SF’s Top Neighborhoods Are the Marina, Noe Valley, Richmond, and the Sunset…For Now


The spring quarter (April through June) in SF was an exercise in uncertainty, as everyone sat around waiting for a big drop in housing demand and prices…one that never quite came before June closed out. Now, other housing resources will tell you which cities, counties, or districts sold the most or the most expensive homes. … Continue reading SF’s Top Neighborhoods Are the Marina, Noe Valley, Richmond, and the Sunset…For Now

Incredible Greek-Revival Vic Slashes $1 Million Off Price


Now here’s the kind of SF home you don’t see every day, although we have seen it many times before: The five bed, three bath, Greek-revival Victorian duplex at 164 Henry Street first hit the market almost exactly two years ago, then asking more than $3.99 million. That offering came and went without any takers, … Continue reading Incredible Greek-Revival Vic Slashes $1 Million Off Price

SF Condos Are Taking Longer To Sell. Does It Matter?


We keep hearing that SF condos are in decline. It’s a plausible idea; as we’ve noted already, condos are virtually all the city has built these last ten years, and they’ve proven fairly sensitive to market ups and downs in the past. That said, anecdotes and speculation don’t punch the clock, so let’s see what … Continue reading SF Condos Are Taking Longer To Sell. Does It Matter?

Inside a $45,000/month San Francisco Apartment


Maximum Luxury is a Front Steps column where we sneak a peek at the most expensive home listings in San Francisco just because we can. But today we’re going to wander a bit outside of our sphere with the most expensive RENTAL listing in all of SF. That turns out to be 765 Market St … Continue reading Inside a $45,000/month San Francisco Apartment

Maximum Overbid: Laying Out a Classic $2 Million ’80s Home


Sometimes it’s the minor things you really love: In this case, certain floorplans. Truth is, there’s actually nothing all that remarkable about the layout of our top overbid of the week, the Outer Richmond’s 536 44th Avenue; used to be you saw home just like this top the sales charts all the time. The key … Continue reading Maximum Overbid: Laying Out a Classic $2 Million ’80s Home

“Godfather of the Beats'” Potrero Hill Home Cuts Price


Back in April we clued you in on The Front Steps’ newest and most intriguing listing at 690-692 Wisconsin Street, a pair of flats on a deep Potrero Hill lot, with a third cottage unit and a whole lot of history to go with it. Now we’ve got a new little wrinkle in the history … Continue reading “Godfather of the Beats’” Potrero Hill Home Cuts Price

Maximum Luxury: A Recession Loss Doubles Down


Houses do not have memories, and they do not have opinions about how much they sell for. But if they did, this would be a proud day for 114 Crescent Avenue in Bernal Heights, because this week the three bed, two bath house with the minty green facade can finally put its last unhappy sale … Continue reading Maximum Luxury: A Recession Loss Doubles Down

Should We Pray For a Housing Crash?


In May, a Michigan Facebook user declared, “The new Millennial dream is a housing market crash.” More than 2,600 people Liked or Loved that sentiment; when a larger page recycled the post, it got approval from over 327,000 users. Variations of this meme have floated around social media for years. Although usually presented as a … Continue reading Should We Pray For a Housing Crash?

Maximum Overbid: When Less Really Is More


Our top two overbids this week are on paper very similar affairs, being western neighborhood houses that were just about the same size, listed just a little bit more than a week apart for almost the same sum, and sold within a few days of each other for close to the same money as. The … Continue reading Maximum Overbid: When Less Really Is More

SOLD: 956 Elizabeth St, $3,415,000


Ah Noe Valley, home of some of the greatest views and greatest homes in all of San Francisco. We are delighted to have found a buyer for this Noe Valley beauty, with its turn-of-the century charm and all modern amenities, complete with incredible Downtown San Francisco and Bay views. If you’re looking at these photos … Continue reading SOLD: 956 Elizabeth St, $3,415,000

Russian Hill’s Great Designer Non-Home Finally Reality, Asks Very Real $21 Million


The startling Russian Hill property at 1283 Greenwich Street used to be a real dream home–which is to say, it did not exist. Previously, this address corresponded to a TIC duplex, with the top floor unit commanding just under $2.2 million back in 2010. But for years this lot listed alongside ambitious plans for a … Continue reading Russian Hill’s Great Designer Non-Home Finally Reality, Asks Very Real $21 Million

Everyone Is About To Lose Their Minds About SF’s Vacancy Rate


Everybody hates the vacancy rate in San Francisco, even though relatively few understand what that figure means. The vacancy rate of course is the measure of the number of housing units currently without tenants. While that seems like a straightforward concept, in practice its ramifications are really quite diverse. A huge amount of the sturm … Continue reading Everyone Is About To Lose Their Minds About SF’s Vacancy Rate

Maximum Overbid: In Which We Are Surprised We Can Still Be Surprised


It’s long since time we learned not to speak too soon when it comes to SF’s housing heights, but here we are once again. Last week we noted that the then-most recent Maximum Overbid was the sort of sale that can still shock even the most jaded of housing watchers. Now along comes a different … Continue reading Maximum Overbid: In Which We Are Surprised We Can Still Be Surprised

SF’s Population Is Dropping Again, But Almost Nothing About That Matters


Yes, it’s true what you’ve heard: San Francisco’s population declined yet again in 2021, according to new estimates released by the California Department of Finance. But as we’ll get to in a minute, almost none of the things people assume about that fact are relevant, and indeed, in some ways there’s nothing to see here, … Continue reading SF’s Population Is Dropping Again, But Almost Nothing About That Matters