Lisa Z Will Teach You How to Buy a House!

On a chilly Friday morning, I sat down with my neighbor Lisa at her brightly-lit kitchen table to talk about her roots in the Lower Haight and her work as a real estate agent demystifying the home-buying process.

If you’ve been out and about in the Lower Haight, you’ve likely crossed paths with the force of nature that is Lisa Zahner. She probably had her bright-eyed dog, Misty, in tow or a listing sign in hand. Lisa and her husband, Jonathan, recently celebrated 25 years of homeownership in the Lower Haight. Over mugs of ginger turmeric tea and beneath a banner of San Francisco’s waterways, she grins and says that after eight rejected offers, their home is her “best real estate deal ever.” Years later, Lisa’s love for this corner of San Francisco is still palpable. Throughout our conversation she periodically jumps up, animated, to rave about the Page’s live music and owner Bob’s homemade wine (not for sale—sorry!), memories of her child’s fourth birthday party on Carmelita Street (“We had fire dancers from Burning Man—the other parents were like, ‘I’ve never been to a party like this!’”), and the time she and her neighbors built planters to block off the newly minted Page Slow Street.

“This is where I’m totally biased in favor of our neighborhood,” Lisa says, sincerely. “There’s this ethos of: let’s roll up our sleeves, be super creative, and make things happen.” In a city where so many people cycle in and out, Lisa’s commitment to real, in-person community feels both rare and necessary.

Lately, Lisa has rolled up her sleeves to host a series of free informational workshops about the nuts and bolts of buying a home. With decades of experience in real estate, she wanted to give back and help first-time buyers who feel unsure of where to start. Her workshops, held in homes she’s selling, are intentionally small, casual, and honest. Attendees are free to ask anything, including financing fears, down payment myths, and even how to have uncomfortable conversations about financial help. “You are so vulnerable,” Lisa acknowledges. “But my mom always taught me that you don’t get what you don’t ask for.”

She aims to create a safe environment where people can learn practical answers with a sense of humor and empathy. It’s her own vivid memory of buying a home (“I was dry heaving on the side of the road… I’ll never forget that feeling.”) that helps her connect so deeply with clients. That, plus her signature persistence and bluntness. She belly-laughs, reminiscing about the time she got locked out of a showing, scaled a fence, and slid through a doggy door in business casual attire to let her clients in. Yes, the house sold.

The next Lisa Z Teaches You to Buy a House workshop is scheduled for December 3rd at 17 Perego Terrace #7 in Twin Peaks. Learn more at lisazahner.com or on Instagram at @lisazahner_sf