About Misha
One of the things I love about this business is that it requires a broad skill-set. You`ve got to have the imagination to see how a home might fit your client's needs or how you can spruce it up to sell at the best price. You`ve got to be well-organized, detail-oriented, a savvy negotiator, and tech-literate. And besides all of that, you`ve got to genuinely enjoy people because this is a people business. Nobody's perfect, but I believe that the broad range of professional experiences and aptitudes that I bring to my work is what sets me apart.
My background is in law: I practiced commercial real estate law for a leading San Francisco firm for seven years before deciding to do something different because life is too short. I have a broad and deep interest in real estate, going back to 1987 when I purchased my first property in San Francisco, a three unit building “in need of work” in the area now known as NoPa.
For most of us, buying or selling a home will be the largest single financial transaction we will ever make. What with all the legal paperwork, the marketing, the negotiations, the inspections and disclosures, it's fair to say that the details really do matter. With my background in law and in business, I'm used to sweating the details while always remembering that buying or selling a home is not just another financial transaction: it's also a highly personal and emotional one.
Always putting my clients' interests first is not just a legal fiduciary obligation to me; it's central to who I am and how I find satisfaction in this work. My commitment to my clients is founded on two principles:
(1). using real data rather than sales hype to guide the decision-making process; and
(2). communicating frequently and transparently about every aspect of the transaction.
For some of my views on the market and other things that interest me, please take a look at my blog, at www.realdatasf.com
EDUCATION
J.D., UC Berkeley (1982)
B.A. (English Literature), summa cum laude, UCLA (1979)
Regents' Scholar, 1978-79
Elected member Phi Beta Kappa, 1979
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Licensed California attorney (inactive status)*
Licensed California real estate broker-associate and REALTOR®
Member, San Francisco Association of Realtors®
Past Member, San Francisco Association of Realtors Technology Subcommittee
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS
Active in real estate investment since 1987
Extensive experience in residential renovations in San Francisco
INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES
Neighborhood Liaison at Temple Emanu-El for Noe Valley
Freelance food and travel journalism
Chess, ping pong, photography, camping, fly fishing
Food, wine, classical music and jazz
FUN FACT
In 1995, I accidentally co-founded the gourmet fast food sensation, Chili-Up!, which grew to five Bay Area stores. My Pork 'N Tomatillo chili is legendary.
PERSONAL
Born, Sydney, Australia.
Lived in San Francisco since 1984
Languages: English, Conversational French
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS/PANELS
Professional/Real Estate: “CEB Action Guide to Commercial Leasing,” California Continuing Education of the Bar (1993) Panelist, Global Conference Network - `Understanding and Negotiating Facilities Leases.” (1991-92)
Food And Travel: Economist.com - City Guide to San Francisco
""To Honor The Crab, Dismember It,"" More Intelligent Life, Jan 2008
* I do not provide legal advice. If legal advice should become necessary during the transaction, I can refer to you to qualified attorneys if you do not have your own.
Testimonials
Misha was a great partner in preparing us to part with the home we lived in for decades. He offered us sage advice, backed by data and insight, engaged us in a collaborative process of decision making, made wise — and economical — choices about renovations and staging, and succeeded in exceeding our expectations in terms of the price and conditions of the sale. Misha is smart and funny, patient and accessible, a careful and responsive listener, and a resourceful and well-connected agent. We felt supported during the entire process. He is a stellar human being, and we enthusiastically recommend him!
- Saul and Rob
You know you have a great agent when even the seller's agent subsequently tells you he'd never worked opposite someone who so completely had his customer's back? Overall we felt completely taken care of every step of the way. Our interaction with Misha was one of the best service experiences we've had and we wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone considering a home purchase in San Francisco. -- -- David B
We found Misha to an outstanding partner in our move from Paris to San Francisco. Given we were living so far away it was important to be able to rely on Misha to manage the process of finding our dream home and once we did to have his help in the process of the transaction that is complex enough without out it being also foreign and occurring several thousand miles away!Misha's knowledge and expertise of the San Francisco market was a tremendous help in the search. We were pretty focused on the Noe Valley area and he has a lot of knowledge on the neighborhood as well as a lot of data to add insights. He tuned in quickly to what our needs were and fortunately we were lucky to find the perfect house in Noe Valley. He is also fluent in French with a good understanding of the local French community. For an executive moving from France to this part of the world it's great to have an agent that knows what to look for to make that transition a bit easier. -Vince P.