San Francisco’s luxury homes are in high demand.

Mark Calvey
Senior Reporter- San Francisco Business Times

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Luxury home values in the Bay Area hit their highest level since the fourth quarter of 2008, with the latest figures marking the fifth consecutive quarter of year-over-year gains.

The value of luxury homes rose 8.7 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier and are up 3.2 percent from last year’s fourth quarter, according to the First Republic Prestige Home Index.

The average luxury home in the Bay Area is worth $2.82 million.

Los Angeles area values rose 7.1 percent from a year ago and 1.9 percent from the fourth quarter of 2012. The average luxury home in Los Angeles is worth $2.1 million.

San Diego posted more modest gains, with luxury home values there rising 2.8 percent from a year ago and 3.6 percent from the fourth quarter. The average home value in San Diego is $1.7 million.

“Luxury home prices rose strongly in the San Francsico Bay Area and Los Angeles, and continued to recover in San Diego,” said Katherine August-deWilde, president and chief operating officer at First Republic Bank, (NYSE: FRC) which produces its report on luxury home prices every quarter with Fiserv CSW, a provider of property valuation services to the banking industry.

“Limited inventory exists in many areas, and buyer demand is accelerating for properties in the most desirable neighborhoods. Many homes have received multiple offers and are selling over the asking prices,” August-deWilde said.

Those hallmarks of the Bay Area housing market was captured in a Financial Times report last week, looking at all the tech wealth flowing into real estate.

Janis Stone of TRI Coldwell Banker in San Francisco sees strong demand from cash buyers, looking for homes in the $3 million to $6 million range.

Mark Calvey covers banking and finance for the San Francisco Business Times.

Article source: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2013/06/san-francisco-luxury-homes-real-estate.html