Zillow – I would love to hear more about the local neighborhoods in SF. I remember that both Richmond and more close in Sunset were good for families and that Noe Valley and Glen Park were also nice, but tended to be more expensive. I have recently been reading about Sunnyside that seems to be a neighborhood close to Glen Park, but do not remember it as a nicer area from years back. It has been long time since I saw some SF neighborhoods first hand so I was looking for helpful input.

My step is considering relocating to SF for job. They will need to stay in price range under about 650K or so based on what I’m hearing. Although I spent summers/vacations in SF as a kid, I am looking for inside information to pass on that only locals can provide. Anyone who can give me the inside skinny on preferred areas in SF, tips about local schools or pitfalls to watch out for will have my thanks and are guaranteed a grateful thumb

I would also love to be able to pass along the names of several excellent agents to them. So if you are an agent in SF proper or are buyer who used an agent that you really liked, please give a wave or give your agent a shout out for their good service. Thanks a bunch!

Answer: You can forget about Noe, Glen Park, Inner Sunset/Richmond.  Think Outer Sunset/Richmond, or more probably the far southwest/central neighborhoods.

Unfortunately the budget just isn’t going to work for the neighborhoods that you mentioned.  We’ve lived in Noe Valley (and South Beach), we were thinking about moving back up recently and spent a week up there house hunting – different budget and requirements, but we looked at some properties in Noe, Glen Park, Sunset and The Richmond (you’re supposed to say “The” Richmond or people might think that you’re talking about a city in the east bay).  They’re all good neighborhoods, but it would be pretty tough to find anything in those areas, impossible in Noe but you might find something in outer Sunset/Richmond.  They might forget what the Sun looks like, but that might be the price they have to pay.

The market in SF is very competitive, anything priced “right” is gone very quickly, so it makes it particularly difficult if searching from a distance.

I really don’t know Sunnyside, Ingleside, Miraloma, Excelsior, etc. well, but I think that there are some good neighborhoods out there. 

Hopefully public transportation isn’t a big factor – there’s a big premium placed on BART/MUNI access.

It’s a great city, one of my favorites, it’s worth making some sacrifices to live there, but it’s very expensive.  Heck, we were (almost) ready to give up our SoCal weather to move back up there. 

We actually use Redfin, but they might not be the best choice for out-of-town buyers who aren’t familiar with the city.

Apparently there is a new website called WalkScore.com which rates properties according to their “walkability”.

Our new listing at 550 Davis #13 in the Golden Gateway Commons is rated a 100% “walker’s paradise”!

Go to the site and type in any address. The result will give you a walker’s rating score, plus highlight various restaurants, shopping and other features close to you. It’s a great new site and a feature we will begin to use for all our listings.

- Janis Stone – DRE 00517072

SFResidence is the place to go if you have a question about San Francisco. We have a comprehensive collection of market reports for the San Francisco real estate market, including weekly morgtage, weekly market, weekly TRI Coldwell Banker office and monthly market reports. We also have a monthly newsletter to which you can subscribe! We LOVE talking about ourselves and the market.

If you are looking for information about San Francisco neighborhoods, you will find it on our site, complete with maps and descriptions. And at the bottom of each page are links to school information.

If you live in San Francisco and are looking for interesting things to do, you will find it on our site in the Things to Do area.

We have a San Francisco Multiple Listing Service link on our website so you can search for your own property using any criterion you want.

So why would you go anywhere else to look for information on San Francisco??? Use our search feature to find what you are looking for on our website or our blog!

- Mick Orton
Marketing Director

A reader asks: Do you foresee a change in the market in the next few years with all of the new developments in San Francisco? How do you think it will effect the market?

Our reply: One thing I have to say first of all is that the market always changes! I do think that there is a pent up demand for property in San Francisco, both for permanent residences and for second and third homes.

I believe many of the new developments, the Infinity, One Rincon, Soma Grand to mention a few, (we have a list of projects in the pipeline on our website) are geared to not only the permanent residence buyer, but also to the second home buyer. There are many clients, that as they age, are wanting a smaller second home so they can now come to SF to enjoy all we have to offer.

Demographic information projects the population growth to be tremendous in the next generation as the baby boomers’ children have more children and more people immigrate into the United States. So I feel that these new buildings will provide new housing that San Francisco has needed for many years. I do not think that they will negatively affect the existing housing in a significant way.

There may be temporary “glut” of units in a particular area when several buildings come online but I do think there is a market for these properties.

- Janis Stone

Yesterday, the Chronicle’s Real Estate pull out section featured an atricle about some micro-climates still being strong even after declining sales in other areas and mortgage problems.

Pacific Heights and the Marina are doing better than San Francisco and the state as a whole with nearly 8 percent median price gains for the first 6 months.

Read the article here.

- Mick Orton

After being a realtor in San Francisco for 32 years I can almost always predict if a particular property is going to appeal to a wide number of buyers, as has happened to Noe Valley. It takes experience in San Francisco real estate to understand the nuances of our market. To a person who does not analyze our market every day it can be confusing. If I were to use a comparative market analysis, I could almost always tell why one sat unsold and others obtained multiple offers.

It is a matter of those factors: timing, market conditions, marketing techniques and how the house is presented. If there are several homes at the same price point with the same amenities then you might not receive as many offers or if the market is slow you might not get offers right away. There is also a big difference in the quality of the marketing by different agents. I cannot predict how fast a house will sell because our market can change very fast. If the interest rates change or if the stock market takes a big correction or if we have an earthquake then all of the predictions can be wrong. However, if no major event happens then preparing the house and marketing it to all of the potential buyer pools is the best way to receive the best price.

An experienced realtor is your best tool since they are in the market every day and can counsel you on changing market conditions and buyer feedback so your expectations are in line with reality.

- Janis Stone

A reader asks: Where can I find information on the crime and safety in different areas of San Francisco?

Our reply: The best information can be obtained from the police department. There is a crime maps website posted by the San Francisco Police Department. After agreeing to the terms at the bottom of the page, you can go through their automated process to find statistics and maps for various types of crime.

- Janis Stone and Mick Orton

A reader asks: As a first time buyer coming from the Mid-west, what areas in the City get the most fog? Is it foggy in San Francisco year-round?

Our reply: It is called the “fickle finger of fog” for a reason….. sometimes it cannot be predicted and comes and goes without explanation. For instance, last week we had fog and cold weather every night except on July 4th! That night it was perfectly clear, and fireworks could be seen all over the Bay area! Then the following night (and almost every night thereafter) the fog was back.

San Francisco’s foggiest months are June, July and August. However, that doesn’t mean it is foggy every day and is not usually foggy during the day all over the City. As we said before, it is unpredictable.

There are areas that are consistently foggier more often and longer during the day. Generally speaking those areas closest to the ocean (not the Bay) are colder and have more fog; neighborhoods such as Richmond, Sea Cliff, Lake St., Sunset, Golden Gate Heights, Parkside, St. Francis Wood, Monterey Heights, West Portal, Lakeshore, Stonestown, Merced Manor, Merced Heights, Lakeside, Ingleside Terrace, Ingleside, Oceanview, Balboa Terrace, Mt. Davidson Manor, Westwood Park/Highlands, Miraloma Park, Forest Hill & Extension, Diamond Heights, Midtown Terrace, Forest Knolls and Twin Peaks. Sounds like most of the City, doesn’t it??? Yet even within these districts there are “banana belts”– small areas where it gets warmer and the fog tends to clear more often or earlier in the day.

Going eastward there tends to be less fog and it clears earlier in the day. They warmest areas of the City tend to be the Mission, Noe Valley, Potrero Hill, South of Market and Mission Bay. The other areas are somewhere in between. Of course some days, expecially in July and August, the fog persists all day long all over the City and the tempertature stays in the high 50′s and low 60′s.

The good news is that when we have those heat waves where the temperatures reach the 80′s and 90′s we have the fog to look forward to — we like to call it “San Francisco air conditioning”!

- Janis Stone

A reader asks: What are the school systems like in San Francisco? Which are better, public or private?

Our reply: Parochial schools are also highly rated by parents. A blog has been created to discuss matters pertaining to San Francisco schools. And for more information on which schools are located in different districts you may go to the San Francisco Public Schools website.

Finally, for a rating of which schools are best, got to GreatSchools.net.

- Janis Stone

A reader asks: Are there any “lesser known” areas where you can live with decent views of the Bay, easy access to the water and aren’t completely tourist ridden for less than a million dollars?

Our reply: Yes there are areas that fit your requirements, but they are not really “lessor known” areas. There are a number of condominiums, lofts, TIC’s (tenancies in common) in the South of Market area, South Beach, and the newly developing 3rd Street corridor. They have or will have some views of the Bay, fairly easy access to the water and sell for under a million dollars. Of course you did not mention the size of the property you wanted or how many bedrooms and baths you were looking for. These details would be large factors in the price.

Most of the areas mentioned above are not usually on the tourist path. However, they can get congested when people are going to baseball games or trying to get to freeway onramps!!

- Janis Stone