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(CBS SF) — The city of Pleasanton is among the top U.S. cities rated for family-friendliness, according to a real estate website.

The annual ranking of more than 500 U.S. cities was compiled by Apartment List. The website based its rankings on four criteria: safety as determined by FBI data on violent crime; housing affordability, taking into account area income and rental prices; education quality as determined by graduation rates; and child friendliness, gleaned as a percentage of population under age 18.

Pleasanton was the top-ranked Bay Area city, ranking 18^th in overall family-friendliness, followed closely by Palo Alto, Fremont and San Ramon.

Palo Alto was determined to have high housing affordability despite its elevated real estate and rental prices, which are somewhat offset by the city’s high median household income of $136,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sunnyvale, South San Francisco, Alameda and Daly City were other Bay Area cities that made the top 100 out of 510 cities ranked.

At the opposite end of the family-friendly scale, Vallejo was nearly at the bottom with a rank of 507 while Oakland was ranked at 503.

Apartment List designated Flower Mound, Texas, as the top family-friendly city in the U.S. Flower Mound is just north of Dallas-Fort Worth. Nearby Frisco was ranked as the second-most family-friendly.

Thousand Oaks in Ventura County was the top-rated California city.

Article source: http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/01/24/pleasanton-tops-list-of-bay-area-family-friendly-cities/

Realtor.com’s new national “Hotness Index” is once again top-heavy with Bay Area markets. No surprise there.

Because of the region’s housing supply (ridiculously low) and demand from buyers (high, like always), the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metro area is No. 1 on the January list, and the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area is No. 2.

More of a surprise is that the Top 10 includes several not-so-distant metros where Bay Area commuters increasingly have been buying homes at relatively affordable prices.

We’re talking about Vallejo (No. 3), Sacramento (No. 6), Yuba City (No. 7), Stockton (No. 9) and Fresno (No. 10).

And yes, your eyes are not deceiving you: Those markets — less than chic, until recently — are among the 10 hottest in the entire country, according to Realtor. com. Its “Hotness Index” identifies where houses are selling most quickly — and which markets are generating the most listing views on realtor.com.

In November, the Mercury News spoke with Jonathan Smoke, realtor.com’s chief economist, who noted some dissonance underlying the index. In other words, while Northern California markets have continued to dominate the index, they are in some ways not nearly as hot as they once were. They are simultaneously “hot” and “cooling,” he said, because the rate of price appreciation has decreased across the Bay Area.

“The actual prices on closed homes are decelerating in relation to the unsustainable prices we’ve seen in the past year or two,” he said. “So the unsustainable places are still hot — but relative to the last couple of years, they’re not as hot as they once were.”

Next week, the Mercury News plans to report on the state of the Bay Area market when CoreLogic, the real estate information service, releases its new analysis of sales and median prices across the nine counties.

In the meantime, read the November interview with Smoke, here.

And take a look at realtor.com’s Top 10 “Hotness” list for January:

Photo: A home for sale in Palo Alto. (Paul Sakuma/AP)

Tags: affordable housing, Bay Area housing, commuting, CoreLogic, Oakland, realtor.com, Sacramento, san francisco, San Jose

Article source: http://www.siliconbeat.com/2017/01/27/top-10-hottest-real-estate-markets-san-francisco-san-jose-and-vallejo-and-yuba-city-and-stockton/

Realtor.com’s new national “Hotness Index” is once again top-heavy with Bay Area markets. No surprise there.

Because of the region’s housing supply (ridiculously low) and demand from buyers (high, like always), the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metro area is No. 1 on the January list, and the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area is No. 2.

More of a surprise is that the Top 10 includes several not-so-distant metros where Bay Area commuters increasingly have been buying homes at relatively affordable prices.

We’re talking about Vallejo (No. 3), Sacramento (No. 6), Yuba City (No. 7), Stockton (No. 9) and Fresno (No. 10).

And yes, your eyes are not deceiving you: Those markets — less than chic, until recently — are among the 10 hottest in the entire country, according to Realtor. com. Its “Hotness Index” identifies where houses are selling most quickly — and which markets are generating the most listing views on realtor.com.

In November, the Mercury News spoke with Jonathan Smoke, realtor.com’s chief economist, who noted some dissonance underlying the index. In other words, while Northern California markets have continued to dominate the index, they are in some ways not nearly as hot as they once were. They are simultaneously “hot” and “cooling,” he said, because the rate of price appreciation has decreased across the Bay Area.

“The actual prices on closed homes are decelerating in relation to the unsustainable prices we’ve seen in the past year or two,” he said. “So the unsustainable places are still hot — but relative to the last couple of years, they’re not as hot as they once were.”

Next week, the Mercury News plans to report on the state of the Bay Area market when CoreLogic, the real estate information service, releases its new analysis of sales and median prices across the nine counties.

In the meantime, read the November interview with Smoke, here.

And take a look at realtor.com’s Top 10 “Hotness” list for January:

Photo: A home for sale in Palo Alto. (Paul Sakuma/AP)

Tags: affordable housing, Bay Area housing, commuting, CoreLogic, Oakland, realtor.com, Sacramento, san francisco, San Jose

Article source: http://www.siliconbeat.com/2017/01/27/top-10-hottest-real-estate-markets-san-francisco-san-jose-and-vallejo-and-yuba-city-and-stockton/

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The real estate social network RESAAS recently released its year-end awards, distinguishing Climb Real Estate as a leader in innovation and branding. This recognition comes at the end of a remarkable year for Climb that was highlighted by its rapid growth in the San Francisco Bay Area and its acquisition by the nation’s largest residential real estate brokerage company, NRT LLC, which was attracted by Climb’s distinctively innovative brand and business model that reinvents the traditional home buying and seller experiences.

RESAAS’ Real Estate Rockstar Awards are granted to industry-leading brokerages that stand out from their peers through their branding, marketing, and sales strategies. Climb received the Real Estate Rockstars 2016 Most Innovative Brokerage award, receiving a perfect score of 30 while edging out Compass and The Boutique Real Estate Group and garnering perfect 10 out of 10 scores for its innovation in each of the three categories of branding, value proposition and marketing technology. Climb also received a second-place award as a Branding Rockstar.

“The real estate industry is rapidly shifting and innovation is not just welcome, it’s desperately needed,” stated Chris Lim, President of Climb who founded the general residential brokerage in 2010. ”At Climb, we strive not to merely meet technological needs, but to disrupt the entire end-to-end experience. We are focused on creating a total agent and consumer experience with authenticity quality and substance.”

The RESAAS award described Climb’s innovative nature as follows: “With a few Million Dollar Listing agents in their arsenal, an iconic Airstream and their own online magazine, Climb made some waves in the industry this past year. The San Francisco based brokerage may only be six years old but that hasn’t stopped them to grow as the real estate brokerage in the Bay Area.”

RESAAS’ awards also highlighted Climb’s distinctive and unique place in the real estate world, one which focuses on innovation, disruption, and a radical rethinking of the traditional brokerage model. This philosophy pervades every aspect of Climb’s business, and it is highly evident in their approach to branding and in Climb Labs, a real estate tech incubator used to test and debut new real estate and marketing technologies.

Mark Choey, Managing Director of Climb Labs, was honored by the award. “Innovation has always been one of our core values,” said Choey. “Own innovation division, Climb Labs, has been the source of so many new ideas: everything from new business processes to innovative marketing campaigns to help our agents work more efficiently. We are extremely humbled and honored to be recognized by REESAS for something at which we work so hard.”

About Climb
Climb Real Estate is an innovative full-service residential real estate brokerage that leverages the latest technology to serve clients in emerging, established, and luxury neighborhoods in San Francisco and around the Bay Area. In August 2016, Climb was acquired by NRT LLC, the nation’s leading residential real estate brokerage.

Climb is part of the private label strategy of NRT, which owns and operates companies in 50 of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the country, with approximately 780 offices and 46,800 independent sales associates. NRT is a subsidiary of Realogy (RLGY), which is a Fortune 500 member and a global leader in residential real estate franchising and brokerage.

Media Contact:
Christine Kim
christine@climbsf.com 
415.689.6858

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/climb-real-estate-awarded-most-innovative-brokerage-in-2016-by-resaas-300397467.html

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/climb-real-estate-awarded-most-164400580.html

Dreyfus Sotheby’s International Realty and Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty announce the formation of a new regional luxury real estate brokerage.

Menlo Park, California (PRWEB) January 25, 2017

It was announced yesterday that two top San Francisco Bay Area real estate brokerages – Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty in Marin County and Dreyfus Sotheby’s International Realty in Silicon Valley – are joining their shared vision in a new combined company to be named Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty.

The announcement came in two company meetings, one in Marin and one in Menlo Park, where top agents applauded and toasted champagne to celebrate the merger.

The union brings together two very successful independent brokerages, each with a reputation for excellence in their local markets. Dreyfus Sotheby’s International Realty began as Dreyfus Properties in Palo Alto in 2008 with the goal of providing superior service to the luxury and high-end real estate market in Silicon Valley and the Mid-Peninsula region. The firm joined the Sotheby’s International Realty network in 2013. Bill Bullock and Olivia Hsu Decker founded Decker Bullock in Marin County in 1991 and affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty in 2007. The two firms’ shared vision and shared Sotheby’s International Realty experience, along with their complementary markets, made the merger a logical decision.

“Real estate has always been hyper-local, and always will be,” said Michael Dreyfus, a co-owner of the new entity, “but with an increasingly mobile and global marketplace, there are regional, national and international components to the business that are critical to the success of any brokerage that hopes to remain relevant. The formation of Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty will add regional strength to the deep local expertise of our agents, and the powerful international reach of Sotheby’s International Realty.”

“Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty is an iconic, unifying brand in the making,” said Bill Bullock at yesterday’s announcement. “The Golden Gate is the gateway to California. Our new brand is an entry point to, and steward of, living in the Bay Area – a destination that has become the epicenter of the world. We are positioning ourselves to be the leading brokerage in the region. Unity and leadership are key to this goal.” Bullock and Decker are also part of the new ownership team, with Bullock to serve as its CEO.

“We are the most successful company in our market, with the #1 position by sales volume and units, both on and off market,” said Heidi Pay, COO of Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty and of the new company. “This success is because we are owned by agents and have designed an agent-centric environment and culture of excellence that allows our top producing agents to better serve their clients.”

Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty will extend the agent-centric approach to an expanded network, making the official brand transition March 31, 2017, with 11 offices in the Bay Area and over 250 agents and staff.

About Dreyfus Sotheby’s International Realty:

Dreyfus Sotheby’s International Realty is a leading luxury real estate brokerage specializing in sales and purchases of homes in the mid-Peninsula/Silicon Valley area. The global platform of Sotheby’s International Realty, combined with Dreyfus’ local expertise and understanding of the region, affords their clients the best of local and international representation and exposure. For more information, please visit dreyfussir.com

About Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty:

Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty, the largest Marin County Broker by sales volume, has approximately 180 agents in nine Marin County offices, including locations from Sausalito to Novato, downtown Tiburon and Mill Valley, Southern Marin, Ross Valley, Greenbrae, San Rafael and Stinson Beach. The underlying corporation was founded in 1991, and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2016. For more information, please visit deckerbullocksir.com

Within the Sotheby’s International Realty network, over 150 independent luxury brokerages work together managing more than $100 billion in annual real estate sales.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/01/prweb14015829.htm

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Article source: https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/17/01/p8948532/two-successful-bay-area-brokerages-to-join-forces-as-golden-gate-sotheb