Ms. San Francisco Real Estate (Janice Lee)

They don’t sing, “I left my heart in San Francisco,” for nothing. With approximately 815,000 residents, the city is widely recognized as one of the nation’s great meccas of culture with a melting pot of restaurants, museums, beaches, entertainment venues, and shopping scattered throughout its districts. Yet despite being one of the biggest metropolises in the nation, it is a mere seven by seven miles of land, lying at the tip of the peninsula, between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Coast. Most residents think twice about owning a car here. A well-planned transit system makes getting around the city easy with BART, Muni Metro, taxis, and the famous Cable Cars all providing affordable options for residents and visitors. Boredom is not a common occurrence with a dynamic food scene, shopping at Union Square, fun music festivals at Golden Gate Park, Giants baseball games, and the city’s many famous museums and art galleries. The city is tenderly divided into 36 distri...

Janice Lee 415-832-9151 International President's Elite Top Producer, Realtor Investment Specialist janiceflee@gmail.com www.JaniceLeeHomes.com DRE #01720205

May is National Moving Month, and, not surprisingly, the kickoff into the busiest time of the year for moving. As soon as the kids are out of school, it’s all systems go for turning over new leaves. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , approximately 43 million people move every year, which means that a whole lot of people are starting to have some anxiety right now. After all, moving is widely considered one of life’s most anxiety-producing activities. There are some great ideas for proper moving preparation  and checklists to keep yourself organized in the weeks leading up to and throughout your move. But whether you are the type to do as much as possible yourself (and with the help of a few fit friends), or would gladly pay for the privilege of letting the experts pack it up, move it, and set it all up in your new home, a few tips can make all the difference between a stress-FUL and a stress-FREE move. 1. Do Your Research Almost everyone has a bad moving sto...

With a global network of over 80,000 sales associates you can bet our network has an amazing wealth of knowledge regarding First Time Home Buyers. Here are just a few tips from members of our “Gen Blue” network. From Colby Culbertson, Regional Field Marketing Manager, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Sacramento, Tahoe 1. Get Pre-approved (NOT PRE-QUALIFIED) BEFORE you start looking for houses. It makes absolutely no sense to start looking at houses until you actually know what you can afford. It will save you and your sales professional a lot of time. 2. Always get a home inspection, its well worth the investment. 3. Never buy more house then your lifestyle can afford. Too many buyers get in over their heads because they buy as much house as they can afford, and forget to calculate other living expenses such as utilities, vacation, hobbies, etc. From Sean Carpenter, Director of Agent Development, Ohio NRT Companies 1. Meet with a full time Realtor who c...

Anyone who has tried to buy a home lately knows that it can be very challenging. Historically low mortgage rates have brought homebuyers out in force. At the same time, there is a limited inventory of homes for sale. Resale listings are at their lowest level in many years and homebuilders are just now starting to replenish their supply of new construction, according to figures from the National Association of Home Builders. All of those factors have led to a seller’s market. Homebuyers are competing with each other for the relatively few listings on the market, leading to multiple offers in many cases, sometimes as many as a dozen or more, and sale prices climbing above the asking price. Trying to buy a home in a seller’s market can be frustrating and you may not be able to land the first home you want to buy. Still, there are ways to increase your chances of success. Here are some tips that may turn the odds in your favor: • Work With an Experienced, Knowledgeable Realtor® In a hot s...