Sound Off
Appearing in the San Francisco Chronicle Real Estate Section
From time to time, the editors of the Real Estate section at the San Francisco Chronicle will ask leading area real estate agents their opinion and thoughts about various topics related to the Bay Area’s housing market. This is right up our alley given our track record, experience helping buyers and sellers in various parts of the Bay Area and given the fact that Kevin used to be a reporter and lawyer, so you know there‘s an opinion just waiting to get out.
Our HomeTown AI’s Very Own Disrupter and Our Housing Market
QUESTION:
Will volatility in the tech sector affect the Bay Area’s housing market?
Answer:
The tech sector has always had its ups and downs—recent DeepSeek-related turbulence is just another entry in the clips folder. But let’s not forget: four of the world’s most powerful tech titans, along with the most promising AI unicorns, remain headquartered in the Bay Area. The billionaires who shaped this industry? Still here. The workers who built it over decades? Still here. Many of these individuals have already realized their fortunes, and for those yet to, restricted stock units help buffer equity market volatility.
New challenges from disruptors like DeepSeek and emerging AI forces don’t spell disaster—they create opportunities. The people best positioned to rise to the challenge are backed by the same deep-pocketed giants that revolutionized the world and now function like modern utilities. Case in point: you’re likely reading this on an iPhone or a Samsung running Google’s OS.
A slight market chill? Perhaps. But the sheer momentum of Bay Area real estate is hard to derail. Many have already cashed out, bought homes, and weathered cycles. Ironically, real estate itself is a hedge against volatility, meaning nervous investors may pour money into property—which could push prices even higher.
This appeared in the Sunday, February 2, 2025, edition of the San Francisco Chronicle and on SFGate.
For More Sound-Off Snippets...
The tech sector has always had its ups and downs—recent DeepSeek-related turbulence is just another entry in the clips folder. But let’s not forget: four of the world’s most powerful tech titans, along with the most promising AI unicorns, remain headquartered in the Bay Area. The billionaires who shaped this industry? Still here. The workers who built it over decades? Still here. Many of these individuals have already realized their fortunes, and for those yet to, restricted stock units help buffer equity market volatility.
How local elections in San Francisco and elsewhere will impact housing decisions that have consequences for everyone and the market with Kevin Ho and Jonathan McNarry, top producing buyer and seller agents with San Francisco’s Vanguard Properties, the leading locally owned LGBTQ real estate brokerage for San Francisco and the Bay Area.
1264 Church Street, San Francisco, a sunny, top-floor, 2-bed, 1-bath, 1-car parking garage space with ±1,284 sqft (per LiDar) as listed by Kevin Ho and Jonathan McNarry of Vanguard Properties. SF MLS 423910006. www.1264-church.com At the heart of this stand-out property is the newly renovated chef’s kitchen (designed for cooking classes and entertaining), the new bathroom, new, in-unit laundry, new stainless appliances, dual pane windows, wood floors and designer lighting. Combined with its 1935 Spanish-revival heritage in a sought-after Noe Valley location, 1264 Church is exceptional.