hawthorne, finally opened to the public on May 2nd. One Hawthorne is located at Howard and Hawthorne Streets on the edge of both South Beach and the San Francisco Financial District. The area is a perfect embodiment of San Francisco: a brand new elegant building placed against an historic backdrop. Businesses and res... more... Blogged on 5/14/2010	Stasi Martin
South of Market Restaurants The South of Market Area (SOMA) has been known as a quickly rising cultural hub, maintaining gourmet stature next to our city’s finest who’s who of eateries in the Financial District and neighboring Mission area. With the wide range of new restaurants and the quality of chefs in the kitchen, it is fast becoming a favorite amongst foodies. With the recent growing interest in this are... more... Blogged on 4/14/2010	Stasi Martin
SOMA Winning the Gold In a series of blog post I reveal what’s happening in San Francisco’s diverse South of Market neighborhood. Individual citizens and neighborhood groups, working as partners with official city staff, have taken on the challenge to create and improve the beauty of the South of Market. For example, the San Francisco’s Department of Public Works and Urban Solutions are working in ... more... Blogged on 1/11/2010	Stasi Martin
Walk Score and Real Estate Values “Walkability” has recently become a buzzword in real estate, especially in progessive, environmentally conscious cities. In fact, I’ve noticed that, in this market, homes with high walkability scores can be easier to sell. Walkability can now be measured automatically. Visit WalkScore.com and you’ll see it in action. How does this service define walkability? It generates a &#... more... Blogged on 11/16/2009	Stasi Martin
QUESTION: I was wondering what would be the best way for me to maximize the value of my home (single family) before I put it on the market. I have not yet chosen an agent and would consider your brokerage. Thank you in advance for your thoughts. Trebor Lee Answered By: Stasi Martin more... Asked on 5/8/2009	Stasi Martin