Real Data SF November Newsletter

Welcome to the very first edition of Real Data SF, a monthly newsletter about the San Francisco real estate market.

If real data, with lots of charts and analysis is your cup of tea, then please read on. Because that’s what I’ll be doing here. In addition, there’ll be the occasional recipe, restaurant review, and heads-up on fun stuff to do in SF. Comments, feedback, suggestions, always welcome of course. Now let’s crunch some numbers!

San Francisco’s Housing Market Kicks in the After-Burners ...  Additional Details

Size Doesn’t Matter

Say you want to spend around a million bucks to buy a house.  Wouldn’t it be useful to know how much houses typically go for per square foot in that price range?  Then you could take the square footage of the house you’re looking at, multiply it by the price per square foot and come up with a rough idea of value.

Now say you’re in the happy position of having $2 million dollars to spend.  Could be that $2 million dollar houses cost that much just because they’re bigger than $1 million houses, in which case their price per square foot would be the same.  Or they might cost more because of the area they’re in, or their finishes and amenities.  Whatever the reason, it would be useful to know how much they go for on a per square foot basis. ...  Additional Details

Focus on Potrero Hill

Back from vacation, and ready to blog and roll!

I’m currently working with a couple of clients looking for homes in the Potrero Hill District.  Here, we’re talking specifically about subdistrict 9.E under San Francisco’s MLS (Multiple Listing Service).

It’s an area that roughly sits between I-280 and I-101, with Cesar Chavez at its the south end and the tangle of 101/Design District/Division at its north end.  With major arteries at all ends as well as proximity to Caltrain, it’s a favorite for people who need good commute access.  It’s also got some of the best weather in San Francisco.  The crest of Potrero Hill sits at intersection of Carolina and 22nd Street.  Homes on the  “north slope” — ie.  north of 22nd Street — boast spectacular views of downtown SF and the Bay and therefore fetch a premium.   Potrero Hill has a small but upscalish shopping/cafe strip located on 18th between Connecticut and Texas.  The recently opened Whole Foods at Rhode Island and 17th hasn’t hurt either.  Architecture is a mix of broad two-story Victorians and newer modern structures designed to take advantage of the weather and the views, especially on the north slope. ...  Additional Details

Measuring by the Foot: Does it Make a Difference?

Several readers and clients have asked me recently about price per square foot metrics.  Certainly, if you’re trying to figure out how much a home is worth, it helps to get a sense of value by knowing what houses (or condos) are going for in the area on a per square foot basis and multiplying that by the size of the house in square feet.  Elementary my dear Watson.

However, others have been curious about whether there might be a discontinuity between the median price of homes and the median price per square foot, and what that might mean, especially in the context of how much each has fallen from its all-time high.  So I decided to take a look. ...  Additional Details

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