Attorney Ethan Blevins City Planners tremble as they whisper a new term that embodies their fears – “Seattle-ization.” Washington’s Emerald City, one the byword for urban vitality, is now outpacing San Francisco as a cautionary tale in how over-regulation strangles the housing market. That does not mean, unfortunately, that observers understand the root cause of…
Tenants across San Francisco are poised to gain new collective bargaining powers to affect conditions in their buildings, thanks to a move by lawmakers in March. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved protections for tenants to form associations, akin to labor unions, that can negotiate with landlords over a wide range of concerns, including issues like…
To maximize appeal to today’s pet owners, here is why welcoming pets in rental housing is a smart financial move. According to the American Pet Products Association, 70 percent of American households own a pet, and pet owners in the United States spent more than $100 billion on their animals in 2020. The popularity of…
Alameda County, Los Angeles County, and multiple cities throughout the state continue to extend baseless eviction bans. April 1st is actually Day 742 of the housing provider hostage crisis. Our local politicians’ actions show that they do not care about the pain and suffering that they are causing housing providers. Their main priority is the…
Prices and install availability for a new roof are not fixed 365 days a year. A few months, or even weeks, can cost you – or save you – thousands of dollars on your next roof repair, replacement, or restoration coating. Timing is everything. Countless factors impact the roofing industry, and many of them change…
Before discussing interest rates, inflation, and the Federal Reserve’s role, it is beneficial to recall the following “story”. During the height of the cold war, Leonid Brezhnev was viewing, along with the highest-ranking generals and members of Politburo, the huge May Day military parade in Red Square. After an hour looking down, dressed in their…
This is not a surprise: there are many ways people profit from real estate. We’ve been illustrating some of them through glimpses into the lives of the people involved. We’ve seen how Hetty Green (article #105) invested not only in stocks and bonds, but also was a real estate lender of last resort, securing…
Alameda County, Los Angeles County, and multiple cities throughout the state continue to extend baseless eviction bans. April 1st is actually Day 742 of the housing provider hostage crisis. Our local politicians’ actions show that they do not care about the pain and suffering that they are causing housing providers. Their main priority is the…
A new survey shows that almost 60 percent of multifamily firms indicate they are reducing or avoiding investment in rent-controlled markets, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC). An additional 15 percent say they are considering cutting back in those markets. Conversely, only a quarter (27 percent) of firms are willing to keep their current or…
Setting an appropriate listing price is both art and science. The listing price should be high enough to provide some negotiating room and to learn what the market will pay. It should be low enough to arouse several buyers’ interest. Smart listing brokers suggest a price that will promptly obtain realistic offers. Our team often…