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  A new real estate agency helps people move away from the Bay Area and buy a new home elsewhere.

  A new real estate agency helps people move away from the Bay Area and buy a new home elsewhere.

  
  Photo: Leavingthebayarea.com
  

• 
  Debra JonesI do not have “plans,” I have dreams. San Francisco is my home. It’s where I was born and raised. I am a graduate of SFUSD, SF State and UC Berkeley. I bleed blue and gold. I rep the Warriors, Raiders, even though my heart belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But I ache for another 49er championship. I miss Muni, BART, flaming hot days in September, foggy damp mornings, the fog horn, the siren on Tuesdays at noon. As I age, my income level will not allow me to age in the place that shaped and molded who I am and my world view. less

  
  Photo: Max Whittaker/Prime, Special To The Chronicle
  

• 
  The weekly music art scene, the abundance of everything delicious (whatever you crave: ice cream, shawarma, burrito, poke, acai bowl, banh mi, artisanal cocktails) all within walking radius, the convenience how easy it is to get around (walk, bike, Muni, BART, ferry) and last but not least, my rent-control apartment. less

  
  Photo: Steve Yeater, Special To The Chronicle
  

• 
  Anne MooreYes, in many ways we were. Bellingham has a wonderful quality of life, close to Canada, people are even healthier there, even more outdoorsy than here, close to Cascades, very creative, lots of beauty, no traffic, friendlier, slower pace, great people. Only ONE thing was wrong with it, and that was enough to make us move back – it is cloudy and gloomy there most of the time! The light is dimmer, you never see a big bowl of clear blue sky, and you can get chilled to the bone with the damp and dark. I so missed our radiant California sun melting the heat into my bones. less

  
  Photo: X-Weinzar, Wikimedia
  

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A new real estate agency helps people move away from the Bay Area and buy a new home elsewhere.

A new real estate agency helps people move away from the Bay Area and buy a new home elsewhere.

Photo: Leavingthebayarea.com

An East Bay-based broker agency is seizing on the zeitgeist of people seeking to leave the Bay Area.

Scott Fuller has been a real estate broker in the Bay Area for 18 years. He recently launched LeavingTheBayArea.com, a service targeting those seeking to sell their homes in the Bay Area, and buy another one elsewhere.

The website is a sign of the times. With the cost of living in the Bay Area higher than ever, many people are undoubtedly contemplating leaving this expensive region altogether.

WHY PEOPLE MOVE: It’s not just housing costs pushing people out of the Bay Area

Whether there is actually a Bay Area exodus, as some reports claim, is up for debate. Recent U.S. Census data suggests migration into and out of the region has remained relatively steady.

Whether or not people are actually leaving, they are talking about it.

That is how we get websites like LeavingTheBayArea.com. The service helps people sell their homes in the Bay Area, then links them with a broker in their new city and connects them with other services, like local moving companies. Fuller said his agency has been doing this for some time now, though it only recently launched its catchy website.

Much of Fuller’s clientele is composed of retirees, he said, the majority of whom are looking to relocate to a state that’s cheaper and with lower property taxes. Popular destinations for Fuller’s clients include Portland, Ore., Las Vegas, Reno, Austin, Dallas and Arizona, he said. Those looking to remain instate often move up north, to cities like Folsom and El Dorado Hills.

READ ALSO: Some parents find SF-Bay Area untenable for raising children

Where people go often depends on their incomes, and their races, recent research from the UC Berkeley Terner Center has found. Poorer folks tend to stay in California, while wealthier people typically move to other expensive coastal cities. Read more about this migration trend here. 

The most common reason people leave, according to Fuller, is the Bay Area’s high cost of living, especially its expensive housing. Traffic is the second most common complaint, he said.

Did you leave the Bay Area? Want to share your experience? Send SFGATE producer Michelle Robertson an email at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com for a possible feature in a forthcoming “Grass is Greener” story.

Read Michelle Robertson’s latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.

Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news.

Article source: https://www.sfgate.com/expensive-san-francisco/article/Bay-Area-exodus-leaving-the-bay-real-estate-broker-13303004.php

If you bought a Bay Area home in 2012, pat yourself on the back.

You almost certainly doubled your investment, just by sleeping in your own bed.

Home values across the country have stepped up since the aftermath of the Great Recession a decade ago, but nowhere have values vaulted higher than in the Bay Area.

New research released Thursday by real estate website Trulia shows homes in the San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco metro areas have more than doubled in value since 2012.

The cities ranked three of the top four in the country for appreciation: San Jose (122 percent) led the way, followed by Las Vegas (114 percent), Oakland (108 percent) and San Francisco (101 percent). By comparison, the SP 500 index during that stretch rose 87 percent.

Nationally, home values have grown 45 percent since 2012, when they hit bottom across the country.

“Things are considerably different in the Bay Area,” said Trulia housing economist Felipe Chacon, author of the report.

The rocket fuel for rising Bay Area home values has been a mixture of booming job growth — more than 14 percent — and few building permits issued for new homes. Depending on the city, one new building permit was issued for every two to four new people moving into the area during the period. That’s far below the national average of roughly one permit for every 1.6 new residents.

The median sale price for a Bay Area home in August was $890,000 for the nine-county region, according to real estate data company CoreLogic. Sale prices have been on a record tear, climbing every month, year-over-over, since April 2012.

Homes in Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco counties had median sale prices over $1.3 million in August.

Chacon believes the Bay Area’s population growth would have been even more rapid if not for the high cost of living driven by a dearth of new housing. He added that building permits had recently started to rise in the Bay Area, but still remain far below the national average.

The populations in San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland grew by between 5 and 6 percent, well behind fast-growing Austin, Texas (15 percent), Houston (11.5 percent), Dallas (10.9 percent) and Seattle (9.1 percent).

But while the growth in home values has been a boon for owners, the business community and some state lawmakers believe the shortage has reached a crisis. They are pushing for more permissive zoning and faster approvals for affordable housing.

The Silicon Valley Leadership Group has set housing as a top priority, and is supporting a campaign to pass a $4 billion bond aimed at creating affordable housing for low-income residents and veterans.

State lawmakers expect to introduce more bills in the coming session promoting higher density around transit hubs and more construction of affordable housing.

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Article source: https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/09/13/bay-area-real-estate-gains-highest-in-country-since-recession/

• 

  A new real estate agency helps people move away from the Bay Area and buy a new home elsewhere.

  A new real estate agency helps people move away from the Bay Area and buy a new home elsewhere.

  
  Photo: Leavingthebayarea.com
  

• 
  Debra JonesI do not have “plans,” I have dreams. San Francisco is my home. It’s where I was born and raised. I am a graduate of SFUSD, SF State and UC Berkeley. I bleed blue and gold. I rep the Warriors, Raiders, even though my heart belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But I ache for another 49er championship. I miss Muni, BART, flaming hot days in September, foggy damp mornings, the fog horn, the siren on Tuesdays at noon. As I age, my income level will not allow me to age in the place that shaped and molded who I am and my world view. less

  
  Photo: Max Whittaker/Prime, Special To The Chronicle
  

• 
  The weekly music art scene, the abundance of everything delicious (whatever you crave: ice cream, shawarma, burrito, poke, acai bowl, banh mi, artisanal cocktails) all within walking radius, the convenience how easy it is to get around (walk, bike, Muni, BART, ferry) and last but not least, my rent-control apartment. less

  
  Photo: Steve Yeater, Special To The Chronicle
  

• 
  Anne MooreYes, in many ways we were. Bellingham has a wonderful quality of life, close to Canada, people are even healthier there, even more outdoorsy than here, close to Cascades, very creative, lots of beauty, no traffic, friendlier, slower pace, great people. Only ONE thing was wrong with it, and that was enough to make us move back – it is cloudy and gloomy there most of the time! The light is dimmer, you never see a big bowl of clear blue sky, and you can get chilled to the bone with the damp and dark. I so missed our radiant California sun melting the heat into my bones. less

  
  Photo: X-Weinzar, Wikimedia
  

Caption

Close

A new real estate agency helps people move away from the Bay Area and buy a new home elsewhere.

A new real estate agency helps people move away from the Bay Area and buy a new home elsewhere.

Photo: Leavingthebayarea.com

An East Bay-based broker agency is seizing on the zeitgeist of people seeking to leave the Bay Area.

Scott Fuller has been a real estate broker in the Bay Area for 18 years. He recently launched LeavingTheBayArea.com, a service targeting those seeking to sell their homes in the Bay Area, and buy another one elsewhere.

The website is a sign of the times. With the cost of living in the Bay Area higher than ever, many people are undoubtedly contemplating leaving this expensive region altogether.

WHY PEOPLE MOVE: It’s not just housing costs pushing people out of the Bay Area

Whether there is actually a Bay Area exodus, as some reports claim, is up for debate. Recent U.S. Census data suggests migration into and out of the region has remained relatively steady.

Whether or not people are actually leaving, they are talking about it.

That is how we get websites like LeavingTheBayArea.com. The service helps people sell their homes in the Bay Area, then links them with a broker in their new city and connects them with other services, like local moving companies. Fuller said his agency has been doing this for some time now, though it only recently launched its catchy website.

Much of Fuller’s clientele is composed of retirees, he said, the majority of whom are looking to relocate to a state that’s cheaper and with lower property taxes. Popular destinations for Fuller’s clients include Portland, Ore., Las Vegas, Reno, Austin, Dallas and Arizona, he said. Those looking to remain instate often move up north, to cities like Folsom and El Dorado Hills.

READ ALSO: Some parents find SF-Bay Area untenable for raising children

Where people go often depends on their incomes, and their races, recent research from the UC Berkeley Terner Center has found. Poorer folks tend to stay in California, while wealthier people typically move to other expensive coastal cities. Read more about this migration trend here. 

The most common reason people leave, according to Fuller, is the Bay Area’s high cost of living, especially its expensive housing. Traffic is the second most common complaint, he said.

Did you leave the Bay Area? Want to share your experience? Send SFGATE producer Michelle Robertson an email at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com for a possible feature in a forthcoming “Grass is Greener” story.

Read Michelle Robertson’s latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.

Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news.

Article source: https://www.sfgate.com/expensive-san-francisco/article/Bay-Area-exodus-leaving-the-bay-real-estate-broker-13303004.php

San JoseHigher home prices. Weaker demand. Fewer sales. More traffic.

Economists for the California Association of Realtors on Thursday offered a somber forecast for the state housing market in 2019, expecting rising interest rates and a lack of affordable housing to push more prospective buyers out of the market.

“Home ownership is becoming a luxury good in California,” said CAR chief economist Leslie Appleton-Young. Across the Bay Area, the strong economy coupled with a lack of new housing has led to record prices. “There is no quick fix.”

California continues to be among the least affordable states in the nation for housing. Nationally, about 53 percent of families can afford mortgage payments on a median-priced home in their community. Just 1 in 4 Californians can afford to purchase a home.

In Alameda and Santa Clara counties, only 16 percent of residents can afford the typical home, while 14 percent of residents in San Francisco and San Mateo counties can handle the steep mortgage payments.

The residential market seems to be nearing a peak, Appleton-Young said, although the association expects California home prices to climb 3.1 percent next year. Total sales are expected to dip slightly, despite a growing workforce.

The expectations mean a continued windfall for Bay Area homeowners, while renters and lower-income workers scramble for affordable housing options. The median sale price for the nine-county region peaked in April, with sales of existing homes hitting $935,000, according to CoreLogic.

Median sale prices in the Bay Area have climbed, year-over-year, every month since April 2012. The historic run has given long-time homeowners spectacular returns, while forcing home searchers out of the market and sometimes the region.

As workers move into more affordable, outlying counties, congestion on the roads will increase, said association senior economist Jordan Levine.

He expects the pool of home buyers to dip as many Bay Area residents are priced out of the market. But, he added, “demand is not going to disappear.”

The statewide survey expects continued pressure on the housing market. Interest rates have climbed this year, reaching 4.6 percent last month for a 30-year-fixed rate loan, according to Freddie Mac, adding to monthly costs.

Although the market still favors sellers, economists also see signs it has begun to turn. About 40 percent of recent real estate listings have dropped prices this year, and homes have begun to spend a few more days on the market.

Jeff Barnett, regional manager of Alain Pinel in Los Gatos, said the Santa Clara County market has shown signs of slowing down. The inventory of homes for sale doubled this summer, and the number of homes selling for more than $5 million has increased to a six-month supply, he said.

The market is still historically strong, but Barnett believes its heading back to normal.  “It’s healthy,” he said.

The association also surveyed about 1,500 agents to gauge what’s driving supply and demand. Agents reported sales to international buyers at their lowest levels in a decade. More first-time home buyers are moving outside of their county to find cheaper homes.

The Bay Area has become a petri dish experiment for what happens when jobs, incomes and population grow but housing stock remains flat, Appleton-Young said. The results have been record prices, smashing levels set about a decade ago before the recession.

“Are we at the peak of the cycle?” she asked. “I think we are.”

Citations

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/06/22/median-price-tag-for-a-bay-area-home-hits-a-record-shattering-935000/

https://www.car.org/

http://www.freddiemac.com/pmms/pmms30.html

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Article source: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/10/11/real-estate-forecasters-see-cooling-housing-market-in-2019/

Leaving the Bay Area helps homeowners make a seamless move out of the San Francisco Bay Area.

SAN FRANCISCO - October 11, 2018 - (Newswire.com)

Nearly 46 percent of San Francisco Bay Area residents say they plan to move away from the area soon, according to a survey from the Bay Area Council advocacy group. That number is up from 40 percent last year and 35 percent in 2016. Many cite their exodus on the high housing cost and overall cost of living. Now, Leaving the Bay Area has launched to help those leaving sell their homes and relocate.

“People are ready to leave the area for many reasons including overcrowding, traffic, and high cost of living. They need assistance to sell their homes and relocate. That’s where Leaving the Bay Area steps in and helps with this transition,” says Scott R. Fuller, founder of Leaving the Bay Area.

The real estate platform is a collective network of experienced local and nationwide real estate professionals and resources specializing in helping Bay Area homeowners sell their homes and relocate to a new city, seamlessly and successfully. Professionals assist with the design, implementation, and execution of a unique, customized relocation strategy for San Francisco Bay Area homeowners.

Leaving the Bay Area offers a simple process. Bay Area residents receive a free phone consultation, where a relocation specialist will assess real estate needs, timeframe, goals and expectations of the move. These specialists will then custom tailor a real estate relocation strategy that meets the individual resident’s goals. Residents will then meet with a local home listing specialist to create a listing strategy to sell their home for the most money in the desired timeframe.

If the San Francisco Bay Area resident does not know where they’d like to relocate to but has some cities in mind, Leaving the Bay Area will provide research and data to help narrow the process. Once the Bay Area resident knows where they would potentially like to relocate, Leaving the Bay Area will connect residents with an out-of-area real estate specialist to provide an in-depth needs analysis and all the information needed to start a new home search.   

To learn more and access a free consultation, visit LeavingtheBayArea.com.

About Leaving the Bay Area

Leaving the Bay Area was created to address the real estate challenges homeowners face when selling their home in the San Francisco Bay Area and purchasing elsewhere. For more information, visit LeavingtheBayArea.com.

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Original Source:

Real Estate Platform LeavingtheBayArea.com Has Launched to Help San Francisco Bay Area Homeowners Sell Their Home and Relocate

Article source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/3975743