The San Francisco real estate market is actually showing signs of stabilizing. That means we’re starting to see fewer offers on properties, fewer extreme overbidding situations, and buyers having offers accepted that—dare we say it?—have contingencies.
For those of us working in the field, networking with our colleagues and representing buyers and sellers in very recent transactions, it’s pretty obvious that things are calming down a bit. Our sales meetings in the first few months of the year were filled with reports on eight, ten or 15+ offer situations. Now it’s more like three or four. My clients are purchasing a condo in Bernal Heights, and their contract had the full appraisal, loan and inspection contingencies.
A look at single-family home and condo sales through June 25th reveals sales prices of only 7.5% above list price on average for condos, and 12% for houses. Of course, there are the usual hotspots (Mission and NoPa condos, Bernal and Noe Valley houses) where buyers are still recklessly throwing money around (see 334 Winfield, pictured above, listed for $1,295,000 and just closed for $1,765,000 in an all-cash transaction). But in the rest of the city, properties are not selling for way, way over the list price.
But let me be clear: Prices are not declining in San Francisco. Single-family homes sold for an average of $1,648,329 in June, and the average condo price was $1,175,558. If you’ve made a purchase or will do so in 2014, it means you’re at peace with what the market demands right now. And if you’re planning to buy between now and the end of the year, I believe that the summer will be the sweet spot due to less competition among vacationing buyers.