Stage 47, Twin Peaks (5d)

Here we are again, another week, another stage. This time we take a trip into the hills of Twin Peaks (History). Going from last week's Stage in Noe Valley, we almost felt lost. Like we'd gone to a different planet, state, or city. It was like we took a step back in time to the 60's. Turns out, it's just another reason San Francisco and all of its tiny nano-markets are the way they are.

Here's a snapshot of the sales averages:




Twin Peaks has one thing going for it that truly can't be matched (in our opinion)... views, views, views, and more views. The views of the City and Bay are truly extraordinary. If you've never been up to the top of Twin Peaks, you owe it to yourself to hop in your car and make the journey. Better yet, hop on your bike or strap on those shoes and get that heart rate going. Think about how much fun it will be on the way down. (Our pictures don't do it justice.)

The homes are built like staircases into the hill and one thing you'll notice when you look at this area...fire escapes, lots of them.

Single family homes are few and far between in this area. Condominiums, town-homes, and apartment buildings reign supreme. If you're looking for mid-century architecture you might think about looking here. Our first pick for mid-centuries is still Diamond Heights, but you'll find some gems here too.

The three busiest streets are Corbett (37 Muni line), Burnett, and of course Upper Market. The quietest areas would have to be up around Villa Terrace and Graystone. Villa Terrace actually starts in district 5h, Clarendon Heights, but continues into Twin Peaks. This street is TINY! It feels a lot like something you'd see in the hills of Italy. What's even more interesting is the Pemberton staircase that serves as the border between the two districts. Technically, it's Clarendon Heights, but take a drive (or walk) up there and see the difference in architecture from one side to the other, then allow us to say, "We told you so." ;-)

Twin Peaks is a great area, with some great architecture and fabulous views. It can be a bit windy and foggy in summer, but so can a whole bunch of other districts in San Francisco. We invite you to check it out.

Here are some photos to help paint the picture.

How about some hoops on Hopkins?

Pemberton Stairs
Villa Terrace looking towards Graystone
Home at Villa and Graystone
Graystone
Home on the end of Romain right above Market Street

Copper Alleyway (Staircase)
On Corbett looking up to Sutro Tower


Home on Hopkins

Romain's little tiny red tile roofed single family homes

Garages on the street, homes hiding down the hill below.

We can't figure out which is better, the motor home, or the home.
Gardenside
Gardenside
Perego
Homes on Crestline

Crestline from the back
Parkridge, how about the curves on that home!

What's the point of putting windows streetside. All the views are the other way anyway.
That's it! Thanks for reading to the end. See you soon.

Stage 46, Noe Valley (5c)

Here we are again for another stage of our tour. We've been through quite a few neighborhoods, and have quite a few more to go. Today we venture into Noe Valley.

We wonder if the Castro had anything to do with this rainbow in Noe.

Generally speaking (we kind of have to) Noe Valley is one of the most popular home buying destinations in all of San Francisco. It is in large part protected by the wind and fog San Francisco is so accustomed to, many of the homes are very well taken care of, and many have unbelievable views in all directions. Homes in this area sell very well...very well. Whether they are fixers, turn key, or multi unit, this is a very sound place to place some of your money in San Francisco real estate.

Noe Valley is often accused of "having too many strollers". That is because it is a great place for raising a family, so how can you blame the families from wanting to be there. The weather is nice, there are shops for all the mommies, and there is definitely a sense of community here.

One thing we feel compelled to say...When we do these tours, we literally drive every street in every district and take photos of things we find define the area and give you a glimpse of what you can expect when you head there on your own. We're usually very inspired to snap photo after photo to post to this site; however, in Noe Valley we were oddly uninspired. Maybe it was sensory overload because there were so many properties, but we almost feel it was more that there isn't too much architectural diversity that justified a plethora of photos. For the most part, Noe Valley is either Victorians or Edwardians like these.

23rd Street at Castro (The Painted Ladies ain't got nothin' on these beauties!)
Upper 22nd Street looking down east
Of course getting inside these homes is an entirely different thing, but from the streets, there isn't too much change from one area to another. There were a few standouts where people have broken the mold (quite refreshing actually), and there are definitely areas that are distinctly different than others, but generally Noe can be summed up by the photos we've selected above.

Here are a few standouts that caught our eye.

25th Street Modern


Modern on 23rd St.
What about the streets? We should all know that 24th St. is essentially the "heart" of Noe, but there is also great stuff on Church down near 29th St, tons of action on Guerrero (the eastern border of Noe, which no surprise feels much more like the Mission), and even a few cute little places on Sanchez. Grand View has just that, Grand Views, as well as the 48 Quintara Muni Bus that races up the street like a bat out of hell. Church has the J-Line Street Car, Clipper is very busy, Noe (the street) is extremely busy, as is Castro, Diamond, and surprisingly 23rd (likely a lot of traffic by-passing 24th).

Noe Valley central, 24th Street

Vicksburg
Noe


Homes are different south of Clipper as shown here. Much more "Sunset" or "Parkside"
Sanchez
Stores on 24th Street


Grandview looking to Upper Market raised roadway. Apartments on the left.

How's this for a-typical Noe up on Grand View
Views into Noe Valley from 23rd Street
High Street
Views from High Street

11 High Street
That's it for now. We might amend this tour as we see fit or get more photos, but for now, we wish you a fun filled weekend.