The Outer Richmond is San Francisco's ocean-edge single-family market. As of October 2026, nine closings over the last 30 days produced a $1.92M median at a 13-day median time on market, while single-family homes ran a $2.13M median over six months. Per square foot, it prices well below the city.
Unless otherwise noted, all market figures in this guide are from MLS data.
Start with the name, because it explains the map. In 1917 the district was legally named the "Park-Presidio District" to avoid confusion with the city of Richmond across the bay, and that name stayed on the books until January 2009, when legislation introduced by Supervisor Eric Mar officially renamed the area the Richmond District (per Wikipedia). The Outer Richmond is the western portion of it, divided from the Inner Richmond by Park Presidio Boulevard and running out to Ocean Beach and the Cliff House. The Richmond and the neighboring Sunset District are often collectively known as "The Avenues" (per Wikipedia), for the numbered north-south avenues that span most of both neighborhoods.
That grid is the market. Almost every sale in this guide sits on a numbered avenue between 33rd and 48th, with a handful on the cross streets: Geary Boulevard, Clement Street, Anza Street, and Balboa Street. A few more sit on Sutro Heights Avenue, Seal Rock Drive, and Point Lobos Avenue. Per Wikipedia, Sutro Heights Park, the former site of silver magnate Adolph Sutro's estate, sits above the Cliff House, and Lincoln Park, with its golf course and the Legion of Honor art museum, is in the Outer Richmond too. Wikipedia also notes Lincoln Manor, a small enclave of larger homes inside the Outer Richmond.
What the neighborhood pitch tends to leave out is the gap between headline price and price per square foot. The Outer Richmond's 12-month median of $1.92M sits above the citywide median of $1.8M, yet its average price per square foot of $922 is about a quarter below the city's $1,243. You are buying more house per dollar here, in an older building, farther from downtown. After working through the 89 Outer Richmond closings of the last twelve months, that tradeoff is the one I would put at the center of any decision.
Outer Richmond by the numbers
The recent windows tell a steady story. The 90-day median was $1.96M across 24 closings and the 180-day median was $2.0M across 49, so the 30-day figure of $1.92M is in line rather than a break. Median days on market held at 13 in every window from 30 days to 12 months. For the year-over-year backdrop, the single-family median is up 11.6% from a year ago. The fall selling cycle is doing what it usually does: September produced 11 closings, tied with June for the busiest month of the trailing year.
The price tiers, and what trades in each
The Outer Richmond is a two-tier market in the middle with thin edges. Of the 89 closings in the last twelve months, 41 closed between $1M and $2M and 33 between $2M and $3M. Everything else is a small minority.
Under $1M: mostly condos
Five sales closed under $1M, three of them condos, plus one TIC and one mixed-use property. Most are two bedrooms or fewer. 855 La Playa Street #457, a two-bedroom condo, closed at $835,000 in July 2026 after 144 days on market, and 4030 Balboa Street #3, a two-bedroom, closed at $765,000 in May. 192 Seal Rock Drive #4, a one-bedroom TIC with an ocean view, closed at $875,000 in June. If your budget sits here, expect attached ownership and a longer, more negotiable process than the single-family tier above it.
$1M to $2M: the volume tier
This is where 46.1% of the market trades. Twenty of the 41 sales were single-family homes, nine were duplexes, and five were condos. Bedroom counts spread evenly from two to five-plus. 718 46th Avenue, a two-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot house built in 1941, listed at $999,000 and closed at $1,552,000 on October 13, 2026, after seven days. 876 46th Avenue, a four-bedroom, listed at $1,198,000 and closed at $1,920,000 in September. Low list prices are a strategy in this tier, not a valuation.
$2M to $3M: renovated single-family homes
Thirty-three sales, 24 of them single-family homes and six duplexes. Most of the named sales here were renovated three- and four-bedroom houses. 823 40th Avenue, a renovated four-bedroom of 2,463 square feet, closed at $2,825,000 in September after listing at $1,998,000. 39 Seal Rock Drive, a renovated three-bedroom with panoramic ocean views, closed at $2,789,999 in July. 731 46th Avenue, an updated three-bedroom, closed at $2,200,000 in May.
$3M to $5M: the larger and view houses
Eight sales, seven single-family homes, mostly four-bedroom layouts. The most recent, 628 46th Avenue, a four-bedroom of 3,280 square feet built in 1924, listed at $2,895,000 and closed at $3,400,000 on October 13, 2026. Its 3,280 square feet is well above the neighborhood's 2,090-square-foot median building area.
$5M and up: buildings, not houses
Only two sales, and neither was a single-family home. 101 Point Lobos Avenue, a 29,700-square-foot multifamily property built in 1928, closed at $9,900,000 in September 2026 after 100 days. 6838 Geary Boulevard, a 20-bedroom, 11,744-square-foot property recorded as a condominium, closed at $6,150,000 in May. These are large buildings and say little about what a house costs.
The blocks that trade most
Turnover in the Outer Richmond spreads across the avenues rather than clustering on one street, so even the busiest blocks posted two or three sales in twelve months. A few still stand out.
The 700 block of 46th Avenue led with three closings at a $2.2M median and an average of $1,221 per square foot. It scores 80 on Walk Score (Very Walkable) and 86 for biking. 731 46th Avenue and 718 46th Avenue are both on this stretch, which shows the spread: an updated three-bedroom at $2.2M and a two-bedroom at about $1.55M.
The 800 block of 46th Avenue also posted three closings, at a $1.92M median and $1,079 per square foot, with a 77 Walk Score. 876 46th Avenue's $1,920,000 September sale is on this block.
The 700 block of 43rd Avenue had two sales at a $1.89M median, but one of the highest average prices per square foot, $1,382. With an 84 Walk Score, it is also the most walkable of the six blocks scored.
The 800 block of 40th Avenue traded twice at a $3.06M median and $1,295 per square foot, with an 81 Walk Score. 823 40th Avenue's $2,825,000 sale is one of the two.
The 100 block of Sutro Heights Avenue traded twice, both TICs, at a $1.71M median and $1,257 per square foot, with a 79 Walk Score. 119 Sutro Heights Avenue, a three-bedroom TIC with city and ocean views, closed at $1,800,000 in September 2026.
The 400 block of 44th Avenue shows why a block median needs context. Its $3.34M median comes from two multi-unit buildings, and its average of $477 per square foot is the lowest of the group. 431 44th Avenue, an 18-bedroom building, closed at $4,950,000 in September, and 435 44th Avenue, a triplex, closed at $1,735,000 in April. It scores 72 on Walk Score.
How the homes break down
This is a 1920s neighborhood. Per SF Assessor records, 62.3% of the Outer Richmond's 10,575 parcels were built between 1910 and 1929, the Edwardian-era core, and the median year built is 1924. Another 13% date to 1930 through 1949, so about four of every five parcels predate 1950. Only 3.4% were built in 2000 or later, and assessor records lag recent completions, so new construction is somewhat undercounted, but it is rare here either way. For how era and style move value across the city, see our guide to San Francisco home styles.
The assessor's use codes show the mix: 5,267 parcels coded as single-family dwellings, 2,483 as flats and duplexes, 1,399 as condominiums, and 1,053 as apartment buildings of five to 14 units. The median lot is 2,996 square feet and the median building area is 2,090 square feet, so most houses here sit on compact city lots.
Sales follow that inventory. Over twelve months, single-family homes were 57.3% of closings at a $2.2M median, duplexes 16.9% at $1.8M, and condos 10.1% at $1.35M. Multifamily buildings, TICs, triplexes, fourplexes, and mixed-use properties made up the rest. By bedroom count, three-bedroom sales ran a $2.0M median and four-bedroom sales $2.1M, so the fourth bedroom adds only about $100K at the median.
What to consider before buying here
Century-old houses need a real inspection budget
With a 1924 median year built, most Outer Richmond houses are about a century old. In my experience, inspections on houses this age turn up foundation, electrical, and permit questions. I don't sugarcoat this part: the low list prices in the $1M to $2M tier often reflect exactly this work, and on the 700 block of 46th Avenue, a $1.55M two-bedroom and a $2.2M updated three-bedroom closed months apart. Get full inspections before you write, not after.
Transit is buses, and downtown is far
Every transit stop within 800 meters of the neighborhood's center is a Muni bus line, per SFMTA data: the 38 Geary and 38R Geary Rapid on Geary Boulevard and Point Lobos Avenue, and the 18 and 31 on Balboa Street. The Transit Score there is 65, Good Transit. If you commute downtown daily, ride the 38R at rush hour before you commit.
The condo market is thin
Only six condos closed in the last six months, and the $1.48M median is distorted by the 20-bedroom Geary Boulevard property recorded as a condominium. Typical condos closed far below that: 490 34th Avenue #303, a two-bedroom with Golden Gate Bridge views, at $1,250,000 in five days, and 746 Great Highway #3, a three-bedroom with ocean views, at $1,700,000 after 46 days. With so few sales, your comp set will be small and may reach back further than you would like.
Multi-unit buildings come with tenants and rules
Duplexes were 16.9% of sales, and two of the five recent duplex comps were tenant-occupied or probate sales. 600-602 39th Avenue closed at $2,122,000 with a tenant in place, and 546-548 41st Avenue, a vacant probate sale sold as-is, closed at $2,100,000 after listing at $1,348,000. In the Census block group at the neighborhood's center (Tract 479.02), 45.2% of occupied units are owner-occupied (ACS 2023), so rentals are a large part of the area. An occupied unit brings San Francisco's rent and owner move-in rules with it. Price that time and uncertainty in.
Buyer and seller playbook for 2026
If you're buying in the Outer Richmond in 2026, start from the last 30 to 90 days of sales: a $1.92M median over 30 days and $1.96M over 90, at 13 days on market. Then adjust for the levers that actually move a price here. Condition is first. The same block can hold a $1.55M two-bedroom and a $2.2M updated three-bedroom. Size is next; per square foot among recent single-family comps ran from $690 at 499 36th Avenue to $1,368 at 39 Seal Rock Drive. A view, a garage, or a vacant unit in a two-unit building all move the number further.
Read list prices carefully. Many single-family homes here list well below where they close. 718 46th Avenue listed at $999,000 and closed at $1,552,000, and 524 39th Avenue listed at $1,395,000 and closed at $2,025,000 in October 2026. A list price in this tier usually signals an offer date, not a ceiling. Here's what I'd tell you to do: build your own value from the closed comps, decide your number before the offer date, and expect competition on clean houses. Whether you are all-cash or financed matters, as does how many offers are in; a clean financed offer can still win when you match the seller's timing.
The exceptions are worth knowing. Listings that sit past the first two weeks lose negotiating power fast. 499 36th Avenue took 36 days and closed at $1,850,000, and 561 41st Avenue, a fourplex, closed at $1,420,000, below its $1,500,000 list price. A property that has sat is where a lone, well-structured offer has room to negotiate.
For sellers, the market rewards preparation. Updated houses at the right list price went fast this fall: 823 40th Avenue closed in 10 days. Plan the sequence early, from pre-inspections to staging, and know your net; our breakdown of what seller closing costs cover walks through the numbers. If you are comparing the two sides of Golden Gate Park, our Outer Sunset buyer's guide covers the other half of The Avenues.
Frequently asked questions about the Outer Richmond
How much does a home cost in the Outer Richmond in 2026?
As of October 2026, a single-family home in the Outer Richmond costs a median of $2.13M over the trailing six months, across 31 closings. Over the last 30 days, the median for all sales was $1.92M. Two-bedroom houses have closed near $1.55M, renovated four-bedrooms such as 823 40th Avenue above $2.8M, and typical condos between $765,000 and $1.7M. Per square foot, single-family homes ran a $1,138 median over six months.
Are Outer Richmond prices going up or down?
Up over the year: as of October 2026, the Outer Richmond's single-family median is 11.6% higher than a year ago. In the shorter term prices are flat, with medians of $1.92M over 30 days, $1.96M over 90 days, and $2.0M over 180 days. Monthly medians moved between $1.72M and $2.27M from May through October 2026, which reflects the mix of houses that sold more than a trend.
How fast do homes sell in the Outer Richmond?
Fast: as of October 2026, the median time on market was 13 days over the last 30 days, and the same 13-day median held over the full twelve months. Updated, well-priced single-family homes often go in under two weeks, with six-month single-family sales at an 11-day median. Condos are slower, at a 25-day median over six months, and a few listings sat for months, such as 855 La Playa Street #457 at 144 days.
Is the Outer Richmond mostly houses or condos?
Mostly houses: over the trailing twelve months through October 2026, single-family homes were 57.3% of Outer Richmond closings and condos only 10.1%. Duplexes added 16.9%. Per SF Assessor records, 5,267 parcels are single-family dwellings against 1,399 condominiums, and 62.3% of all parcels were built between 1910 and 1929, so the typical property dates to the 1920s.
What public transit serves the Outer Richmond?
As of 2026, the Outer Richmond is served by Muni buses, led by the 38 Geary and 38R Geary Rapid, with stops at Geary Boulevard and 42nd Avenue, per SFMTA data. The 18 and 31 run on Balboa Street, and the 18 stops at the Legion of Honor. The neighborhood's center carries a 65 Transit Score (Good Transit) and an 82 Walk Score (Very Walkable).
Where is the Outer Richmond in San Francisco?
As of 2026, the Outer Richmond is the western portion of San Francisco's Richmond District, in ZIP code 94121. Per Wikipedia, it is divided from the Inner Richmond by Park Presidio Boulevard and borders Ocean Beach and the Cliff House. Since January 2009, the Richmond District name has officially covered the area north of Golden Gate Park and west of Arguello Boulevard. Lincoln Park sits inside the Outer Richmond.
Talk to me about the Outer Richmond
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. If you are weighing a house on the avenues, I can pull the block-level comp set for the exact property you are looking at, condition and all, so your number starts from what has actually closed. When you're ready, reach out and we'll go through it together.
