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September 2020 Newsletter

bay bridge

San Francisco Real Estate

September 2020 Report

In the context of the horrible fires we’ve seen in recent weeks – with many of our Bay Area communities and neighbors so terribly affected – a real estate report seems trivial. But since we have clients still trying to make buying and selling decisions, we will try to continue to deliver straightforward data on market conditions.

Despite the fires, SF had a very active month in listings going into contract in August, hitting a high point for the year and matching the high points of recent years. Surprisingly, the fires did not significantly impact the number of deals being made in most Bay Area counties during the last 2 weeks of the month – the exceptions being Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Monterey and Napa Counties, which saw declines of 13% to 33%.

listings accepting offers by month

The number of active listings on the SF market has risen dramatically over the last few months, outpacing the increase in listings going into contract. However, there are significant differences between the house and condo markets, which are discussed later in the report.

active listings on market

With the increase in inventory has come a big jump in the number of listings reducing asking price. In some market segments, sellers are now competing for buyers, instead of buyers competing for listings.

price reductions

The next two charts illustrate how the house and condo markets have diverged since the pandemic hit. The condo market is much weaker, comparing demand to supply. However, within the condo market, different neighborhoods are seeing varying dynamics, and hundreds of condos are still selling each month. More detail follows later in the report.

snapshot market dynamics

Regarding the next chart, the lower the Months Supply of Inventory (MSI), the stronger the demand as compared to the supply of listings for sale. Much of the SF house market (blue columns) remains firmly in “seller’s market” territory, but the condo market’s supply (red columns) is outpacing buyer demand, especially in the higher price segments.

msi supply and demand

Below is a comparison of median house sales prices, sizes and dollar per square foot values around the Bay Area this past summer.

bay area median house sales prices

A review of year-over-year changes in the number of luxury home sales around the Bay Area this past summer. Some other counties have seen astounding increases. SF luxury house sales increased by a more modest percentage; SF luxury condo sales declined year over year.

luxury homes sales 2019-2020

The following 3 charts illustrate aspects of the SF HOUSE market: Median house sales price trends by bedroom count; sales volumes and median sales prices by Realtor district; and the number of active house listings by Realtor district with an analysis of months supply of inventory.

house prices by bedroom count

house sales volume 12

house on market by realtor district

The following 3 charts illustrate aspects of the SF CONDO & CO-OP market: Median sales price trends by bedroom count; sales volumes and median sales prices by Realtor district; and the number of active listings by Realtor district with an analysis of months supply of inventory.

condo prices by bedroom count

condo coop sales volume

condo coop and TIC for sale

In last month’s report, we looked at era of construction for the city’s houses. The chart below does the same for the SF condo, co-op and TIC market.

condo coop and TIC by era of construction

Jeff Salgado

Jeff Salgado


DRE#: 01501886
415.915.9916
jeff(at)jeffsalgado(dotted)com

© Compass 2020 ¦ All Rights Reserved by Compass ¦ Made in NYC

Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California operating under
multiple entities. License Numbers 01991628, 1527235, 1527365, 1356742, 1443761, 1997075,
1935359, 1961027, 1842987, 1869607, 1866771, 1527205, 1079009, 1272467. All material presented
herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable
but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without
notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square
footage are approximate. Equal Housing Opportunity.

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