homesmillbrae.com » Neighborhood

Real estate’s new frontier: Crowdfunding

Tue, 24 Sep 2013 01:58:28 +0000

It’s exactly what Washington native Ben Miller has been waiting for. He and his brother Dan founded Fundrise, a company that facilitates crowdfunding for local real estate development. The brothers actually started two years ago, wrangling through a little-known exemption in regulations. They found Regulation A, which allowed them to market to unaccredited investors, as long as those investors were local and could utilize the projects themselves. It was very complex and limited, but it was a start.

“I submit my offering to the SEC beforehand, and they review it and clear it,” explained Ben Miller, standing in the shell of a crowdfunded building on D.C.’s H Street NE, a transitional neighborhood on the outskirts of Capitol Hill. “We’re then allowed to let everyone invest. You don’t have to be accredited, and it really fully democratizes the investment in our city.”

Fundrise raises money from hundreds of locals, who invested on average $1,000 each. In return, the investors get an ownership share of the building, as well as a percentage of the income from rent and appreciation. They can also get perks, like discounts at merchants in the buildings. Miller is turning the H Street building into what he hopes will be a popular new restaurant, market and bar on a street where flashy new eateries and boutiques are sprouting from empty lots and boarded up buildings.

(Read more: Crowdfunding for medical devices hits Web)

“The public will help you build your real estate, but actually over time you realize that the public is an incredible partner, is an incredible asset. You democratize an investment in real estate, not only do you get capital, you actually get a social power that wasn’t possible before,” said Miller.

Now that the rules against marketing to investors are gone, Fundrise and others like it can solicit funds far more easily. Owning a part of a building can now be just a click away. In fact, the Miller brothers have already shifted the focus of their business from real estate development to a web platform that will help others use crowdfunding for real estate.

Article source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/101054808

Seeking the Bay Area’s prettiest outdoor potties

Tue, 03 Sep 2013 18:42:24 +0000

Million-Dollar Homes: Summertime Edition Preview

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 01:59:44 +0000

Home prices continue to rise in the double digits compared to a year ago, but state to state, neighborhood to neighborhood, the story changes. In addition to location, price point is playing an even greater role in the sales picture. Fewer homes priced under $100,000 are selling, while the higher priced market is suddenly taking off.

That’s why CNBC is taking a closer look once again at the million-dollar market, this time with a summertime twist.

(Read More: Vacation Home Sales Sizzle, Rentals Booking Fast)

The Million-Dollar Home special, which returned this past Spring to resounding response, is now venturing to the vacation home market. As before, it will be a contest.

Article source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100839349

The Real Estate Recovery, in Your Neighborhood

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:10:25 +0000

Now, as we enter the first stages of real recovery, it is more important than ever, for home owners, buyers and investors, to hone in on local markets to see what is and what is not putting housing back on a strong foundation and which regions are leading or lagging.

To that end, CNBC is launching the Real Estate Recovery Watch.

(Learn More: Interactive Recovery Watch Map, Complete Coverage)

Going local to major metropolitan markets from east to west, north to south, we will report monthly moves in home sales, prices and inventories in twenty US markets as well as quarterly results in much-watched Manhattan.

Article source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100470576

Gas pipe ruptures in San Francisco Bay-area neighborhood where pipeline blast …

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 11:55:44 +0000

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Article source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/gas-pipe-ruptures-in-sf-bay-area-neighborhood-where-gas-explosion-killed-8-in-2010/2012/08/02/gJQAZEGKSX_story.html

PriceSquares.com Goes Live in the North Bay

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:56:44 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Nov 28, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
Last spring, Oliver Burgelman, Realtor with Zephyr Real Estate,
developed a new market-tracking website tool called PriceSquares.com.
The site originally covered properties in San Francisco, but the
demand for expansion quickly became apparent, particularly for the
North Bay. Consequently, the site now includes Marin, Napa, Sonoma,
Solano and Mendocino counties. The site also has undergone some
visual changes for a cleaner and more user-friendly interface.

The website instantly displays a map grid indicating whether the
average price per square foot is increasing or decreasing and shows
properties currently available for sale by MLS district, zip code,
neighborhood (in San Francisco), or by a customized “price square” of
the viewer’s choosing. The highest and lowest priced properties in a
given area are also clearly indicated on the map.

Originally developed for his own use and that of his clients, the
value of Burgelman’s website has received praise and recognition,
creating quite a stir in the blogosphere including noteworthy
mentions on Curbed SF and The Front Steps.

The website is easy to navigate with a fountain of useful information
and tips as well as convenient instructions for maximizing its
usefulness as a market tool. Opening a free user account is not
necessary to use the site. However, an account allows one to follow
properties, save information, analyze sold properties, receive
property updates and be alerted to new listings. Registered users may
also add comments to viewed properties, which are then visible to all
site visitors.

“The response to Price Squares has been very gratifying, from clients
and colleagues alike. I initially created this to save time searching
multiple websites to find this information, and it’s nice to see so
many others appreciate its convenience as well,” commented Burgelman.
“I am already working on expanding into more market areas.”

Burgelman, who partners with Mike Ackerman at Zephyr Real Estate, is
one of the company’s Top Producers and is an e-PRO Internet
Professional. He is a Certified Residential Specialist, a member of
the San Francisco, California and National Associations of
REALTORS(R) and is fluent in English, Dutch and French.

For more information about PriceSquares.com or information about
other market areas, please contact Oliver Burgelman at
oliver@zephyrsf.com.

About Zephyr Real Estate
Founded in 1978, Zephyr Real Estate is San
Francisco’s largest independent real estate firm with $1 billion in
annual gross sales in 2010 and a current roster of more than 200
full-time agents. In 2010, Zephyr launched its new website, which has
earned three web design awards, including the prestigious WebAward
for Outstanding Website from the Web Marketing Association. Zephyr
Real Estate is a member of the international relocation network,
Leading Real Estate Companies of the World; the luxury real estate
network, Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate; and the local luxury
marketing association, the Luxury Marketing Council of San Francisco.
Zephyr has six strategically located offices in San Francisco, a
business center in Marin County, and serves a large customer base
throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, visit

www.zephyrsf.com .

Image Available:

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        Contact:
        Melody Brown
        Zephyr Real Estate
        San Francisco, CA
        415.729.3555
        Email Contact

SOURCE: Zephyr Real Estate


http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=BE5CC27F46565942

Article source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pricesquarescom-goes-live-in-the-north-bay-2011-11-28

With No Credit, Housing Investors Dig Deep

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:54:47 +0000

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Nothing like getting to work on a Monday morning and finding no fewer than four dismal reports on the housing market in my “Inbox.”

It’s not like anyone thought housing recovered over the weekend (that was pretty clear from the precious few “Open House” signs in my neighborhood at least), but the outlook is deteriorating, and we’re just a day away from getting what is expected to be a weak report on existing home sales for May.

Let’s start with home prices from Fannie Mae’s Economics and Mortgage market Analysis Group, which predicts additional home price declines through the third quarter before flattening out at the end of 2011. “Ultimately, the labor market holds the key to a housing recovery, but job growth is needed in order to activate housing demand,” said Fannie Mae Chief Economist Doug Duncan. “Hiring delays will continue to push out timing for the housing rebound.”

Okay, not exactly a shock, but never a good thing to hear analysts say, “growth is stalling.”

Now to a new point about investors, from the May Housing Market report from Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance, which tracks several indices:

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Article source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/43464682?__source=RSS*blog*&par=RSS