homesmillbrae.com » City Of San Francisco

10 of San Francisco quirkiest homes

Wed, 01 May 2013 01:22:36 +0000

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The city of San Francisco enjoys fame for many reasons. Being boring isn’t among them. Should we be surprised then that within the pool of our spectacular, highly valuable, historic architectural masterpieces are a few quirky homes? Strange paint jobs, unique design features, political statements and more adorn several local homes in every neighborhood from the Outer-Sunset to Bernal Hill and beyond.

Today we feature just 10, knowing full well readers will have their own examples. The collection comes to us via Urban Hiker SF, a San Francisco based business run by Alexandra Kenin. On her many forays with and without clients hiking the city’s many stairways, parks, and hilly streets, Alexandra has seen these homes first hand.

But these are probably only the tiniest slice of the true number of eccentric abodes in this creative, self-expression rich city. Tell us where to find your favorites, readers, in the comments below.

Anna Marie Erwert writes from both the renter and new buyer perspective, having (finally) achieved both statuses. She focuses on national real estate trends, specializing in the San Francisco Bay Area and Pacific Northwest, and writes for SFGate and CurbedSF. Follow Anna on Twitter: @AnnaMarieErwert

Article source: http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2013/04/30/10-of-san-francisco-quirkiest-homes/

Office-As-A-Service RocketSpace Doubles Real Estate To Accomodate Bigger …

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:28:05 +0000

Startups around the world are desperate for office space in the San Francisco Bay Area, so tomorrow RocketSpace will announce the lease of a new 50,000 sq. ft. office so it can house startups with up to 60 employees instead of capping them at 30. Along with this RocketSpace Suites project, the “office-as-a-service” plans to lock down another 100,000 sq. ft. spot and open a space in London this year.

RocketSpace currently provides plug-and-play office space for 130 startups and their 600 employees at a per-person, per-month rate. It lets founders concentrate on their businesses while RocketSpace handles leases, security, bandwidth, firewalls and other office hassles. Its relationships with venture capitalists and corporate accelerators have kept at least one of its residents securing funding every week, and it runs inspiring events featuring speakers like Peter Thiel and Vinod Khosla.

CEO Duncan Logan told me in a meeting today that one of RocketSpace’s biggest problems is that due to space contraints, “we kick out companies when they get to 3o employees.” Fast-rising startups like Uber, Spotify, Kabam, and Leap Motion have all gotten the boot. It’s also receiving far more qualified applicants than it has room for. RocketSpace needed more, well, space. Meanwhile, its current real estate is literally about to get steamrolled. Tomorrow, the city of San Francisco will announce RocketSpace’s current 181 Fremont location will be demolished to make way for a new Transbay Tower transportation hub.

So after a year of searching, tomorrow RocketSpace will announce the lease of a 50,000 sq. ft. space just north of Market Street at 180 Sansome. Eventually it hopes to take over that whole tower. But RocketSpace Suites is just the start of its expansion. It’s currently looking at a 90,000 sq. ft. Bay Area space to replace the Fremont home it will have to vacate. Logan says it will be able to host 2,000 people in its combined 140,000 sq. ft. space. By the end of 2013 RocketSpace plans to have added a London space. And even though it’s completely bootstrapped, after that it’s eying Tel Aviv, Berlin, and Vancouver for additional locations.

Logan says RocketSpace aspires to become an “innovation campus” that he calls a “Stanford for startups.” He explains that “young companies are like young people. They’re a product of their environment. We can build the best possible environment for startups.” By surrounding themselves with similarly ambitious makers, Logan believes startups can be more creative and productive.

Just watch out for your neighbors poaching your engineers.

ROCKETSPACE

Startup. Blast off.

RocketSpace is an accelerator for high-growth, seed-funded tech startups. We provide the fuel that every startup needs to accelerate: access to top talent, tier 1 venture capital, and blue-chip brands representing millions of potential customers.

Our programs are focused on creating the perfect tech startup ecosystem: speakers classes in our dedicated event space, services from the best startup service providers, and research analysis covering over 10,000 startups worldwide representing the “what’s next next” in technology.

Located in…

? Learn more

Article source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/28/rocketspace-suites/

CIM Group Sells 10 Properties from Its San Francisco Apartment Portfolio

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 15:00:43 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO — CIM Group announced today that it has completed the sale of 10 San Francisco apartment properties to multiple buyers. The properties are part of a 22-building, 418-unit portfolio the company acquired in June 2009. CIM is proceeding with the sale of the remaining 12 properties in the portfolio.

CIM acquired the apartment portfolio through a deed in lieu of foreclosure transaction. The properties span the geographic and demographic diversity of the City of San Francisco and, as is typical of this market, have high occupancies. CIM has applied its investment and management model to enhance the properties and increase the value of the portfolio. The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the strongest commercial real estate markets in the country and a top target for investors.

CIM identified the Greater Bay Area as possessing the attributes that fit its investment model, which focuses on established and emerging urban areas with solid infrastructure and transportation networks. CIM Group has investments in a variety of commercial properties in the Bay Area including approximately 1.7 million square feet of office properties and two hotels in Oakland.

About CIM Group

CIM Group is a leading real estate and infrastructure investment firm that since 1994 has systematically and successfully invested in dynamic and densely populated communities throughout North America. CIM Group draws on its experienced team of real estate, investment and finance professionals to identify and pursue investment opportunities in three primary strategic categories: repositioning and development projects in established and emerging urban areas; well-positioned operating properties in transitional and established districts; and infrastructure. CIM manages three distinct portfolios, including opportunistic, stabilized and infrastructure funds, each of which are diversified by geography and type of property within that risk profile. Headquartered in Los Angeles, CIM maintains regional offices in New York, the San Francisco Bay Area and Bethesda, Maryland. For more information, please visit www.cimgroup.com

Article source: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/11/14/4415342/cim-group-sells-10-properties.html

Bay Area open space: 75 percent is being protected, but 300000 acres are still …

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:47:52 +0000

Click photo to enlarge

Roughly 75 percent of all the land in the Bay Area is either permanently protected in parks or open space, or at low risk of development because it is zoned for farming or other rural uses.

But 322,000 acres — an area 12 times the size of the city of San Francisco — remains threatened by development over the next three decades, with hot spots in eastern Contra Costa County and around Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Livermore and Vacaville, according to a new report out Tuesday from the Greenbelt Alliance, an open space preservation group.

The Bay Area almost certainly has more parks, farmland, beaches and other open spaces than any other major urban area in the United States. That’s the product of 100 years of advocacy

by park lovers, hikers and environmental groups.

And while Bay Area residents regularly support tough zoning, and new fees and taxes at the ballot box for open space, the difficult economy over the past five years has meant less money to maintain parks — and rough times raising money to buy more land.

“We’ve had a lot of success in this region protecting our greenbelt,” said Jeremy Madsen, executive director of the Greenbelt Alliance. “We need to be proud of that, but there is a lot still to do, not only in stopping sprawl, but also in investing and stewarding land that’s already protected.”

When counties are ranked by the acres they have permanently protected in parks, wildlife refuges and open space preserves, the Bay

Area’s largest county, Santa Clara County, is first, with 229,800 acres, according to the report.

Next is Marin, with 185,400 acres; Sonoma with 171,200; Napa with 122,700; Contra Costa with 119,100; San Mateo with 111,000; Alameda with 106,000; and Solano, with 57,000 acres.

That may come as a surprise to Bay Area residents who see Silicon Valley as a poster child for Los Angeles-style sprawl. But most of the large developments that paved over orchards and farmland ended by the 1970s with tougher zoning. And over the past decade, land trusts such as the Nature Conservancy and Peninsula Open Space Trust have bought tens of thousands of acres in the Mount Hamilton area, around Henry Coe State Park, and in the foothills south of San Jose, preserving hillsides, ranches and farms.

“There’s been a dawning awareness that there are some spectacularly beautiful lands at risk just 15 or 20 minutes south of San Jose,” said Walter Moore, president of the Peninsula Open Space Trust, in Palo Alto.

In the East Bay, a historic milestone came in 2008 when voters in Contra Costa and Alameda counties overwhelmingly approved Measure WW, a $500 million bond act to provide new funding for the East Bay Regional Park District.

The district, founded in 1934, already has 112,000 acres preserved in 65 parks. With the new funding, it is adding lands. Further, roughly 6,000 acres of meadows and other grazing lands are being preserved by the Contra Costa Water District as part of its project to enlarge Los Vaqueros Reservoir near Brentwood.

“Contrary to what’s happening in other parts of the state, combined with the recent real estate downturn, there have been some amazing gains in open space protection in the East Bay,” said Ron Brown, executive director of Save Mount Diablo in Walnut Creek.

When counties are compared by how much of their land area is protected in parks and open space preserves, Marin comes in first, with 55.6 percent; followed by San Mateo at 38.6 percent; Santa Clara at 27.7 percent; Contra Costa at 25.8 percent; Napa at 25.4 percent; Alameda at 22.4 percent; Sonoma at 16.9 percent and Solano at 10.8 percent.

Brown and Moore both noted that funding is becoming a significant issue in many parts of Northern California. State bonds approved by voters in years past to buy new parkland and build playgrounds are nearly all spent. And Gov. Jerry Brown plans to close 70 state parks by July 1 to save $22 million toward balancing the state budget.

Although East Bay regional parks won passage of its bond measure, other agencies, like the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority, are running low on funding to buy new parks and will ask voters in the next few years for more to continue their efforts.

Tuesday’s report noted that of the 4.4 million acres in the nine counties around the Bay Area, 1.1 million are in parks and open space preserves. Another 2.2 million are protected through zoning for farms, hillsides and rural development. That leaves 788,000 acres developed in urban areas and 322,000 acres of open land at risk of development over the next 30 years, with a quarter of that at risk in the next 10 years.

Developers say the battle is done.

“The era of the mega-master-planned community in the Bay Area is largely over. Politically it is just too difficult,” said Paul Campos, senior vice president of the Building Industry Association of the Bay Area.

Campos said while developers support building “in-fill” homes, condominiums and townhouses in existing neighborhoods and near transit projects, as environmentalists want, enough people still want to buy affordable single-family homes with yards that they are willing to commute long distances from Tracy and other Central Valley towns.

But Madsen, of the Greenbelt Alliance, said there are lots of single-family homes for sale in the Bay Area.

“What we need to build now are the choices for people who want something else — townhomes, condos, rental property in town to meet the demands of empty nesters, young people in their 20s and families with kids who want to live an urban lifestyle,” he said.

Paul Rogers covers resources and environmental issues. Contact him at 408-920-5045. Follow him on Twitter.com/PaulRogersSJMN.

Article source: http://www.contracostatimes.com/science/ci_20685004/bay-area-open-space-more-it-is-being?source=inthenews

Growing Number of US Real Estate Firms Offer Multilingual Services Through Proxio

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:13:50 +0000

SAN BRUNO, Calif., Apr 24, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) –
Today’s homebuyers and sellers are more diverse than ever before. The
U.S. Census shows that nearly 55 million Americans, 1 in 5, speak a
language other than English at home. The National Association of
Realtors reports foreign buyers purchased $82 billion of U.S.
residential real estate in 2011, a number that has sustained several
regional real estate markets in recent years.

This multicultural trend is generating extensive growth for Proxio,
Inc., whose global marketing and networking platform authentically
translates real estate listings into 19 languages so brokerages and
agents can serve clients better. Recently the number of top real estate
firms affiliated with Proxio has expanded from coast to coast, from
Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell (EWM) of Florida to Intero Real Estate
Services, a leading brokerage in Silicon Valley. Prudential California
Realty has expanded its use of Proxio into three additional multi-office
franchises in Southern California. The latest addition to this growing
list is San Francisco Bay Area-based Pacific Union International. The
Bay Area exemplifies the diversity trend; in the city of San Francisco
alone, 45% of residents speak a foreign language at home.

“Proxio’s mission is to bridge geographic and cultural borders, enabling
agents to extend their reach and increase their services,” said Janet
Case, CEO and co-founder of Proxio. “Top real estate firms recognize
Proxio’s services fill an important multicultural marketing gap, and are
taking full advantage of the opportunity to distinguish themselves from
their competition.”

Brokerages that license Proxio for listing translations on their public
websites gain access to an exclusive professional network of over
450,000 real estate agents in 115 countries, including members of over
40 national real estate associations on 6 continents. Proxio’s global
real estate network is unique in exposing brokers’ listings in other
markets and providing a system where agents can connect with other
agents for networking and peer-to-peer marketing. The service benefits
brokerages, agents, buyers and sellers alike, as it expands their
marketing reach–and potential sales opportunities.

Multiple Listing Services and real estate associations in the U.S. and
around the world are also adopting Proxio to provide multilingual
services and agent networking. In Florida alone, where almost 27% of the
population speaks a language other than English at home and 19.2% of
residents are foreign-born, Proxio powers multilingual websites for the
Miami Association of Realtors; Regional MLS in Palm Beach Gardens; and
MyFloridaMLS in Orlando.

About Proxio, Inc.

Proxio’s global marketing and networking platform delivers a quick and
easy way for brokerages, agents, MLSs and associations to display
listings in 19 languages and extend their marketing reach globally.
Proxio hosts over 450,000 real estate professionals and 2.5 million
listings from over 115 countries, enabling agents to better serve
diverse clients, broadly promote listings, and grow their businesses
through professional networking.

www.proxio.com

SOURCE: Proxio, Inc.


        Proxio, Inc.
        Kate Gerwe, 415-699-7789
        k.gerwe@proxio.com

Article source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/growing-number-of-us-real-estate-firms-offer-multilingual-services-through-proxio-2012-04-24

San Francisco Real Estate Company, Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie …

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:09:23 +0000

Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie, real estate specialists serving San Francisco, Berkeley and Sonoma Valley, presents the San Francisco real estate market report for the third quarter of 2011.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) December 02, 2011

San Francisco home sales and prices softened slightly in the third quarter of 2011 compared with the previous quarter and same period one year ago as potential entry-level and mid-level homebuyers awaited better economic news and everyone adjusted to the notion that a “flat” real estate market characterized by modest ups and downs may be “the new normal,” says San Francisco real estate company Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie Real Estate

Across the City of San Francisco, 593 existing, single-family detached homes changed hands during the third quarter of 2011, down from 665 homes sold in the second quarter and up slightly from 577 homes sold a year ago according to an analysis of MLS data by the research division of Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie Real Estate. San Francisco’s real estate median sales price, meanwhile, declined to $833,372, down 5 percent from the second quarter and 8 percent lower than one year ago. Short sale and REO transactions accounted for as many as one-third of existing home sales for the quarter.

According to Mark Kelaidis, Regional Manager of Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie Real Estate, “Looking ahead, expect home sales and median prices to seesaw as market conditions and buyer perceptions change in the months ahead.” Yet to be determined is the impact of the recent reduction in Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA loan limits from a maximum of $729,750 to $625,500. Beginning October 1, loans that fall above this lower “conforming” amount will require the buyer to obtain a jumbo loan, which may be subject to a slightly higher interest rate and pricing.

For more information about San Francisco, Berkeley, or Sonoma Valley real estate, call Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie Real Estate at (925) 924-4617 or visit them online at www.bhghome.com. Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie is located at 2200 Union St. San Francisco, CA 94123.

About Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie Real Estate

Their heritage began with the founding of Mason-McDuffie Real Estate in 1887. In 2009, the company was named the 19th largest real estate services firm in the nation and number one San Francisco’s East Bay. The company provides comprehensive solutions to home buyers and sellers and handled more than 7,300 transactions in 2010, generating $2.9 billion in sales. Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie Real Estate is independently owned and operated and includes joint ventures with partners JF Finnegan Realtors, Highland Partners in Piedmont and Montclair, Wine Country Group in the North Bay, and Tri-Valley Realty in Pleasanton-Hopyard and Ruby Hill. The organization is comprised of more than 1,800 real estate agents in 37 offices.

###

For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prwebreal-estate/san-francisco/prweb9009058.htm

Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/12/02/prweb9009058.DTL

Does San Francisco even care if 49ers leave town?

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 14:17:08 +0000

The 49ers have traded in their sourdough for silicon.

The team has gone fully native in Santa Clara, embracing the region’s technology industry and its monied denizens. Its plans to leave San Francisco behind and build a stadium down there are gaining headway, too. Just this week, the team unveiled a fancy new sales office in the South Bay that uses the latest technology from the Valley to showcase the proposed stadium, which would open in 2015 if the team can get its finances together.

And who can blame them? Great weather. Less urban blight. Richer fan base. Who cares if they leave the city for greener parking lots?

For one, the residents of San Francisco should care. And they should blame the team for turning its back on the city that raised it. Second, the politicians that got us into this mess should care. From my understanding of events, the 49ers were prepared to build here in San Francisco until a rift arose between co-owner John York and then-Mayor Gavin Newsom. A perfectly good plan to build at Hunters Point was scrapped and the team turned to Santa Clara.

And the 49ers are not looking back. At a media briefing to tout the new high-tech sales office, powered by technology from Hewlett-Packard among others, the team’s chief operating officer, Paraag Marathe, put it bluntly: “We are building a manifestation of what the 49ers represent and what Silicon Valley represents.”

He also said the team wants its stadium to be a “landmark of Silicon Valley.”

Not a whole lot of talk about San Francisco there. Or the East Bay. Or Marin. Until we asked.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for the city of San Francisco,” said Marathe, a thoroughly likable and seemingly competent executive. “But our season-ticket holders aren’t limited to the city. We believe we’ll be as close to the season-ticket holders as we’ve ever been.”

That’s probably true. Especially if you open your sales operation in a Silicon Valley office park and build a stadium in Santa Clara. I don’t envision too many people from San Rafael or Martinez driving an hour and a half to see what the view from their seats might look like. And then driving an hour and a half back.

To be fair to the 49ers, one has to admit the new stadium design looks great. The place will seat 65,000. It will have 165 luxury suites housed in a five-story, glass tower. On top of that tower will be a grassy area from which some select fans will be able to view the game. My only quibble would be in the class structure of the design. It’s skewed to the rich. But that’s the name of the game, especially in Silicon Valley.

The 49ers also argue that there are 13 freeway interchanges at the new facility, compared to four near Candlestick. And the team received a huge boost on the parking side of the equation recently when Great America was sold to new owners who have pledged 10,000 spots to the 49ers on game days.

“It’ll probably take less time for a fan in San Francisco to get here and back than it does at Candlestick,” Marathe said.

Not sure if I buy that, but it all seems to be falling into place in Santa Clara, except for the money. The 49ers have now raised nearly $189 million of the $987 million it will take to build the park. That’s a big gap, but Marathe said the team believes the NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement will pave the way for financing help from the league.

So, where does that leave San Francisco? Out of the picture.

It will be interesting to see whether the residents of San Francisco – who are losing their NFL franchise, make no mistake – will make this a viable issue in the upcoming mayoral elections.

So far, no one seems to care that the five-time Super Bowl champions are leaving town.

Classy closure: It was all class and good vibes at the Giants‘ last game of the season this past week, despite the team’s disappointing finish.

The stands were packed for the season-ending loss to the Rockies, proving that the Giants’ bandwagoners from last year have become true orange and black. And when and if the 49ers leave town, that loyalty will only grow.

Perhaps the classiest moment of the day came when manager Bruce Bochy pulled left fielder Pat Burrell out of the game in the late innings, allowing the hometown slugger to take the field before getting called back into the dugout, where he was met with a standing ovation from the crowd and a series of hugs from teammates.

Burrell was overcome with emotion and had to walk it off in the clubhouse tunnel.

“I could see him biting his lip,” said Aubrey Huff later that day as he packed up his gear in the clubhouse. “It was an emotional moment.”

Indeed it was. The Giants sold out every home game this year, drawing more than 3.3 million fans to set a club record. The fact that everyone at the last game knew this could be Burrell’s final moments on the field as a major-league ballplayer shows that these aren’t just rich dilettantes, going out to see and be seen.

The Giants have grown a knowledgeable, real community, right here in San Francisco.

The man in the middle: With the announcement of a merger between Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows this past week, the natural question was: How can these adjacent resorts connect their slopes?

The answer lies with a man named Troy Caldwell, a one-time hot doggin’ ski champ who now owns a crucial piece of real estate between the two sites.

Caldwell’s land, known as White Wolf, is actually a private little ski area that connects the back side of Squaw Valley’s KT-22 area with the Alpine Meadows parking lot. A few years back, Caldwell famously put up 17 lift stanchions on his very own run, which he calls KT South, with plans to operate his own ski lift. He even obtained a permit that allows him 25 skiers per day, all friends and family. But he never finished the project and never operated an actual chairlift.

Now, Caldwell finds himself in the middle of a Tahoe megamerger, and he holds the keys to linking the two properties. Last year, after purchasing Squaw Valley, KSL Resorts contacted Caldwell with an eye toward purchasing his land. So far, no deal is in the works.

In order to open White Wolf as a connection between Squaw Valley and Alpine, the resorts would have to put in an additional chairlift to go over the ridge that divides White Wolf from Alpine.

Caldwell and his wife, Sue, live in Alpine Meadows, where they have built homes. He bought the acreage, which includes portions of KT-22 that he leases to Squaw, from Southern Pacific in 1990. Though there have been rumors of him selling White Wolf to KSL, he told my colleague Sam Whiting, “We’ve never had any firm offers. I’m sure they would like to buy it, but I want to be involved all the way through this thing.”

He estimates that a mountain connection between Squaw and Alpine is 10 years away. If they ever do link up, Squaw and Alpine would be the biggest ski and snowboarding resort in the nation, with over 6,000 acres of land. And that could be a real boon to the area’s bid for the 2022 Olympics.

Al Saracevic is The Chronicle’s sports editor. You can e-mail him at asaracevic@sfchronicle.com.

Article source: http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2011/10/01/does-san-francisco-even-care-if-49ers-leave-town/

Laurus Corporation Completes Acquisition of Office Building in San Francisco’s …

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 22:54:34 +0000

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 14, 2011 — /PRNewswire/ — Laurus Corporation (“Laurus”) is pleased to announce that it successfully completed the acquisition of an exceptional office building located at 1155 Market St in San Francisco, California.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110914/LA68979)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061212/LAURUSLOGO)

Containing approximately 140,000 rentable square feet of office space and strategically located within the Civic Center area, the Property is an institutional quality, eleven-story office building, with one level underground parking. The Civic Center encompasses approximately six million square feet of office space occupied by the Federal Government, the State of California, and the City of San Francisco. Known for its healthy mix of office, residential, and fine restaurants, this area hosts many cultural attractions – City Hall, Herbst Theatre, War Memorial Opera House, Davies Symphony Hall, and Civic Auditorium – all within a few blocks of the Property.

Market Street is the primary thoroughfare through the City of San Francisco. Commencing at the Ferry Building on the waterfront, Market Street extends from Downtown, through the city retail district, the Civic Center and terminates in the Castro. Market Street provides every form of public transportation, including BART, MUNI, buses, historic trolley cars and access to the famous Cable Cars at Powell Street.

San Francisco, in addition to its scenic beauty and as a major tourist destination, is considered the West Coast’s premier office market and one of the most dynamic real estate investment markets in the world. San Francisco leads the region as a worldwide financial and cultural center, a corporate headquarters location for major global companies, and the hub of Bay Area finance, design, film, fashion, accounting, consulting, and advertising activities. Furthermore, several billions dollars of public works and private construction projects are currently underway despite the nation’s soft economic climate.

The new owners intend to implement a program upgrading the building, including façade, lobby, corridors, public bathrooms and overall building atmosphere in order to provide an enhanced working experience to tenants and visitors.

1155 SF Partners, LLC was formed as an investment vehicle to acquire the property. The partners behind the entity have over 60 years of real estate development experience through a variety of entities and corporations, and their portfolio of holdings includes hotels, resorts, office buildings, shopping centers and residential developments.

Laurus Corporation is a boutique style domestic and international real estate development company that specializes in office buildings, hotels and resorts, master plan communities, mixed-use properties and multifamily. The Company coordinates activities converting ideas from paper into real property; it creates, manages, develops, and orchestrates key partnerships, consistently achieving exceptional returns for its investors.

SOURCE Laurus Corporation

Article source: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/14/3911279/laurus-corporation-completes-acquisition.html

AREA Pays $60M for 422-Unit Portfolio

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:49:15 +0000

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2080 Gough, one of the properties
in the 95% occupied portfolio.

(Mark Your Calendars: RealShare Apartments 2011, October 20 in Los Angeles).

SAN FRANCISCO-AREA Property Partners has acquired a 422-unit multifamily portfolio here for $59.6 million. “Plans for the properties include AREA’s proven strategy of revitalization, rehabilitation and repositioning of this formerly distressed portfolio,” says AREA partner James H. Simmons.

Simmons points out that the strategy will be accomplished by “implementing building-wide improvement programs that involve working with the City of San Francisco to cure violations and improve the overall physical condition of the assets. It is our primary objective that the residents continue to receive the highest level of service throughout the process.”

The 20-building, 95% occupied portfolio is located predominantly in the Downtown and Tenderloin neighborhoods of San Francisco. A few properties are located in the neighborhoods of Pacific Heights, Russian Hill and Potrero Hill.

The rent-regulated buildings, totaling 278,395 square feet, were built between 1911 and 1965, with the majority constructed in the early 1900’s. The portfolio’s condition is commensurate with rent-regulated properties of similar vintage throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area, according to a prepared release.

The acquisition presents a unique opportunity to capitalize on improving fundamentals, as San Francisco is one of the top performing multifamily markets in the US, according to the release. The acquisition follows AREA’s long term buy-and-hold strategy of creating high-quality affordable workforce housing alternatives for residents of highly supply constrained markets such as the greater Bay Area, Simmons says.

“We are committed to providing safe and reasonably-priced work force housing for local families,” Simmons says. “This acquisition fits squarely within our strategy of investing in and creating high-quality living alternatives in major metropolitan cities with significant demand for quality affordable housing.”

AREA currently owns or controls over 18,000 units under its domestic emerging markets strategy in major metropolitan areas such as New York, Washington DC and Newark, New Jersey. The brokers on the transaction were Eastdil Secured and Marcus Millichap.

Marcus Millichap did not respond to GlobeSt.com queries by deadline on the seller’s identity. AREA Property Partners tells GlobeSt.com that it cannot disclose the name of the seller due to a confidentially agreement. AREA could not confirm further GlobeSt.com regarding specifics about the properties by deadline.

Categories:

West,
Multifamily,
Acquisitions/Dispositions,
San Francisco

Natalie Dolce Natalie Dolce, editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, is responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, Natalie was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Dolce?s background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats Arthur Frommer?s Budget Travel magazine, FashionLedge.com, Co-Ed magazine, and has also freelanced for a number of publications including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine. Contact Natalie Dolce.

Article source: http://www.globest.com/news/1997_1997/sanfrancisco/313855-1.html

25 New San Francisco Bay Area Videos from The Matchmakers

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:05:00 +0000

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) August 10, 2011

Twenty-five new videos of San Francisco Bay Area neighborhoods, events and attractions have recently been posted and made available to the public on the website of The Matchmakers, a real estate company located in the Bay Area, specializing in beautiful homes in the San Francisco Bay Area and France.

The videos range over the entire Bay Area, including the city of San Francisco itself, Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville, Napa County, Sonoma County, and Marin County.

The videos are designed to give viewers who may not be that familiar with the Bay Area a chance to get a sense of the very different neighborhoods, landscapes, towns and cities in this wonderful area. Many of the videos also show the style of homes in these areas.

For instance, one of the videos on the Noe Valley neighborhood in San Francisco shows the streets, cafes, restaurants; describes somewhat the lifestyle of people who live there; and then gives viewers a look at homes and views from the neighborhood.

Another video focuses on the “Out About Festival” held annually in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland, and highlights a woman talking about the neighborhood.

The videos were produced by Jim Hilgendorf, owner of The Matchmakers, who is also owner of another company, The Tribute Series, a video production company which produces a highly-acclaimed series of travel films, corporate videos, and documentaries. He decided to produce the videos to help people get acquainted with the area.

For instance, many people who have an interest in moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, or are relocating from some other city in the United States or elsewhere around the world, oftentimes have very little acquaintance with San Francisco or the Bay Area itself. The videos were created to help these men and women get a preliminary feel for their future destination.

Jim Hilgendorf is planning to continue the series, and will be adding new videos on a regular basis.

The Matchmakers is a real estate company speicalizing in the greater San Francisco Bay Area and France. Jim and his wife Elizabeth have been to France many times and have developed connections with agents they work with in Paris, Bordeaux and the Dordogne Valley, Aix-en-Provence, Provence and the Cote d’Azur. The Matchmakers website also contains beautiful photos and videos of these areas.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2011/8/prweb8704260.htm

Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/08/10/prweb8704260.DTL