San Francisco residents in "the know" believe Historic Dogpatch is one of the next up and coming neighborhoods. With an emerging arts district, this already bustling area boasts some of the city's finest art galleries, purveyors of artisan coffees, decadent chocolate shops, wine bars, local wine makers, hot dining spots, and destination bars. This area also has a custom messenger bag boutique, a hand-crafted ice cream parlor, a French butchery and many more uniquely San Francisco shops.
This sunny microclimate, adjacent to the waterfront, is south of Mission Bay and east of Potrero Hill. The borders of Historic Dogpatch are Mariposa to the north, I-280 to the west, 23rd Street to the south and waterfront to the east (see map below). Just steps away from the 22nd Street Caltrain Station & T Third Street Light Rail make commuting a breeze. Walking & biking are encouraged but if you prefer to drive, the I-280 is easily accessed.
The impact of neighboring Mission Bay's new developments such as future site of UCSF's expanding campus, Salesforce.com's global headquarters, biotechnology research & development companies, restaurants and shops has created a demand for places to live nearby. Historic Dogpatch is right next door and has a much more residential feel with some of the oldest homes in San Francisco dating from the 1860s along with newer luxury residences, appealing to all.
One of the relatively new developments in Historic Dogpatch is Esprit Park. Built in 1906 as the Schilling Wine Cellars it was converted into the Esprit company headquarters then eventually converted to 142 luxe condominiums. There are 3 separate buildings which surround landscaped sustainable courtyards. Amenities include a fitness center and theater room. The second phase (North Court) of this development was initially rented out during a stagnant housing market but now have slowly been released for sale and include 1 & 2 bedroom floorplans.
Take a stroll through Historic Dogpatch and explore all of its unique neighborhood charm. For more information on condos at Esprit Park or other fine properties in San Francisco, contact Myrick Tantiado at 415.596.3405.
meet the neighbors (a listing in random order):
3. Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous Artisanal Ice Cream
4. Piccino Cafe
6. DIG Wines
8. MAC Clothing
10. Rickshaw Bags
12. LPSI School
15. Oralia's Cafe
16. Triple Aught Design Outdoor Clothing
17. Dogpatch Saloon
18. Dependable Letterpress Quality Print Work
20. Poquito Latin American Restaurant
21. Sutton Handcrafted Wine Cellars
22. Ampersand International Arts Contemporary Art Space
23. Jolt and Bolt Bakery & Cafe
26. The New Spot Mexican & Salvadorian Restaurant
28. Cup of Blues
31. Dogpatch Cafe & Art Gallery
32. Decks at Mission Rock Bar & Grlll
33. Cafe Cocomo Salsa Dancing Club
36. Caffe le Stazione Coffee Shop
37. Dogpatch Wineworks Hand-crafted Wines
38. Hard Knox Cafe
39. Magnolia Bakery (coming soon)
If you have been thinking of owning and currently rent or have been trying to convince your friends, colleagues or loved ones to purchase a home, than write or suggest a list of the benefits of each scenario. Here are some key points to help with the decision-making process:
Benefits of Renting an Apartment:
Benefits of Owning a Home:
With the combination of current mortgage rates being at a record low and affordable home prices, we are in a "perfect storm" of opportunity for home buyers.
San Francisco has seen a recent increase in home sales which may not be the case in other parts of California or the country for that matter. It is for this reason that what might be a wise and prudent decision for one may not be ideal for another, depending on where they live and what their specific situation may be.
Bottom line: visit your local, reputable real estate agent to help you weigh your options.
A past client of mine was in escrow on a fairly new home (just a couple of years old) and had ordered the contractor and pest inspections. When the contractor stopped by the home, he commented that the inspection should go pretty quickly and he didn't anticipate any issues since the construction was fairly new. He paused than added that there was one incident in which he inspected a brand new home (not even lived in) and found a critical mistake in the foundation which would have been life-threatening if it hadn't been fixed. This brand new home had a large second floor deck which lacked the correct framework which may have collapsed if a group of people were standing on it. Somehow this new home passed the permit inspections but luckily the mistake was found during the contractor's inspection.
Moral of the story: ALWAYS get the inspections done prior to purchasing your home...what may be one of the biggest financial investments of your life!
Furthermore, major repairs on homes can amount to thousands of dollars. Plumbing, electrical and roof problems represent significant and complex systems that are expensive to fix. It is most prudent to know what you are getting into and whether the repair costs are more than what you were willing to financially undertake.
Also, the estimated cost of repairs assessed by the inspection may be another opportunity to negotiate with the Seller.
In San Francisco, contractor and pest inspections cost about $500 per inspection, depending on the size of the home.
One of the more reputable contractor inspection companies in the city is General Contractors Inspection Service LTD (GCIS).
For a reputable structural pest inspection company in SF, I recommend Lingruen Associates.
Have you ever driven by an area and had a curiosity to see if there were any open houses available? Or walked by a home and wanted to get more information on price, square footage, photos of the interior, etc? Did you ever wonder what the mortgage costs for that home would be?
My brokerage firm, Alain Pinel Realtors, has launched a wireless search service that gives agents and consumers the ability to access property information anywhere, at any time, from their web-enabled mobile phones or PDAs.
In your mobile wireless device browser, enter www.apr.com/mobile.
You can search real estate listings by city, zip code, street, or MLS number. Or you can search open houses by city or zip code.
There are no charges aside from your standard web browser fees.
According to the 2009 National Housing Pulse Survey, an annual survey released by the National Association of Realtors, most Americans consider that closing costs are one of the biggest obstacles in purchasing a home.
Here are some possible ways to save some money on closing costs:
San Francisco Homes
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