The site of perhaps the most photographed vista in San Francisco, Alamo Square is home to the world-famous Painted Ladies. The row of iconic Victorian homes, with the city skyline as the backdrop, provides a picture-perfect postcard view of San Francisco.
Equally famous in movies is Alamo Square Park; on a hilltop overlooking the Painted Ladies, locals and tourists frequent the green space, playgrounds, walking trails, dog park, and tennis courts.
Architecture in Alamo Square is predominately Victorian and has the distinct honor of being the location of numerous homes exceeding 10,000 square feet of living space.
The Alamo Square neighborhood is perhaps one of the most photographed neighborhoods in the world, with the quintessential San Francisco scene of Victorian homes in front of modern skyscrapers belonging to this neighborhood.
It is also a relatively small neighborhood, and it’s centered around Alamo Square Park. Homes for sale in this neighborhood range from condominiums in smaller buildings to grand-scale Victorians that could (and sometimes do) grace the cover of international magazines. The “Painted Ladies” make their home in this neighborhood, and have been featured in opening credits for TV shows and in plenty of movies.
Homes for sale start for under $1,000,000 and quickly go up to several million dollars for grand scale Victorian homes that have been fully restored. There are a variety of “mansions” in the neighborhood, some of which are open to the public for viewing, others that have been subdivided into multiple dwelling units, and some that have been converted into a bed and breakfast. Either way, the neighborhood is steeped in San Francisco history.
Dog owners and families with children love the area because of the neighborhood park, but if you have an aversion to tour buses, it would be wise to avoid the area as pretty much all of the tour bus companies bring visitors and tourists throughout the day to the eponymous park that is the neighborhood centerpiece.
Centrally located, homes in the district offer a great spot to live if you’re planning on not having a car. You can easily walk or bike to plenty of other parts of the city, and there are plenty of Muni bus lines that serve the area.
Neighborhood Vibe
Centered around Alamo Square Park, this compact neighborhood appeals to more than just tourists (although there’s a plentiful supply). Families and dog-owners love proximity to the park for the kids and pups to play, and people looking for a central location can’t pick a better spot for convenience.
Popular Home Styles
In addition to the famed Painted Ladies, many more Victorian homes grace the area with their grand facades. From small studios in converted apartment buildings to huge mansions that appear on magazine covers, Alamo Square homes appeal to a wide spectrum of residents.
Getting Around
Several Muni bus lines bisect the neighborhood, and bicyclists will appreciate the proximity of the Wiggle to get to points east and west with relative ease. Many people in this neighborhood forgo a car in favor of their feet, their bike, or public transit.
With 20+ years in the industry and over $400M in sales, we live and breathe San Francisco real estate from Visitacion Valley to The Marina and from Victorians to modern condos. Always fascinated by the people, history, and evolution of our city.
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Median sales price is calculated based on sold data and doesn’t account for seller concessions. Median price represents the point at which half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less. In smaller neighborhoods like many of those found in San Francisco, this metric is less likely to be influenced by extremely high or low sales prices that don’t represent the typical neighborhood home.
Days on Market indicates how quickly or slowly homes are selling in the neighborhood. The lower the days on market (DOM), the stronger the market is for sellers, all other things being equal.
The number of homes available for sale with active status at the end of a given month. Fewer homes available for sale may indicate a seasonal trend or market dynamics that favor a seller more than a buyer.
In strong or balanced markets, homes in San Francisco typically sell over asking. In a buyer’s market, homes will sell at list price or slightly under. If a home has had price reductions, the calculation is based on the last listed price.
Price per square foot is most useful when the homes are almost identical in size, age, layout, and other factors important to buyers. Our experience suggests it is a more valuable metric in larger condo buildings and less valuable for homes in neighborhoods built with a diverse selection of styles, sizes, and ages.
Alamo Square is a neighborhood in the central northern part of San Francisco. It is bordered by Anza Vista and the Northern Panhandle to the east, Lower Pacific Heights to the north, the Western Addition to the west, and Hayes Valley to the south. On an SFAR (San Francisco Association of Realtors) MLS map, Alamo Square is identified as neighborhood 6E.
The entire neighborhood of Alamo Square is a historic district with exceptional examples of Victorian architecture, including the Painted Ladies, also known as the Seven Sisters. “Painted Ladies” is a general term for the Victorian and Edwardian homes in the city repainted in the 1960s with three or more colors, though locals refer to the famous line of homes along the eastern edge of Alamo Square Park as “the” Painted Ladies. A top bucket list item for many tourists, the homes, with their intricate detailing, exceptional craftsmanship, and beautiful downtown backdrop, have been featured in many television shows and movies, and attract a steady crowd of photographers year-round.
A vibrant neighborhood smack dab in the middle of it all, Alamo Square feels like quintessential San Francisco, with its Victorian and Edwardian architecture and busy Alamo Square Park that attracts all kinds of locals and visitors, including dog walkers, urban hikers, families, picnickers, and tennis players. Divisadero Street, along the neighborhood’s western edge, is a bustling corridor offering great restaurants, ice cream shops, and a live music venue. The city’s world-class opera, ballet, and theater options, along with the Hayes Valley shopping scene, are also all within easy walking distance.
Alamo Square is a sunny and north central neighborhood that was one of the earliest built-out areas of the city. Centrally located, it offers public transportation and quick and easy access to so many of the city’s best diversions.
As an “already built” neighborhood, Alamo Square is not a neighborhood where you should expect to find substantial new construction projects. Smaller developers may renovate/flip existing single family properties, or may take advantage of recent housing laws to add additional units to already existing housing. Transit corridors and major neighborhood streets are the most likely areas for new construction buildings in already built neighborhoods with existing housing stock.
Scroll up to see our market charts showing current neighborhood prices and other real estate trends for Alamo Square. These charts are updated dynamically as new data becomes available. Reach out to learn more about prices, trends, and possibilities in Alamo Square.