Pavement and Runoff

This morning 3 different friends posted this article, about people paving their yards.  As a young and passionate plant ecologist I fled to the wilds of West Marin, wanting to be far away from paved over cities. Now I have been lured back, and love being in San Francisco for so many reasons. My transition was eased by the abundance of parks and wildlands in and around our beautiful city, and by the resurgence of urban farming, and other plant positive policies.  Plants are awesome, and are good for real estate values too. Cities are finding that chronic water pollution problems can be mitigated with green infrastructure.

EPA

Pavement to Parks and Friends of the Urban Forest are places to start if you want a little help transforming your paved over spaces. Keep in mind the mature size of anything you plant, and the importance of planting the right tree in the right place, and if you really MUST pave, consider permeable paving option.

Then when the rain comes down it can sink into the earth, and grow things, rather than roll on into pipes, gathering grossness along the way, and pour out in to our beautiful bay and ocean.

Big Waves

Bill Martin Meteorologist

Today I was planning on discussing earthquakes and real estate, but for now all the buzz is about the big swell due this weekend, and the Mavericks contest planned for Sunday. As Bill Martin, Channel 2 weatherman and surfer points out "This weekends big surf is being generated from thousands of miles away. Oceanographers refer to this distance as a "fetch" We get some of the biggest waves in the world because we have one of the largest fetches in the world."

So, regarding coastal real estate, as I've said before, do consider rising sea levels, high tides, big swells before you make that offer, and in the meantime, may the best man win.

King Tides

What is all this about King Tides? Well, the simple answer is that a King Tide is the highest tide of the year in a coastal location. Since we are blessed with many coastal locations, if you are photographically inclined, you can join the California King Tide Initiative, which is dedicated to capturing images of King Tides. Just be smart and alert about it, there have been several tragic losses of late. It's always good to know whether the tide is incoming or outgoing before we strand ourselves on a narrow beach. Even with your wits about you, sneaker waves are no joke.

Weather.com

We had King Tides last month and more are upon us, January 9-11. What does this have to do with real estate you might ask? Well, you may want to consider King Tides if you are considering buying property in Tam Valley, for example, or near the Embarcadero or even in the Mission. With sea levels on the rise, King Tides can spell flooding, and offer insights into future conditions.

WCGH

Also it's just cool to know what the ocean and bay are up to, especially if you sail, dive, canoe, fish, surf, swim, or like to hike or play along the seaside. There is no shortage of tide apps for the smart phone user. Three I like are Shralp Tide, Tides Planner, and Tide Graph. Or you can just pick up a simple tide guide at surf and marine shops, spend a little more on the awesome Tidelog  (The Warming Hut carries them) or go here online. 

Baby It's Cold Outside

Why Winter is a Great Time to Look at Property Part 2


Yes yes, I know this is nothing compared to so many snow covered "real winter" places. My favorite Christmas card came from beloveds at Denali National Park in Alaska who say that the "only lights they see right now are the aurora borealis kind."  Sounds so magical, but brrrrr! Good thing they are snow people.

Still, within our own range of expected temperatures, it is cold right now, so naturally my thoughts turn to microclimate. Let us review what makes a home location colder or warmer within the range we expect here in the San Francisco Bay Area. We all know this intuitively somewhat, but I love to spell it out because I am a microclimate real estate nerd.

Wikipedia

Elevation: Cold air sinks. Besides being blocked from the sun by the surrounding hills, bottoms of valleys are where the cold air sits, and they are the first to frost. Large buildings can also act as hills creating canyon light and weather regimes.

Aspect: the direction the land faces determines how much light/heat it gets throughout the day, depending on the time of year.

Proximity to large bodies of water:  The ocean and San Francisco Bay have a moderating effect on the temperature. Closer to them it does not get as hot or as cold as it does farther away.

If you seek a frosty location for say, peony growing, a valley blocked from the immediate maritime influence might suit you. In that case you'll ideally want to be on the south facing slope, in a solid house with a thrifty furnace. Wherever you choose to live, there will be microclimate variables. If you want to grow things, you'll factor in the climate needs for your priority plants. If you're not a plant person, you'll still want to contemplate your personal warmth and light and wind (or lack thereof) preferences.

NBC Bay Area Weather

So again I say, it's a great time of year to be sussing out locations. No need to intellectualize it, your body will understand individual microclimates just fine.