Hmmm, maybe it really is the right time to be a first time buyer and buy a home in San Francisco, whether that's a starter condo in the Mission or 3 bedroom view condo in Pacific Heights. At least that's what I've been hearing straight from the horse's mouth, i.e. my first time home buyers in SF.
Yeah, yeah, I know that I've been writing this for a while now. Point 1: Crazy low interest rates on safe mortgages like the 30 year fixed rate home loan. Point 2: Reduced home prices even in the choicest of San Francisco neighborhoods like Noe Valley, Pacific Heights, Mission Dolores and our own little Bernal Heights.
But this past week, it was you, the folks considering buying their first home in San Francisco, who were leading the cheer. And I heard you, loud and clear.
In the past week, not one, not two, but three clients of mine arose from the house hunting abyss to tell me that now has become the right time to buy and that they had found the home of their dreams. Mind you, each of these groups had been looking for at least 1 year, most were closer to 2+years! When it comes to buying a home, it is all about timing and I don't mean timing the market. I mean "personal timing".
When it is the right time for you, in your own life, to become a homeowner, it will happen. When it's not the right time (maybe because of your personal situation, your job stability, your family, your geographic plans etc), you can look and look but nothing will feel right.
(Side note: I like to tell my clients, whether they are home buyers or sellers, that it is not my job to tell them what their goal is or should be. You must determine whether it's the right thing for you to buy or sell real estate in San Francisco. You must have your own goal. I can help you fine tune it, for sure, but I'm not here to tell you what to do. I am here to listen to your goal & what's most important to you, help you contextualize it in today's San Francisco housing market and then help you make it happen. And yes, I'm pretty darn good at "making it happen." Make sense?)
Yes, 3 clients calling me to make offers on the right home for them (and getting them into contract) makes for a good week. Of course. But does it also signify something bigger? Once the public realizes that the current home buying conditions may be the best they're going to be, it means that the market is turning around.
Real estate in San Francisco is not for the squeamish. It's expensive and highly competitive. But, it does make one heck of an investment. And you get to have 50 degree days in July and 80 degrees in October! On that note, I'm off to enjoy more of the sun. 🙂
