February 15, 2023 GM Letter

February 15, 2023

Dear San Francisco Suites owners,

“May you leap into a bright future in the year of the rabbit”

After two years without the festival parade, the dragon appeared, despite the rain, on February 4 in Chinatown. The San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade is one of the 10 largest parades in the world. The streets were lined with residents and tourists to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit with much enthusiasm and joy.

  • China Live, 644 Broadway was booked to capacity with customers celebrating the elegant surroundings and enjoying the contemporary Cantonese cuisine. Paris will next host China Live as George Chen opens a second location at the Louvre Museum.
  • The beloved dim sum palace, Hong Kong 11, which was destroyed 4 years ago in a fire, returns this month as HK Lounge Bistro at 1135 Folsom.
  • The elegant, Empress by Boon, in the heart of Chinatown at 838 Grant, continues to be a difficult reservation to book, but remember that you can also walk in and be seated at the gorgeous bar and still be able to dine off the menu.

The Suites Boardroom has recently been reserved for quite a few celebratory gatherings.

  • The annual crab feast was held in January after postponing it for 3 years due to the pandemic. The owner hosted the event with San Francisco cracked Dungeness crab.

Friends and family flew in from all around the country and they had a grand time.

Recently, an owner invited friends to join them at the Suites over a weekend and the couple fell in love with the Suites and wanted to become owners.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, they drove up from Paso Robles to attend the VOTA foreclosure auction, which was held across from City Hall at the War Memorial Opera House Gate, bid on the Master Suite and now are new owners.

Now that’s romance!

The Board is offering another opportunity to own in San Francisco and enjoy the Suites for 7 days a year by auctioning 4 Parlors and 1 Master at the Board of Directors’ Spring Auction.

Please find the link below:

I invite you to call the Front Desk and book your reservations or reserve the Boardroom for a festive gathering.

There is much to enjoy in San Francisco and wonderful memories to be made.

  • St Patrick’s Day Parade is held on March 11
  • SF Cherry Blossom Festival and Parade is held in Japantown on April 8-9 and 15-16

We all look forward to welcoming you back to your “home away from home.”

Please find the BOD January 22 minutes below:

Let’s leap into the Year of the Rabbit together!

Warmest wishes,

Cynthia Reid
General Manager
San Francisco Suites

2/15/23

bod spring 2023 auction

San Francisco Suites on Nob Hill

February 15, 2023

Dear San Francisco Suites Owners and Friends of the Suites,

The Board of Directors would like to hold a special Spring Auction

for 4 SFS-owned Parlors and 1 Master:

  • 11P Whose year January 1,2023-Dec 31,2023, with 7 days still available

  • 348P Whose year is July 1,2022-June 30,2023, with 7 days still available.

  • 242P Whose year is April1,2023-March 30,2024 with 7 days still available

  • 27P Whose year is April 1,2023-March 30,2024, with 7 days still available.

The minimum bid for the Parlor is $100.00

  • 78M Whose year is April 1,2023-March 31,2024, with 7 days still available.

The minimum bid for the Master is$3,000.00.

The auction is open to anyone interested in placing a bid.

The property taxes for 2023 have been paid.

The 4 highest bids for the Parlors will win and the highest bid for the Master will win.

The buyer agrees to pay escrow costs, which are about $800.

The 2023 assessment of $1,555.00 will also be due.

This special auction will close on March 15, 2023, at 9 PM. No bids will be accepted after this time.

This is a unique opportunity for you to purchase a share that has become a liability because its owner has decided to “walk away” from their financial responsibility to the Association.

Please email your bid or bids to creidgm@sfsuitescsa.com

Please call me at (415) 433-9700 if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Cynthia Reid
General Manager
San Francisco Suites

CC: Chuck Meibeyer, President of the Board

BOD Minutes of January 21, 2023

San Francisco Suites
Board of Directors
Minutes of Open Meeting (draft)
January 21, 2023

 

I. Call to Order

President Meibeyer called the meeting to order at 11:02 a.m. The meeting was held in person, with a Zoom link available for any owners wishing to attend remotely.

II. Roll Call

Board Members present (in person):
Chuck Meibeyer, President
Jo Ann Trembath, Vice-President
Dwight Walker, Treasurer
Fred Munroe, Secretary

Jeff Reichel, Member at Large was excused

Others present:

Cynthia Reid, General Manager
Lynne Henze, owner

III. Owners Forum:

Owner Lynne Henze was glad to just be able to attend and thanked the board and staff for their service.

IV. President’s Report:

  1. President Meibeyer’s reported that, with the assistance of a financial advisor, we were able to move a substantial portion of the association’s reserves into an interest-bearing Treasury Bill program. These funds (approximately $600,000) are now in secure investment programs returning interest at about 4.4 percent, per annum. Dwight clarified that this action was approved by the board at our November meeting.
  2. The President summarized the staff’s positive actions related to protecting staff and guests related to COVID. Chuck advised us that due to the receding risk in San Francisco, he will be working with Cynthia between now and our March meeting to develop a more relaxed COVID policy that will be voted on by the Board in March.

V. Approval of Minutes:

The minutes from the November 5, 2022 board meeting, with no corrections, were moved for
approval on a motion by Jo Ann, seconded by Dwight. With no further discussion, the motion carried unanimously, with the minutes approved as submitted.

VI. Treasurer’s Report:

  1. The Treasurer provided our now standard single page Dashboard. We are showing approximately $260,000 cash in the operating account, as of November.
  2. By the end of November, Cynthia had collected almost $360,000 of the 2023 assessments. This early collection helps us maintain a strong positive cash flow into the New Year. Our decision to retain reserve funds within the operating budget for 2023 will mean that this cash flow challenge late in the operating year should be retired by the end of 2023.
  3. We only have two owners in arrears by more than 90 days in 2022. Dwight commended Cynthia for that success.
  4. While revenue is down, due to less use of bonus time in 2022, we have also seen expenses down over the past few months. This gives us a positive budget-to-expense outcome of a $24,515 surplus.

VII. General Manager’s Report:

  1. As of today’s meeting date, all but 196 owners have paid their 2023 assessments. While there is $305,936 to be paid, over seventy-five percent (75%) of our owners are current for 2023.
  2. Cynthia reported that we currently own 14 parlor shares. 12 of those have been adopted. 2 Parlors were deeded back to the Association. Those 2 suites will be auctioned by the Suites this spring. The foreclosure auction will be carried out by the county on February 14, at 1:00 pm. There is one Master and one Parlor in that auction.
  3. The next significant improvement to the Suites will be the replacement of the wallpaper in the lobby. General Manager is concerned that some damage to the walls may be found when the old wallpaper is removed.
    The boiler room floor still needs to be repaired. At the moment it is still proving to be difficult to find a contractor for this task.
    The electrical panel also needs to be upgraded to include a clear diagramming of all the circuits. And the rear fire escape and landings need to be repainted. This item is currently noted within the reserve study.
    The coffee makers will all be replaced shortly after the best options have been researched and we have also received input from the housekeeping staff.
    During the latest storm, the Suites faired very well, with only minor damage to some of the windows frames, now needing some paint.
    We do have one suite that has scorch marks from an owner leaving a hot iron flat on the carpet. The Board has determined that the carpets in all of the Suites (other than the “4’s” which were recently replaced in a remodel, need to be replaced. For this reason, Cynthia recommends that we do not schedule carpet cleaning and focus instead on prompt replacement.
  4. Cynthia will be conducting interviews for a new houseman this month.
  5. The employee of the Quarter is Israel Garcia. Israel is our longtime handyman and his assistance in addressing many recent repairs has been extraordinary. Israel was not present today because he was out of town, but his excellent service was recognized by the Board.
  6. The employee of the year is Luis Martinez. His unfaltering service to the Suites, other staff members, and our owners and guests is exemplary.

VIII. Old Business:

  1. The annual board election will be held on March 11. The “Inspector of Election” will again handle that entire process. The call for nominations has gone out and at this point, three owners have submitted applications. The nomination process shall close on February 1. Once that process has ended all nomination papers will be forwarded to the Inspector of Elections, which will send out all necessary paperwork to all owners.
  2. The boardroom chair repair or replacement project is under review with Pamela, our decorator. This process will look at the prospects of repairing the chairs or replacing them. Supply chain challenges have delayed this process.
  3. The Roman Shades have been installed and the Board, and the owners in residence, are very pleased. The installation crew completed the entire project in one day. As mentioned at the last meeting, a window in Suite 32 needs replacement and has been ordered.

IX. New Business:

  1. Boiler Replacement: Flow Masters was able to replace the failed boiler for $26,675. They will return annually and handle the certification process. Cynthia was also pleased by the conduct of the staff at the Suites in helping all Owners during the process.
  2. Process of selling shares: Chuck presented information related to some incidents where Shares have been offered for sale without a clear title. The process, in the past, has not included a title search. Cynthia recommends a process to require a title search before listing any shares for sale on our website. This process will also require evidence that taxes have been paid and the assessment is current. On a motion by Fred, seconded by Jo Ann, carried unanimously it was approved to require this process for any share listed for sale on the Website or on the bulletin board.
  3. Auction: There are 2 Parlor shares, with possibly a Master, to be available for sale by the Suites.
    The auction shall take place on March 1. Board action is required to approve this sale process. On a motion by Dwight, seconded by Fred, the motion carried unanimously.

X. Forward Planning:

  1. The Lobby wallpaper replacement is calendared for 2023.
  2. The replacement of carpeting for all the suites was discussed earlier in the meeting. It was agreed this has become a top priority.

XI. Next Meeting Date: Meeting of the Board of Directors and annual election shall be on March 11, 2023

XII. Adjournment: On a motion by Jo Ann, seconded by Fred, the meeting adjourned by unanimous consent at 12:35 p.m.

 

Fred Munroe, Secretary

The 2022 delinquent assessment foreclosure auction

San Francisco Suites on Nob Hill

January 20, 2023

Dear San Francisco Suites Owners:

The 2022 delinquent assessment foreclosure auction will be held on Tuesday, February 14, 2023.

Please find below the 2 shares that will be up for auction with the minimum bids.

The new owner will also be responsible for past-due property taxes. and the 2023 assessment which is $1,555.00.

Master – 186M $2,183.30 ($97.23 tax due)

Parlor – 150P $3,233.20 ($804.04 tax due)

The shares will be sold at auction as follows:

Vacation Ownership Title Company will hold the auction at: Outside the Memorial Gates

by Van Ness between 301 and 401 Van Ness Avenue

San Francisco, CA.94102

Tuesday, February 14, 2023 at 1:00 pm

The estimated minimum bids are located above.

Please be advised, there may be additional costs.

You are invited to bid, and the highest bid will sell for cash payable at the time of sale in lawful money of the United States, in cash, or cashier’s check drawn by a state or national bank, state or federal credit union, state or federal savings and loan association, savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in the State.

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this matter.

Thank you,
Cynthia Reid
General Manager
San Francisco Suites
creidgm@sfsuitescsa.com

CC: Chuck Meibeyer, President