Mark Choey

Good question however, I think Mission Bay has the greatest potential in my opinion. Mission Bay (especially Berry St) as you know is very up-and-coming with construction projects still happening. Once the construction is done and dust clears you will what appears to be a very attractive and brand new, modern community near perhaps the most convenient transportation hub in all of San Francisco - 4th and King. There you see the Caltrain terminus, the start of 280, a very nearby 101, good East Bay access, the N-Judah ending there, many many bus lines, the new 3rd Street Rail and the future Central Subway line.

New retail stores have just opened including Panera Bread, Philz coffee, 2 new floors of commercial space atop the China Basin Building, new tennis and basketball courts on Berry St, the 1st branch of the SF Public Library on 4th and Berry St.

235 Berry, Park Terrace are finishing up sales (12 and 20+ left respectively) - Arterra is around 50% at this point. So you could also make the argument that there could be a lot of competing condos and not enough demand for them - but I think in 5 years there will be enough jobs created in that area to make it the best investment for the next 5 years.

In 5 years, South Mission Bay will see a large influx of new companies and jobs and North Mission Bay will benefit the most from this.

You can make the argument that since Potrero Hill will have very few new condo projects in the next 5 years that a constrained supply would make it the best investment - however, I don't see much change in the area to warrant a dramatic change in demand for Potrero Hill condos as there could be for Mission Bay for example.

SOMA is just too big of an area to discuss - certain areas in SOMA could be good and others not so good - it just depends where in SOMA you are referring to? Closer to the financial district (south financial district) could be a good area and closer to what we call "Mid-Market" or near SOMA Grand, Mint Plaza, etc. could be a good investment in the next 5 years as well.

But I think the BEST investment would be Mission Bay and specifically NORTH Mission Bay centered around Berry St.

Hope this helps! - Thu Dec 6 2007, 20:31

The Odeon in Union Square has a unit that is "fractionalized" .

As far as being an investment, I think it's a little early to tell - they are such a new product category ...however, they are increasing in popularity mainly because

1) the cost of housing is high
2) hotel costs are equally high
3) people are increasingly traveling the world and having 2nd and 3rd homes but don't want the hassle of "whole" ownership.

Time will only tell unfortunately. If you are worried, make sure you buy something truly unique though - something that will stand out when you try to sell again - 1) views 2) location 3) more views 4) better location... etc.

Hope this helps! - Wed Nov 28 2007, 23:04

When you ask "How is New York"? What are you referring to? Home Prices? The Real Estate Market? How it is to live there? Not sure what you are getting to exactly... :-)

I was born and raised there and then moved to SF a while ago so I can answer that question.

Let's assume you mean - "How is it to live there"? and that's a very complicated question and depends on where you are from primarily. People that move there always have one of two opinions - they either LOVE it or they HATE it. There rarely seems to be an in-between answer and that's because New York is that way - a very extreme place - it has the best of a lot and the worst of a lot all in a huge city.

I will also assume when you ask "New York", you mean Manhattan. Living in Manhattan is the ultimate playground - especially for the younger adult and if you are single. When you have children, I think Manhattan is too inconvenient to have a family in. So it also depends on what stage of life you are in too!

The weather is not the best in the world - many unbearably hot days and many days of ultra-cold temperatures, and lots of rain too. However,on nice days, there's no better place to be than laying around in Sheep's Meadow in Central Park hanging out in the sun on a nice day or strolling through the Village going to cafes, shopping, and hanging out. Nothing beats New York's shopping, dining, cultural activities and excitement. It's the city that never sleeps. There's just too much to do, enjoy, and experience. And it seems like everything you experience is over-the-top... world-class or super-large or super-lame. Everything is extreme and in that way, fun!

If you are moving there, have fun - enjoy it, but grow a thick skin. It's the roughest city in the US with some of the rudest people around, everyday life there is harder (dry cleaning, basic errands, basic food needs) than most places - but it's not an everyday place... it's extraordinary! - Thu Nov 22 2007, 12:46

There are two good option in the Sierra Heights new development in Potrero Hill which is not only sunny, but has very large floor plans for the money - what's the catch you ask? Well - it's on the South Side of the hill which is not as attractive as the North side because of the proximity to the housing projects on the South Side.... however, I have bought and sold for friends as well as clients who loved this building and location and never had problems.

Here are 2 of the 3BR's on the market there - one is asking 799k for 1536sf and the other is asking 924k for 1943sf

http://sfarmls.rapmls.com/scripts/mgrqispi.dll?APPNAME=Sanfr…

email me at mark@climbSF.com if this link doesn't work and I can resend to you. - Tue Nov 6 2007, 10:51

Sure you can - you can just check what properties are selling for around your area that are like yours and find out what they SOLD for - this will require researching tax records online which can be done. You of course can use the Zillow's, Trulia's, and a whole host of other websites but unless your home / condo is very similar to others (like a home in a master planned community where all the homes are almost identical, etc.) you have to make adjustments and take the online price estimate with a grain of salt. Tax records cannot tell Zillow what view you have, what layout you may have, if you have 2 car parking, what floor your unit is on, the condition of your unit, the upgrades you have performed, etc. For that you need to make those judgments and adjust appropriately!

--
mark choey
senior sales associate
climb real estate group
> 415.630.0204 mobile
> 415.520.9808 fax
> mark@climbSF.com
www.climbSF.com - Fri Nov 2 2007, 23:46