A Photo Tour Of the Great Earthquake


This was the day when, in 1906, San Francisco changed forever, with a 7.8-magnitude earthquake and subsequent fires leveling most of the city. Photography from that grim two-or-three day span presents an almost apocalyptic vision of the past. What we have here (preserved by institutions like the SF Public Library, US Geological Survey, and UC … Continue reading A Photo Tour Of the Great Earthquake

When Is San Francisco’s Real Birthday?


We’re about a month away from the city of San Francisco’s 173rd birthday…depending on who you ask. The modern city of San Francisco first incorporated on April 15, 1850, and thus many locals observe 415 Day. (See what they did there with the area code?) But that is not the only relevant date in city … Continue reading When Is San Francisco’s Real Birthday?

Making Sense of SF’s Stupid Housing Measures


It’s an election year (as usual), and San Franciscans are voting on housing (as usual), and if you can’t make sense out of what you’re being asked to vote on then we can hardly blame you. This year’s two most hotly contested housing items have almost identical names and are in direct opposition to one … Continue reading Making Sense of SF’s Stupid Housing Measures

2458 Great Highway | Outer Sunset | Off Market Opportunity!


by Bryce Adams Turn Key 2 bed, 1 bath Condo on the Great Highway and Taraval. Both the living and dining room feature snippet views of Ocean Beach and the recently remodeled kitchen and bathroom feature quartz countertops and glass backsplashes. Hardwood and bamboo flooring throughout. A serene, low maintenance backyard is complemented with a … Continue reading 2458 Great Highway | Outer Sunset | Off Market Opportunity!

Forgotten Neighborhoods: Sherwood Forest


Sometimes a San Francisco neighborhood falls into obscurity because times change, or demographics change, or in some case there just wasn’t really enough to distinguish the area in the first place. But some neighborhoods were just always the odd ones out, and how and why they’ve endured even to this degree remains a bit of … Continue reading Forgotten Neighborhoods: Sherwood Forest

Maximum Overbid: First-Time Sale Goes Way Over


This week’s top overbid is the overweeningly handsome 300 Twin Peaks, a four bed, four bath blue number that sold for $3.15 million after two weeks on the market. According to CoreLogic, this place has never sold before: The last sale (in 1988) was for just the land, coming out to $637,500; the house itself … Continue reading Maximum Overbid: First-Time Sale Goes Way Over

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

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

San Francisco Ranked One of the Best & Worst Cities In America


How does San Francisco compare to other major metros? It depends on who you ask–just this week, two outside sources ranked us as both tip-top and bottom-of-the-barrel. First, the annual Best Cities rankings dubbed San Francisco the third best city in the US right now, out of 100 American metros ranked. Best Cities’ top two … Continue reading San Francisco Ranked One of the Best & Worst Cities In America

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?

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

Here Are 85 Facts About the Golden Gate Bridge For Its 85th Birthday


The Golden Gate Bridge, our world-recognized icon of all things San Francisco, turns 85 today–and it isn’t even the least bit shy about its age. Such a momentous occasion calls for just one thing: trivia. Tons upon tons of trivia. So here are 85 completely true but sometimes unbelievable facts about the greatest span in … Continue reading Here Are 85 Facts About the Golden Gate Bridge For Its 85th Birthday

Maximum Overbid: The Weirdest Sale of the Year?


If you’ve been reading Maximum Overbid for a while then you know that you can’t take every home sale at face value. Case in point, our top overbid of the week is a choice three bed, three bath house at 929 Diamond Street in the Noe Valley Hills, which was only on the market for … Continue reading Maximum Overbid: The Weirdest Sale of the Year?