Bay Area Neighborhood and Housing Market News

Data-led coverage of Bay Area and Sacramento neighborhoods, home prices, schools, and the local market.

SF Bike Ridership Is Up 35 Percent. Does That Match Yours?

SFMTA says average daily bike ridership rose 35 percent from March 2025 to March 2026. The number rests on twelve pavement sensors, four of them on the Wiggle, compared across a nearly rainless March....

Why AI Robotics Firms Are Leasing Sunnyvale, Not SF

Bay Area robotics occupancy went from under 500,000 square feet in 2020 to 7.6 million in 2026, and San Francisco holds only 11 percent of it. What Apptronik's Sunnyvale lease says about where the nex...

Builders Remedy Explained: 116 Homes Coming to Gilroy

Gilroy has had a state-certified housing element since 2023 and is still processing a builder's remedy EIR. Here is how the mechanism actually works in 2026, and which other Bay Area projects are movi...

California Lawn Ban 2027: What Your Street Will Look Like

AB 1572 stops potable irrigation of nonfunctional turf starting in 2027 and reaches HOA common areas in 2029. What it covers, what conversion costs, what rebates actually pay, and how it changes the l...

Caltrain Has a Code of Conduct Now. Will It Bring You Back?

Caltrain's first passenger code of conduct takes effect October 19, 2026. Here is what it bans, who can actually enforce it, and whether it addresses the reasons people stopped riding.

Sunnyvale Beam: Can $3.50 Rides Replace a Second Car?

Sunnyvale's new $3.50 citywide shuttle, compared with Cupertino's SV Hopper and Palo Alto Link, plus the math on whether a south Sunnyvale household can actually drop a second car.

Bay Area Luxury Home Sales Up 39 Percent: Where the Line Sits

Redfin counted 39 percent more luxury sales in the San Francisco metro and 13 percent more around Oakland in the first half of 2026. Here is what luxury means in dollars in each metro, which Houseberr...

KKR Lynhaven Deal: Why Big Money Wants West San Jose

KKR paid $346.5 million for the 636-unit Lynhaven apartments on Winchester Boulevard, the third big-ticket San Jose apartment sale of the summer. We map where the money is landing, compare six West Sa...

University Station: 408 Homes Beside Santa Clara Caltrain

Santa Clara planning staff back a 408-home project across from the Caltrain station, but 0.94 acres of it is in San Jose. What the annexation means, who the 62 affordable homes are for, and how a new ...

California Forever Now Owns Part of Main Street in Suisun City

California Forever closed on a vacant former bank at 701 Main Street and two parking lots on September 1. What the $1.5M deal lets it build, how it fits the 22,873-acre annexation, and what it means f...

A $560K-Per-Door San Jose Deal and the Rent It Needs

Bell Partners paid $140 million for 250 apartments on Stockton Avenue, about 79 percent above the Bay Area's average price per unit. Running that price backward shows the rent it requires, and how thi...

West Portal Housing Project Triples to 172 Homes

The Empire Theater site went from 64 apartments to 172 in eight months. Here is exactly which laws did that, what 156 feet looks like on a four-story street, and what it means in a neighborhood where ...

Golden Gate Fields Park: What the $125M Vote Buys

California committed up to $125 million toward turning the closed Albany racetrack into a 161-acre bayfront park. Here is when it actually opens, what it costs Albany in the meantime, and which neighb...

19 New Homes Are Coming to North Gate Road in Walnut Creek

Contra Costa cleared 19 homes on a 9.83-acre parcel below the Mount Diablo gate. What it means for the Foothill Middle and Northgate High attendance area, and what the school data actually shows.

Santa Clara Moves to Put 6,000 Homes on 45 Acres

Santa Clara filed to add 1,500 homes to the Tasman East plan without adding any land. What that does to the neighborhood absorbing all of it, and how to comment before October 13.

Eleven Housing Bills Now Sit With Newsom Until September 30

The Legislature finished passing bills on August 31. Here is what actually reached the governor, what each one would change for a Bay Area owner, and why doing nothing still makes them law.

What Vallejo Actually Gets From the Mare Island Grant

The Governor announced 48.5 million dollars and 20,000 jobs from a Vallejo dock. Solano County gets 8.2 million of it, and the jobs number is statewide. Here is the real math for buyers.

Box Just Committed to Redwood City Through 2040

Box extended its downtown Redwood City headquarters lease to 2040 and handed back two floors. The lease itself is public, and the numbers in it say more than the headline did.

Eight Stories Behind a Julia Morgan Landmark in the Marina

Fourteen months after winning approval for a modest expansion, the Marina retirement community behind a landmarked Julia Morgan building refiled for something far bigger, on a block zoned for 40 feet.

80 Homes on the Closed Glider School Site in San Jose

San Jose planners cleared 80 homes on the Glider Elementary campus that Oak Grove School District sold for $26.6 million. What that trade actually means for Blossom Valley, and the affordable number n...

Who Bought Marc Benioff%27s old SF Mansion? Record price in secret sales in Presidio Heights

Two Presidio Heights mansions just sold for $67.8 million to anonymous trusts. Our best guess at the buyer, and it is only a guess, is a famous one, and the house itself has spent a century collecting...

Skyline Watershed Ridge Trail Is Open. Read This First

The six-mile Skyline Watershed Ridge Trail opened on August 24 after twenty-eight years in the pipeline. Free permit, 29 parking spaces, no dogs, and it dead-ends at a fence.

278 Homes at San Mateo%27s Hillsdale Inn, 13 Years Later

SummerHill filed formal plans for 278 homes at the shuttered Hillsdale Inn. It is the fourth proposal for the site since 2013, and the Peninsula's dying motels are quietly becoming its largest land ba...

Sunnyvale Approved 137 Townhomes You Can Actually Buy

Sunnyvale's Planning Commission approved 137 townhome condominiums on a former industrial site at Kifer Road. In a city where three of every four new homes are apartments, that is the unusual part.

San Mateo County Affordable Housing: $24.3M, 459 Homes

San Mateo County just funded six affordable housing projects. We divided the awards by the homes and found a 7.5-to-1 spread between the cheapest project and the most expensive.

AB 2074: What 450-Foot Downtown Towers Would Change

A bill on the California Senate floor this week would force San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland to zone downtown districts for 450-foot housing by July 2027. What the statute actually says, and why he...

California Exodus 2026: What the U-Haul Data Really Says

U-Haul ranks California second in the country for Gen Z arrivals and dead last overall. Both are true. What the state's own numbers say, and where a young mover can actually afford to land in the Bay ...

Affordable Senior Housing in Oakland: The Eliza and the Wait

Oakland is building 97 affordable studios for renters 62 and older at Telegraph and 22nd. What the rents actually are, who qualifies, and why the waitlist math is the hard part.

Palo Alto RV Parking Permits and the Homes It Never Built

Palo Alto will issue RV parking permits for 37 vehicles on two edge-of-town streets starting March 2027. The city has counted as many as 180 of them.

Winchester Blvd San Jose: 264 Homes Skip CEQA Review

San Jose posted a Notice of Exemption on August 24 for 264 apartments at 741 S. Winchester Boulevard, using the new AB 130 infill exemption. No environmental study, no negotiated mitigation. Here is w...

40 Homes, One Ballot: Half Moon Bay Votes on 555 Kelly

Half Moon Bay voters decide Measure Q on November 3, after 1,085 signatures forced a citywide vote on 40 apartments for senior farmworkers. The arithmetic behind the fight, and what it says about Coas...

Woodland Park and the Remaking of East Palo Alto

About 819 new homes and 536 renovated apartments are on the table in Woodland Park, the largest reshaping of East Palo Alto's rental stock in a generation. Here is what residents are organizing around...

Downtown Palo Alto Housing Wins the Lot T Court Fight

A Santa Clara County judge rejected all seven claims against Palo Alto's 72-apartment project on downtown parking Lot T. Here is what that changes for Downtown North, and what it does not change for a...

Downtown San Mateo: 94 Homes and a 35-Day Legal Window

San Mateo quietly recorded a CEQA exemption for an eight-story, 94-unit building on South B Street. The filing cut the window to challenge it from six months to about five weeks.

Living Near a San Jose Data Center: The 55-Decibel Rule

South San Jose residents want a pause on new data centers. No councilmember has proposed one. The number that will actually decide this sits in the city's own noise code, and almost nobody has quoted ...

Bay Area Housing Goals: Nobody Here Is on Pace

Five California jurisdictions are on track to hit their state housing targets, and not one of them is a Bay Area city. Here is the scoreboard for the cities buyers actually shop, with prices next to i...

The Marina Safeway Toxics Fight Has a Second Clock

Opponents of the 848-unit Marina Safeway project have moved from zoning to soil contamination. It almost certainly will not stop the October approval. Here is the clock it can actually reach.

The Story Behind the Newsom Estate in Fair Oaks, Now for Sale

Gavin Newsom's former Fair Oaks estate is on the market for $7.5 million. The story behind it is one of the best in Sacramento real estate, from a freeway that never got built to the family who made i...

600 Jobs Come to Morgan Hill. The Commute Is the Story.

Heron Power will hire more than 600 people at 850 Jarvis Drive in Morgan Hill. For households in South County, the change worth watching is the direction of the morning drive, not the price of the hou...

400 Homes, Two Cities: Inside the Island Parkway Plan

A 400-home proposal straddles the Belmont and Redwood City line, and roughly half of it is ownership housing, which is rare on the Peninsula right now. Here is the parcel-by-parcel breakdown and how t...

Rockridge Tower Shrinks to 372 Units. The Grocery Tripled.

Align's Rockridge tower plan lost 43 homes and gained a full-size grocery store. Here is what the revised 5727 College Avenue project actually trades away, and what it would add to a neighborhood that...

Super El Niño Winter: How Bay Area Buyers Check Flood Risk

A near-record El Niño is stacking on the highest sea levels ever measured here. How to check any Bay Area home's flood exposure before you write an offer, in about an hour.

Waymo Bay Area Expansion: Does the BART Premium Survive?

Regulators cleared Waymo for 18 California counties, from Brentwood to Sea Ranch. What robotaxis reaching the far suburbs means for commutes, transit towns, and the price of living close-in.

Mare Island Is for Sale. What That Means for Vallejo Buyers

Two million square feet of the former Mare Island shipyard just hit the market. The numbers behind Vallejo's price gap with the rest of the North Bay, and what this sale changes.

San Jose Single-Family Zoning: The Council Just Picked a Side

San Jose's council voted to push residential density from 8 to as high as 32 homes per acre citywide. Here is what actually changed, when it lands, and which neighborhoods feel it first.

Fillmore Street Revitalization: What the Panic Gets Wrong

One investor now owns most of a three-block stretch of Upper Fillmore, and the neighborhood is being told to be afraid. Here is what the numbers and the history actually say.

Proposition 37 and the Bay Area: What 17 Percent Actually Buys

California's Proposition 37 would cover 17 percent of a home price with a state-backed second mortgage. Run the numbers county by county and it fails in four Bay Area counties on price alone.

910 Marshall: 258 Feet on a Redwood City Block Zoned for 92

A 21-story senior tower at 910 Marshall Street would be the tallest building in Redwood City. The Downtown Precise Plan caps that parcel at eight stories. Here is what is actually being asked for.

San Francisco AI Office Boom: What It Means for Neighborhoods

AI tenants now fill roughly a tenth of San Francisco's office space. The boom landed on two very different kinds of block, and the split matters more to a homebuyer than the headline does.

San Francisco Homes Sell for Double Asking. Still Under Median.

Two San Francisco homes sold for twice their list price this month and both closed below their own neighborhood's median. Here is what a west-side list price is actually telling you.

How School Scores Move Bay Area Home Values (2026 Data)

Bay Area neighborhoods scoring 4.5 or higher for schools carry a $2.94M median price, nearly triple the sub-3.0 tier. How our state-data school score works, and the 11 high-score neighborhoods still p...

400 Divisadero: 11 Years From Car Wash to 203 Apartments

The old Touchless Car Wash site at Divisadero and Oak is finally set to break ground on 203 apartments. The eleven-year paper trail explains more about San Francisco housing than the groundbreaking do...

Tunitas Creek Beach Opens Aug. 17 With 80 Parking Spots

San Mateo County opens Don Horsley County Park at Tunitas Creek Beach on August 17 after nine years and about $24 million. It has a mile of sand, three trails and 80 parking spaces, which is the part ...

San Jose Rents Jumped 11 Percent. Oakland Did Not

San Jose and Oakland are an hour apart and moving in opposite directions. Here is what the 985 dollar monthly gap between them actually buys.

Belle Haven Got 8 New Homes. The Gap Is 1.8 Million

Menlo Park approved eight permanently affordable townhomes in Belle Haven. The vote is small. The gap between Belle Haven and the rest of the city is not.

Prop G Would Cost 20 Million. Sunset Prices Rose Anyway

San Francisco's controller put the first official price on reopening the Great Highway to cars. The number that will actually reshape the Sunset is a different one.

Project Prometheus Oakland: What the Bezos Lease Changes

Jeff Bezos-backed Project Prometheus took 100,000 square feet at a 1950 steel plant in West Oakland. The building sits in Ralph Bunche, four meters from the Prescott line, and the numbers around it ar...

Fremont Bayside AI Campus: The Neighborhoods Next Door

A server maker just took roughly 470,000 square feet on the Bayside flats. The Fremont neighborhoods closest to it are the middle of the market, not Mission San Jose, and that gap is the useful part.

Wente Livermore Land Sale: 1,500 Acres, Not Housing

Wente is shopping at least 1,500 acres around Livermore, and the city is at the table. Two voter-approved growth boundaries and a 100-acre minimum lot size explain why almost none of it can become hom...

Arroyo Lago Pleasanton: What the Annexation Vote Means

Pleasanton moved the Arroyo Lago site toward annexation on a 3-2 vote. Here is what 189 homes and 48 junior ADUs actually add to the city, and why the argument was really about a road.

Palo Alto Transit Housing Is Landing at Cal Ave, Not Downtown

Four of Palo Alto's nine SB 79 projects sit near the California Avenue Caltrain station and hold 204 of the 341 proposed homes. What that does, and does not do, to who can afford Palo Alto.

California Forever: No Solano Jobs Without Streamlined Housing

California Forever says the shipyard and the factory do not happen without streamlined housing in Solano County. What is actually proposed, what streamlining would skip, and what Solano costs today.

Oakland Coliseum Development: What It Does to Home Values

The Coliseum sale has not closed and no building permits exist. Here is what a $3 to $5 billion phased project realistically does to East Oakland home values, and when.

Mountain View Trades 29 Rent-Controlled Homes for 216 Condos

A 216-condo builder's remedy project on Gamel Way would demolish 29 rent-controlled Mountain View apartments. Here is what the six remaining households are actually owed, and what the city gets.

San Francisco School Closures: Which Neighborhoods Are Exposed

San Francisco Unified has about 14,000 empty seats and no closure list on the table. Here is how to read closure exposure by neighborhood, with school scores and current median prices.

Bay Area Earthquake Risk: What Matters for Your Home

A trillion-dollar quake estimate made the rounds this week. Here is the Bay Area's own scenario, what soft-story and liquefaction actually mean for a specific address, and what insurance costs.

Oakland Rent Control in 2026: The 1983 Line Is in Court

Oakland caps covered rent increases at 2.3 percent through July 2027. Whether your building is covered comes down to 1983, and a federal case could move that line.

Google Recommits to Sunnyvale: What It Means for Housing

Google renewed about 2.1 million square feet in Sunnyvale after years of shedding Silicon Valley space. Here is what it does and does not mean for home prices nearby.

California Housing Ballot Measures: Four Cities Vote Nov 3

Four California cities put local control of housing on the November 3 ballot. Here is what each measure actually does, and why state law probably outranks all of them.

Can You Grill on a Condo Balcony in California?

The Foster City condo fire started with a propane barbecue on a first-floor deck. What California's fire code actually says about grills at multi-unit buildings, and where Bay Area cities differ.

An Outer Sunset Church Becomes a Bar, Then 45 Homes

The former church at 4114 Judah is opening as a music hall and bar while a 45-unit apartment building waits three years for entitlement. The interim use is the story about how San Francisco builds.

Berkeley Santa Fe Right of Way Is Finally Becoming a Park

Four fenced blocks of old railroad land in southwest Berkeley are becoming gardens, a playground and a dog park. Why it took nearly thirty years, and what it does to the neighborhoods around it.

San Francisco Rental Scam: The Advice That Failed

A San Francisco renter toured the real apartment, met a man calling himself the owner, and still lost $18,600. Every standard piece of anti-scam advice failed, and here is what actually would have cau...

Hunters Point Homeowners Lose Their Property Value Claim

A federal judge ruled that a nuclear liability statute bars more than 300 Parcel A homeowners from suing over their property values. What the ruling changes, and what it does not, for anyone looking a...

Best Bay Area Suburbs for Families, Ranked by Data

Twenty-five of the Bay Area’s 80 scored cities clear 4.0 for schools and 3.5 for safety, and they cost 64 percent more than the region. Four of them do not.

Best Neighborhoods in Hayward, CA: The 2026 Data

Thirteen of Hayward’s 20 neighborhoods show falling prices, and the city’s three highest safety scores all sell under $900,000. The 2026 ranking, with the numbers behind it.

Best Neighborhoods in San Mateo for Families (2026)

Eight of San Mateo’s 23 neighborhoods score at least 3.5 for both schools and safety. Aragon is the only one that lands top three on both. The full 2026 ranking with prices.

Is San Leandro Safe? An Honest 2026 Answer

San Leandro’s 18 neighborhoods score from 4.9 down to 1.7 for safety, and the split runs almost exactly along Interstate 880. Here is the 2026 map and what it costs.

Cheapest Bay Area Places to Live That Are Actually Safe

Only 4 of the 80 Bay Area cities and towns Houseberry scores cost under $1 million and score 4.0 or better for safety. Here are the 10 cheapest that clear a real safety bar.

Moving to the Bay Area in 2026: A Data-Driven Guide

Median home prices across the Bay Area’s five scored regions run from $904,492 to $2,849,095. Which region you pick decides more than which city, and the scores say which one fits.

Moving to Sacramento From the Bay Area: What Money Buys

Sell the median San Francisco home and you can buy the most expensive real neighborhood in Sacramento with more than a million dollars left over. The 2026 exchange rate, neighborhood by neighborhood.

California Housing Bills: What Passes by August 31

The Legislature has until August 31 to pass this year's housing and insurance bills, and most of them will live or die in a single committee hearing on August 13. Here is what is still alive and what ...

San Jose Revisits Mobile Home Space Rent This Fall

San Jose is proposing to let space rent rise when a mobile home sells, in three steps from 2028. Here is what that would do to the city's 10,500 cheapest homes, and when the council decides.

San Francisco Rent Is Up 23%. Vacancy Explains It

San Francisco's rental vacancy rate fell to 2.2% in July 2026, and that one number explains the rent headlines better than any of them do. Here is what it means for renters and for anyone comparing ne...

12 Best Places to Live in the Bay Area (2026 Data)

Houseberry scored 82 Bay Area cities and towns on schools, safety, amenities, and price. The top of the 2026 table is not the famous names. Here are the 12 highest-ranked, with the numbers.

Is San Jose Safe? What 112 Neighborhood Scores Show

San Jose keeps topping safest-big-city lists, and its 112 Houseberry safety scores run from 4.8 to 1.3. Both facts are true. Here is how they fit together.

Is San Francisco Safe in 2026? A Neighborhood Answer

San Francisco averages 3.9 of 5 on Houseberry’s safety scores, above every nearby city, while its lowest scores cluster in a couple of downtown square miles. The 2026 map, explained.

Living Near Golden Gate Park During Outside Lands

JFK Drive closed to cars on August 3 for a festival that starts August 7. What living beside Golden Gate Park is actually like, festival weekend and the other 362 days of the year.

Candlestick Point Finally Breaks Ground on 7,200 Homes

Infrastructure for the first 675 homes starts in September 2026. The full 7,200 run to 2048, the money is not the city's, and the neighborhoods around the site are the cheapest in San Francisco right ...

San Francisco Housing Affordability: What Broke It

San Francisco rents are rising faster than anywhere in the country while the citywide median sale price has fallen. We sorted the real numbers from the viral ones and looked at where the money is actu...

Foster City Fire on Sea Spray Lane: What We Know

A six-alarm fire tore through a 1981 condominium building in Foster City on Sunday. What happened, which neighborhood it sits in, and what condo owners in older Bay Area buildings should actually go c...

Atherton Townhomes: 30 Units Filed Under SB 79

A Cupertino developer filed to build 30 townhomes on a one-acre Atherton lot under SB 79. Here is what the state law forces the town to allow on its seven eligible parcels, and what Atherton can still...

Randy%27s Donuts Lands on Homestead Road in Santa Clara

A famous LA doughnut chain opened across the street from a 1959 Santa Clara institution. What a chain picking your corridor actually signals about a neighborhood.

The Bay Area Student Housing Crunch Is a Rent Story

Students near San Jose State and Santa Clara are competing with families for the same scarce apartments. The rent math, and what to check before signing a lease near campus.

Hillsborough%27s $78.8M Deal Could Be 2026%27s Biggest Sale

A 12-acre Hillsborough estate went into contract at $78.8 million. Here is what a record sale does to Peninsula comps, and what it does not.

San Mateo Just Approved 847 Homes at 690 Concar Drive

San Mateo cleared updated permits for 847 homes on the 14.5-acre Concar Drive shopping center site, a nine-minute walk from Hayward Park Caltrain. Here is what it changes for the city's east side.

Contra Costa Lands $28.8M for 82 Senior Homes

Contra Costa took the largest slice of a $109.6 million state Homekey+ round. Here is the per-home math on 82 senior homes in Pleasant Hill, and what it does and does not change for buyers nearby.

Berkeley Takes On Its Stalled Construction Sites

Berkeley is weighing rules that would require murals, landscaping and temporary uses at stalled construction sites, and could add long vacancy to the list of things that make a property legally blight...

The Marina Safeway Project Is Now a Test of AB 2011

Align's revised Marina Safeway project asks for 848 apartments at 15 Marina Boulevard. The real fight is over whether AB 2011 applies to a site that faces parkland, and the decision window closes this...

Concord%27s 900-Home Coast Guard Site Takes Its Next Step

Concord's council picked the former Coast Guard housing site back up this week. Here is what 59 acres off Haleakala Street would become, and how it stacks up against the Naval Weapons Station plan.

Bay Area Rents Keep Rising. The Landlord%27s Books Agree.

Essex Property Trust's second quarter shows San Francisco same-property revenue up 7 percent and Northern California outrunning every other region it owns. Here is what that means if you rent here.

Fed Holds Rates. What Bay Area Buyers Actually Pay

The Fed left rates alone on July 29 with three officials dissenting in favor of a hike. Here is what that does, and does not do, to a Bay Area mortgage payment.

Walnut Creek%27s Senior Housing Vote Lands by August 7

A developer-backed initiative would rezone 2.4 acres across from Walnut Creek BART for 200-plus senior homes. The council either adopts it or sends it to November, and the deadline is August 7.

San Mateo County Keeps 37% of Its Transit Tax

The Connect Bay Area measure is certified for the November ballot. San Mateo County would generate about $135 million a year and keep about $50 million of it. Here is the arithmetic and what it buys.

SF%27s Office-to-Housing Wave Reaches Union Square

A small permit at 575 Sutter is the first Union Square office-to-housing conversion filed under San Francisco's adaptive reuse program. The size of it is the story.

730 Stanyan Opens With 160 Homes Across From the Park

The old McDonald's lot at Haight and Stanyan is now an eight-story building with 160 affordable homes in it. Here is what actually changed on that corner, and what did not.

New Peninsula and South Bay Parks Open for Summer 2026

A wave of new and rebuilt parks opened across the Peninsula and South Bay this summer, from Dundee Park in South San Francisco to Sunnyvale's rebuilt community center. Here is where they landed and wh...

Why Noe Valley Keeps Winning the SF House Race

Noe Valley led San Francisco in homes selling a million dollars or more over asking in early 2026. Here is what the overbidding really measures, and how Noe Valley compares to Cole Valley, Bernal Heig...

San Mateo Schools Are Shrinking. San Carlos Is Growing.

San Mateo County has lost about 3,556 public school students since 2021, but the decline is uneven and San Carlos is actually growing. Here is how to read a school score against a district's enrollmen...

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 September 6, 2026 12:00 AM