This one-bedroom home in Berkeley at 1196 Cornell Ave. is on the market for $400,000.

Blanca Torres
Reporter- San Francisco Business Times

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For all the talk in recent years about more Bay Area residents steering toward a “car-free” lifestyle, it sure is hard to find a place to live that is affordable and pedestrian-friendly once you leave San Francisco’s city limits.

Emeryville-based ZipRealty Inc. ranked the most walkable cities with the most affordable homes near San Francisco and came up with a whopping four cities: Emeryville, downtown San Jose, Albany and Berkeley.

ZipRealty used data from WalkScore.com, which ranks locations with walkability scores of 0 to 100, to come up with its list.

“One of the allures of living in San Francisco is the city’s beautiful and convenient walkability, and that appeal is well-reflected in its lofty real estate prices,” said CEO and President Lanny Baker. “According to our partner Walk Score, San Francisco is the second-most walkable large city in the United States, behind New York City. In the local study we conducted, the most walkable and affordable communities were quite surprising alternatives to the high average price in San Francisco, which currently exceed $1 million.”

Here is a breakdown of the four cities with median home price and Walk Score:

1. Emeryville: $388,888 / 80.
2. Downtown San Jose: $508,450 / 74.
3. Albany: $622,500 / 86.
4. Berkeley: $786,256 / 95.

This list points out some interesting dynamics about Bay Area real estate. It appears living in a city where you can get around without a car will cost you a premium. San Francisco by nature is a dense, walkable city with amenities around the corner in most neighborhoods. In contrast, cities around San Francisco developed with the more suburban model of separating residential and commercial areas, making residents dependent on cars.

Emeryville is a compact, 1 square-mile sized city that has undergone a major transformation during the past few decades from an industrial wasteland to a city with thriving commercial and retail districts. Most of the housing there is either apartments or condos, as is the case with most of the homes for sale that fit ZipRealty’s criteria for affordable and walkable.

Having alternatives to driving is not just better for the environment and buyer’s pocketbooks, but has other benefits, said Josh Herst, CEO of Walk Score.

“The trend in urban areas is moving toward less dependency on cars and a greater commitment to live more sustainably,” Herst said. “People in walkable neighborhoods weigh six to 10 pounds less than those who don’t. Walk Score has also done extensive research showing that walkable places make people happier and healthier. Finally, short commutes reduce stress levels and give people more free time to be involved in their communities.”

Blanca Torres covers East Bay real estate for the San Francisco Business Times.

Article source: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/real-estate/2013/08/top-bay-area-cities-where-you-can-buy.html?page=all

California’s labor commissioner has filed a $17-million lawsuit for back wages against a San Francisco Bay Area real estate brokerage, ZipRealty Inc., that markets homes statewide and nationally using an Internet-based sales strategy.

The case is the largest minimum wage enforcement action in California history, according to the California Department of Industrial Relations.

The complaint filed in Alameda County Superior Court accuses ZipRealty of Emeryville of not paying minimum wage and overtime pay to hundreds of agents throughout California.

The lawsuit seeks about $7.5 million in unpaid minimum wages, $1.3 million in unpaid overtime and more than $9 million in damages and penalties.

“In times like these, enforcement of the minimum wage is critical to maintaining a floor that allows workers to survive,” California Labor Commissioner Julie Su said. “This enforcement is important not just for employees but for hardworking employers who shouldn’t have to compete against law breakers.”

The suit is related to a September decision by a Kern County Superior Court judge that ruled that local ZipRealty agents frequently received no pay at all, even though as employees they were entitled to get at least minimum wage for all hours worked.

During the trial, ZipRealty argued that it did not need to pay minimum wage or overtime because the people involved were “outside sales persons.” The court disagreed, noting that the agents should have been paid by law because they spent less than half their time working away from their offices.

ZipRealty lawyers did not respond to requests for comments on the lawsuit filing.

The ZipRealty case is a symptom of growing problems in the recession-wracked labor market, said Christine Baker, acting director of the Department of Industrial Relations.

“Violations of minimum labor standards are now occurring in a wide variety of occupations, even affecting employees outside traditional low-wage occupations,” she said.

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Article source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2011/09/ziprealty-17-million-lawsuit-back-wages-california.html