Buying in Alamo Square, San Francisco in 2026 means choosing among three very different property types: condos at a $1.24M six-month median, tenancy-in-common units at $1.275M, and single-family houses at $7.5M. Unless otherwise noted, all market figures in this guide are from MLS data. The landmark district rules shape what you can change after closing.
The neighborhood centers on Alamo Square Park: 13.6 acres bordered by Hayes, Steiner, Fulton and Scott Streets, with the row of Victorians on Steiner Street known as the "Painted Ladies" facing it (Wikipedia). The buying question is harder than the view. The neighborhood runs from Buchanan Street on the east to Baker Street on the west, and from Turk Street on the north to Page Street on the south (Wikipedia), and inside those lines a $570,000 TIC share and a $9M single-family house both closed in the last 12 months.
That spread is the first thing to understand. Over the last 12 months, 28 properties closed in Alamo Square, from $570,000 to $9.125M. A single "neighborhood median" blends those into a number that describes almost nothing you would actually buy. The second thing is the city's landmark district, which adds a review layer for permitted work on its contributing buildings.
I'm Chris Chour, founder/broker of EON Real Estate. Most of my work is single-family and condo transactions in SF's luxury neighborhoods. Here is how I would walk you through Alamo Square: the rules first, then the decision tree by property type, then a worked example from this year's closings.
How the rules actually work in Alamo Square
The landmark district
In 1984 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors created the Alamo Square Historic District, a landmark district described in Appendix E of Article 10 of the San Francisco Planning Code (Wikipedia). The San Francisco Planning Department describes the district as a mix of architectural styles, approximately half Victorian and one-third Edwardian, with a period of significance from the 1870s to the 1920s. Typical buildings are two to three stories, and apartment buildings up to six stories also count as contributing buildings (San Francisco Planning Department, Case 2018-002110COA).
What triggers a Certificate of Appropriateness
A Certificate of Appropriateness is the city's preservation approval for work on a landmark or on a building inside a landmark district. Under Planning Code Section 1006.2, unless the work is exempt or delegated to Planning Department preservation staff through the Administrative Certificate of Appropriateness process, the Historic Preservation Commission must review applications for construction, alteration, removal or demolition for which a City permit is required (San Francisco Planning Department, Case 2018-002110COA).
The standard the Commission applies
Under Section 1006.6, work on a contributing building in a landmark district must comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards. In Alamo Square the Commission must also consider whether the work is compatible with the district's character as described in Article 10, Appendix E (San Francisco Planning Department, Case 2018-002110COA). In plain terms: permitted work on a contributing building can add a review step, time and design constraints to a project you assumed was routine.
Schools do not follow the address
San Francisco Unified School District assigns students through a citywide lottery rather than guaranteed neighborhood attendance zones, so an Alamo Square address does not lock in a specific public school (San Francisco Unified School District). Price the property on its own merits, not on an assumed school assignment.
The decision tree by property type
Over the last 12 months, condos were 10 of the 28 closings (35.7%), single-family houses 7 (25%), TICs 6 (21.4%), and multi-unit or mixed-use buildings the remaining 5. Each type prices on its own logic, so start by deciding which branch you are on.
Branch 1: Condominiums
A condo gives you a separately deeded unit plus a share of the common areas. In the last six months, Alamo Square condos closed at a $1.24M median across 6 sales, at a median $1,292 per square foot and a median 13 days on market. The buildings are mostly old: the six recent condo comps range from an 1890 building on Golden Gate Avenue to new construction at 1155 Fell Street, built in 2025, which closed at $1.325M on a $999,000 list price. Parking is the swing factor. Five of the six recent condo comps report parking; the one that lists no parking is the new-construction unit at 1155 Fell.
Branch 2: Tenancy in common (TIC)
In a TIC you buy a percentage share of the whole building together with the right to occupy a specific unit, governed by a written agreement among the owners, rather than a separately deeded unit. Alamo Square TICs closed at a $1.275M median across 5 sales in the last six months, at a median $1,020 per square foot, well under the condo figure of $1,292. That discount is the TIC tradeoff in one number. Before you write, ask your lender how it finances TIC shares, read the TIC agreement, and ask counsel whether the building could ever convert to condos. Two of this year's TIC closings were in the same building at 949 Fell Street: #11 at $1.2M in May and #6 at $1.275M in October.
Branch 3: Single-family houses
In the last six months, single-family houses closed at a $7.5M median across 5 sales, at a median $1,458 per square foot. All five were built between 1885 and 1930, and the range is wide: 982 Hayes Street, an 1892 five-bedroom of 3,270 square feet, closed at $3.9M in May, while 1125 Hayes Street, a 4,785-square-foot 1930 house, closed at $9M in October. Older houses are where the landmark rules and the inspection findings matter most. If you are weighing architectural periods, my San Francisco home styles guide breaks down how Victorians and Edwardians price.
Branch 4: Two-unit to multi-unit buildings
Small apartment buildings trade here too. Over the last 12 months a duplex at 948-950 Divisadero Street closed at $3.1M, a triplex at 1176-1178 Fulton Street at $4M, a multi-family building at 1043-1053 Fell Street at $3.85M, and a mixed-use building at 661-667 Fillmore Street at $3.4M after 127 days. If you plan to occupy one unit and rent the others, the questions shift to existing tenancies and the city's rent rules, which belong in a conversation with a San Francisco real estate attorney before you write.
Alamo Square by the numbers
Read the monthly chart with care. With five or fewer closings in any month, a single sale can swing a month's median sharply, which is why I price each property type separately. For condos specifically, the six-month median is down 4.8% from a year ago, the one year-over-year figure worth carrying into a negotiation.
What this looks like in practice
Here is how I would price a two-bedroom condo offer in Alamo Square using only this year's closings. Start with the in-neighborhood condo comps.
1115 Fell Street #2, a 756-square-foot two-bedroom, one-bath unit built in 1989, listed at $799,000 and closed at $976,500 on October 7, 2026, after 13 days. That works out to $1,292 per square foot, exactly the six-month condo median. On the same day, 515 Pierce Street #3, a renovated top-floor one-bedroom plus office of 978 square feet in a 1923 Edwardian building with a city view, closed at $1.155M, below its $1.175M list price, after 70 days. At the larger end, 1423 Golden Gate Avenue, a 1,703-square-foot three-bedroom with parking and a city view, closed at $2.25M in September after 9 days, or $1,321 per square foot.
Now apply that to a two-bedroom condo of 1,410 square feet currently listed in the neighborhood at $1.849M, about $1,311 per square foot. At the $1,292 condo median, the same 1,410 square feet works out to roughly $1.82M. So the asking price sits close to the comp line, not far above it. The lesson from 1115 Fell is that a unit listed below the comps closed $177,500 over its list price. The lesson from 515 Pierce is that even a renovated unit can sit for 70 days and close under list.
The comps are the starting point, not the answer. What wins at the table depends on whether you are paying cash or financing, how many offers are in, whether the unit is vacant or tenant-occupied, its condition, and whether it has parking or outdoor space. Single-family houses show the same pattern at a larger scale: 1273 Fulton Street, an 1885 four-bedroom of 2,880 square feet, listed at $2.995M and closed at $4.2M in 7 days, which is $1,458 per square foot, the six-month single-family median.
What to consider: the tradeoffs and common mistakes
Pricing off the wrong median
The 12-month median for every Alamo Square closing is $2.17M, a number that matches neither a typical condo nor a typical house. I don't let buyers anchor on it. Use the condo, TIC or single-family figure for the property type you are actually buying, and weight the last 30 to 90 days more heavily than the full year.
Assuming exterior work is routine
Inside the landmark district, permitted exterior work on a contributing building can require a Certificate of Appropriateness and must meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards (San Francisco Planning Department). If your plan includes exterior changes, confirm the building's status and the review path with the Planning Department before you remove contingencies.
Treating a TIC like a condo
The gap between the $1,020 TIC median and the $1,292 condo median per square foot is real. Read the TIC agreement and confirm your financing before you write, not after.
Underestimating the tenancy question
In the Census block group at the neighborhood's center, 9.8% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and the median gross rent is $3,162 (US Census ACS 2023). Many buildings here have renters in them. If a unit or building is tenant-occupied, the tenancy and its legal protections become part of the deal, and that deserves legal advice before you commit.
How much does a home in Alamo Square cost in 2026?
As of October 2026, an Alamo Square condo costs a $1.24M median and a single-family house a $7.5M median, based on the last six months of MLS closings. TICs closed at a $1.275M median across 5 sales. Over the last 12 months, prices ran from $570,000 for a one-bedroom TIC share to $9.125M for a five-bedroom house, so the answer depends almost entirely on the property type you choose.
Are Alamo Square prices going up or down?
Down for condos: as of October 2026, the six-month Alamo Square condo median of $1.24M is 4.8% lower than a year earlier, per MLS data. Single-family sales point the other way: since late September, 1125 Hayes Street closed at $9M on a $6.995M list and 1273 Fulton Street at $4.2M on a $2.995M list. With only five single-family closings in six months, treat any single-family trend figure as directional.
Can I renovate a Victorian in the Alamo Square Landmark District?
Yes, but as of 2026 work on a contributing building in the district that needs a City permit generally goes through Certificate of Appropriateness review under Planning Code Section 1006.2. The work must meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be compatible with the district's character under Article 10, Appendix E. Some items are exempt or handled administratively by Planning Department preservation staff (San Francisco Planning Department).
Is a TIC or a condo the better buy in Alamo Square?
It depends on your budget and your exit plan: in the six months to October 2026, Alamo Square TICs closed at a median $1,020 per square foot against $1,292 for condos. The TIC gets you more space per dollar. The condo gives you a separately deeded unit; the TIC gives you a share of the building under a co-owner agreement. If you expect to sell within a few years, ask how each would finance and resell.
How fast do Alamo Square properties sell?
Fast: as of October 2026, Alamo Square closings in the last 30 days had a median of 13 days on market, per MLS data. Well-priced properties move quicker than that, as 1125 Hayes Street closed in 4 days at $9M. Properties listed above what buyers will pay wait: 1164 Fulton Street listed at $11M and closed at $9.125M after 108 days. Pricing against the right property-type comps decides which group a listing lands in.
Is Alamo Square walkable?
Yes: as of October 2026, Alamo Square scores a 97 Walk Score, rated a Walker's Paradise, with an 85 Transit Score and a 75 Bike Score at the neighborhood's center point. The nearest Muni stop, Hayes Street and Pierce Street, is about 123 meters from that point per SFMTA transit data. Block-level Walk Scores along Fell, Grove and Hayes Streets run 97 to 98.
Talk to me about Alamo Square
If you are weighing a condo against a TIC, or a Victorian that may need landmark review, I can pull the in-neighborhood comps for the exact property type and walk you through what the numbers support before you write. For context on the surrounding market, the Hayes Valley market update and San Francisco's richest neighborhoods ranked by sale price are good next reads.
