We have a beautiful, large (1800 square feet; 167 square meters) home in a 4-story, 1907 Edwardian four-unit building (which we own) with quiet tenants. The home is in the top two stories and consists of a living room, dinning room, huge kitchen with deck, one exquisite master bedroom suite, and office, and 2 full bathrooms.

Our exquisitely decorated and appointed home has views of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Living Room, dining room, kitchen, and deck. We completed a remodeling in December 2007. Our objective was to have a home that was a cozy, warm, and comfortable retreat, but with "high drama" achieved by vibrant colors and dramatic lighting. We installed an in-ceiling lighting and a surround sound system with speakers in every room. There is a 42-inch flat screen High Definition TV that hides away in custom built cabinet with gold leaf sliding doors. The entertainment system includes a Dish TV satellite receiver (with hundreds of channels) and recorder, DVD, AM-FM receiver, and i-pod dock. We also have wireless internet service throughout the house and deck, so you can bring your own laptop or use our guest computer. We have original art, through out. All the furniture is custom built and is new in 2007. The kitchen was remodeled in 2005 and since we adore cooking, we think you'll find everything you could possibly want to create fabulous meals. That is, if the dozens of incredible restaurants within a half mile radius don't keep you busy.

Because this is our primary residence and because it is fabulously decorated we typically limit the number of occupants to two. On occasion and by pre-arrangement, two more adults have stayed for short periods using a sofa bed. No children or pets. There is no smoking allowed in our home, on the deck, or anywhere on our grounds. We are fussy about our exchange partners, but you can be assured we will take the extraordinary care of your home.

Detailed description as follows:
The master bedroom suite has traditional details and charm, with amenities such as wood-burning fireplace, surround-sound stereo, and large screen TV with satellite reception, DVD and VHS. The bedroom is connected to a massive dressing room with walk in closet and luxurious master bathroom with double sinks and a soaking tub with shower.

The office is stunningly outfitted with white and maple cabinets, and built in book shelves and his and her desks. The office window has a view of the other Victorian and Edwardian homes in the neighborhood, through the foliage of the Oak tree in the front of our home. The office is outfitted with two phones that have two separate phone lines each, a high speed cable wireless internet service and fax and copy machine.

The living room is upstairs to capture the panoramic view of San Francisco Bay, the Marin headlands, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz Island. The large living room was professionally designed and decorated for coziness in front of the fireplace and TV and views of the Golden Gate Bridge as well as for entertaining handsomely.

A third fireplace is in the formal dining room, also with a sofa and table for extra entertainment seating. The sofa in the dining room opens out to a full queen size bed - which becomes the guestroom when people visit. There is a large walk-in closet in the hall between the dining room and living room which houses the entertainment equipment, and is also storage & a guest closet. The bathroom next to the closet, has a large Jacuzzi tub & shower, and has a window with a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The spacious kitchen is bathed in southern light has hardwood floors, white cabinets, all-new appliances: gas range, double oven, microwave, trash compactor, refrigerator with ice maker, and dishwasher. French doors lead off the kitchen and kitchen dining area to the 25 x 15 foot heated deck with panoramic views of Pacific Heights and the Bridge. The deck contains patio furniture, a shaded table, and cushioned bench seats for dining and lounging. There is also a gas grill. Large flower pots enhance the deck dining and lounging area. Stairs lead down to the laundry room (one floor down) and the back garden (four floors down). There is a three-car garage that is shared with one other unit in the building.

We are located in one of the most desirable and expensive areas in San Francisco. Our neighborhood is between the Marina and Pacific Heights. We are a half of block to a organic food store, and one block from trendy Union Street with shopping and restaurants right around the corner. We have dozens of movie screens and 20+ excellent restaurants within walking distance. The Presidio Park, with its Golden Gate Bridge, is a mile away--an easy walk or bike ride. Union Square and downtown shopping are two miles in the other direction. The Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach are within a half-hour bike ride. The California wine country is a 1½ drive, and the Sierra Mountains and Lake Tahoe skiing and summer fun are a 4-hour drive away.

This is our primary home. But we have a second home near Lake Tahoe (see listing). So asynchronous exchanges are possible.

Since it is a one bedroom place, we have room for only two people plus room for short term guests, by pre-arrangement, on the pull-out sofa in the living room.

Two bikes are available. We may consider exchanging our car (2002 Jeep Liberty), but unless you are accustomed to driving and parking in large cities, it is much easier to walk or take public transportation (the bus stop is less than 2 blocks away). If both parties are interested in access to automobiles, our preference would be for us to pay for you to rent a car in exchange for use of your auto. If you rent a car you can easily go to many exciting places in northern California--the ocean, the red woods, and the wine country--for a day or longer to the mountains.

June 8, 2012 and we would like an exchange for a week or so before or after that. Your time in out place can be longer.

Cote d'Azur. We are on a cruise of the western Mediterranean July 21st-28th, 2012 and would like to exchange on the coast along the French Riviera

As we are (semi) retired, we can be flexible on dates and durations. We are experienced exchangers and have exchanged for as short as a weekend (here in California) or as long as 3 weeks. Somewhat longer stays are possible.

Berlin: Ideally, we would like a place in Mitte but would be open to west or east central.

Cote d'Azur: We would love to be in Nice/Cap-Ferrat, but would be open to Cannes or St. Tropez.

We are open to other interesting places around the world.

In the US: New York City, Boston, Santa Fe, Cape Cod, or prime ski areas in the winter. However, we are very experienced travelers and open to interesting or unique offers in all parts of the world. We value properties with great views, flower gardens, beach access, or other unique features.

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Bob is a research scientist and international consultant, recently retired from a major private, non-profit research institute where he did research on the impact of computers on children, teachers, and schools around the world. He still does part time consulting. Shari retired after a 30 year career in commercial and residential real estate. We are in our early sixties and love an active life style. We enjoy dancing, mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, skiing, as well as the more relaxed activities of reading, cooking, entertaining and attending movies and the theater. We have traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa. We are experienced exchangers (20+) and have exchanged as close to our home as Napa (California), Laguna Beach (California), Summit County (Colorado), Seattle (Washington), New York City, and as distant as London, Sydney, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Spain. One of the things we enjoy most about exchanging is making arrangements to meet the people with whom we exchange. We have made some wonderful acquaintances and many friends this way. We would be pleased to meet you.

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