Already this week we looked at what it takes to buy into San Francisco neighborhoods at median prices, but what about those perusing the less than median strata? How much does it take just to break into San Francisco’s most popular neighborhoods?
The folks over at NeighborhoodX had been wondering the same thing, starting with a roundup of the most inexpensive homes currently listed in SoMa. Here’s what you need to get a toehold south of Market, and here’s what that toehold looks like.
Surprise number one: Mint Plaza actually gives us the most affordable place in the whole lot, asking $799,000 for this place in the onetime firehouse. While you might expect the cheapest homes to be studios, like most of these this is a full two-bed, single-bath affair. All told, we’re a little surprised this one is still around 70 days after listing.
It’s a fairly big jump in price to our next lowest rung, unfortunately, as this loft with the cubbyhole kitchen tacks $30,000 onto the Mint Plaza price. It’s advertised as a “huge loft,” but hugeness is in the eye of the beholder, as at 985 feet it’s only the fourth largest of the eight we have today.
Note that the listing expired on this live/work loft by the freeway on Halloween, right after knocking $50,000 off the price (to $849,000) just in time to qualify for this list. But since it’ll no doubt be back sooner rather than later, we’re including it here. (The ad calls the neighborhood a “biker’s paradise”; presumably they mean “cyclist’s paradise,” as bikers may be a rather different demographic altogether.)
This one foregoes the industrial look in favor of something ordinary and contemporary. As we move up into the $868,000 strata we start picking up more second bathrooms. And although the escalation from $800,000 is pretty sever here, we won’t quite break $900K before the list is over.
Another unit in this same building just dipped off the market in the last few days, barely avoiding cornering the list with 25 percent of the offerings. This single $875K affair will have to do the work of two, which, at nearly 1,200 square feet and one of the largest homes here, seems possible.
Also yours for $875,000, this one is banking on its Edwardian touches, as the remodels over the years did keep some of the wainscoting, built-ins, and the like. Personally, we like the green subway tile around the living room fireplace, if only because it punctuates the exceedingly white decor. Note that, at well over 1,300 feet, this is the biggest of the lot, and outweighs a fair few SFRs.
Just down the hall from our previous entry in the same building, although it’s a difference of $11,000, up to $879K. The building throws in a few classy touches for the price jump, though; the marble fireplace isn’t actually all that impressive when you see it, but we do like the tiled bar.
Our last entry just barely slides onto the list, both because at $879K it tops us out and also because it’s only came onto the market about two weeks ago. Though the building fronts Folsom, this unit looks out onto tiny, tree-lined Rausch Street.
- Most Affordable SoMa Homes [NeighborhoodX]
- Where Can Average San Franciscan Buy? [Curbed SF]