The single-family house market in San Francisco was a robust one in 2025, fueled by AI/tech money and generational wealth. The gap between the list and sale prices widened, and nearly one in four home purchases were completed in cash.
How did the year wrap up for San Francisco houses? I’ve rounded up the highlights of Q4 2025, which will give you a sense for where 2026 is heading:
Volume and median price were up year over year (YOY). Buyers purchased 617 homes, surpassing Q4 2024 by 4.3%. And our median sale price reached $1.8M, representing a 12.5% YOY increase.
Overbidding got even more rambunctious. Much wider gaps between list and sale prices appeared with increasing frequency. It wasn’t surprising to see overbids of $500,000 or more in competitive situations. I’ve historically used 20% over list as a benchmark for a significant overbid; that threshold has now shifted, with competitive sales more commonly closing at 30% or more above asking. Given San Francisco’s already high price points, those percentages translate into substantial dollar amounts.
The most pronounced overbids were concentrated in the Richmond, Sunset, Noe Valley, and Bernal Heights. But there were certainly extreme overbid sales scattered across multiple neighborhoods, as well.
Here are a few examples (but there were plenty more):
245 Ewing | Lone Mountain
List: $1,995,000
Sold: $2,980,000
1479 27th Ave | Central Sunset
List: $1,200,000
Sold: $1,875,000
1801 Castro | Noe Valley
List: $1,200,000
Sold: $2,115,000
550 9th Ave | Inner Richmond
List: $2,395,000
Sold: $3,400,000
The <$2M price point was again the San Francisco sweet spot. Sixty percent of all houses sold in Q4 changed hands for up to $2M. This has been the case for a while. Fewer than 100 homes sold for up to $1M, a price range that mostly features small or tenant-occupied houses or fixers in the southeast end of town.
The luxury market was the big hit in 2025. Eleven percent (68) of homes sold in the last quarter changed hands for $4M or more. Ten of those ranged in price from $10M – $17,750,000, and were all sold on the open market (including 38 Presidio Terrace for $11,335,000 above, photo courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty).
This luxury segment was also no stranger to big overbids. For example, here’s a trio with eye-popping sale outcomes:
50 Montclair | Russian Hill
3BR/2.5BA, 2 pkg
Updated, Bay & Coit Tower views
List price: $2,999,000
Sold: $4,225,000 (cash)
140 Upper Terrace | Ashbury Heights
4BR/2.5BA, 3 pkg
Golden Gate Bridge views
List: $3,995,000
Sold: $4,995,000 (cash)
116 Cherry | Presidio Heights
4BR/2.5BA, 0 pkg
Designed by architect Willis Polk
List: $2,995,000
Sold: $4.4M
2026 is just getting started. We’ve got 82 houses on the market for an average list price of $2.4M, as well as 43 homes in the off-market “Coming Soon” section of the MLS. Now is a good time to sort out your financing and wish list if you’re thinking about purchasing a house in San Francisco this year. Give me a shout at eileen@insidesfre.com | 415.823.4656 if you’d like to talk with an experienced, strategic Realtor.
[All data courtesy of the San Francisco Multiple Listing Service, for both on- and off-market sales.]