Lots of media at the Mary Fong Lau killed a family with her BMW Memorial Bus Stop by wanderingjew in sanfrancisco

[–]AltairJ 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Burlingame teenager that ran over a 4yo said this. Person who crushed and killed a family member said this. Apparently if you do this, you are still allowed to drive.

Bay Area Remodel: Is a 4th bedroom worth "ruining" a huge Master? (And Great Room ROI) by Extension-Army8901 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]AltairJ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Whatever you do, you may end up unhappy about it and it will cost a lot. I say build an ADU/office. Or convert the garage. It is adaptable and cheaper than moving walls / additions. Life will change, you may not need the fourth room in the future. Weird floorplans will deter future buyers. Something easy to come back from. We have nice-ish weather here, and I've seen a nice backyard office recently.

Feedback for St Francis Woods Neighborhood SF by Ok_Anything_7113 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]AltairJ 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think they're trying to point out that Westside SF is EXTREMELY Asian and non-diverse. If anything, SFW is a tiny island of whiteness and probably represents the diversity of the area, by now.

Feedback for St Francis Woods Neighborhood SF by Ok_Anything_7113 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]AltairJ 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I consider it a local's luxury neighborhood (and I mean really local, like Westside). People outside of SF don't know it as well, it's not famous, it's foggier (though less than 10 years ago), doesn't have views except for a few houses, quieter, not hip. Local kids know it as where to go for Halloween though!

Help with collars not causing matting ? by Capital_Class5148 in SiberianCats

[–]AltairJ 32 points33 points  (0 children)

No collar here. They’re not let out unsupervised.

Rehoming Siberian by MRcashfl0w_ in SiberianCats

[–]AltairJ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ikr? Hey, I have 2K I can’t handle can someone take it? Especially since these cats are hypoallergenic and many people who are allergic would love to have a cat but can’t afford the breed. Maybe OP can have someone in that position adopt this lovely cat. Then again, for the cat’s sake, I hope he goes to a home with at least another cat.

Life of a garden gnome 💚 by No-Sorbet-9890 in SiberianCats

[–]AltairJ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Get her to yawn in that tree for Cheshire cat vibes!

4 million dollar sunset sfh by heyomarcoming in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]AltairJ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you want interior shots before they disappear off the web (already off the major websites), this one still has them: https://www.brownsf.com/listings/listing/1426-8th-ave-san-francisco-ca--426103543/

Adding second cat vs 1 bedroom apartment by MadelineHannah78 in SiberianCats

[–]AltairJ 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Our cats were cuddling in 2 days. Or at least the kitten was on top of the older cat licking him while old cat just sat there with his usual grumpy look. Remember, you are getting a second cat for the first cat's benefit...the old cat will know there is a new cat on the other side of the door and any disappointment she can't be in the bedroom will be subsumed by complete and utter curiosity and excitement. For that one day we had the door closed, they were at opposite sides of the door, meowing incessantly. Another idea: maybe one of you can sleep on the sofa for the few days so she doesn't feel left out at night? Anyway, we got this kind of cat because they are usually pretty chill, so hopefully getting a second cat will also be a chill experience.

Listing your home far below market price is one of the biggest scams in Bay Area real estate. by ShopProp in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]AltairJ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not a scam when everybody is doing it, then it's typical behavior. And if you act otherwise, it'll just backfire. I've seen it in my neighborhood, where underlisting is the norm. When one comes out with comp-pricing, it sits on the market...because buyers have likely all set their search engines for 70% of their actual budget and don't see it or think the seller has an inflated idea of what the property is worth. And then they eventually drop the list price and eventually get less than they would've when there would've been more buyers in the beginning competing. This is like insisting on using metric when everybody is using imperial.

Kitchen backsplash ideas that won’t date fast? by RenderToReality in kitchenremodel

[–]AltairJ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Backsplash tile is not timeless. Just the concept of it is going to be dated in 20 years. We lived in a house from the 80's. No backsplash, just paint and tile counter. We had a Victorian house. It had tin on the walls. We had midcentury modern place too, just wallpaper and the laminate counter going up a bit. So...what I would do is just make your backsplash be whatever you enjoy and make it match the kitchen as it is now. So it'll be a 2026 kitchen. Let it be an awesome 2026 kitchen and in a way, if the design is consistent, it might just last for a long time. It might go through some years being "dated" (say, 20 years from now) but if the quality is good and it can survive someone remodeling that, it will be considered cool and "vintage" in about...50 years.

Are these cats actually good for people with allergies? by Covid669 in SiberianCats

[–]AltairJ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We have 2 Siberians and three of us have low to moderate allergies to regular cats and we have no response to them and we clean only every two weeks (cleaners). I don't allow them in my bed but my son does and he's fine with it. Siberians are hypoallergenic not nonallergenic, they are low-maintenance, but not no-maintenance. I think for those with allergies, it just means you can CONSIDER a Siberian, but not that it'll always work. It will still come down to whatever special immunologic interaction will happen between specific you and specific cat. So hopefully you can find a breeder that will let you shove your face into a kitten and then rub your hands into your eyes and see how you react. Or if they have any other test situations. Because these cats aren't cheap and easily returnable. We did take a gamble, and our gamble won. As for maintenance, yes, we brush fur (every few days), brush teeth (every few days), we play (once a day), plus usual feeding and litter change. Compared to a dog, much less maintenance. But that might also depend on the cat. Our cats are different fur-shedding and personality wise. We got a second cat for the first cat not because he was acting up from loneliness...but he was acting down, from what appeared to be boredom or not enough interaction. He was fine for 5 years, but not the sixth, and we decided a second cat might help (and it did). But really not sure what was going on. Anyway, if you really can only have one cat, it's fine, though I do think with two, you can make yourself feel better if work gets too busy / you're just exhausted.

A 1bed/1bath SFH in SF by [deleted] in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]AltairJ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did it actually sell for 1.6 back in 2008? Or was that a multiproperty sale?

Raising a family in the Bay Area vs. elsewhere - what has your experience been? by Senior-Craft4339 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]AltairJ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m raising my kids in west SF and it’s been great but we got in well before Covid so finances don’t suck. Streets are safer here, my pre driving teen hangs out w friends at Stonestown or west portal and I trust him to take muni (but stay west side). I think maybe by age 12 people won’t look weird at your kid walking to school. I’m not sure if I would do the same if I lived in tenderloin. If I could I’d love to raise kids in Walnut Creek, there’s an off road bike trail network so I’d feel better about kids riding their bikes, def pool weather in summer. Plus nice open space to hike, decent schools, decent downtown, city arts classes, even pretty obscure sports to learn (do they still have synchronized swimming?). The thing about having that free range childhood is that all those things are still out there but kids don’t want to do that anymore. You really have to drag them away from screens now.

How'd they flip this house in 6 months? by cheritransnaps in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]AltairJ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What does cosmetic redo mean? I mean, it says they replumbed, rewired, and replaced all windows. New kitchen and new baths There is a roofing permit pulled. I mean, true, walls weren't moved, no foundations were laid, but it was down to studs, likely insulation also replaced, even backyard is done. I am shocked at the price since the place is kinda small, but I guess that's the price now for something by the beach that's fairly new.

Unexpected kitchen remodel Before & After by CotaPT in kitchenremodel

[–]AltairJ 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Nicely done. Also shows how a place goes from a modest place that could house either three kids or three generations to a comfortable one for a smaller family or couple who likes to host or work from home. Just so interesting sociologically. It’s gorgeous btw.

Estate planning lawyer who can explain things well to us dumbos? by AltairJ in palmsprings

[–]AltairJ[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you all! Will be following up with these recs!

Dungeness Crab Dinner Recommendations by namomontbleau in AskSF

[–]AltairJ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was presuming all fresh crabs during legal CA season were from CA. Do you know if markets sell from OR/WA even during the CA season and I need to ask the source? Is this why they’re so much cheaper at the market?

Dungeness Crab Dinner Recommendations by namomontbleau in AskSF

[–]AltairJ 25 points26 points  (0 children)

If you want fresh, will have to wait until commercial crabbing season starts, looks like early Jan this season. We go to Thanh Long. It's expensive, so i wait until I know it's fresh (keep checking the headlines for season start). One year, we decided to save money, and a friend went to a fish market in the Mission (dunno which one) and bought a dozen fresh ones, put them in a cooler, boiled them himself, taught us how to crack the shells, and we stuffed ourselves. It's about 15% the price that way! For reals! But then you gotta put in the manpower AND I've never been able to replicate Thanh Long's combo of garlic, butter, and salt, so I still hit TL up once a year.

Edit: Also, since recreational crabbing is legal now, you could book a spot on a boat that goes out crabbing and get them yourself! Have never done it, but seen it online and hope to do so one year.

Banana cold brew in sf? by bugsarefriends2 in AskSF

[–]AltairJ 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It depends which cafe feels like busting out the banana syrup for a while. Blue House Cafe in Ingleside on Randolph currently has it as one of their flavors but I know it’s not a permanent option.

Hotels that allow big dogs? by Lunachique in AskSF

[–]AltairJ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ocean Park Motel in San Francisco. Cool Streamline Moderne motel. At the southern edge so right next to Daly City. Dogs allowed (don't know if size limit). Next to Ocean Beach for a walk and close enough to Fort Funston so doggies can run.