San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) June 21, 2013

Climb Real Estate Group, the tech-powered Bay Area real estate residential brokerage, has launched a new alternative to map-based property search with the development of Climb Explore. In partnership with Pitch Interactive, Climb Explore has reinvented real estate search, not in a traditional map-based format, but by looking at search in a more graphic and visual manner. Climb Explore gets up-to-the-minute data directly from the same sources used by real estate agents and publishes homes using data visualization tools. This groundbreaking format is intended to serve a broad audience of buyers and sellers, professionals, and members of the general public interested in San Francisco and Bay Area real estate.

The new home search site features all available San Francisco-based properties including 89 different neighborhoods, all property classes including condominiums, TICs (Tenancy-in-Common), co-ops, 2-4 unit buildings, 5+ unit buildings, land, and commercial properties. Additional search criteria such as price, bedroom count, bathroom count, and parking will alter data in real time. Making the site real-time was paramount in the design of Climb Explore; when a user changes a search parameter, the search results instantly appear, providing the fast response time necessary for today’s consumers. Additionally, the level of interactivity of Climb Explore creates a more productive and richer experience.

“Our online visitors will now experience a more vibrant and seamless view of San Francisco real estate,” said Michelle Balog, Managing Sales Director for Climb Real Estate Group. “This valuable new tool represents a unique way for buyers and sellers in San Francisco to search for homes.”

The Climb Real Estate Group team, led by Technology Director Mark Choey, has been developing the new design over the past year, working with their internal staff and marketing to support the multifaceted mission of the company’s founding principle to reinvent residential real estate. Having created SFNewDevelopments.com, one of Climb’s flagship websites years before, Choey had been looking to take on real estate search for quite some time. However, he was looking to do something different. He says, “When looking at the state-of-the-art in real estate search websites, almost all sites start off with a big map of the area you are searching. Starting with a map to search real estate definitely has some benefits, but we also find this sort of user experience can be limiting. We wanted to approach the problem from a different angle.” After researching different opportunities, Choey was very impressed with the development team at Pitch Interactive, who are well known for creating interactive visualizations to illustrate complex data for technology clients. “I also really liked the fact that they had no experience in real estate. From that perspective, they brought in a crucial, unbiased viewpoint.”

“We wanted to take on the project because it was something new and challenging for us compared to the work we typically take on. Our first response when approached for this project was that we don’t do real estate. There are several real estate services that do a great job,” said Wesley Grubb of Pitch Interactive in a statement. “But after understanding Climb and the challenges of getting the best possible properties to clients, we wanted to take this on. Also, we really like the culture at Climb and felt that Climb fits well with our philosophy. Namely, the willingness to try something new and find a unique way to do something exploratory.”

With Climb Explore, consumers are offered a more engaging way to explore property through data visualization, which highlights target properties while giving access to other listings based within the same proximity of the search criteria. Grubb said, “The problem with current systems is that the search is limited and funneled. You get a limited list of properties based on what you search for. You rarely get to see the big picture or how related properties may look when you select multiple criteria.” This did not come easily. Through a complex algorithm, Pitch Interactive sought to provide enough information without overwhelming the user. Grubb said, “The most challenging aspect for us was searching for an explorative way to represent the data without overwhelming the visitor and without showing too few data points. “

The partnership is a result of Climb’s ongoing research and development efforts, many of which are focused on building new mobile and web-based experiences. The launch of the Climb Explore is an example of how Climb Real Estate Group plans to innovate the traditional real estate brokerage model — whether opening new office spaces in mobile Airstreams or developing essential digital properties — in new ways on both emerging and existing platforms.

“Climb Real Estate Group always strives to be on the leading edge of innovation — it is at the core of our company,” said Climb’s Marketing Director Chris Lim in announcing the successful release of Climb Explore. “We are working to engage home buyers everywhere in the Bay Area, now and in the future. Climb Explore encourages us to think about home search in a new way.”

For more information, visit http://explore.climbsf.com

About Climb Real Estate Group:

Climb Real Estate Group is a full-service general real estate brokerage with an emphasis on the purchase, sale, rental and marketing of select residential new developments, commercial and premier resale properties. They specialize in condos, high rises, lofts and homes in South Beach, SOMA, South Beach, Mission Bay, Rincon Hill, Potrero Hill and Central Waterfront. Our focus is on urban-style properties, specializing in new construction, historic loft conversions, live/work spaces, Victorian flats, modern condominiums, and stylish single-family homes. They also have exclusive access to off-market listings, foreclosures and developer specials.

About Pitch Interactive:

Wesley Grubbs is an artist, data visualizer and provocateur based in Berkeley, CA. In 2007 he founded Pitch Interactive, a studio whose focus is weaving code with design with statistics to find versatile solutions to communicate complex data for clients including Google, Wired, GE, Esquire, Scientific American, Popular Science and the

McKnight Foundation.

Built upon his experiences living abroad, degrees held in International Economics and Information Systems and his innate interest in the brain and cognition, Wes’ work focuses on revealing patterns about human behavior and how our actions impact our surroundings.

Pitch Interactive’s work spans illustrations, physical installations, console game user interfaces, software applications, websites and textiles. Their work has been showcased at the MoMA’s TalkToMe exhibit in in New York, the McKnight Foundation’s 30 year anniversary exhibit, the Foosaner Art Museum’s “The Art of Networks” exhibit, The Max Planck Science Express Train, the Data Flow books and many other internationally acclaimed publications.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebclimbexplore/climbsf/prweb10860647.htm

Article source: http://www.watchlistnews.com/2013/06/22/climb-real-estate-group-launches-innovative-new-real-estate-search-website/

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SAN FRANCISCO, May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Barbagelata Real Estate, a San Francisco-based family owned firm since 1952, announces that accomplished San Francisco real estate agent Vivian Lee , has joined their real estate brokerage after a short hiatus.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130509/PH10416 ) 

Lee previously worked at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in San Francisco from 2002-2007. She was recognized as one of the company’s top producers during her tenure with the company.  She represents both buyers and sellers of residential (luxury homes, single-family homes, condominiums, tenancies-in-common) and investment properties (2-4 units, multiple unit buildings) in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“Barbagelata Real Estate is honored to have Vivian join our firm,” said Paul Barbagelata , broker and owner of Barbagelata Real Estate. “Vivian is dynamic and results-driven and has a talent for fierce negotiation, open communication, smart strategy and thinking outside the box. Her commitment to her clients’ best interests, her unparalleled market knowledge, and her high standards of excellence and integrity match perfectly with Barbagelata’s standards of elite performance.”

Lee brings a unique advantage to her clients, with her background and expertise in digital marketing. She worked as an online marketing manager for an e-marketing firm where she managed search engine marketing, pay-per-click advertising, social media marketing, and budget management and planning for small to mid-sized web clients.  Prior to that, Vivian worked as a senior marketing associate for a marketing promotions company where she formulated creative concepts, managed program financials, and developed marketing proposals for clients in the consumer packaged goods industry.

“I look forward to being affiliated with Barbagelata Real Estate, a name that has deep roots in the San Francisco community. I was attracted to their entrepreneurial spirit and the fact that they have been an early adopter of technology,” said Lee. “As the real estate industry becomes increasingly digital and mobile, my goal is to give home buyers and sellers the tools and strategies that offer the best home buying and selling experience,” said Lee upon joining Barbagelata Real Estate.

As a native San Franciscan, Vivian is passionate about San Francisco and considers herself a local expert, writing San Francisco neighborhood round-ups on her blog, Vivian Lee – Real Estate and the City (http://www.vivianleesf.com/).  She graduated from the University of San Francisco in 1996 and has a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing. When Vivian is not working, she enjoys outdoor activities and creative projects with her six-year-old son, hot yoga, following local blogs and listening to music.

About Barbagelata Real Estate

The Barbagelata name has been imprinted on the city of San Francisco for over 140 years. Founded in 1952 by John Barbagelata , the firm continues to be one of the leading real estate agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area and ranks among the top 25 real estate firms by the San Francisco Business Times. Barbagelata’s team of 40 agents represent clients globally while maintaining local expertise, providing customers with a five star customer experience by using the latest tools and technologies in the industry.  They are also a proud member of Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate and the website LuxuryRealEstate.com, a global collection of the finest luxury real estate brokers in the world. Offices are located at 45 West Portal Avenue and 2381 Chestnut Street in San Francisco. Call (415) 566-1112 to speak with a real estate specialist today! For more information, visit: www.RealEstateSF.com

Media Contact:
Kelly Krueger
Krueger PR (for Barbagelata Real Estate)
415-235-5031
Email

This press release was issued through eReleases® Press Release Distribution. For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com. 

SOURCE Barbagelata Real Estate

RELATED LINKS
http://www.realestatesf.com

Article source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/native-san-franciscan-realtor-vivian-lee-joins-barbagelata-real-estate-206740471.html

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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

January 2013 Trulia Price Monitor Summary

% change in
asking prices

# of 100 largest
metros with asking-
price increases

% change in asking
prices, excluding
foreclosures

Month-over-month,
seasonally adjusted

0.9%

Not reported

1.2%

Quarter-over-quarter,
seasonally adjusted

2.2%

79

2.9%

Year-over-year

5.9%

86

6.5%

Booming Housing Markets Have Both Price Gains and Healthy Fundamentals

Healthy housing markets are defined by strong job growth, low vacancy rates, and low foreclosure inventory. In “booming” markets such as San Francisco and Seattle, rising asking prices are supported by strong job growth and are unthreatened by future foreclosures. However, investor-fueled price increases in “rebounding” markets like Phoenix and Las Vegas are at risk from slow job growth, high vacancies, or future foreclosures. At the other end of the spectrum, healthy markets without dramatic price gains, such as Houston, will continue to hum along after avoiding the worst of the housing bubble and bust. Meanwhile, markets like Chicago continue to struggle without strong market fundamentals or big price gains.

BOOMING

Big price increases and healthier
market
fundamentals.

• San
  Francisco
• Seattle
• Denver
• San
  Jose
• Salt
  Lake City

HUMMING

Stronger market fundamentals
without dramatic price
gains.

• Houston
• Boston
• Raleigh
• Dallas

REBOUNDING

Big price increases, but weaker
market fundamentals.

• Phoenix
• Las
  Vegas
• Riverside-San
  Bernardino
• Detroit

STRUGGLING

Neither strong market
fundamentals nor big price
gains.

• Newark
• Chicago
• Albuquerque

New Construction Eases Rent Gains Nationally

With more newly-constructed multi-unit buildings coming to completion, rent gains fell behind asking price increases at the national level for the first time since the price recovery began last spring. In January, rents rose 4.1 percent Y-o-Y nationally, slowing down from 4.7 percent in July 2012. Regionally, rent gains cooled the most in San Francisco, where rents rose only 2.4 percent versus 11.5 percent in July 2012. According to the Census, construction activity in San Francisco has been well above normal for the last year, and it’s nearly all in multi-unit buildings.

Where Rent Gains Slowed Down Most

#

U.S. Metro

% Change in
Rents, Y-o-Y,
Jan 2013

% Change in
Rents, Y-o-Y,
July 2012

Percentage
Point
Difference

1

San
Francisco, CA

2.4%

11.5%

-9.1%

2

Portland,
OR-WA

4.7%

9.2%

-4.4%

3

Seattle,
WA

6.4%

10.8%

-4.4%

4

Denver,
CO

7.4%

10.3%

-2.9%

5

San
Diego, CA

2.0%

4.4%

-2.4%

PRE-APPROVED QUOTES

• “In many local markets today, dramatic price gains can mask serious
  red flags,” says Jed Kolko, Trulia’s Chief Economist. “Strong job
  growth, low vacancy rate, and low foreclosure inventory–not huge price
  gains–are signs of a healthy housing market. Without strong underlying
  market fundamentals, price rebounds might be here today, but gone
  tomorrow.”
• “Rent gains are slowing down because of more supply, not less demand,”
  explains Jed Kolko, Trulia’s Chief Economist. “Many of the multi-unit
  buildings that have been under construction over the past two years
  are now coming onto the market. Renters in San Francisco, Seattle, and
  Denver are starting to get a touch of relief, even though rising
  prices might put homeownership out of their reach.”

MULTIMEDIA

• To read the full report, see here.
• To download the full list of price and rent changes for the largest
  metro areas, see here.
• To download a graph of price changes from January 2011 to January
  2013, see here.
• To download a scatter plot graph contrasting price trends with the
  market’s health for the 100 largest metros, see here.

METHODOLOGY

To view the full methodology and 2013 release schedule, see here. The next release of the Trulia Price Monitor and the Trulia Rent Monitor will be Tuesday, March 5, at 10 AM ET.

ABOUT TRULIA, INC.

Trulia (NYSE: TRLA) gives home buyers, sellers, owners, and renters the inside scoop on properties, places, and real estate professionals. Trulia has unique info on the areas people want to live that can’t be found anywhere else: users can learn about agents, neighborhoods, schools, crime, commute times, and even ask the local community questions. Real estate professionals use Trulia to connect with millions of transaction-ready buyers and sellers each month via our hyper local advertising services, social recommendations, and top-rated mobile real estate apps. Trulia is headquartered in downtown San Francisco. Trulia is a registered trademark of Trulia, Inc.

Article source: http://www.fortmilltimes.com/2013/02/05/2478046/trulia-classifies-housing-markets.html

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Feb 28, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
Zephyr has once again achieved the top spot in real estate branding
in San Francisco. Nearly one out of nine real estate transactions
last year involved a Zephyr agent, representing either the buyer or
the seller. This equates to over 11 percent of the single-family
homes, condominiums, co-ops, lofts, tenancies-in-common, and
two-to-four unit buildings sold in San Francisco, 38 percent ahead of
the nearest challenger.

Zephyr holds the No. 1 brand position for total dollar volume sold in
San Francisco as well, amassing over 10 percent of the market, based
on statistics from the San Francisco Association of Realtors Multiple
Listing Service. The success of the company is directly attributed to
the success of the agents, and Zephyr’s agents are among the most
productive in the City.

“Signs of an improving economy are beginning to appear, and we are
excited about the outlook and our brand position for the coming
year,” commented Randall Kostick, Chief Operating Officer of Zephyr
Real Estate. “Zephyr’s elite team keeps our brand in this coveted
position.”

About Zephyr Real Estate
Founded in 1978, Zephyr Real Estate is San
Francisco’s largest independent real estate firm with over $1 billion
in gross annual sales 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 .

        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=410E6426C5003F79

Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.

Article source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/zephyr-real-estate-is-san-franciscos-no-1-real-estate-brand-in-2011-2012-02-28