Pacific Union Contra Costa County

01/22/2018

How tough is San Francisco's housing market? Renters are paying more than $1K to crash in converted living rooms. (Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press)

HomeShare, a startup based in San Francisco, converts living rooms in above-market-rate buildings into bedrooms so tenants can save on rent. The company pockets a cut of the rent, like a finder's fee. Each of HomeShare's customers gets their own bedroom, a closet, and a private or shared bathroom. P...

01/21/2018

A survey found that San Francisco homeowners spend the most money in the U.S. when remodeling their homes' master bathrooms, and it turns out that the same trend applies to kitchens. Read more on the Pacific Union blog. (Photo: iStock/mustafagull)

Last fall, a survey found that San Francisco homeowners spend the most money in the U.S. when remodeling their homes' master bathrooms, and it turns out that the same trend applies to kitchens.

01/21/2018

A $1 million house may no longer qualify you as being in the luxury home market anymore. (Photo: HousingWire)

As home prices continue to rise across the U.S., and homebuilders place a heavier focus on luxury homes, the number of $1 million homes quadrupled since 2002 to make up 4.3% of all homes. Now, Trulia argues $5 million could be the new $1 million.

01/20/2018

The CEO of the California Association of REALTORS® led a panel of experts in search of ideas for how to move the multiple listing services (MLS) industry forward. Mark McLaughlin, CEO of Pacific Union, was on this panel. (Photo: RealtorMag)

During a panel discussion Wednesday, MLS executives and real estate professionals aired concerns over whether the industry can move fast enough to solve brokers’ listing and syndication issues a

01/20/2018

Sad news in Moraga as the iconic Rheem Theatre has finally closed—but there's a possibility it will reopen.

350 Park St, Moraga A few years ago the iconic Rheem Theatre in Moraga was set to close before it got a reprieve and ended up remaining open, until now. T

01/19/2018

A new report shows that most Americans live in areas where renting is cheaper than buying. (Photo: Housingwire.com)

Across the U.S., buying a home is cheaper than renting in the majority of housing markets, however most Americans live in areas where renting is still cheaper than buying. Renting has clearly become the lesser of two housing affordability evils in many major population centers, with renting more aff...

01/19/2018

SF Gate Sound Off asks real estate professionals, "What are your Bay Area real estate predictions for 2018?" Includes Pacific Union's Ana T. L. Dierkhising and Val Steele.

A: 2018 should be another robust year in the Bay Area for real estate. San Francisco will continue to experience a strong demand for single-family homes, especially on the north side of town where there is an extreme lack of inventory. State-of-the-art homes will continue to command top dollar and p...

01/18/2018

Would you sell your home for Bitcoins? Pacific Union Chief Economist Selma Hepp breaks down cryptocurrency technology and how it currently fits into the real estate market. (Promotional photo: iStock/KeremYucel)

Pacific Union Chief Economist Selma Hepp breaks down cryptocurrency technology and how it currently fits into the real estate market.

01/18/2018

Check out the U.S. cities where homeownership rates are growing the fastest. (Photo: Realtor.com)

With affordable homes and good jobs, these metros give residents the confidence to make the leap into buying a home.

01/17/2018

Pacific Union is the No. 1 independent residential real estate brokerage in the state and the ultimate California real estate company.

01/17/2018

More housing? Palo Alto's new mayor is in favor of it. (Photo: Veronica Weber)

Moments after Liz Kniss took center stage as Palo Alto's newly elected mayor Monday night, she brought up an issue that is sure to dominate the City Hall agenda throughout 2018: housing.