Bonnie Spindler » Press / Article / Video

In the news: 710 Steiner, San Francisco – Painted Lady

Admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:02:31 +0000

SF Real Estate Examiner - Open house at Painted Lady this weekend

NBC Bay Area News - Take a Tour Inside a Painted Lady

NBC Bay Area News - Buy One of San Francisco’s Painted Ladies

Wall Street Journal - ’Painted Lady’ for $2.295 Million

Ripples of Holiday Thanks

Bonnie — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:47:36 +0000

Thanks to the INCREDIBLE GENEROSITY of guests attending my Holiday Party. I received this today:

Dear Bonnie,
On behalf of the board, staff, and community of Hamilton Family Center, I would like to thank you for making the holidays incredibly special for our families.

As we received gifts for so many of our children, we were blown away by the bounty and generosity you and your friends. I hope each person who donated knows that there is a child here who was thrilled to receive the new gifts.

A few days before Christmas, one mother shared with her case manager how much her daughter wanted a baby doll, and the case manager was thrilled to find out that the baby doll had already arrived and was waiting to be wrapped. A father, upon receiving the bag of gifts for his daughter, asked “Are these really all for Nicole?” At holiday parties, parents and children decorated amazing gingerbread houses together, laughing and eating half the candy as they decorated. Overall, the season was graced with beautifully wrapped gifts, delicious homemade food, and cheerfully decorated rooms. Without the support from volunteers and donors, none of this would have been possible!

It was encouraging to hear stories from so many people who donated. Companies, churches, and individuals not only collected toys, but also spread the word near and far about what Hamilton is doing. A five year old girl saved money to buy two Barbies for one of the children living here. Other donors have experienced homelessness directly or in their families and wanted to help those currently facing this challenge. Your stories inspire and encourage us to keep doing what we do.

Thank YOU for caring and helping make the holidays memorable for families and children experiencing homelessness. Please let us know if you’d like to get involved in other ways throughout the year. Check out our website for more information: www.hamiltonfamilycenter.org

All the best,
Debbie Wilber

Is It Time to Buy? Read the Real Estate Market Update

Bonnie — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:53:41 +0000

time to buy?

Although there have been continuing bumps in the road to recovery for the housing market, there are solid signs of improvement.

Altos Research recently indicated that median national home prices for the 26 markets that it covers have risen from $444,273 in May to $450,358 in June. Listing prices have also risen over the past three months by more than 2%, and these statistics are coming from a pool of markets not nearly as resilient as ours. San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting recently stated that the city “still has the strongest real estate market in the state” after announcing a $2 billion increase in value of property roll.

There has also been an increase in the number of new home development projects set to break ground. A rise in the confidence levels of developers is particularly significant because they are traditionally conservative about coming back into the marketplace.

The truth is, no one can see into the future or time the market. Buyers love to buy when the market is “hot,” but a “hot” market is also a seller’s market. If the priority is to invest in a home for the long term, there’s really no reason to follow the crowd into a market with higher prices and higher interest rates.

The choice appears to be: purchase with the crowd and kick yourself for having waited, or take advantage of the amazing opportunity that is right in front of us.

Curbed-SF Finds the World's Coolest Garage Door

Bonnie — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:51:41 +0000

San Francisco’s Planning Department has always been known for its limits facade changes and alterations to the exterior of a building. Preserving a historic facade and the overall character of historic buildings is the goal. But today’s homeowners (and renters) want parking! Here is a cleaver way around that one! Read about it here:

Take Action Today! Two Important Bills That Will Affect Property Owners

Bonnie — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:32:30 +0000

ITEM ONE:
Legislation Introduced to Change 3-Day Notice to Pay or Quit to 14-Day Notice
Your Letters are Needed Now
Assembly Member Ammiano (D-San Francisco) has introduced legislation that will extend the 3 Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit to 14 days. This bill, which was previously removed from the hearing calendar, has been rescheduled to be heard April 5 in the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Your letters of opposition are again needed. Even if you wrote previously, please take the time to write again.
If this bill moves out of the Judiciary Committee, it will go to the Assembly Floor, send a letter to your Assembly Member now.

ITEM TWO:
Bill Allows Tenants to Sue Landlords over Eviction Proceedings
Your Letters Are Needed
The California Apartment Association (CAA) is strongly opposed to State Assembly Bill 934, authored by Assemblyman Mike Feuer of Los Angeles. The bill would allow a tenant to sue a rental property owner based on the statements made in an unlawful detainer action. Current state law – known as litigation privilege – protects property owners from these types of claims.
The negative impacts of this proposal are many including that a property owner could be sued by a tenant for statements made in legally required pre-litigation documents (3 Day Notices, for example), before that litigation is even resolved. Owners would be greatly discouraged not only from pursuing a court action, but also from serving tenants with notices that may result in their compliance, thereby preventing the need for an eviction.
Your letters of opposition are needed.
This bill is scheduled to be heard on the Assembly Floor in the next week or so.
PLEASE VISIT THIS LINK AND SEND YOUR EMAIL LETTER TODAY!

Transfer Tax in SF Changes Tomorrow!

Bonnie — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 20:28:31 +0000

The San Francisco transfer tax is changing TOMORROW, December 17th.
The Transfer tax has INCREASED when a sale price is over $5,000,000.00
There is also an increase if a sale price is over $10,000,000.00.
The new rates are as follows:
More than $100, but less than or equal to $250K- $5/$1000.
More than $250K, but less than $1,000,000.00- $6.80/$1000.
$1,000,000.or more, but less thank $5,000,000.- $7.50/$1000
$5,000,000 or more but less than $10,000,000- $20/$1000
$10,000,000 or More – $25 or more.

A REAL ART HOUSE by Leigh Remizowski, NY Daily News

Bonnie — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:20:50 +0000

A REAL ART HOUSE

Condos let artists set up free galleries

BY Leigh Remizowski
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Friday, September 17th 2010, 10:12 AM

IT’S THE next big thing in art galleries – empty luxury condos.

A Long Island City real estate firm is playing matchmaker between prospective homebuyers and local artists seeking patrons.

Modern Spaces NYC is offering up its vacant condominiums as gallery space for artists – boosting their exposure while sprucing up the hard-to-sell apartments.

“The marriage of art and real estate couldn’t be more right,” said Eric Benaim, president of Modern Spaces.

The firm takes no commission from the artists and gives them full reign to decorate the model units as they see fit. Then, the art-filled condos are used as venues for open houses.

“Every time we have done this, the artist has sold pieces,” Benaim said.

The paintings and etchings of Brooklyn artist Chris Mendoza are currently on display in a $1 million penthouse at Ten 63 Condominiums, a 41-unit complex on Jackson Ave.

“A lot of time in galleries, you get told what to do,” Mendoza said. “But here I was free to put the art where I wanted it.”

Even better, Modern Spaces is offering the person who ends up buying the three-bedroom penthouse a $1,000 credit toward Mendoza’s artwork.

“A lot of new buyers are changing their lifestyles by moving,” Benaim said. “Maybe their oil painting of fruit won’t work anymore.”

At the Powerhouse Condominium on 51st Ave., Modern Spaces dons the walls of its sales office with photographs by former Long Island City resident Eric Laverty.

Laverty was commissioned by the building’s developer to chronicle the transformation of the Long Island Rail Road power plant into a luxury apartment complex.

He took more than 17,000 photos, many of which have been purchased by residents of the building.

“It just made sense to show my photos there,” Laverty said.

Recently, Modern Spaces also opened up an empty, unfinished unit on the first floor of Ten 63 Condominiums to the international artists cooperative, We-Are-Familia, for a so-called “popup” gallery.

The gallery moves between unoccupied spaces around the world for short, weeks-long exhibits. Modern Spaces offered the Jackson Ave. location for free.

“It gets more people in to see their space and it helps us because we don’t use the traditional gallery,” said Jennifer Garcia, a founder of We-Are-Familia.

Garcia recently was hired by Modern Spaces to recruit artists for the agency.

Benaim said working with local artists is his way of giving back to the people who he believes made Long Island City what it is today.

“Development usually follows the artists,” he said. “These are the people who are bringing life to an area.”

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2010/09/17/2010-09-17_a_real_art_house_condos_let_artists_set_up_free_galleries.html#ixzz16v9fZpdA

ART NOT INCLUDED

Bonnie — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:15:58 +0000

Local Artists' Work Create Conversation Pieces at an Otherwise Vacant Home for Sale

In the peak of the market, houses seemed to be selling themselves. Front doors opened and floods of buyers streamed in, and decided overnight, if they should write an offer or not. Today, in one of the worst real estate markets in memory, agents jostle, juggle and position their properties to get the attention of too few buyers. In San Francisco’s last downturn, I recall frequent flier miles, Jaguars and furniture thrown in to the price to entice a buyer. Today, Listing Agents are paying Selling Agents higher commissions for bringing buyers to the table; lunches for agents on broker’s tour is commonplace. Twilight tours by candlelight are hosted to draw traffic. Wine and cheese parties have become ubiquitous.

I noticed that my artist friends couldn’t find galleries to show their work, and sales on discretionary items such as art, is down as well. I started hosting art shows in empty homes to create interest for the house, act as staging and hopefully generate sales for the artists. My friend Jennifer Davis was out visiting from New York and saw one of my art shows. Shortly thereafter, this piece ran in the NY Daily News titled A Real Art House. Enjoy!

The old “California cooler”

Bonnie — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 23:04:40 +0000

On the inside of the cooler box, perforated or screened shelves were built-in to hold things like potatoes, onions, fruits, etc.

As a builder in San Francisco, we have done our share of Victorian remodels over the last 25 years. I have always been impressed with the suitability of the Victorian design to the unique weather characteristics of the Bay Area. Temperate in nature and usually quite rainy, the San Francisco weather can vary drastically from micro-climate to micro-climate, but it does not vary too much through the seasons. Unlike the East Coast or the North West, we do not have extremes in temperature here in San Francisco. We are legendary for our natural air conditioning that kicks in when it’s 110 in the valley.

Early builders here in San Francisco took advantage of the characteristic weather and harnessed the cool air to help keep food fresh. Known as the San Francisco cooler, builders would open a stud bay near the kitchen to the exterior, stopping the sheathing and siding and inserting a framed box that looked like a tall thin window. Instead of glass, however, the builder would insert a series of horizontal louvered panels that would prevent rain water from entering while allowing air to move freely in the box. Behind the shutter like louvers, the builder would attach screen to keep out the bugs. On the inside of the cooler box, perforated or screened shelves were built-in to hold things like potatoes, onions, fruits, etc. Cabinet doors on the inside finished off this early version of a refrigerator. Some versions lacked an interior component and would simply act as a ventilator for the pantry as a whole. Cool air would circulate through the louvers and slow the deterioration of food stores.

Many times, we have removed drywall or plaster from other remodels to discover these cooler vents that were abandoned. If you are remodeling your Victorian, look for the telltale, shutter-like structure on the outside of your building, usually located in a light well or breezeway. Re-opening an existing cooler or installing a new one in your pantry is a simple, practical and economical way to take advantage of our unique weather pattern and save energy. Sometimes the old ways are the greenest ways.

Have a question or topic you’d like us to cover? Submit at: lteutschel@matpelbuilders.com

Matarozzi/Pelsinger Builders is an award-winning residential builder in San Francisco, CA. Feel free to contact them with your Bay Area building questions, anytime!

(415)814-8912

www.matpelbuilders.com

Victoriana Today: A Builder’s View

Bonnie — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 22:50:29 +0000

Bonnie Spindler the Victorian Specialist Presents:

Two new features! Our blog will now feature unique content about all aspects of home improvement in San Francisco & the Bay Area, including historic & Victorian homes. Readers will learn about energy efficiency, products, events, current legislation, do it yourself tips, and more. Bonnie Spindler is proud to bring you this original content courtesy of Matarozzi/Pelsinger Builders, an award-winning San Francisco builder with 25 years of expertise and a pioneer in green & sustainable building techniques. We hope you enjoy it and we hope you participate by submitting your questions!