American House Cleaning in San Francisco

Menlo Park, CA (PRWEB) September 26, 2013

Every real estate agent knows how important it is to properly stage a home that they have put on the market for sale. A well-staged home means shorter time on the market because it makes the home look more appealing to prospective buyers. American House Cleaning’s new cleaning services are specialized for real estate agents and will help increase the appeal of homes during a showing.

Staging a home involves preparing a home for sale by making it more attractive to buyers by eliminating clutter and arranging furniture and accessories. But nothing is more important than the cleanliness of the home. By partnering with local real estate agents, American House Cleaning plays an important role in ensuring that homes are market ready.

If a home is dirty, prospective buyers may wonder if there are more serious maintenance issues that they don’t know about. Also, if the home is empty, it is even more crucial that it is clean. Dusty floors, dirty windows, and grime on kitchen and sink countertops are more visible when there is nothing else to distract the eye.

American House Cleaning is a locally owned and operated, full-service cleaning company that has served loyal clients throughout the Bay Area since 1986. They work hard to deliver consistently superior results to individuals, businesses, real estate agents, property managers, and office complexes at affordable rates.

American House Cleaning is also a proud sponsor of SAMCAR, the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS®. SAMCAR is a trade association that promotes professionalism and the ownership of real property by developing and implementing programs and services to help the individual REALTOR® achieve success. They are the voice of real estate professionals and property owners in San Mateo County.

To learn more about American House Cleaning’s services for real estate agents, and to request an instant quote, visit AmericanHouseCleaning.com.

About American House Cleaning

American House Cleaning is a non-franchise, locally owned and operated, full-service cleaning company that has served loyal clients throughout the Bay Area since 1986. We’re proud to deliver consistently superior results to individuals, real estate agents, and property managers.

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Article source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/American-Housecleaning/CA-Real-EstateAgents/prweb11164740.htm

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Tenant advocates and property managers in San Francisco’s hyperactive real estate market are fretting about new earthquake safety rules that will spike the cost of repairing older buildings and ultimately increase monthly rents.

 
On the anniversary of the 1906 earthquake that killed hundreds of people and leveled much of San Francisco, the city approved a new law Thursday requiring thousands of apartment buildings to be upgraded to better withstand tremors.
 
Owners of about 3,000 multi-unit residential buildings sprinkled throughout the city will have to shoulder the sizeable costs of the seismic retrofits but will be allowed to pass on those costs to tenants, although some may qualify for an exemption.
 
In a city where a one-bedroom apartment rents for nearly $2,200 per month, any increase to the already sky-high cost of housing prompts a conversation.
 
“Tenants are struggling already, so paying even an extra $50 on top of that is pretty hard for most people,” said Ted Gullicksen, the director of the nonprofit San Francisco Tenants’ Union. “The heftiest rent increases will be in the smaller buildings, just because there are fewer tenants to share the costs.”

Mayor Ed Lee signed the bill Thursday, saying the measure would better protect the nearly 60,000 people who live or work in those buildings from potential disaster.
 
“This mandatory seismic retrofit program will protect San Franciscans, protect our housing stock and ensure San Francisco can rapidly recover from the next earthquake,” Lee said in a statement. “We renew our commitment to making sure that disasters such as the 1906 earthquake and fire do not devastate our city again.”

The retrofitting legislation covers so-called soft-story multi-unit buildings built before building codes were changed in 1978 – that is, those with three or more stories that are wood-framed and have a garage or other similar opening on the ground floor.
 
Owners of suspected soft-story buildings will receive notices in the mail, which will give them a year to get an inspection to determine whether they need to retrofit.
 
Authorities estimate the upgrades could cost around $60,000 to $130,000 per building. Lee said banks are developing financing packages for owners to help pay for the work.
 
As part of a compromise with tenant advocates, the city also agreed to streamline its process for qualifying those who make less than $78,000 per year for a hardship exemption from the pass-through costs.
 
A separate, pending city ordinance would exempt single parents on welfare or senior citizens from the retrofitting-related rent increases.
 
While much of the city’s real estate market is soaring thanks to a tech boom that has attracted giants such as Twitter to the city’s downtown, many apartment owners are limited in what they can charge because most private units are rent controlled, said Charley Goss, government and community affairs coordinator of the San Francisco Apartment Association. That is often the case for owners of the buildings most likely to be affected in the Mission, Western Addition and Marina neighborhoods, he added.
 
“The owners that can best shoulder the costs probably would have rented their apartments recently, so would be getting their full market value,” he said. “Those who haven’t will likely have to get a refinance on their building or get a second mortgage or a loan.”
 
Robert Link, who owns a small property management firm, said he would have to spend about $70,000 to retrofit an Edwardian multi-unit building he owns in the inner Richmond.
 
“The ultimate beneficiary here is not the property owners but San Francisco tenants, because doing these upgrades will preserve rent-controlled buildings,” he said. “Really what this requires is managing tenants’ needs and expectations of the process, and giving them advance notice of as much as you can of the work to be done.”
 
San Francisco’s rents have been climbing in the last several years, leveling off only recently as experts say the market has approached saturation.
 
Rents average $2,175 for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, according to RealFacts, a Novato consulting group that tracks apartment complexes with 50 or more units.
 
After the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, San Francisco mandated retrofitting of unreinforced masonry, or brick, buildings. But the effort to bolster soft-story apartment buildings was a tougher sell, and was opposed by owners and tenants rights advocates concerned over the rent increases.
 
Seismologists predict that a significant earthquake in the region – two to three times as strong as Loma Prieta – is likely to occur within the next 30 years.
 
“When an earthquake happens, these buildings will be vulnerable. If we’re going to be able to recover, this is a necessary step,” Goss said.

Copyright Associated Press

Article source: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/San-Francisco-Mayor-Ed-Lee-Signs-Quake-Retrofit-Law-203827081.html

With these additions, Transwestern assumes a dominant market presence in the East Bay, and becomes well positioned to grow across the San Francisco Bay area, expanding its property management, agency leasing, tenant advisory, investment services and investment management capabilities.

Based on recent leasing volume of its new producers in Walnut Creek, Transwestern immediately secures a place among the top four commercial real estate service firms in the East Bay. Transwestern’s new additions bring with them approximately 3.5 million square feet of office, retail and industrial listings. They arrive on the heels of the dramatic growth of Transwestern’s Bay Area property management portfolio, which has surged from 1.9 million square feet to 8.8 million square feet since January 2011.

“Our East Bay expansion has been carefully planned and is part of our multi-leveled approach to serving the entire region, one that Transwestern already knows quite well,” said George Garfield, president of Transwestern’s West Region. “We’ve had transactional and property management operations in the Bay Area for more than a decade, though this new expansion provides us with both a broader and deeper capability. With the renewed strength of the tech, social media and industrial sector, our expanded team is well positioned to provide an even more complete range of services to fast-growing businesses and to our institutional clients in the Bay area.”

Garfield added, “The exciting new additions in Walnut Creek are key components of a larger strategy to cement a dominant market share in the San Francisco Bay area and Los Angeles. Additional expansion is contemplated in each of the new East Bay offices as well as in downtown San Francisco, San Jose and Palo Alto.”

The new East Bay brokerage team is led by former Grubb Ellis Managing Director Edward F. Del Beccaro, who has over 33 years of experience in the San Francisco Bay Area in the fields of development, property management, leasing, sales and investments. Throughout his career he has leased more than 2 million square feet of office properties. As managing director of Grubb Ellis’ Walnut Creek East Bay office, as well as its Oakland office, Del Beccaro was responsible for managing a full-service real estate team, including office, retail, industrial and medical leasing and sales, land investment, construction and project management.

A boom in social media and Web-focused companies has helped make the San Francisco area the healthiest office market in the country over the past year. According to Dina Simoni, Transwestern’s research manager for the Bay Area, the region’s office market has experienced 8.9 percent rent growth over the past year. Simoni noted that rents currently average $29.88 per square foot in the Bay Area compared to the fourth quarter of 2000, just before the burst of the tech bubble, when rents were about $50 per square foot.

“The Bay Area recovery and expansion is underway,” said Simoni. “Demand in the office market led to a net absorption of close to 2 million square feet per quarter in 2011 and this continued into 2012. The second quarter of 2012 is shaping up to be another blockbuster. All of the uptick in demand and leasing activity is reminiscent of 2005 and before that in the late 1990s when the tech boom occurred.”

With a full support staff of six, as well as Senior Portfolio Manager Dennis Henry, joining Transwestern in its new Walnut Creek office are the following brokers:

Edward F. Del Beccaro, Managing Director Tom Caple, Vice President Sonny O’Drobinak, Vice President Scott Ellis, Senior Vice President Bob Maderious, Senior Vice President Matt Hurd, Senior Associate Terry Vani, Vice President Trigger Reital, Vice President John Sechser, Senior Vice President Colby Mikulich, Associate

Transwestern’s growth in the Bay Area is part of a national and global growth initiative, having opened offices in New York City and St. Louis in the past year, as well as establishing an international alliance with BNP Paribas Real Estate. Now with 31 offices across the U.S., Transwestern oversees a leasing and property management portfolio of 258 million square feet nationally.

About Transwestern  Transwestern is a privately-held operating company specializing in commercial real estate services, investment and development.  The firm’s fully integrated approach delivers value to owners, investors and users of commercial real estate through innovation, penetrating market intelligence and legendary service delivered by teams of local experts.  Transwestern has product specialties in office, industrial, retail, multifamily and healthcare and is an industry leader in sustainability solutions and in market research through its affiliate, Delta Associates. 

Transwestern’s East San Francisco Bay offices are at 1990 North California Blvd Suite 830 Walnut Creek, CA 94596

925.357.2000 925.357.2001 f Please visit www.transwestern.net or follow us on Twitter at @Transwestern.

SOURCE Transwestern

Article source: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/15/4492490/transwestern-announces-major-expansion.html

Walnut Creek, CA (PRWEB) February 24, 2012

Stokley Properties Inc., a Bay Area property management company that handles properties in Concord, San Ramon, Brentwood, Martinez and Oakland, offers advice for landlords and property owners. The rental market is still hot; however, some landlords are still making the mistake of pricing their properties too high and at a price that is not warranted.

Many owners are not experienced property managers. They believe that because the market is hot, they can get the price they want for their property, regardless of its condition. This is absolutely not true. Clients who are well off will pay top dollar but only when the property deserves the price. Many property owners may only own one rental property and have not had the opportunity to truly understand the dynamics of the property management industry.

Prospective renters must be aware that rental is a highly competitive market. They need to be prepared.

Stokley Properties has been offering expertise and valuable advice to tenants and property managers throughout the East Bay since 1989. It is more than just a property management firm. It also specializes in investment properties throughout the East Bay and Northern California. Stokley will offer sound investment advice to assist investors in achieving real estate goals. Whether the client is looking to buy or sell an investment, Stokley Properties will lend its expertise to maximize a client’s investment value.

“It’s not easy to find the right property management company. Most companies lack the true dedication and attention to detail it takes to achieve success with the properties, the tenants and the landlords. But, Stokley Properties is different. From the first phone call to the follow-up, property prep and ultimate securing of an appropriate tenant, Joe Stokley and team take care of business from A to Z,” Debbie Rossetto of Legacy Real Estate Associates said.

For more information about Stokley Properties Inc., call 925-658-1415, or visit the company on the web at www.stokleypropertieseastbay.net and www.stokleyproperties.net. Stokley Properties Inc. is located at 1630 North Main St., Suite 54, in Walnut Creek.

About Stokley Properties Inc.

Stokley Properties Inc. is a licensed property management company and California real estate brokerage firm. It provides property management services in Contra Costa and Alameda counties in the San Francisco East Bay Area.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prwebproperty-management/bay-area/prweb9224566.htm

Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/02/24/prweb9224566.DTL

Fast Forward Property Management, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, is offering three tips to property owners on how to fill vacancies.

“Owners and property managers invest a great deal of time and money to attract and maintain high-quality residents,” said Jade Powell of Fast Forward Property Management. “High vacancy rates can quickly turn a highly profitable investment property into a money-losing liability.  When a tenant leaves, you lose money by not being able to collect rent and can spend a considerable amount of time and money painting, repairing, cleaning, and advertising your unit.”

Fast Forward Property Management offers expert advice for those in the Bay Area, Sonoma County, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, and Santa Rosa looking to fill their vacancy with a new tenant.

The following three tips should be considered by property owners:

First, place banners and signs around the property and launch ad campaigns online and with other media outlets.

Second, work with real estate sales professionals to develop referrals. Real estate sales professionals are a great source because many people go to them for listings, especially those new to the area, so it is wise to build a business relationship with them.

Finally, offer $150 to $250 to any tenant who refers someone that is approved for a lease. This provides motivation for current tenants to be on the lookout for new tenants, minimizing the amount of time and money spent by the property owner searching for someone to fill the vacancy.

These are great suggestions that every property owner should bear in mind to maintain successful rental properties.

For more information about property management, and all services provided by Fast Forward Property Management, visit them on the web at www.FastForwardPMBayArea.com or call them at (877) 388-0998.

About Fast Forward Property Management

Fast Forward Property Management is a property management firm in the San Francisco Bay Area that specializes in managing apartment buildings, HOA, and commercial properties.  The staff at Fast Forward Property Management has over 40 years of experience in rental management. They offer the Greater Bay Area communities of Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Rosa, and Sonoma County property management services.

Filed under:

Real Estate , Fast Forward Property Management, BlockShopper BNR, San Francisco Bay Area

Article source: http://sf.blockshopper.com/news/story/243210-Bay_Area_Fast_Forward_Property_Management_Offers_Three_Tips_on_Improving_Vacancy_Rates