Across most of the Bay Area, the severe economic volatility that prevailed in Q2 - and the absence of a meaningful decline in mortgage interest rates - generally caused a significant year-over-year weakening in the spring selling season, usually the most dynamic of the year. However, this did not occur in San Francisco…

Ongoing volatility in political/economic conditions - particularly the plunge in stock markets in April, which affected May home sales - took some of the wind out of the spring real estate market, usually the most dynamic of the year.

District 7 Sales Explosion: Marina/Pacific Heights/Cow Hollow led citywide growth with a 31.4% increase in closed sales, achieving 418 total transactions. This growth rate was 1.7 times higher…

While most of the Bay Area saw significant shifts to more uncertain and uneven markets in April, the SF house market remained characterized by robust demand, though its condo market remained much softer. However, there were indications of increased hesitancy…

A recent San Francisco Chronicle article highlights a crucial issue for both condo buyers and sellers: some California condo buildings are flagged in a federal database as ineligible for conventional financing. The reasons behind this vary—from structural problems to missing documentation—but the outcome is the same: many lenders won’t approve mortgages for these properties.

We began 2025 with the usual new year rebound: The numbers of new listings and of listings going into contract have bounced back from their annual low counts in December, and both are almost certain to rise rapidly as we move further into the year. In the Bay Area, we are already on the cusp of spring, which typically sees the most heated market conditions of the year, and, not unusually, the highest median home sales prices.

In 2024, San Francisco median house and condo sales prices increased year over year, though still running below the 2021-2022 pandemic-boom highs. The numbers of new listings and sales rose from 2023, but volumes remained well below long-term norms. Fueled by rising stock markets, luxury home sales outperformed the general market. Overbidding of asking price increased, and, on average, listings sold a few days faster than last year.

San Francisco is taking a major step toward modernizing its public records system with the launch of a free online database containing over 7 million property documents. These records, which date from 1990 to the present, include deeds, liens, reconveyances, and notices of default. Previously, these documents could only be accessed in person at City Hall or through paid services. Now, they’re available to the public at no cost.

Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash

In late November, Bay Area markets began moving into the mid-winter holiday slowdown, which in December typically results in the lowest counts of the year for new listings coming on market and homes going into contract. Homes are still listed and deals continue to be made, just at a much slower pace, and this is usually the period where buyers can negotiate most aggressively on unsold properties with longer days-on-market.

October brought a substantial rebound in market activity. Year over year, median house and condo sales prices were up in October 2024, 2% and 5.5% respectively. Fueled by the large jump in new listings in September, sales activity - as measured by the number of listings that went into contract - hit its highest point since spring 2022.

On September 18th, the Federal Reserve Bank dropped its benchmark rate for the first time since 2020 - a very positive development for housing markets.

"The time has come for policy to adjust... the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks...My confidence has grown that inflation is on a sustainable path back to 2 percent." Jerome Powell, Chairman, Federal Reserve Bank, 8/23/24

As of August 8th, mortgage rates had reached the lowest point in over a year, while financial markets were experiencing significant volatility.

When deciding whether to accept an offer, it’s critical to consider your carrying costs…. including the cost of capital.

The median house sales price in Q2 2024 rose 6% from Q2 2023, while the median condo sales price declined by 2.5%.