EconomicsHousing Isn’t Really DeadThis article first appeared on Minyanville. A piece in this weekend’s New York Times contends that the golden era of real estate is over. The author, David Streitfeld, argues that for the foreseeable future (and possibly forever), a home will simply be four walls and a roof, ceasing to be the lucrative financial investment it’s [...] Cirios Trends – August 2010In this month’s Cirios Trends Special Edition: Finding Real Estate Opportunities, check out: The State of the Markets – August 4, 2010 Demographics drive property values. Feature: The Storied History of Hunters Point Abandoned Naval Shipyard poised for dramatic development. Around the Bay: Local News Bites Goings on that move markets. Zip Code Spotlight – [...] The State of the Markets – 8/4/10This post first appeared in the June edition of: Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities Humans, as a species, are lousy fortunetellers. A few intrepid visionaries aside, most people simply cannot grasp what the world will look like in 20, 10 or even five years. And for good reason. Trying to envision the [...] Feature: The Storied History of Hunters PointThis post first appeared in the June edition of: Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities Over the past several years, precious few shovels have broken ground in San Francisco. The credit crisis and economic slump have caused developers and investors to pull back, as builders have focused on surviving, rather than thriving. But [...] Zip Code Spotlight – Bay View/Hunters Point (94124)This post first appeared in the June edition of: Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities This month’s zip code spotlight falls on 94124, the Bay View/Hunters Point area of Southeast San Francisco. This area is well known as the most dangerous part of the city, but as we discuss elsewhere in this issue, [...] Around the Bay: Local News BitesThis post first appeared in the June edition of: Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities San Francisco Gives Hunters Point Redevelopment Thumbs Up (San Francisco Chronicle) In a nearly unanimous vote last week, the San Francisco supervisors approved plans to redevelop the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, pushing forward what has become one of [...] Cirios Opportunities – Adding Value: A Garage in SFThis post first appeared in the June edition of: Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities Here at Cirios, we like to believe that every house should be viewed as an investment. From purchasing your first home to acquiring rental property, buyers should always factor in the value of the home based on current [...] Talking Charts – Divergence ContinuesThis post first appeared in the June edition of: Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities The concept that current housing data is masking true market activity is slowly gaining mindshare. Of course, readers of Cirios Trends will recall that this is a concept we have been pushing for months, even if the mainstream [...] Cirios Trends Special Edition: Mid-Year Review – Will Housing Slide Again?In this month’s Cirios Trends Special Edition: Mid-Year Review – Will Housing Slide Again?, check out: The State of the Markets – Will Housing Slide Again? Prices are falling, should you care? Why Are Home Prices Falling Again? The answer may surprise you. Is Housing Policy Working? Running the numbers on foreclosure prevention. Picking Winners [...] Feature: How Much Should I Pay?This post first appeared in the June edition of: Cirios Trends: Finding Real Estate Opportunities. “Mow much should I pay?” is about the most common question we get here at Cirios. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the answer to this question is never black and white. Depending on a buyer’s desired use for a property, there are [...] Around the Bay: Local News BitesThis post first appeared in the June edition of: Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities. Toyota Gets Long Electric Cars (San Francisco Chronicle) Toyota Corp. is plunking down $50 million to help Tesla Motors restart the recently shuttered Nummi auto plant in Fremont. Tesla is hiring 50 staff per month to get the [...] The State of the Markets — June 8, 2010This post first appeared in the June edition of: Cirios Trends: Finding Real Estate Opportunities. There is no ambiguity about the goal of current US government policy when it comes to housing: Prevent home price depreciation at all cost. As such, this month’s State of the Markets was going to discuss shadow inventory, diving into [...] Zip Code Spotlight – East Palo Alto – 94303This post first appeared in the June edition of: Cirios Trends: Finding Real Estate Opportunities. This month’s spotlight falls on East Palo Alto, CA, perhaps one of the Bay Area’s most interesting pockets of real estate and an excellent illustration of the effect of housing boom and bust on marginal areas. Surrounded by islands of [...] Cirios Opportunities – Is Seller Financing Right for You?This post first appeared in the June edition of: Cirios Trends: Finding Real Estate Opportunities. As the aftershocks of the housing crash continue to rumble through the mortgage market, many home sellers, from investors to individuals, would be wise to look into the benefits of offering seller financing to sell their properties. Seller what? Seller [...] Talking Charts – Who’s Back on Track?This post first appeared in the June edition of: Cirios Trends: Finding Real Estate Opportunities. If there is a theme we at Cirios harp on more than any other, it’s that just because a particular city or neighborhood is considered “more desirable” than another, that does not mean by extension it’s also a better place [...] Cirios Trends — May 2010In this month’s Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities, check out: The State of the Markets: May 5, 2010 Watching as the world wobbles. Feature: What’s in a CDO, anyway? Complex securities bite Goldman Sachs as the SEC closes in. Around the Bay: Local News Bites Goings on that move markets. Zip Code [...] The State of the Markets – May 5, 2010This post first appeared in the May edition of: Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities. It feels a bit like the world is starting to come apart at the seams. Again. The EU finally “solved” the Greek problem, only to find out the solution just accelerated the day of reckoning for Europe’s other [...] Feature: What’s in a CDO, anyway?This post first appeared in the May edition of: Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities. Over the past several weeks, the federal government’s increased scrutiny of Goldman Sachs has brought complex financial securities at the heart of the housing market collapse back into the government’s crosshairs. We thought an attempted explanation of not [...] Around the Bay: Local News BitesThis post first appeared in the May edition of: Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities. Silicon Valley Defies California Gloom (Silicon Valley Business Journal) Even though consumer confidence in California has fallen to a historic low, Silicon Valley residents remain some of the country’s more optimistic folks. California’s Index of Consumer Sentiment registered [...] Zip Code Spotlight – Los Gatos – 95032This post first appeared in the May edition of: Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities. This month’s zip code spotlight falls on a decidedly high end area of the San Francisco Peninsula – Los Gatos. Lot Gatos is a suburb to the southwest of San Jose, known for large, secluded lots at the [...] Cirios Opportunities – Is it Time to Buy Commercial?This post first appeared in the May edition of: Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities. One of the most frequent questions we get here at Cirios is, “Is it time to buy commercial yet?” Clearly, this is an immensely complex question, particularly because “Commercial Real Estate” means something different for each person you [...] Realtors Roll the Dice With HAFAThis post first appeared on Minyanville. The Obama Administration’s latest salvo in the war against foreclosures, Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, or HAFA, is but a week old and already America’s real estate establishment is trying to cash in. HAFA aims to step in where Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP, fails. In other words, when [...] Cirios Trends — April 2010In this month’s Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities, check out: The State of the Markets: April 5, 2010 Some data show the worst may be over – so are we out of the woods? Feature: HAFA – Double Edge Swords Abound Will the latest housing market fix sink or swim? Did You [...] The State of the Markets – April 5, 2010This post first appeared in the April edition of: Cirios Trends: In Search of Real Estate Opportunities. For 12 months now, the Case Shiller Home Price Index – the most widely watched home price indicator – has been hinting that the housing market has at the very least stopped getting worse. In February’s Cirios Trends, [...] |