Chuck Barberini Real Estate

  “Just Thinking" Sometimes when I sit down to think, there’s just… nothing. I’ll find myself staring off into space, like I’m looking into a big black hole, trying to grab onto a thought that just isn’t there. On those days, when I’m digging for a topic for my “just thinking,” I come up empty. So, I start running through the basics, things I’ve done, places I’ve been, people I know. If that doesn’t spark anything, I dig a little deeper, flipping through the mental file cabinet of movies, TV shows, actors, songs, and bands. By that point I’m really reaching and still nothing. That’s when the panic starts to creep in… what now? Then I circle back to something that’s worked for me before, history. Did you know that on May 1, 1931, the Empire State Building was officially dedicated? The whole idea behind it actually came out of a rivalry between Walter Chrysler of Chrysler Corporation and John Jakob Raskob of General Motors, basically a race to see who could build the tallest skyscra...

Check Out This Weeks Newsletter NAR’s 2026 report shows Boomers are 55% of sellers and 42% of buyers, a reminder of how much this group is shaping real estate opportunity. More than half of all home sellers right now are Baby Boomers.  Boomers are also a major force on the buying side at 42%. The industry has spent years chasing younger households, but the group controlling the majority of for-sale housing has been hiding in plain sight.  The National Association of REALTORS ®  2026 Generational Trends report has the numbers to back that up. Boomers represent the largest share of sellers by a wide margin, and their decisions influence where inventory moves and how long it stays. Listings create momentum in any market, and the data show Boomers control the listings. Agents who build around this segment get direct access to inventory at a time when the market is still undersupplied. Let’s unpack the data, starting with how dominant Boomers are on both sides of the tran...

  When you put your house on the market, you don’t just want it to sell. You want it to sell fast . But the thing is, nationally, it’s taking a little longer to sell lately. And that slowdown can feel frustrating if you want a fast process. Here’s what you need to realize. In every market right now, there’s one clear exception: Well-priced, well-presented homes are still selling, and it’s often faster than you’d expect. If you can tap into that, you can still set yourself up to move quickly, too. Here’s how to get it done. How Long It Takes To Sell Today According to Realtor.com , homes are selling in about 52 days right now. That’s how long the process takes from the day it hits the market until closing day . And while that may sound slow to you, it’s not slow . It’s normal . That’s because it’s pretty much right in line with what it was during the last normal years in the market (see 2018-2019 in the graph below): It just feels slow when you’re eager to move – or when you think ...

  “Just Thinking" May 1 st , Happy May Day, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. May is also the Month of Mary, making May 1st a meaningful opening to a month centered on faith, humility, and devotion. We celebrated this in parochial school by placing a crown of flowers on a statue of Mary, while singing “Ave Maria”. Growing up in the 60s, there were countless influences that helped shape my character. Being raised in San Francisco, those influences were far more open‑minded than they might have been in other parts of the country. As a young kid with a head full of mush, I was living at ground zero for the Summer of Love in 1967, when tens of thousands of young people flocked to the city embracing peace, free love, psychedelics, and anti‑war protests. A favorite outing for the Barberini family was jumping into the County Squire for a trip to Haight and Ashbury to see the hippies, followed by a stop at Play Land for Its-It’s. Luckily for this young man, I was kept grounded by a stro...

  Check Out This Weeks Newsletter   NAR’s Dr. Lawrence Yun cuts his 2026 housing forecast, slashing projected existing-home sales growth from 14% to 4% as rising rates and inflation hit demand. The 2026 rebound story has officially hit a snag.  The early signals are already showing up in slower sales activity and a more cautious buyer pool, setting the tone for a year that for many feels tighter than expected. The National Association of REALTORS ® has now formalized that change in direction.  Dr. Lawrence Yun revised down his existing-home sales forecast by 10 percentage points, while also pulling new-home sales expectations back to flat. His update shows a market responding quickly to higher borrowing costs and softer demand conditions. NAR’s 2026 Forecast Downgrade NAR came into 2026 expecting a 14% jump in existing-home sales, but is now projecting 4%. Dr. Yun is pointing to affordability pressure and a slow start to the year as reasons to di...

  “Just Thinking" One hundred and twenty years ago this week, on the morning of April 18, 1906, at 5:13 a.m., one of the most powerful earthquakes in American history struck San Francisco. It is estimated to be 8.0 on the Richter scale, the quake killed approximately 3,000 people and toppled countless buildings. The earthquake was caused by a massive rupture along the San Andreas Fault, it tore through a segment nearly 275 miles long, with shockwaves felt as far north as southern Oregon and as far south as Los Angeles. San Francisco’s infrastructure proved especially vulnerable. Brick buildings crumbled, and the city’s iconic wooden Victorian homes were badly damaged. Almost immediately, fires erupted across the city. Broken water mains left firefighters powerless to contain the flames, and within hours, multiple firestorms merged into a citywide inferno. By April 23, most of the fires had finally been extinguished, allowing authorities to begin the daunting task of rebuilding. Ne...