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.

Stage 45, Haight Ashbury (5b)

Is it just us, or does that district outline look like a pistol? Maybe we'll call this the pistol district. Moving on....

Haight Ashbury. Wow, what a spot with so much history, and so much to see. This is where our job gets tough. On the map we've been referencing for this entire tour we see the entire pistol district, however, you must break it down even further. It should look something more like this:

There are certainly that many tiny nano markets amongst this one micro-market. We say again, you cannot base your buying decision on what you see on a map. You absolutely must get out there and drive, nay walk, an area if you plan on moving there. Haight Ashbury is a perfect example.

Generally, the area is full of Victorians and Edwardians: single family; multi-unit; and condominium. As with every area of town, the right priced homes are going to sell quickly, and the overpriced or under marketed homes will sit.

Some of the most popular areas are those around Cole (Cole Valley) and the streets like Frederick, Belvedere, and Parnassus near Clayton. Clayton is an extremely busy street as is Carl, Stanyan, Oak (takes the cake), and Frederick. There are views to be had from several areas in this district (Frederick, Hillway, Parnassus), and there are flat quaint streets perfect for sitting on your stoop enjoying the sun (Beulah, Waller, Page, and Cole).

You're going to pay more for your home south of Haight than you would north and it's going to be much more competitive. Homes in these areas don't come on the market all too often and when they do there is a line to get in. Oak Street has to be the toughest sell of the whole district as it is a very, very busy street. But if you can deal with a little road noise, you can definitely get something nice on this street for less than you'd pay on other streets...naturally. There are also a couple tiny one way "alleyways" that are very desirable and quaint (Delmar and Downey).

Haight street, in case you haven't heard, is one of the best shopping destinations in the city. Cole has its share of nice restaurants and San Francisco vibe as well, but Haight takes top honors, and is home to one of our editor's favorite stores (Villains).

Living in the Haight does have its drawbacks. There is a very large percentage of vagrants and "homeless" people milling about and it is not uncommon to go outside your front door and have a few of them hanging out on your steps enjoying the sun, especially the closer you get to Haight Street. It just comes with the territory.

This district is also home to the Lycee Francais. But don't think you can move into this area and just send your children to this school. Just like most schools in San Francisco it is extremely competitive to get your children into this school, but with a little luck, persistence and connections, you might just find your little bambinos parle'ing un peux Francais!

Access to parks (particularly Golden Gate and the Panhandle) is second to none, as is access to other parts of the city. It's a quick trip down Oak to downtown, SOMA, Mission, and the highway 101 on ramp (think Bay Bridge). It's equally convenient getting to the west via Lincoln (the Beach), and it's easy getting over the hill into the Castro and Upper Market areas, as well as crossing the panhandle into the increasingly popular and hip NOPA.

The weather is generally nice, a bit foggy in the summer, but Cole Valley actually enjoys some shelter from Mt Sutro, which blocks the fog and wind for many days in the summer. We like to call this a banana belt, and something a lot of people don't know.

Other than that, as always, we suggest you take a look for yourself and let us know what you think.

That's enough chatter, on to the photos.

Home on Carl.

There used to be quite a few bike shops on Stanyan, the numbers are dwindling, but it's still the place to go for some flat tire repair.
The famous corner building of Haight Ashbury
Homes on Arguello
Arguello homes with UCSF campus looming behind to the south east.
UCSF
Hill Way street in the shadow of UCSF while the rest of the district enjoys the sun. But they do have some views.
Wasteland on Haight.
Haight street (sorry for the blur)
Haight street
Haight Street
Ben & Jerry's on Haight Street.
Homes on Waller
Homes on Ashbury south of Haight
Waller multi units

Villains!
Homes on Page
Can't wait to see what this becomes on Page
Very typical multi unit building north of Haight Street
Nice house on Ashbury. ;-)
Home on Page north of Haight
Clayton north of Haight
Clayton homes
Vagrants hanging out drinking and smoking (not cigarettes) in broad day light on Clayton. You should know a bottle was thrown at our car after this photo was taken, "Hey! Someone's taking a picture of us!" Whoosh!

Page and Ashbury home
Clayton homes

Parnassus up near Clayton
Page multi units

Shrader homes
Home on Cole
Market on Cole

As always, if you have questions, feel free to contact us, or your sfnewsletter provider.