SA
3
SUNDAY,FEBRUARY7,2010
FREEFREE
BUYERS SEMINARBUYERS SEMINAR
(LIMITED SEATING)(LIMITED SEATING)
151837
February 16th, March 2nd or 9th 2010 (6:30pm)
Learn how to benefit and take advantage of today's real estate values and low interest
rates from real estate & mortgage experts. Information on the following topics:
� $8,000 credit for Buyers � Revised &
Extended to April, 2010 (Maximum
income increased)
� FHA loans
� Current market for TICs and condos
� Purchase your primary residence
with less than 20% down payment
(subject to loan qualification)
� Process for financing and purchasing
your property
Presented by Rose Pali & Marjet Wolbertus and Sue Ballinger
Barbagelata Real Estate Co.
45 West Portal Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94127
RSVP via email to
SFBuyerSeminars@yahoo.com
or call (415) 759-2544
(limited to 6 seats)
FREEFREE
BUYERS SEMINARBUYERS SEMINAR
(LIMITED SEATING)(LIMITED SEATING)
Rose Pali
Realtor
DRE #01139601
(415) 609-5106
Marjet Wolbertus
Realtor
DRE #01741227
(415) 317-7172
Sue Ballinger
Loan Agent
DRE #01258922
(415) 345-4379
Buy a home in Millbrae for under $400K. Millbrae is known for
its great schools, easy access to the City or South Bay, small town feel
and rolling green hills. 3-One-Bedroom and 5-Two-Bedroom "Below
Market Rate" Homes available at 1388 Broadway. The homes vary in
price from $311,974-$375,763 with one car parking for one bedroom
homes and two car parking for two bedroom homes. Buyers must be
first time home buyers, or buyers who have not owned property in last
three years and income eligible under city the guidelines.
151104
NOWAVAILABLE�MILLBRAEBMRHOMESFROMTHE$300,000'S!
Why not convert?
TALKING REAL ESTATE
Newsom's condo-conversion
plan has the Supes circling
the wagons,as usual
Once,while dining
on the free conti-
nental breakfast at
the Holiday Inn
Express in Rose-
burg,Oregon,I
came upon the idea
that all San Fran-
ciscans should
be forced to drive
across the country
at least once every five years.That way,
we could see up close just how much of
an anomaly we are.We like to think that
"they"-- the people out there,not for-
tunate enough to live in the Bay Area
-- are the weirdos.In reality,I have seen
the weirdo and he is us.
Nowhereis this more apparent than
inthewackyworldof SanFranciscocon-
dominiumconversions,wherea1982law
limitsthenumberof three-or-more-unit
buildingsthat canbeconvertedfromTen-
ants-in-Common to condoeach year.
OnFebruary4,theownersof 2,100
TICunits(655buildings)appliedfor
2010's200slots.Andthentwo-thirdsof
themsawtheirshadows,guaranteeingsix
moreweeksof winter.Formanyof them,
condoconversionhasbecomeakintolook-
ingforaparkingspotinNorthBeach:you
candrivearoundandaround;there'sno
guaranteeyou'reevergoingtofindaspot.
Last year,San Francisco mayor Gavin
Newsom proposed a one-time removal
of conversion limits and raising the cost
of conversion from $9,099 to somewhere
north of $15,000,thus filling the cash-
starved city coffers without adding a
general tax.Sounds good,right?You pay
your fee,you get your conversion.
Not so fast,said Supervisor John Ava-
los,who promised to block any attempt
at widening the condo conversion fun-
nel.The argument against allowing more
condo conversions goes like this: more
condos means fewer tenants,causing a
renters'crisis.Yes,the very powerful ten-
ants'advocates crew has promised to
block any legislation designed to make
condo conversion easier.
Meanwhile,empty,foreclosed homes
remind us that there are other ways to
house people than to deny homeowners
the chance to condo-convert.
This year,despiteAvalos'threats,
Newsom is again floating the idea of one-
time open conversion.OnWednesday,a
pro-condo conversion group called Plan
C rallied in front of City Hall.Accord-
ing to their web site at www.plancsf.org,
Plan C is a moderate group devoted to
finding middle-class housing solutions in
San Francisco; which,of course,makes
them Republicans in the fresh-faced eyes
of local tenants'advocates.
Plan C and Mayor Newsom will
never convince the Board of Supervisors
to relax condo conversion laws.Who do
you think electedAvalos,Chiu,Daly,
et.al? Homeowners? Unfortunately,for
the near future at least,TIC owners are
stuck in an endless loop,looking for a
parking space that may never come.
And so we beat on,boats against the
current,borne back ceaselessly into the
past.
lrosen@sfexaminer.com
Larry Rosen
Examiner Real
Estate Writer
CONTACTS
Sonya Winterhalder San Francisco
415 359 2776
swinterhalder@sfexaminer.com
Maryann Bologna Peninsula
415.359.2652
mbologna@sfexaminer.com
Larry Rosen Reporter
415.359.2754
lrosen@sfexaminer.com
Please send press releases and news to: 71 Stevenson Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 or email: realestate@sfexaminer.com or fax 415.359.2660
This is the time of year when real estate brokerages laud their
top producers for the previous calendar year. Over at San Fran-
cisco's Zephyr Real Estate, the list includes
names that should be familiar to fans of
the bi-weekly "Real Estate News," including
Bonnie Spindler and the mellifluously-
named James Romeo Holloway.Atop
the Zephyr heap is the always-cheery
Mollie Poe.A Zephyr top producer
every year since 2003, Poe outpaced
William Kitchen and Michael Acker-
man, producers number two and three,
respectively, to earn her crown.
While the Women's Council of Realtors (WCR) is usually hard
at work closing deals, they still manage to find some time for
networking and leisure time -- especially when the networking is
disguised as leisure
time. See for yourself
February 11, when the
WCR joins with the
San Mateo Association of Realtors (that's SAMCAR to you, bub)
in hosting a joint happy hour networking mixer. On hand will be
The Viles (www.facebook.com/theviles), a high-energy local covers
band guaranteed to get those Realtors rocking. A ruckus will be
raised and the event is free. For more information, contact Chris-
tina Galletti at (650) 218-0629 or at www.facebook.com/smwcr.
Two weeks ago Friday was a big day
for Pacific Union agent John Lee.Al-
ready the chairman of the board for the
Chinese Real Estate Association (CREA),
Lee added a particularly colorful
feather to his cap when he was
installed as the president of the San
Francisco Association of Realtors.
As president, Lee will serve a one-year term. His successor, Bruce
Lyon of TRI Coldwell Banker, was installed as president-elect
at the same time.The ceremony was held at the Four Seasons
Hotel in San Francisco, followed by the kind of gala banquet you
normally read about in the society page.
In today's market, the term "short sale" is enough to set
even the most intrepid buyer quivering. SAMCAR knows this, and
would like to help clear up some of the cobwebs surrounding
short sales. On Thursday, February 11, from 11 am to 12:30
pm, SAMCAR will host "Pitfalls and
Opportunities of Short Sales," at 850
Woodside Way, in San Mateo. On hand
will be a local panel of experts, who will
help explain the ins and outs of short
sales and discuss the local (San Mateo
County) short sale market. Please RSVP
to (650) 696-8200 if you would like to
see your short sale fears evaporate.
Please send your real estate insider news and tips to lrosen@sfexaminer.com
ON THE MARKET
cisco's
name
the bi
Bonn
W
ma
Mollie Poe
John Lee
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