Environmental History and Real Estate

Business Insider SF Real Estate Market Explosion 

It's no secret that San Francisco Real Estate is hot hot hot, and Marin is not far behind in terms of multiple offers well over asking. The bidding war is just part of life now, alas. If you are focused and can afford to compete, I can help get your offer accepted, or if you want to sell I can help you do so smoothly and efficiently. Don't sell with out a good plan in place, as selling is soooo much easier then buying right now. My esteemed colleagues and reporters have covered the changing real estate landscape  very well, so I'll stick to my obsession with earth based real estate.

This fabulous article, via Richmond Blog from the wonderful Outside Lands folks, sums up how water shaped the development of the western side of the city. Of course water and topography also shaped the development of the rest of the city and Marin, and historical development across the globe.

Topography has a powerful influence on microclimates, on earthquake risk, tsunami risk, underground creek issues, even how well your plumbing works. Location is the one thing you cannot change when you buy property, and it is easy to forget that the earth is still underneath all this built environment we live in.

So, as you gird your loins to enter the fray, pull focus a little on that property you are so excited about. Will the climate suit you when the dust of the escrow settles? Is it in a landslide or flood zone? Will you be able to grow the things you want to grow, or will you have to spend extra on earthquake or flood insurance? Flood insurance rates are rising fast, but that's for another post.

Bold Italic - Microclimates

If you already own property here, and are staying put but curious, or renting and curious, the San Francisco Library has tips for researching buildings, and Nature in the City put together a wonderful nature map of the city. If you are in the market, though things are moving fast and furiously these days, do be sure review the Natural Hazard Disclosures, to be sure you know about long term environmental realities you may not notice underneath the fresh paint and newly refinished floors.

SF Rec and Park, Nature in the City

Happy Spring!

Maps Are Your Friends

Fern Hill Walking Tours

Curbed SF's  post today about locations of former cemeteries, and other cool posts tagged Cool Map Thing, highlight the usefulness and beauty of maps. When you are searching for your next home, maps can really be your friend, especially historical and topographical maps, which can give you a sense of the environmental and human history of a home site. We often think of the environment as somewhere out there in a national park, but every home site is located within topography and history, space and time. Some history is fun to learn about, some not so much, but better to learn before closing escrow.

Kroll Antique Maps

If you are the curious sort, who likes to muck about with research, and you are in the early stages of your home search, here are some tips from the environmental research field. Libraries in Marin and San Francisco have wonderful collections of old maps, photo's and other archives. The San Francisco Planning Department also has a terrific collection of maps of all sorts, and a quick google image search will pull you down endless fascinating rabbit holes.

Marin Library

If you are busier, farther along and/or not a researching type, fear not, because sellers/listing agents pay a service to prepare a  "real estate natural hazard disclosure" which is included in the disclosure (or buyers) package. JCP and Disclosure Source are commonly used in San Francisco and Marin. These services comb the various maps available, such as the liquefaction hazard map, the FEMA flood map etc, and compile the data specific to the property into the report. Do take the time to read these reports, better to understand the location you are committing to sooner then later.

Water Intrusion, Take 2

Will and Guy

Our Broker spoke to a packed house at Zephyr last week, sharing "war stories", though, given the season, and the nature of the stories, it was really more "scary stories" about what could possibly go wrong in a real estate transaction, that might lead to a lawsuit.

Number One subject of lawsuits?  Water intrusion. Given my last post, I thought I'd better follow up with more encouragement to clean those gutters, keep an eye out for plumbing and window leaks (repair asap!), and read your disclosure packages carefully. Number Two is square footage, which is why you often will not see a number in marketing materials, but that's for another post.

Natural Hazard Disclosures

Free stock photography

Making an offer or going into contract on a property in California, and especially in San Francisco, your first  major document review will be of the (sometimes an inch thick) property "disclosures".  Some listing agents will request a signed disclosure package be submitted with the offer; in any event the signed document is often due quite early in the contingency period.

Schooner Property

In the rush of putting in an offer, it is easy to skim this dense document without really comprehending what's in it. Fear not! This is one place your agent can really offer value, helping  you to filter the truly property specific information from what is boiler plate legalese, so you'll know what is really important to understand before you commit to a contract and start spending money on inspections. 

Liquefaction Hazard Maps

Of most relevance to this blogger, as your earth based realtor, is the Standardized Natural Hazard Disclosure Report, which details the possible risk of floods, fires, earthquakes, liquifaction, and landslides occurring at the  property. At the risk of sending you to a competitor, here's a link to a nice summary of how to review the Natural Hazards report. When a property is listed, the agent orders this report from one of several companies that search the hazard maps and lists the hazards that are potential issues with that specific property. Also, there is the Combined Hazards Book, which you'll need to review and sign off on during escrow.

Disclosure Booklets

 If you are the kind of person who likes to educate yourself ahead of time, you can look at hazard maps yourself (see links in my past posts re: slope and extreme weather  and also in the resource bar) for the areas you are considering. Ponder your level of comfort with various environmental risks, do a little insurance research, and you'll feel more prepared to make an informed purchase.

Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country