Tour de San Francisco (real estate): 2008

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Stage 50, Corona Heights (5g)

Nestled into the eastern slope of the ridge that runs from Twin Peaks northward, Corona Heights is in a class all by itself. The streets are windy, narrow, steep, quiet, very quaint in places, and extremely busy in others (17th, Market, and Clayton come to mind.) You'd almost think that if there were not homes here, there would be vineyards tucked into the hillside that enjoyed the moisture from the fog spilling over the hill from Cole Valley, and the warmth from the sun that shines in Noe Valley (I'm no wine expert, but it just has that feel.) However, the wind on the crest where 17th St. and Clayton intersect might make you think more about the summit of Mt. Everest than the serenity of Tuscany or Napa Valley. Even on a calm day the wind blows there, and when the rest of the city is windy, forget about wearing a skirt up there. It absolutely NUKES! There are many little pockets on the east slope that are very sheltered from the wind, so don't let that deter you from having a look at Corona Heights.

The homes in this area sell very well, and the styles of architecture run anywhere from mid-century boxes (which we love), and grand Victorians, to modern masterpieces. The street names are straight out of an Astronomy book (Uranus, Saturn, Mars, Vulcan, Ord), and on a clear night the city views from many of the homes are truly out of this world.

The area is very close to tons of great shopping and restaurants of the Castro, Haight, Cole Valley, and even some cool little shops on Market. There is a great public school in this district, McKinley Elementary on the corner of 14th St. and Castro, and access to Public Transportation is a snap.

All in all, this neighborhood (like all the others) is very different from its neighboring districts and the types of homes vary widely, so if it is on your radar, I highly suggest you spend some time (morning, noon, and night) checking this area out.

Homes on Corbett (the 37 MUNI line runs down Corbett)

On Corbett looking up to Clayton

Corner of Clayton and Corbett (the homes are not sinking, I was)

Modern Architecture on Uranus

This home is on Deming, which is not on the map, but connects from Uranus to Clayton

Home on Levant (purple is in!)

Modern design on the corner of Levant and Lower Terrace

Coming soon: something on Ord Court

Ord Court

This is a really cool little purple house on Corbett (200 Corbett post on theFrontSteps.com)

Randall Museum

Homes on the corner of Roosevelt and Museum

McKinley Elementary School (not the best photo, I know)

Home up on 16th (@ Flint)

Mid-Century homes on Flint

Upper Terrace Market on the corner of 17th and Uranus

Mid-Century apartments on Roosevelt

Dr. Seuss loved these trees didn't he? (Roosevelt Way)

Some of the views you'll see in this district (these from Roosevelt Way)

Woah! (Do the Roosevelts live here?)

Get your bearings

And that is just about it. Like always, if you have any questions about this neighborhood, property in this area, or anywhere in San Francisco for that matter, do not hesitate to contact me (sfnewsletter @ gmail . com, or alexclark @ gmail . com)

Friday, June 06, 2008

Stage 49, Buena Vista Park (5f)

My goodness it's been a long time since we've done a stage. Good thing this is a relatively small district and we can ease back into the flow of the Tour de San Francisco (real estate). Today brings us to a very green (buzzword these days) part of San Francisco...Buena Vista Park. How did it get it's name, well...the park!

One Entrance to Buena Vista Park near Duboce

As you might be able to gather from this district if you have any inkling of the Spanish language this area has really, really great views from just about every angle. This area pretty much encircles B.V park and the names of Buena Vista street coincide accordingly (Buena Vista East, and Buena Vista West). On the west side there are great views to the North and West (obviously) and on the East, great views toward downtown and all the rising condo towers.

Views from B.V. West towards St. Ignatius/Lone Mountain and Marin Headlands (USF)

Views from Buena Vista East towards downtown (at Duboce)

Most of the homes in this area run with the Victorians and Edwardians and can tend to be quite grand, but there are the occasional mid-century gems thrown in just for fun and to break things up. The streets are quiet (relatively) and the neighborhood is good. There is a bit of riff-raffy spillover from Haight St., but what do you expect when you live so close to it?

Home on the corner of Buena Vista West and Java

Literally the other side of the street on Java

Homes down on Buena Vista West at Waller

Home on Buena Vista West with heavy security

Careful!

Home on the corner where B.V. East meets B.V. West

There is one thing that you'll definitely notice when driving this area is an abundance of Palm trees. Make no mistake, we love ourselves some tropical flavor, but we're just sayin'.

Something tells me when this house comes on the market it will say, "Original condition. First time on market in 60 years." This home is on Alpine.

Taken from Alpine looking up Towards B.V. Terrace

This is a great home tucked into the corner on Broderick where Waller connects.

Multi units on Waller

Forgotten units on Waller at Alpine. Alpine btw right here is sooo steep!

Buena Vista East heading (and looking) west.

Did Dr. Seuss live here, or just the Lorax?

Home (and Palm) on the corner of B.V. Terrace and B.V. East

For the most part, homes tend to sell relatively quickly in this area and are very sought after. Of course, it always comes down to price. Location to all the great things San Francisco has to offer is just around every corner. Haight Street is a stones throw away, as is the Castro, and all the new and bustling areas on Divasadero leading to NOPA. There are lots and lots of trees, lots of hills and tons of great homes. As I always like to advise, if wind bothers you, this area gets really , really windy. But, like all things in San Francisco, you have to take the good with the bad to get the benefit of living in a great city.

Don't forget, if you really want to cruise the streets of Buena Vista Park, you should get out there and do it, and this area is small enough you could probably walk the whole thing in an hour. Who needs a car anyway!?

Questions? Don't hesitate to ask (sfnewsletter@gmail.com).

p.s. I may amend this post as the day and week goes on. I wanted it up for today's issue of sfnewsletter. Better yet, add your take in the comments below!

Friday, April 11, 2008

Stage 48, Parnassus/Ashbury Heights (Cole Valley) (5e)

Ooh la la! Before we begin telling you about one of our favorite areas in all the city for numerous reasons, let's first make something clear. We always refer to the SFAR disctrict map when talking about neighborhoods, in order to keep things consistent. However, we must say, a large portion of this area is commonly referred to as Cole Valley.

The homes in this area sell very well. They are generally older (early 1900's) single family homes, but there are also a fair share of condos and apartment buildings. The streets are narrow, winding in many places, and very lush and green because of all the large trees lining them. (Think major hay fever here!) Many of the homes have awesome views, it's relatively quiet (except Parnassus, Stanyan, 17th St, Clayton, and Masonic streets), you're a stones throw away from the Haight with all its shops and restaurants, and there is a major medical facility nearby (UCSF)for when your heart fails walking up the steep hills to your front door (God forbid!). Not only that, but it's a quick skip over 17th Street into the Castro/Upper Market area, and also quick to get over Parnassus into the 9th and Irving area.

There is a great elementary school right smack dab in the middle of this district (Grattan), and the streets are kept clean, the people are smiling, and the weather somehow avoids the fog that most of the western half of the city is victim to. This is in large part due to the amphitheatre shape of the area tucked behind Twin Peaks...think Banana Belt. There is one thing to think about if you don't like wind, do not buy a home up on Clifford Terrace/Upper Terrace near Monument. It absolutely NUKES up there in springtime.

Enough said, get out and see, and check out our pics below.

Homes up on Belgrave, a very, very quiet and cool street. Views are incredible up here!