Real Estate Agency in Bernal Heights

There are plenty of homes for sale “as-is” in the San Francisco market and elsewhere, but what does this mean exactly? In real estate, “as is” is a term used to describe a home that’s listed for sale in its curr ...Read More

Selling homes online is a growing trend that shows no sign of slowing down, especially after the lessons learned during the current global Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, there is every chance that virtual home sales could bec ...Read More

Pantone, the company known worldwide for color expertise, released an annual color of the year (or colors of the year in 2021). In addition to helping companies like designers and manufacturers to define and control color, Pa ...Read More

If you are thinking of buying a home, you have probably already begun your search. It’s easy these days, with up-to-date listing information available on a wide variety of websites. And it’s fun! House hunting is one o ...Read More

So far in 2021, the estimated annual inflation rate for the United States is 4.2%. With the housing market hot and home values already at historic highs in much of the country, higher inflation may put the prospect of buying ...Read More

An image of a green house in the sun with energy efficiency graph Most homeowners are aware that their home must be compliant with building codes, but many have no idea about reach codes. Progressive states, like California an ...Read More

House for rent So you've decided to rent out your Bernal Heights home, but have you given much thought to all the details? Perhaps you've rented it before and you're looking at securing good, long-term tenants this time. Or ma ...Read More

Is it time to upgrade and update your home? Every once in a while, we need to refresh our living space. With spring coming soon, you might be tempted to make some home renovations.   The question is: Will you sav ...Read More

When most people analyze the real estate market in a given area, they only look at the obvious factors. They consider home values, local schools and amenities, property taxes and so on. The reality is, however, that even mino ...Read More

When you buy a house, you’re buying much more than a foundation and a floor plan. You’re buying into a community, somewhere you’ll spend years of your life and create countless memories with loved ones. The past year has ta ...Read More

  According to one study, about 91% of Americans decide to “spring clean,” giving a fresh revitalization to their home as nature does the same outside. But what about the other months? There are plenty of valuable tasks ...Read More

  Are you trying to make a new neighbor feel welcome and cared for in the community? Moving to a new area can be disorienting and lonely, especially in this era of social distancing. Being there for your neighbor in ...Read More

  If the dark and dreary days of late fall and winter tend to bring you down, why not brighten your home’s interior with indoor houseplants this year? Once you get one, you'll find it hard to stop acquiring them. Tha ...Read More

Bernal Heights This statistical analysis represents the current market trends during the third quarter in Bernal Heights. To discuss how best to navigate this market when you're trying to buy or sell, please give us a call to ...Read More

Outdoor seating has always been a nice perk at trendy restaurants and cozy coffee shops, but in the age of COVID-19, it's essential.   Your local cafe is a great space to read, get some work done, or just enjoy a ni ...Read More

  When people think of the latest gadgets, they imagine new smartphones, smart watches, computers, laptops, and gaming consoles. But another new advancement in technology has been happening right here at home: smart ho ...Read More

  We all know the reasons that people buy a home — more space, more freedom, swapping rent payments for equity — but the reasons why Bernal Heights homeowners sell their homes can be more complicated... right? Not ...Read More

Should Bernal Home Buyers Lock in at a Low Mortgage Rate Today? Here's What You Need To Know   The average rate on 30-year home loans has dropped below 3%, which is the lowest it's ever been since the rates were first ...Read More

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the economy, not only in the United States but around the world. Here's a strange surprise: San Francisco real estate, and Bernal Heights in particular, is o ...Read More

You want pizza in Bernal Heights. We have answers.   It’s the king of delivery dining. It’s America’s favorite food. And, if you’re in Bernal Heights, it’s all around you.    That’s right: we ...Read More

In September 2019, Darcy Lee, the curator and creator of all things Heartfelt, closed the doors of one of the neighborhood’s dearly loved shops.  But there’s still a buzz around the building and a warm glow when you look i ...Read More

“…And I see something coming at my face.” Leah tells the audience.  “But I can’t make it out because it’s dark, my glasses are wet and I am HANGRY — to say the least—so I yell at my boyfriend, ‘WHAT THE H ...Read More

  Molly Kittle is the creator and host of STORY, a monthly story-sharing event that takes place at Verve Wellness Studio on Cortland Avenue. For the past two and a half years she has been holding events that allow peop ...Read More

What better way to ring in the New Year than pulling together an intimate dinner party at home with close friends. Sharing good food and creating that sense of community is a great way to toast to a healthy New Year. There’s ...Read More

Laurie Kanes of 12 Small Things on Cortland Avenue offers unique handmade gifts to the neighborhood. To create her business Laurie blended her background in retail creative services with her passion for supporting artisans aroun ...Read More

  “We will only bring in a whiskey that’s awesome. If we can’t find one that we are happy with, we will wait until we find one.” - Mat Pond Mat Pond and Holly McDell, owners of The Epicurean Trader, have ...Read More

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.” - Howard Thurman   Dr. Aidan Kinsella and her team at Verve Wellness Stu ...Read More

Grab your hat and sunglasses and enjoy the heat at Fiesta on the Hill this Sunday, October 27th from 10 am to 4 pm. People come from all over the Bay Area to Bernal Heights for this family-friendly and alcohol-free festival that ...Read More

San Francisco has a wide variety of beautiful staircases to climb. In June 2019, the Tompkins Stairway Garden joined the list. You can visit it on Tompkins Street between Putnam and Nevada in Bernal Heights. This staircase ha ...Read More

On Saturday, September 14, 2019 Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema hosts a party to celebrate its 16th season of free film screenings in local parks and storefronts. In 2017, I sat down with BHOC co-founders Anne Batmale and Leslie ...Read More

In a city where opening a restaurant is a Herculean feat, Chef Greg Lutes of 3rd Cousin has an innovative and cozy dining destination in Bernal Heights. His style is California cuisine with a creative twist. This includes mout ...Read More

The Bernal Heights Hillwide Garage Sale is just around the corner! It's part party and part scavenger hunt. When you register you get to make a donation to the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center. Everyone wins! The Hillwid ...Read More

Jennifer Keith and Amy Sullivan are sisters and long-time Bernal residents. They're the owners of Sheridon Keith Design and Photography. They’ve volunteered their services to market neighborhood events like the Hillwide Garage ...Read More

  Bernal Heights is filled with hidden staircases that are lined with native flowers and plants. From Cortland Avenue, the main shopping street, you can you’ll find at least four secret staircases on the way to Bernal ...Read More

  In a city still full of surprises, on the East facing slopes of Bernal Heights, you can actually find secret stairways to Joy and Faith. The Eastern part of Bernal is the less explored part of the neighborhood. It has ...Read More

Andi Smiles is a bookkeeper extraordinaire turned online entrepreneur and educator. This Bernal resident is passionate about coaching small business owners to understand their business finances. You can read more about her ...Read More

Andi Smiles is passionate about teaching financial literacy. This Bernal resident is part of a new brand of online entrepreneurs and educators. About ten years ago she started a bookkeeping business from home. As the internet ...Read More

Here’s a fun family activity for Earth Day, Monday, April 19th, at the College Hill Learning Garden near Holly Park. They’re holding a free three-part series on how to start a windowsill or balcony garden. So often with th ...Read More

Amid a slowing national market, Bernal Heights maintained its steady growth last year. Analysis 2018 saw modest price gains for the Bernal Heights Real Estate market with a 5% year-over-year appreciation for single family home ...Read More

There’s no better way to entertain on New Year ’s than creating an intimate dinner party at home with close friends. In Bernal Heights, you can cook a gourmet feast by doing all the shopping on Cortland Avenue. Within a fiv ...Read More

Moving to a new house or even spring cleaning your closet can be a daunting task. Hiring someone to create the perfect plan of what you need and then execute it for you often feels like a luxury. As our lives get busier, everyon ...Read More

The Bay Area is infamous for magnificent views and staggering real estate prices. News organizations rank San Francisco as one of the most expensive cities in the country. Today Bernal Heights matches most of San Francisco in ...Read More

  Bernalese is the latest addition to the family of shops on Cortland Avenue. It combines stylish, craftsman antique with contemporary kitchenware. Longtime Bernal residents and now proud shop owners, Matt Evans and Sean ...Read More

The demand for neighborhood restaurants is shrinking in San Francisco.  The beloved independent cafe that could afford to support sustainable farms is quickly becoming a thing of the past. As consumers, we play an important rol ...Read More

In 1906 when the great California earthquake hit, Bernal Heights survived. Its glorious chert allowed Bernal houses to withstand the shake.  There were very few people living around Bernal Hill before then. So there was less th ...Read More

Bernal Heights Real Estate Market is off to a roaring start! Analysis The median sale price for single family homes in Bernal Heights reached an all time high (again) of $1.62M for the time period of Jan thru Jun 2018. ...Read More

Certain San Francisco neighborhoods are filled with parents looking to entertain kids. On any given morning you can find them pushing strollers looking for a place to relax with a latte and a pretty view. Bernal Heights resid ...Read More

As of May 30th - the Bagel Macher is taking a brief break and is not currently making bagels on Sunday. We'll update this post when he is back in the kitchen! Until then the Pizza Hacker restaurant is still open to serve the ...Read More

When was the last time you struggled with an interesting Instagram picture idea to post? We all do it. Sit there and wonder what to take a photo of for our feed. Here are a few ideas to spark your creativity as well as your ...Read More

Heartfelt on Cortland Avenue is an old generation store with a modern twist.   https://youtu.be/uTkSExjX1mA The owner, Darcy Lee has a knack for eclectic and unique gifts. She's also both a leader and a champion in the ...Read More

Danielle and I are proud to be hosting our 2nd Annual Bernal Heights Community BBQ.  Come join us and meet your neighbors, have some food and enjoy some (hopefully) Spring weather! The event is totally free and we're a ...Read More

It’s the quiet people behind the scenes that keep every community running smoothly. With her warm smile and short salt and pepper hair, Valerie Reichert keeps local residents interested and engaged at the Bernal Heights Librar ...Read More

2017 was yet another record year for real estate in Bernal Heights. The median sale price soared to $1.476M, a 9% gain over last year and almost double the median sale price from only five years ago ($775k in 2012). The  ...Read More

Black Jet Baking Co. opened it’s door on March 29th this year in the old Pinkie’s Bakery location (833 Cortland Avenue). But you may not know the hidden gems that lurk inside. We have one word. PIES     ...Read More

Shannon Kaye can walk into your living room and instantly understand your lifestyle. Then, she can create any feeling you want to live, through color. She is the founder of Plein Heir, a home color and style coaching business ...Read More

The Summer of Love was the theme for this year’s annual Fiesta on the Hill. The neighborhood street fair raised close to $50,000 for the Bernal Heights’ Neighborhood Center(BNHC). Bernal local Michael Minson said, “I ...Read More

With rapid growth and an escalating housing market in San Francisco, it seems each year it becomes less affordable to live here. Buck Bagot, long-time Bernal activist and resident, has been fighting for affordable housing sinc ...Read More

Todd Lappin, the creator of the popular local blog Bernalwood, explains the background of his five favorite blog posts and how they’ve impacted the community over the years.  When did you start Bernalwood and what was the o ...Read More

Are you ready for your close-up, Bernal Heights? This Thursday kicks off the 14th season of the Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema. Each evening of September 7th – 9th you can meet neighbors and watch films that reflect the value ...Read More

As has happened consistently for the past 5 years, Bernal Heights hit another record high median sale price for single family homes, clocking in at an astounding $1.458M. That’s a 7% increase over the median price of 2016 when i ...Read More

It’s that time of year again and the Hillwide Elves are making a list of who’s been splurging and who’s been purging! Get your garage groove on and join the neighborhood to raise money for the Bernal Heights Neighborhood ...Read More

Esmeralda Slide Park is a destination in San Francisco. Featured in Adah Bakalinsky’s book, Stairway Walks of San Francisco, the park was special from the beginning. At its ribbon cutting ceremony in 1979, Mayor Di Fi sli ...Read More

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Meed The neighbors of Esmeralda Slide Park and city officials gathered on ...Read More

“It’s more than just being a retail business and a bakery, I’m part of the community in a meaningful way.” Stacie Pierce, former Executive Pastry Chef of the famed Chez Panisse in Berkeley, knew that she was giving ...Read More

It’s not everyday that our little neighborhood real estate blog gets mentioned by the big guys. Today was our day! Business Insider mentioned Michael Minson and Danielle Lazier, owners of BernalHeights.com and neighborhood ex ...Read More

“Stacie jokes that I make the savory things and she makes the “unsavory” things. We have the perfect symbiotic relationship.”   Jes Taber, owner of Eye of the Avocado, has found a new home at Little Bee Bake ...Read More

Parks are central to a healthy community. Not only is the well being a neighborhood reflected in the state of it’s park, so is the health of it’s community. In our series on the parks of Bernal Heights, we’ve covered the ...Read More

“Providing high quality, organic produce that’s affordable is really important to us.” A fringe benefit of living in San Francisco is having so many farmers markets to choose from. The Alemany Market is the oldest in ...Read More

Danielle & Michael are hosting a neighborhood event and fundraiser for the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center and you’re invited! Please join us Saturday, 6-May for Tacos in the Park. We’ll have a face painter and s ...Read More

“We want to serve the neighborhood and have it be a place where people can come and hang out. One of the driving forces for us in opening a cafe is about creating that community, it’s partly why we do it.” For Rachel ...Read More

811 Moultrie Street is a four-bedroom, two-bathroom single family home with one car parking located on a flat cul-de-sac in San Francisco’s desirable Bernal Heights neighborhood. Fully updated with permits in 2008, this brig ...Read More

The Fab Fixer at 478 Anderson just sold for $1,080,000 – that’s a whopping $282k over the list price of $799k. The house had been in the family for over 50 years, and served as the home to parents raising three kids in Bern ...Read More

The neighborhood park, like the public library, may be the last bastion of class equality left in the Bay Area. It’s one of the few community places that’s shared by everyone. In Bernal Heights we’re fortunate enough to ...Read More

Neighborhood parks are integral to the quality of life in Bernal Heights. Aside from the added benefit of meeting your neighbors, there are other reasons to switch up your regular gym routine and take advantage of exercising o ...Read More

Living in a city with so many options and so much to do can, quite frankly, be daunting. Especially when you’re trying to plan a simple but interesting date night. With metered street parking costing upwards of $15 in some p ...Read More

“Neighbors matter – now more than ever,” was the message from David Talbot in his recent San Francisco Chronicle column about his block in Bernal Heights. For Ken and Amy Shelf, the owners of Succulence on Cortland A ...Read More

Despite another record-breaking year, the Bernal Heights Real Estate market has officially cooled. We saw a modest 5% increase over last year’s median sale price (from $1.3M in 2015 to $1.36M in 2016), which in any ot ...Read More

“I’m involved in our community to see the residents get what they need, so our kids feel happy and safe and the elderly always have somebody to call.” – Bobbi Cochran     Bobbi Cochran, has lived in ...Read More

Of all the talk about a shift, balancing, correction, or the real estate economics descriptor du jour, Bernal Heights seems to be oblivious to the conversation. In fact, Q3 2016 is marked as the highest median sale price for th ...Read More

Lose yourself in this lush, bright home with sweeping Bay views and greenery at 49 Samoset St. This north-slope, sun-drenched Bernal Heights home is perched at the top of a hill, offering stunning city views, lots of space to ...Read More

Have you been looking for a spacious house with character, space and style? Have you dreamed of a cosmetic fixer that you can make your own? Built in 1915, 12 College Terrace is a three-bedroom, one-bathroom single family h ...Read More

Bedrooms: 2 | Bathrooms: 2 | Parking: 1 List Price: $999,000 | Status: IN CONTRACT Perfectly situated on a quiet cul-de-sac, this newer Bernal Heights condo is spacious, thoughtfully updated and well-designed. Recently b ...Read More

Quite possibly the largest single day garage sale in San Francisco, the Bernal Hillwide is a neighborhood tradition. Each year on the second Saturday of August, the Hill comes alive with neighbors and friends swapping goodies, ...Read More

Brunch is a coveted weekend tradition that my partner and I do our best to protect. But standing in line for 45 minutes is not. That’s one of the many reasons we think B-Star is the best brunch spot in Bernal. We rarely have ...Read More

Selling your home doesn′t just mean hiring a realtor to stick a sign out front. There are a lot of preparations you should make to ensure you get the best offer possible in the shortest time. Repair. Just because you’ve got ...Read More

As the events of the last few years in the real estate industry show, people forget about the tremendous financial responsibility of purchasing a home at their peril. Here are a few tips for dealing with the dollar signs so that y ...Read More

One of our favorite parks in Bernal, Precita Park provides a green anchor to the northern half of Bernal Heights. Bounded between Folsom, Alabama, Precita and Bessie Streets, Precita Park is a peaceful respite from the hectic l ...Read More

Moving from a small town or suburb to a large city can be an intimidating proposition. Here are a few tips to help make your move as painless as possible. Research before you move. It’s important to understand the culture you ...Read More

Looking to buy a home? Here are five essential tips for making the process as smooth as possible. Get your finances in order. Start by getting a full picture of your credit. Obtain copies of your credit report. Make sure the ...Read More