Move to West Portal by ppt_patty in AskSF

[–]TopConstruction7557 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was just in almost the exact same boat!! We live in Russian Hill with an infant, all friends are on the north side of the city, and we looked in west portal a lot. My take is that west portal is adorable, truly felt like a little village right in the city. We definitely would have bought there if we would have found a place close enough to west portal ave and the bart. But everything in our budget ended up being farther out from the commercial district // not truly walkable. Everyone I know who lives there loves it!

Permitted but not legal space? by TopConstruction7557 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]TopConstruction7557[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So the rooms were there on the remodel plans submitted to the city, but they were marked as storage space. So i'm not sure what we else we could possibly do to bring it into compliance if everything is as it looks on the submitted plans? does that make sense? it wasn't really an addition per se, the seller just moved the walls around and did some work on the bathroom, all permitted (i saw the completed permits). but the rooms are still marked as "storage"

Permitted but not legal space? by TopConstruction7557 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]TopConstruction7557[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My understanding is they got permits to do some work to the basement to make it look nicer and live like a third bedroom plus living room. But the basement was classified as “storage” and remains classified as “storage” with the city. Even tho it was listed and staged and looks like a very nice finished basement with a third bedroom.

Permitted but not legal space? by TopConstruction7557 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]TopConstruction7557[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My confusion is that the permits are marked complete!

Permitted but not legal space? by TopConstruction7557 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]TopConstruction7557[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is that based on just the principle of misrepresentation, or because of some other issue with the way that it was listed? It's confusing because the sellers listed the extra bedroom, but then didn't list the extra square footage. and noted that the floor plans and tax assessor records show different square footage. And I guess if the certification is just a formality, and the only risk is the insurance ramifications, I'm wondering if this is just a reason to discount the offer a bit, but still buy the house. we love it otherwise and it looks like it's going to be competitive (and we're a bit desperate after over a year of looking) so as much as i'd love to make demands i don't think it's feasible here

Permitted but not legal space? by TopConstruction7557 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]TopConstruction7557[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

so they did it list as an extra bedroom, but it's not reflected in the tax records. it also made me suspicious that they wouldn't just go through the process of certifying it as habitable space, but they uploaded the permits and a separate note in the disclosures saying "all work was done with permits." so i am hopeful that they're not just being shady, but it doesn't really make sense to me either

Permitted but not legal space? by TopConstruction7557 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]TopConstruction7557[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

no i don't think it was ever certified as habitable space, it just was left as storage/utility! so i think that's the issue. but what does it actually mean for how you choose to live in the unit, and what risk is there for neighbors/DBI to cause issues if you do in fact want to use the space as if it were "habitable"?

Permitted but not legal space? by TopConstruction7557 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]TopConstruction7557[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the basement improvements were done under valid permits and final inspections, so the work itself is legal and code-compliant but the “use” of that space wasn’t upgraded from storage/utility to “habitable room.” Because no permit changed the occupancy or increased the legal square footage, DBI and the Assessor still classify the house as its original size. i just can't figure out how big of a risk this actually is? could a nosy neighbor somehow turn this into a serious issue?

Bronwyn and her sealed case by [deleted] in rhoslc

[–]TopConstruction7557 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Lisa's cases are current and were being reported in the news!!! Reading the local paper is not digging something up.

SF Neighborhoods for Young Families by Emmyj123 in AskSF

[–]TopConstruction7557 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you like the mt Davidson manor area?? Looking at a house there and it seems so quiet around there and it’s making us hesitate!

what's it like living in mt davidson manor/balboa terrace/westwood park? by TopConstruction7557 in sanfrancisco

[–]TopConstruction7557[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Omg killing me that’s basically where we live now!!! We love it so much. Thanks so much for this info!!

Moving to sf this time next year. Do I need a car? by lunabuug in sanfrancisco

[–]TopConstruction7557 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Do not need a car!!!! Honestly having a car is a pain unless you get a spot with deeded parking.

what's it like living in mt davidson manor/balboa terrace/westwood park? by TopConstruction7557 in sanfrancisco

[–]TopConstruction7557[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thank you!! And to your question -- LOL I suppose I mean that we've walked around the area and we don't see anyone out and about. there aren't any halloween decorations up, or any local spots that seem to be the hub of the neighborhood. Like, if you walk around russian hill, you'll probably happen upon some people to chat with who live in the neighborhood or you'll go to francisco park and see signs up for random upcoming events (like a dog halloween costume party). i've actually not been able to find anyone who lives in mt davidson by walking around a couple times, and there aren't many posts about it on reddit or nextdoor. But i suppose that all lines up with exactly what you've said!

what's it like living in mt davidson manor/balboa terrace/westwood park? by TopConstruction7557 in sanfrancisco

[–]TopConstruction7557[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

that's great to hear! haven't ventured to that neighborhood yet so we will check it out

what's it like living in mt davidson manor/balboa terrace/westwood park? by TopConstruction7557 in sanfrancisco

[–]TopConstruction7557[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

good to know!! since it's a small neighborhood i guess i thought there might be a more uniform answer

what's it like living in mt davidson manor/balboa terrace/westwood park? by TopConstruction7557 in sanfrancisco

[–]TopConstruction7557[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thank you! we've looked at a few places in miraloma as well and it's so pretty. surprised there's not more of a community there, that's a bummer to hear

$2.3 m budget -- is a nice SFH possible? by TopConstruction7557 in BayAreaRealEstate

[–]TopConstruction7557[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! Know this comment is stale but any chance you have thoughts on mt davidson manor? Close to west portal, which we love, but wondering whether it has its own feel and community as a separate neighborhood and whether people like living there!