It’s the haunted season, and even real estate can be scary–or at least, certain homes seem to have a talent for scaring buyers. As realtor gossip often has it, homes saddled with a supposedly sinister street number, like 13 or 666, are supposed to suffer depressed home values. But is it true, or just more … Continue reading In San Francisco, Spooky Addresses Scare Off Big Home Sales
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Map: San Francisco’s Most Haunted Houses
Ghost stories can be serious business in the housing game: In certain cases they may depress property values and even land sellers in court. Reporting on allegedly haunted houses can be tricky too, because of course we can’t in good conscience actually say that any of these places are haunted: only that they have that … Continue reading Map: San Francisco’s Most Haunted Houses
Inside the $468 Billion Plan To Fix Bay Area Housing
On Thursday, the Association fo Bay Area Governments and the Metropolitan Transportation Council adopted a proposal they call Plan Bay Area 2050, a 184-page blueprint laying out a 30-year, $1.4 trillion quest to fix some of the Bay Area’s most pressing problems, including a $468 billion housing element. What does all that mean? If you … Continue reading Inside the $468 Billion Plan To Fix Bay Area Housing
Maximum Overbid: Faster Than a Speeding Bullet
Here’s an overbid riddle for you: When can being just average also make you the best? The answer: When you’re selling a home like 1826 23rd Avenue, far and away our top overbid for the week after closing for more than $1.52 million from a $899K asking price, a margin of well over 69 percent. … Continue reading Maximum Overbid: Faster Than a Speeding Bullet
Mill Valley’s Most Expensive Home Asks $12.5 Million
What makes a home listing stand out? Sometimes its historicity, sometimes it’s architectural daring, and sometimes it’s the insight that a property can provide about a city or neighborhood. But maybe the simplest way is just to be worth a whole pile of money, as in the case of 9 Walsh Drive, which listed this … Continue reading Mill Valley’s Most Expensive Home Asks $12.5 Million
When Did the Oakland Hills Fire Actually Happen?
Yesterday, October 19, outlets like SFGate and ABC7 ran coverage marking 30 years since the devastating Oakland Hills fire that swept through the East Bay highlands and destroyed thousands of homes. But wait a minute: Those who lived through that fire and its aftermath may be scratching their heads, because didn’t the anniversary come a … Continue reading When Did the Oakland Hills Fire Actually Happen?
Home Prices Soar Across Bay Area Since 2020
What does it cost to buy a house in San Francisco? It’s not an exaggeration to say that the world wants to know–SF real estate prices make headlines internationally all the time. In a raft of data just released by the California Association of Realtors, the median sales price of a house (not condo) in … Continue reading Home Prices Soar Across Bay Area Since 2020
Maximum Overbid: Riding Into the Sunset
Another week, another shockingly high San Francisco western neighborhoods overbid–or at least that’s how it feels sometimes. This week’s number one overbid is once again an Outer Sunset prospect, a three bed, two bath house at 2026 47th Avenue that originally listed for $995K but closed this week for $1.6 million, a spike of more … Continue reading Maximum Overbid: Riding Into the Sunset
Barbary Lane: The Most Famous SF Street That Doesn’t Exist
Macondray Lane is a narrow Russian Hill alleyway that branches off of Leavenworth, just north of Green Street. It’s a pleasant greenbelt with great views (most of it traversable only on foot), but seemingly unremarkable. And yet, this is actually one of the most famous streets in San Francisco–or rather, it’s the nearest proxy for … Continue reading Barbary Lane: The Most Famous SF Street That Doesn’t Exist
Condos Selling at Hayes Valley Development Featured In Bribery Scandal
There are new listings for condos at 555 Fulton Street in Hayes Valley–and if that address rings a bell, oh boy, should it ever. The long-delayed 555 Fulton project was the eye of the storm in the bribery scandal that engulfed the Department of Public works in 2020, the full ramifications of which are still … Continue reading Condos Selling at Hayes Valley Development Featured In Bribery Scandal
Maximum Overbid: The Telltale Bargain
When is a bargain not quite what it seems? When it turns into an overbid instead. That’s what happened with this week’s top overbid at 2358 41st Avenue. This two bed, one bath, Outer Sunset setup listed for $1.09-plus million less than two weeks ago, advertised as a “great price,” and closed out for $1.5 … Continue reading Maximum Overbid: The Telltale Bargain
Why SF Might Be Buying Homeless Hotels On Your Block
Chances are most people weren’t paying attention to Wednesday’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors’ Budget & Finance Committee (the name alone is enough to discourage most potential viewers), but one vote could end up having a profound impact on your neighborhood. We’ll break it down for the benefit of anyone who wasn’t there: What … Continue reading Why SF Might Be Buying Homeless Hotels On Your Block
Mammoth Mill Valley A-Frame Asks $1.15 Million
We’ve talked before about the nearly cult-like fascination some people have with A-frame homes, spurred in large part by the muscular simplicity of their design and their association with remote NorCal locations, American post-war prosperity, and 20th century nostalgia. But not every home of a certain style has to fit the formula: In the case … Continue reading Mammoth Mill Valley A-Frame Asks $1.15 Million
SF’s Oldest Home Listing Dumps $10 Million Off Price
Some things get better with age; home listings are not usually reckoned one of them, but there are exceptions. The penthouse at 1080 Chestnut Street is currently the oldest public San Francisco home listing, having gone on the market way back in October of 2019; in fact, in two weeks it will be precisely two … Continue reading SF’s Oldest Home Listing Dumps $10 Million Off Price
Before & After: 1890 Castro Victorian Renovation
Sellers love to push the “r-words”: “renovate,” “refurbish,” “remodel.” Sometimes this is a practical consideration: Certain homes really could do with a new look and more modern sensibilities. Other times it’s simply a shrewd marketing move: People feel motivated to buy things that are new, and University of Western Ontario, Canada researchers find that one … Continue reading Before & After: 1890 Castro Victorian Renovation
Maximum Overbid: Top Sellers Close After Two Weeks Or Less
Even when we’re talking about overbids, money isn’t everything. After all, the most valuable commodity of all is time. Case in point, this week’s top overbid, a three bed, one bath circa 1943 house at 1735 39th Avenue, which listed for just under $1.1 million and closed this week for $1.6, more than 46 percent … Continue reading Maximum Overbid: Top Sellers Close After Two Weeks Or Less