Downtown
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Downtown Neighborhood Vibe

You’re just as likely to rub elbows with tourists as you are with your neighbors in this area that includes the hotels and shopping hot-spots of Union Square. It’s a bustling district, chock full of restaurants, famous retailers, the famous cable-car turnaround, and plenty of San Francisco character.

Popular Downtown Home Styles

Single-family homes in the Downtown neighborhood can be counted on no more than a couple of hands. Condos and apartment buildings are the name of the game here, ranging from small, turn-of-the-last-century buildings to large highrise developments. All of these are surrounded by hotels, tourists, and the commercial zones that cater to them.

Getting Around in Downtown

Muni bus lines, light-rail lines, and BART all serve this bustling district. It’s all about your feet, your bike (if you’re brave), and public transportation in this neighborhood, where it’s common for condos to be offered for sale without a parking space included. And even if you have parking — do you want to hassle with that traffic?

Median Sales Price

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

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.

Number of Active Listings

The number of homes available for sale in 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.

Sales Price Compared to List Price

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

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.

Where is Downtown San Francisco?

The Downtown area of San Francisco is near the eastern edge of the city, just above Market Street. It is bordered by Van Ness/Civic Center to the west, Nob Hill to the north, the Financial District/Barbary Coast to the east, and the Tenderloin to the south. On an SFAR (San Francisco Association of Realtors) MLS map, Downtown is identified as neighborhood 8a.

Are there any notable historical landmarks or sites in Downtown?

Separate in geography and character from its Financial District neighbor, Downtown San Francisco (as designated by MLS) includes the main retail hub around Union Square. In 1847, two years before the Gold Rush, Jasper O’Farrell, the city’s first surveyor, laid out a plan for San Francisco that included Union Square as a public plaza. By the 1880s, this area had evolved into an upscale residential district. Following the devastating earthquake of 1906, Union Square transformed into the city’s premier shopping district.

Other notable sites include the cable car turnaround on Powell Street, and the Toni Rembe Theater, formerly known as the Geary Theater, built in the Classical Revival and Late Victorian styles, and the current home of the American Conservatory Theater. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated an official San Francisco Landmark.

How does the community vibe in Downtown contribute to its real estate appeal?

While many of the city’s neighborhoods have a dash of small-town or suburban atmosphere to soften their “urbaness,” Downtown is pure city living, right at its pulsing center. Union Square is the hub and hallmark of the downtown shopping scene, and the theater district calls this area home as well.

Nightclubs, bars, hotels, and restaurants provide a lively backdrop for both locals and tourists alike, and the latter can always be found hanging off the sides of the city’s iconic cable cars. Downtown real estate is a mix of condos and apartments in a range of architectural styles, and there’s no better place for public transit options.

Where can I find new construction in Downtown?

Looking for new construction in Downtown? Our new construction homes in San Francisco page has a list of current and upcoming developments across the city of San Francisco. We have decades of experience in representing buyers in new construction. Get in touch to learn more about how our team can help you find a newly built home, negotiate the best deal for you, and help you understand how purchasing in new construction is different.

What are the average home prices in Downtown and how have they trended?

You can scroll up to see our market charts showing current neighborhood prices and other real estate trends for Downtown. We update these charts dynamically as new data becomes available. Reach out to us to learn more about prices, trends, and possibilities in Downtown.