Blogs

Unveiling the Charm of Cities, Neighborhoods, and Homes

The San Francisco Neighborhoods That Work Without a Car

With robotaxis stalling and the rules still being written, the quieter question is which San Francisco neighborhoods actually let you live well without a car. The answer is older than any app.

Which Bay Area Housing Markets Feel Tech Layoffs First

Intel is cutting again, days before earnings. Here is which Bay Area and Sacramento-region housing markets are most exposed to the 2026 tech layoff wave, and what the data actually shows.

The 2026 Housing Outlook, Translated for Bay Area Buyers

A new national mid-year housing outlook says rates stay near 6.5 percent and inventory keeps improving. Here is what that actually changes for a Bay Area buyer, county by county.

What California%27s 2026 ADU Laws Let You Build

New 2026 California laws cut fees, ease junior-ADU rules, and speed coastal permits. What you can actually build in your Bay Area backyard, and what it costs and adds.

Can You Actually Live in Downtown San Francisco Now?

Offices are refilling and apartments are on the way, but daily life downtown still splits between SoMa, the Financial District, and Mid-Market. A 2026 livability check.

Bay Area%27s Two-Speed Market: SF Soars, South Bay Cools

San Francisco homes are selling $1M over asking while Santa Clara County prices fall. Inside the Bay Area's two-speed 2026 housing market, and where buyers still find room.

Silicon Valley Is Tearing Down Offices for Apartments

A Dallas developer wants to replace a single-story Menlo Park office with 199 apartments, part of a Peninsula teardown wave remaking old Silicon Valley office parks into housing.

San Jose%27s Wild Pigs Are Redecorating Your Lawn

A deadpan field guide to San Jose's wild pigs, the foothill neighborhoods they actually raid, and what buying next to open space really signs you up for.

A $65M Listing and the Priciest Homes in San Francisco

A $65 million Pacific Heights compound just listed, second only to San Francisco's $71 million record. Here is where the most expensive homes in San Francisco really sit, and what a number like that d...

The Rockridge Trader Joe%27s Could Become Two Towers

A developer wants to replace the Rockridge Trader Joe's with two senior-housing towers up to 31 stories across from BART. Here is what is proposed, why state law makes it hard to stop, and what to wat...

Fremont’s AI Factory Boom and the Neighborhoods It Lifts

Fremont now captures most of Silicon Valley’s advanced manufacturing. Here is how the AI factory boom is reshaping demand across Fremont’s neighborhoods and home prices.

Treasure Island’s First Condos Opened as Rentals

Treasure Island’s first condo building just opened as rentals. Here is what daily life on the island really looks like before you decide to rent or buy there.

Is the Outer Sunset Changing? 199 Homes by the Ocean

A 199-unit affordable housing project is back in the permit pipeline at 1234 Great Highway. What it says about San Francisco's foggy, ocean-facing west side, and whether the Outer Sunset is really cha...

Plan Bay Area 2050+: Where the Region Will Grow

The Bay Area's official long-range blueprint, Plan Bay Area 2050+, was adopted this spring. Here is what its 35 strategies actually steer, in plain English, and what it means for your neighborhood.

Oakland Vacancy Tax: What the First Audit Found

Oakland's vacant-property tax brings in about $6 million a year, the city's first audit says, but six years in it is not clearly pushing empty lots back into use. What that means block by block.

San Jose Diridon Housing: Approved vs Built

A downtown San Jose apartment tower tied to a city land deal was just delayed again. The bigger question for anyone betting on Diridon is how much approved housing is actually rising.

Palo Alto SB 79 Rush: 7 Transit Projects Filed

Seven projects and about 253 apartments were filed under SB 79 before Palo Alto's limiting ordinance took effect July 16. Here is where they landed and what it means for buyers comparing neighborhoods...

Neighborhoods You Should Consider in Oakland

A data-backed shortlist of seven Oakland neighborhoods across budgets, scored on safety, schools, amenities, and value with Houseberry's neighborhood data.

The Most Affordable Neighborhoods in Marin (2026)

Marin has a reputation for being out of reach. A few neighborhoods still score well without the county's top-tier prices. Here is where to look first.

5 Peninsula Neighborhoods That Beat the Price (2026)

Five northern Peninsula neighborhoods post high Houseberry scores for well under the region's going rate. Here is what they score, what they cost, and the tradeoffs.

Fewer Than 700 Homes Are for Sale in All of SF

San Francisco has fewer than 700 homes on the market, and single-family houses are selling in 12 days. Here is where the supply actually is.

IPO Money Is Coming for These Bay Area Neighborhoods

SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI are about to push tech wealth into a short list of Bay Area neighborhoods. The lockup calendar says it lands this fall.

Hayes Valley Adds 64 Affordable Homes at 78 Haight

A 64-unit affordable building just opened at 78 Haight Street in Hayes Valley, one of San Francisco's most searched and least affordable neighborhoods. What it adds, who it houses, and what our data s...

AB 179 Cuts Impact Fees. What It Means for the Bay Area

Newsom signed AB 179 in Oakland, cutting the cost of an affordable unit by $60,000 to $70,000, largely by reducing local impact fees. Here is where that actually moves the needle in the Bay Area, and ...

Santa Rosa%27s Affordable Housing Math Is Getting Harder

Santa Rosa has built 1,465 affordable homes since 2020, but the wildfire recovery money that paid for them is gone and the grant funding left over covers about $79,000 of a unit. Here is what the Nort...

San Francisco%27s 15% to 5% Affordable Housing Cut, Explained

San Francisco is about to cut its inclusionary housing requirement from 15 percent to 5 percent, and drop it entirely for small buildings. Here is what the ordinance actually does, what the city's own...

Oakland Sells Its Half of the Coliseum for $110 Million

The City Council approved the sale of Oakland's 50 percent stake in the Coliseum complex for $110 million. Here is what is actually in the deal, and what it does and does not change for the East Oakla...

The New Housing Bill Is Law. What Changes in the Bay Area

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law without a presidential signature. Here is what its 56 provisions actually do, and which ones reach Bay Area neighborhoods.

San Jose%27s General Plan Reset: 4 to 10 Homes Where One Sits Now

San Jose planning staff want to quadruple density limits across most single-family neighborhoods and allow eight stories near Santana Row. Here is which neighborhoods would change most under the Gener...

10 San Jose Neighborhoods With the Best Schools (2026)

Only 14 of San Jose's 358 scored neighborhoods earn a perfect 5.0 school score in 2026. Here are the ten at the top of the ranking, with real prices and the tradeoffs behind each one.

10 Best Neighborhoods in Redwood City (2026 Data)

Redwood Shores leads Houseberry's 2026 Redwood City ranking at 4.5/5, with the city's only perfect 5.0 school score. Here are all 10 top neighborhoods, with prices and tradeoffs.

A 500,000 Sq Ft Data Center Is Proposed Next to Silver Creek

Prologis has filed plans for a 516,000-square-foot, 99-megawatt data center at 5977 Silver Creek Valley Road in San Jose. Here is what the proposal actually says, and what it could mean for the neighb...

10 Safest Neighborhoods in Fremont (2026 Data)

Vineyards/Avalon leads Fremont's 2026 safety ranking, and six of the ten safest neighborhoods also carry perfect school scores. The full list, with prices and the tradeoffs behind each one.

Is Downtown San Francisco Back? The Mall Sale Just Collapsed

The rescue deal for the shuttered San Francisco Centre just fell through, only blocks from a record home-bidding frenzy. We unpack downtown San Francisco's two-speed market and what it means for SoMa,...

San Francisco%27s Housing Pipeline Built Just 400 Homes

San Francisco's housing pipeline holds tens of thousands of units on paper, yet only about 405 homes were finished in the first half of 2026. For buyers waiting on a supply wave to cool prices, here i...

The SF-Oakland Rent Gap Is Now About $2,000 a Month

The average one-bedroom in San Francisco now runs close to $2,000 a month more than in Oakland, roughly $24,000 a year. We break down the SF vs Oakland rent gap and rank the East Bay areas near BART a...

Bay Area Property Tax Appeal 2026: County-by-County Guide

Your 2026 assessed value just posted and the appeal window is open. The deadlines, fees, and decision math for Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Marin.

BART’s New Fare Gates Are Changing the Station Next Door

BART’s new fare gates are now in all 50 stations, and the payoff is showing up as less fare evasion, less crime, and cleaner platforms. Here is how that changes the way you research neighborhoods near...

California%27s New Housing Agency and the Bay Area

California's Housing and Homelessness Agency launched July 1 to move affordable housing funding through one door instead of many. Here is what that changes for Bay Area projects, and the catch.

How Far Over Asking Are SF Homes Going in 2026

In the first half of 2026, 144 San Francisco homes sold at least $1 million over asking, up roughly 1,700 percent. Here is how far over asking SF homes are really going, and which neighborhoods are bi...

Is Oakland Getting Better, or Just Looking Better?

Oakland's homeless count fell about 20 percent and the Coliseum sale finally has terms. We read the good-news summer honestly and ask what it actually means for buyers comparing neighborhoods.

Pacifica Pier%27s Future: Repair, Replace, or Retreat

Pacifica has closed its crumbling municipal pier and demolished the Chit Chat Cafe. With repair estimates ballooning past $60 million, the city now has to decide what a coastal landmark is worth.

El Camino Real Is Becoming Palo Alto%27s Apartment Corridor

A builder has filed plans to replace the Coronet Motel with 76 homes, the third big housing project on the same stretch of El Camino Real. Here is what the corridor's turn toward apartments means for ...

SF Office-to-Housing: 901 Market Plans 136 Homes

Hudson Pacific filed plans to convert the historic 901 Market building into 136 homes, the clearest sign San Francisco's office-to-housing push is reaching the heart of Mid-Market.

Lafayette Breaks Ground on a Seven-Story BART Project

Diamond Construction broke ground on a seven-story, roughly 90-home building steps from the Lafayette BART station, a notably tall transit-oriented development for a low-rise town.

Peninsula Housing Slowdown Keeps Home Prices Sticky

New housing on the Peninsula has cratered, with San Mateo down to 39 finished homes at mid-2026 and Foster City to one. Here is why so few new units keep prices sticky, and where the handful that get ...

SB 79 Is Live. Bay Area Cities Are Split on It

SB 79 takes effect July 1, 2026, but the Bay Area map is a patchwork. Here is which counties and cities are opening up near transit and which are quietly opting out.

California%27s First ADU Condo Just Sold in San Jose

A 749-square-foot backyard unit in San Jose just sold on its own for $530,000, California's first ADU condo sale. Here is what it means for a lower-cost path to ownership, and which South Bay cities c...

Happy Valley Lafayette and the Math of a 59-Year Hold

A Happy Valley estate in Lafayette bought for $54,000 in 1967 just listed for $4.45M. Here is what the long hold, and the neighborhood data, actually tell buyers.

El Camino’s $1B Los Gatos Hospital and What It Signals

El Camino Health wants to replace its 1962 Los Gatos hospital with a $1 billion, all-electric campus by 2032. Here is what a healthcare anchor that size does to nearby home demand, and why buyers rare...

A West Oakland Megaproject Now Wants to Be a Parking Lot

A West Oakland site approved for 1,032 homes now wants to become a temporary parking lot. What stalled megaprojects say about the real pace of change near West Oakland BART.

San Francisco Rent Nears $4,100 and Bends the Buy Math

San Francisco's average asking rent is near $4,100, up about 18 percent in a year. We run the real monthly rent-versus-buy numbers and show how rising rent pulls the breakeven date forward.

Bay Area Transit Loan: What $590M Actually Buys

California's $590 million loan keeps BART, Caltrain, Muni and AC Transit running through the new fiscal year. It is a one-year bridge to the November vote, not a fix, and that changes what a transit-r...

Bay Area Home Insurance Is Spreading Past the Hills

California homeowner premiums are up 84% since 2020 and the FAIR Plan is now turning up in low-risk flatland ZIP codes. Here is how Bay Area home insurance is reshaping the real cost of owning, block ...

Bay Area Transfer Tax: What It Costs You to Sell

A ballot measure to slash California transfer taxes just got pulled in a Sacramento deal. Here is what Bay Area sellers actually pay now, broken down by city.

California Housing Bond 2026: What a Yes Vote Funds

California's $11.25 billion housing bond goes to voters on November 3. Here is what it would actually fund, and which Bay Area pipelines are positioned to use the money first.

Oakland Coliseum Sale Races a June 30 Deadline

Alameda County just approved terms to sell its half of the Oakland Coliseum to AASEG by June 30, clearing the way for a $5 billion redevelopment. Here is what it means for East Oakland home values and...

SB 79 Takes Effect July 1: What It Means Near Bay Area Transit

SB 79 takes effect July 1, 2026, legalizing taller housing near BART, Caltrain, and VTA stations. Here is what the transit-density law means for Bay Area buyers comparing neighborhoods.

Bay Area Elementary Schools Top the 2026 U.S. News List

Fourteen of California's top 25 elementary schools are in the Bay Area on the 2026 U.S. News list. Here is what that means for buyers, and why the attendance boundary, not the city line, decides which...

Moffett Park Housing: 265 Homes for a Former Google Site

Sunnyvale just cleared a former Google office at 1215 Bordeaux Drive for 265 apartments, an early piece of Moffett Park's shift from a jobs-only district to a place people can actually live.

East Palo Alto Affordable Housing Rules Survive Pushback

A staff plan to temporarily ease East Palo Alto’s affordable housing requirements collapsed after residents and former council members pushed back. Here is what the stalled rollback means for the deve...

Bernal Heights Safeway Redevelopment: 379 Homes Filed

Align Real Estate has filed formal plans for 379 rental homes above a new Safeway at 3350 Mission Street. Here is what the project means for daily errands, walkability, and homebuying on the Bernal an...

New Oakland Trail Reshapes East Oakland Walkability

Oakland’s East Bay Greenway just added an off-street walk and bike path from Coliseum BART to Seminary Avenue, with new lighting and street trees that change daily life and walkability for East Oaklan...

Southern Skyline Ridge Trail Opens 5.4 Miles on the Peninsula

After more than twenty years of planning, 5.4 miles of new Bay Area Ridge Trail are set to open on the Peninsula in 2026, reshaping the outdoor pitch for Mid-Peninsula neighborhoods.

Cupertino Townhomes Approved on Bandley Drive: Why It Matters

Cupertino just cleared 27 new townhomes at 10268 Bandley Drive under California’s AB 130 streamlining. Here is what it means for buyers comparing North Cupertino, Rancho Rinconada, Sunnyvale, and Sant...

Concord Naval Weapons Station Plan: 12,272 Homes Approved

Concord just approved a 30-year plan to build 12,272 homes on the former Naval Weapons Station. Here is what it means for East Bay buyers comparing Concord, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, and...

How AI Is Splitting the Bay Area Housing Market

A new Redfin report shows AI wealth is splitting the Bay Area housing market in two, with luxury zip codes up 13.4% while the most affordable ones have lost value. Here is what it means for buyers com...

SF’s Family Zoning Plan and Recent Lawsuit: What It Could Change in Your Neighborhood

This story isn’t really about “zoning.” It’s about whether the streets you use every day stay mostly low-rise… or slowly gain more housing above shops, mid-rise apartments, and bigger mixed-use projec...

Trump’s Push to Ban Big Investors From Buying Single-Family Homes: What It Could Mean for the Bay Area

This one got people’s attention fast. On January 7, 2026, President Trump said he’s starting the process of banning large institutional investors from buying single-family homes. If you live in the Ba...

Moving to the Bay Area in 2025: Neighborhood Guide with Real Data

Compare Bay Area neighborhoods with real data on schools, safety, amenities, price, value & appreciation. Explore San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda & Marin.

Discover the Top 10 Neighborhoods in Redwood City

Houseberry is excited to share our Top 10 Neighborhoods in Redwood City, CA. Using our comprehensive scoring system, we've identified the top spots for those seeking excellent schools, safe communitie...

Discover the Top 10 Neighborhoods in San Mateo

Houseberry is excited to share our Top 10 Neighborhoods in San Mateo. Using our comprehensive scoring system, we've identified the top spots for those seeking excellent schools, safe communities, and ...

Discover Top 10 Neighborhoods: San Francisco, CA

Houseberry is excited to share our Top 10 Neighborhoods in San Francisco. Using our comprehensive scoring system, we've identified the top spots for those seeking excellent schools, safe communities,...

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Bay East ©2025. CCAR ©2025. bridgeMLS ©2025. Information Deemed Reliable But Not Guaranteed. This information is being provided by the Bay East MLS, or CCAR MLS, or bridgeMLS. The listings presented here may or may not be listed by the Broker/Agent operating this website. This information is intended for the personal use of consumers and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Data last updated at July 23, 2026 12:00 AM