San Francisco Real Estate: Escrow Out Loud

Almost a year ago another broker, my dear friend and fellow David-in-an-industry-of-Goliath’s, Kevin Birmingham, made an off-handed comment he knew I wouldn’t be able to let go about a proposition our state trade group promoted in the 1960s. Today’s episode wraps up the three-part series that grew out of that 2020 conversation. A quick review if you are just joining us:

In episode 108 my friend and retired real estate broker Don Saunders helped us understand the fair housing massacre of the 1963 Rumford Act by 1964’s state ballot initiative known as Proposition 14 that was sponsored, written, and supported by my state trade association now known as the California Association of Realtors. The outcome of that November 1964 election truly changed the course of American history in ways that impact us to this day. 

Episode 109 begins with a powerful statement from the 2021 President of the California Association of Realtors, Dave Walsh. One community activist and four Realtors then discuss the progress, setbacks, and impacts of racism in the bay area. It’s a lively roundtable that tells a more complete story than you’ve likely heard or told yourself about housing racism in the bay area. Yes, even in tree-hugging progressive San Francisco we have a deep history of housing racism.

That ends our recap, and brings us to our final podcast in this series. 

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Episode 109 Panelists, listed alpha by last name:

Dena Aslanian-Williams

Realtor Extraordinaire. Don't let this short bio fool you, she's a phenomenal REALTOR! with Compass Real Estate at the time of publication.

Kevin Birmingham

Founder, Park North Real Estate

A west-side San Francisco native, Kevin is a Past President (2018) of the San Francisco Association of Realtors, the founder of Park North Real Estate, and has consistently performed in the top 1% of agents nationwide. Kevin has a degree in economics from Colorado State University, raising three kids in the city with his wife Terra. When not rabble-rousing for a fairer city, Kevin is a huge Bay Area sports fan and can be found out walking the family dog.

Tia Hunnicutt

Married for 30 years, mother of three.

*Licensed as a Broker since 2009

*Past President of the Oakland Association of Realtors

*Immediate Past Chair of Bridge MLS

*CAR Region 6 Chair

*CAR Executive Committee

*Coldwell Banker International President's Circle

*Coldwell Banker Global Luxury

*NAR certifications and designations: Accredited Buyer Representative, E-Pro, Pricing Strategy Advisor, Short-Sales and Foreclosures Resource, Seniors Real Estate Specialist, At Home with Diversity, Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist

Dr. Veronica Hunnicutt

Community Advocate and Activist

Former Educator at San Francisco Unified School District (in the Engineering and English Departments)

Former Educator and Administrator at City College of San Francisco (English Department/Chair of African American Studies/Dean of the Southeast Campus/Dean of the Office of Student Affairs)

Former Member of the Mayor's Citizens Advisory Committee for Community Development

Commissioner on the Commission on the Status of Women

Commissioner on the San Francisco Housing Authority

Chair, Minnie and Lovie Park CRC ( Parks and Recreation site)

Founding Board Member, Alliance for Girls

Chair, Citizens Advisory Committee for the Shipyard

CEO, HG Inc. 

Recipient of various Community Awards and Commendations

Proud Mother of Tia Hunnicutt

Allen M. Okamoto

Broker/Owner, T. Okamoto & Co. 

GRI, SRES, CIPS CRB, CRS

We are a small boutique real estate brokerage in San Francisco's Japantown. Although our primary market is Japanese we service almost all of the Bay Area Counties. We specialize in single family homes, condos and small apartments. We also have a very active property management department.

Over the past 30 plus years I have been involved in fair housing and diversity issues at the San Francisco, California and National Association of Realtors. At SFAR I formed the Asian Council which made the association a more friendly place for Asians to express their collective views. I was the first elected member of the board of directors and the first Asian President of the Board.

At the California Association of Realtors, I founded the International Forum where Realtors could explore opportunities in foreign countries and to learn about their customs and cultures. I also chaired the Equal Opportunity Cultural Diversity committee.

At the National Association of Realtors, I was on the work force that developed the "AT Home with Diversity" designation. I was the Chair of the Fair Housing Forum and the first chair of the Equal Opportunity committee.

In 2003 I was part of the group that formed the Asian Real Estate Association of America AREAA, the first national Asian real estate organization. We now have over 17,000 members and 42 chapters across the United States and Canada. We are the largest Asian membership organization in the United States.

I currently serve on the California Association of Realtors Fair Housing & Diversity Task Force. 

An Apology From the National Association of REALTORS® for our past discriminatory behavior at the National board level.

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Join our host, San Francisco Real Estate Brokerage Co-Founder Matt Fuller, for a more honest-than-usual conversation about racism in California Real Estate with his friend, retired real estate broker, and fellow SFAR Past President, Don Saunders.

The first in a three part series, we begin in 1963 and the passage of the Rumford Fair Housing Act, and the response from the California Real Estate Association (CREA) now known as the California Association of Realtors (CAR). 1964’s state ballot initiative known as Proposition 14 was sponsored, written, and supported by the California Association of Realtors.

The outcome of that November 1964 election truly changed the course of American history in ways that impact us to this day. Join me in understanding the battle for fair housing in 1960s California, how it impacts us to this day, and what we can do to help change things in 2021.

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Today's guest is Brett Gladstone, Esq., 62, is a San Francisco attorney and serves as an appointee of Governor Newsom on the California Architects Board.  After graduating Harvard College magna cum laude, he earned a JD degree from Duke University School of Law in 1983. He has been a San Francisco real estate attorney for 36 years. After 8 years as a partner at Hanson Bridgett, Gladstone has become Of Counsel to Goldstein, Gellman, Melbostad, Harris & McSparran, a San Francisco law firm.  Mr. Gladstone regularly writes and lectures on local real estate laws and issues (including condominium law) and advises his clients on land development and real estate transactions throughout the Bay Area. 

Today's topic is Intermediate Length Occupancy Rental Law in San Francisco, a new law that was passed in response to political outrage over 2100 Market St. and other similar projects, many of which appear to be in challenging financial times because of the ongoing pandemic.

A guide to jargon and agencies mentioned in this podcast:

ILO Law - Intermediate Length Occupancy Law (rentals between 30 days and 1 year) in effect June 2022

NOV - Notice of Violation

UDU - Unwarranted Dwelling Units -space that is indicates that its legality is not verified by the Department of Building Inspection

https://default.sfplanning.org/plans-and-programs/planning-for-the-city/accessory-dwelling-units/Legalization_FactSheet-091017.pdf

COPA - Community Opportunty to Purchase Act  https://sfmohcd.org/community-opportunity-purchase-act-copa

Goldstein, Gellman, Melbostad, Harris & McSparran - https://g3mh.com/

SF Board of Supervisors  https://sfgov.org/agency/board-supervisors

SF Planning Commission https://sfplanning.org/

SF Department of Building Inspection https://sfdbi.org/

SF Office of Short-Term Rentals  https://sfplanning.org/office-short-term-rentals

Small Property Owners of SF https://www.smallprop.org/

Coalition for Better Housing http://cbhsf.org/

SF Apartment Association  https://sfaa.org/

Urban Displacement Project https://www.urbandisplacement.org/

San Francisco Real Estate Brokers, Jackson Fuller: https://jacksonfuller.com/

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Pictures taken by a skilled photographer can tell you more about a building than hundreds of words of description can. Today’s guest is David Eichler.

David is an architectural photographer who also has a familial link to Northern California’s property market through is grandfather, Joseph Eichler. Joseph was one of the most iconic property developers in the area in the 20th century. Listen in to the episode to hear David talk about the ins and outs of architectural photography, the family history, and how that history affects David’s work and worldview.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• What architectural photography is
• Why architectural photography is in a class by itself
• How long the average shoot lasts
• How long David has been doing photography professionally
• David’s first camera
• The best and worst parts of architectural photography as a job
• The most challenging shoot David has ever had to do
• Whether David has favorite pictures that he’s taken
• How David’s grandfather, Joseph Eichler, influenced his view of architecture
• Joseph Eichler’s stand against racism
• What it’s like to have a recognizable last name in the industry
• How David’s view of his grandfather’s buildings have changed over time
• The biggest misunderstanding that persists about David’s grandfather

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What does “accessibility” really mean? Are homes that are labeled accessible really as accessible as they need to be? These are hot topics in today’s episode of Escrow Out Loud. Today’s guest is Andrew Gurza, a disability activist from Toronto. In the conversation today, Andrew talks about his own experience as a person with disabilities, the value of hiring and listening to people with disabilities, why “accessible” real estate (and other facilities) often aren’t nearly accessible enough, and why everyone needs to be aware of how disability will affect their own lives.

Topics Discussed in This Episode

• Andrew’s disability awareness work
• How Andrew ended up in his career
• What Andrew’s home is like
• How long Andrew has been in his home and how he found it
• How Andrew feels about the word “accessible”
• Accessibility standards in San Francisco real estate
• How “accessible” homes are often not truly accessible
• How accessibility restricts the parts of a city disabled people can live in and the types of homes they can live in
• Why people may not like to think about accessibility
• How the ADA does or doesn’t apply to residential real estate
• The importance of talking to people with disabilities about their disabilities
• The value of hiring disabled people
• The top things that the real estate industry can do to accommodate people with disabilities

Related Links

Andrew Gurza

Andrew on Twitter

Andrew on Instagram

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How's the market performing during covid 19?

With about five weeks of shelter-in-place, we take a look at what's happened to market activity in San Francisco.

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A look at virtual tours in the real estate industry during the SF shelter-in-place directive updated March 31, 2020.

The pertinent real estate guidance from that document is below:

Paragraph 13 Section f Paragraph x:

Service providers that enable residential transactions (including rentals, leases, and home sales), including, but not limited to, real estate agents, escrow agents, notaries, and title companies, 

• provided that appointments and other residential viewings must only occur virtually or,
• if a virtual viewing is not feasible, by appointment with no more than two visitors at a time residing within the same household or living unit and one individual showing the unit (except that in person visits are not allowed when the occupant is still residing in the residence); 

• What is a virtual tour?

• Why can't I find information online about virtual tours?

• What should I do to be ready for a virtual tour?

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The payment of the second installment of property taxes in San Francisco is delayed until May 4, 2020.

Then we go down the rabbit hole in search of how the due dates came to be, where May 4 comes from, and what is likely to happen between now and then.

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