Although the primary purpose of the San Francisco Association of REALTORS® is to offer business services and legislative representation to REALTORS® in San Francisco and surrounding areas, it also provides a variety of information services to the public to strengthen the connection between REALTORS® and consumers. Those services are described below.
District/Subdistrict Map
The district/subdistrict map, a longtime staple of the MLS operated by the San Francisco Association of REALTORS®, was last updated in 2009. The map defines neighborhoods and subneighborhoods, albeit unofficially, to allow listed properties to be searched by district and subdistrict, instead of street name or map coordinates. The boundary lines and district/subdistrict descriptions that were changed on the map most recently reflect changes in the nature and feel of the city’s neighborhoods.
www.SFARMLS.com
The San Francisco Association of REALTORS’® multiple listing service (SFARMLS) is the association’s best known service. It is the primary means by which real property for sale in San Francisco and the Northern Peninsula is marketed. The web-based, highly sophisticated service contains a multitude of search and analytic tools. Limited access to SFARMLS is available to the public to allow the inventory of properties for sale to be searched.
www.SFOpenHomes.com
SFOpenHomes.com, as its name implies, features listings of properties being held open for public viewing (including details relating to the properties) and other information that is likely to be of interest to prospective home buyers. It is the most complete guide to open homes in San Francisco and Daly City. Detailed search functions allow consumers to hone in on only the properties they wish to view.
Kurio Mobile Search
Kurio provides real-time access to local MLS data from a user’s mobile phone. Users can search property listings, view photos, maps, as well as critical property details, including price, square footage and remarks. And, connecting with the listing agent to request a showing is easy.
www.SFBayWindow.com
SFBayWindow.com provides owners of residential real property in San Francisco with a central resource guide to make homeownership and living in San Francisco more rewarding.
The web site contains more than 130 articles on subjects important to owners. From “Adding a Room” to “After-School Activities,” it’s all there, making the site the most robust resource guide for San Francisco homeowners on the web.
Topics are separated into three easy-to-navigate sub-headings: Your House, Your Neighborhood and Your City.
In addition, the site contains a fourth, separate category—Your Government—which provides descriptions of legislative proposals and ballot measures affecting the interests of property owners at the local, state and federal levels.
https://www.sfrealtors.com/media_center.html
“Spotlight with Tom Sinkovitz” is a constantly updated collection of video news stories on subjects intended to provide viewers with the information they need to know to better understand the dynamics of the current real estate market. The stories are produced by Tom Sinkovitz, the well-known NBC-TV anchor, and videographer Glen Kinion.
A link to the Spotlight video stories can be found on the home page of most REALTORS’® web sites, or the videos can be viewed by visiting the media center on www.SFRealtors.com, the association’s web site.
General Information for Buyers and Sellers of Real Property
The association’s “General Information for Buyers and Sellers of Real Property” document was developed to provide a means by which REALTOR® members can make buyers and sellers of real property more aware of their responsibilities in real property sale and purchase transactions. The document currently is 51 pages in length and contains information on 97 subjects.
The Association’s General Information document is used in virtually every residential real property sale and purchase transaction in the association’s jurisdiction.
Direct Mail to Owners of Real Property on Political Issues
Whenever an issue of importance to owners of real property arises in San Francisco, the association sends direct mail literature to owners throughout the city. The purpose is to mobilize property owners into taking action so that their interests can be protected.
Dramatic results have been achieved in staving off harmful legislation.
Market Focus Reports
The nationally recognized real estate economic consulting firm of Rosen Consulting Group prepares monthly reports on the condition of the residential real estate market in San Francisco and issues them to the press with an accompanying press release. The monthly reports include the following:
- Analyses of various for-sale housing statistics, utilizing housing data provided by Terradatum:
- Median home price and change in home prices;
- Average days on the market;
- Month’s supply of inventory; and
- The number of homes for sale on the market.
- Rosen Consulting Group’s view of the current housing and mortgage markets.
- A brief description of the employment situation in San Francisco, using employment data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Among other things, the reports are intended to dispel the notion that the San Francisco residential real estate market is no different than other markets in the country experiencing stagnation and significant price declines.