San Francisco is two markets stacked on one map. Over the trailing six months of 2026, single-family homes closed at a $2.20M median while condos closed at $1.30M, and the two segments moved on different tracks: single-family prices rose 28.7% year over year against a 13.1% gain for condos. Read them together and the picture blurs.
Unless otherwise noted, all market figures below are from San Francisco MLS data, covering the trailing six months through August 2026. The headline number most write-ups reach for, a single citywide median, hides the real story. The median varies sharply by property type and by district: a single-family home in the northern districts trades near $6.87M while a condo in the eastern waterfront districts closes closer to $1.12M. The one force both segments share is financing. The 30-year fixed averaged 6.66% the week of 8/27/2026 (Freddie Mac), and that rate sets the ceiling on how far buyers can stretch. What follows is the citywide picture, then all 10 districts by property type, the macro forces behind the numbers, and what the fall cycle is likely to bring.
San Francisco by the numbers: August 2026
The freshest slice tells its own story. Over the last 30 days, 339 homes closed at a $1.58M citywide median and a longer 44-day average time on market, a reminder that the newest listings are taking a beat more to trade than the six-month base of 30 days. Segment discipline still matters more than any blended figure: TICs closed at a $1.24M median (up 17.2%), two-unit buildings at $2.14M (up 26.3%), and co-ops at $1.65M (up 5.7%), each on its own cycle.
District by district: all 10 San Francisco districts
The city divides into 10 districts, and the spread between them is the part a citywide median erases. Each district below leads with its most active property type, because that is what most buyers there are actually competing for.
District 1: the northwest (Richmond)
Single-family homes drive District 1, closing at a $2.62M median with a fast 12-day average on market across 89 sales. The standout is Central Richmond, where 60 homes closed at a $2.08M median over 25 days. The pattern here is classic west-side: detached houses on lettered avenues, priced on lot and condition, moving quickly when they are turnkey.
District 2: the central Sunset and Parkside
District 2 is the city's deepest single-family market by volume, with 176 homes closing at a $2.00M median over just 16 days. The standout is Central Sunset, where 58 homes closed at a $1.98M median over a brisk 17 days. This is where a lot of the city's owner-occupier demand lands: solid detached houses, quick trades, and less price drama than the luxury districts.
District 3: the southwest (Lake Shore, Ingleside)
Single-family homes lead District 3 at a $1.58M median over 23 days across 56 sales, one of the more accessible detached-house segments in the city. The standout is Ingleside Heights, where 20 homes closed at a $1.19M median, though at a slower 46-day pace. The district rewards buyers who want a house rather than a condo without a west-of-Twin-Peaks premium.
District 4: Twin Peaks west (Forest Hill, Sunnyside)
District 4 runs on single-family homes, 151 of them closing at a $2.52M median over a quick 15 days. The standout is Sunnyside, where 28 homes closed at a $1.76M median over 16 days. These are the view-and-garden neighborhoods below the Twin Peaks ridge, and the tight days on market show how thin the for-sale supply of detached houses stays here.
District 5: the central spine (Noe Valley, Castro, Haight)
District 5 is where the two markets sit side by side: condos are the most active type at a $1.56M median over 23 days (171 sales), while single-family homes close far higher at $3.11M over just 13 days. The standout is Noe Valley, where 124 homes closed at a $2.31M median over 22 days. It is one of the districts I track block by block, because the single-family and condo lines diverge so widely.
District 6: the central north (Hayes Valley, Alamo Square)
Condos lead District 6 at a $1.43M median over 21 days across 90 sales, a segment anchored by newer buildings and converted flats. The standout is Hayes Valley, where 48 homes closed at a $1.38M median over 21 days. This is a corridor built for buyers who want walkable, transit-close blocks over square footage, and the condo volume reflects that.
District 7: the north (Pacific Heights, Marina)
District 7 is the city's luxury peak, and it is bifurcated: condos are the most active type at a $1.75M median over 18 days (131 sales), while the 42 single-family sales close at a $6.87M median over a longer 40 days. The standout is Pacific Heights, where 134 homes closed at a $2.73M median over 28 days. Trophy houses take time; well-priced condos here still move.
District 8: the northeast (Nob Hill, Russian Hill, downtown)
District 8 is a condo district, with 211 sales at a $1.08M median but a slower 43-day average, the mark of a segment still finding its footing. The standout is Nob Hill, where 90 homes closed at a $1.58M median over 43 days. Buyers here are choosing views, doorman buildings, and location over land, and they are taking their time doing it.
District 9: the eastern waterfront (SoMa, South Beach, Mission Bay)
District 9 has the most condo volume in the city, 414 sales at a $1.12M median, though at a patient 45-day pace; its single-family pockets close much higher at $2.25M over 18 days. The standout is South Beach, where 138 homes closed at a $1.23M median over 38 days. This is the district where the condo recovery detailed below is being tested in real time.
District 10: the southeast (Bayview, Excelsior, Portola)
Single-family homes define District 10 at a $1.30M median over 21 days across 162 sales, the most accessible detached-house segment in San Francisco. The standout is Excelsior, where 39 homes closed at a $1.33M median over a quick 16 days. Demand here is steady and value-driven, and the fast pace shows buyers priced out of the west side finding houses they can actually win.
What is driving the numbers
Two forces frame the 2026 market: financing costs and the split between property types. The 30-year fixed averaged 6.66% the week of 8/27/2026, with the 15-year at 5.98% (Freddie Mac). I watch that weekly survey closely, because the rate sets the ceiling on how much condo buyers in particular can carry. When borrowing costs hold in the mid-6s, the more rate-sensitive condo segment feels it first.
The bigger 2026 story is the condo rebound. After several years as the city's weakest segment, San Francisco condos, especially downtown and in SoMa, have been firming again through 2025 and 2026, on the back of return-to-office mandates and AI-driven demand, according to The San Francisco Standard. The recovery shows up in the numbers: condos are up 13.1% year over year to a $1.30M median, a segment that only two years ago was the one everyone worried about.
Single-family homes never softened the way condos did, which is why I read the two segments separately, and why the 28.7% single-family gain and 13.1% condo gain should never be blended into one citywide number. The San Francisco Standard has made the same point: the two property types move on different cycles.
What to consider before you buy or sell this quarter
The averages are encouraging, but the tradeoffs are where deals are won or lost. Three are worth weighing now.
Financing costs are still the swing factor
I don't sugarcoat this part: at 6.66%, financing is the single biggest variable in what a buyer can pay, and if rates climb again the condo segment is the first to cool. A clean all-cash offer can still beat a higher financed one, and that advantage carries even more weight in the higher-priced single-family districts.
Condos and single-family are two different games
A buyer reading the 28.7% single-family gain as a condo forecast will misprice an offer. Condos, at a $1.30M median, carry HOA dues and in the eastern districts sit longer on the market. Price the segment you are actually buying, using recent comps within that property type.
Days on market are stretching in the condo-heavy districts
Where single-family homes average 18 days, condos average 36, and in Districts 8 and 9 the condo pace runs 43 to 45 days. For a condo seller that means realistic pricing and patience; for a condo buyer it means more room to negotiate than the single-family districts allow.
What to watch heading into fall 2026
San Francisco runs a fall selling cycle from late August through Halloween, and the next 10 weeks will show whether the condo recovery has staying power once the post-Labor-Day listings hit. Here's what I'd tell you to keep an eye on before writing an offer this fall. First, the weekly Freddie Mac rate: a move back above the high-6s would pressure the condo segment fastest. Second, downtown and SoMa absorption, the clearest read on whether return-to-office demand holds. Third, single-family supply on the west side, where 12-to-16-day averages mean any well-priced house draws competition. In my experience, the buyers I work with move fastest when the 30-day window and the six-month base agree, and right now they mostly do. What no forecast can tell you is where rates land, so plan for the market you can see, not the one you hope for.
Is 2026 a good year to buy a house in California?
In San Francisco, 2026 has been a strong year for single-family buyers with financing in hand, with the median house at $2.20M and up 28.7% year over year (MLS). Whether it suits you depends on segment and district: houses move in 12 to 18 days on the west side, while condos, at a $1.30M median, sit longer and give buyers more negotiating room. Rates at 6.66% (Freddie Mac) are the main constraint on budget.
Is San Francisco real estate coming back?
Yes, and the clearest evidence in 2026 is the condo rebound. After years as the weakest segment, condos, especially downtown and in SoMa, firmed through 2025 and 2026 as return-to-office and AI-driven demand returned (The San Francisco Standard). Condos are up 13.1% year over year to a $1.30M median. Single-family homes, up 28.7%, never left.
Will property prices come down in 2026?
The 2026 data points up, not down: single-family medians are up 28.7% and condos up 13.1% year over year across San Francisco (MLS). Every property-type segment is higher than a year ago, from co-ops at 5.7% to single-family at 28.7%. If borrowing costs, now 6.66% (Freddie Mac), climb sharply, the more rate-sensitive condo segment would feel it first, but nothing in the current trailing-six-month data suggests a broad price decline underway.
Is the housing market expected to go up in 2026?
San Francisco prices have risen through 2026, with single-family homes up 28.7% and condos up 13.1% year over year (MLS). Whether the climb continues rests largely on rates: at 6.66% the market has absorbed higher costs, but a further increase would slow the condo segment first. The honest answer is that the direction has been up, and if current patterns hold the fall cycle should stay firm, though rate moves remain the wild card.
Are house prices expected to drop in 2026?
Single-family house prices show no sign of dropping in 2026, closing up 28.7% year over year at a $2.20M median with an 18-day average on market (MLS). Detached houses held value even when condos softened earlier this decade, and west-side districts are clearing in 12 to 16 days. A meaningful house-price drop would most likely need a sharp rate spike well above today's 6.66% (Freddie Mac), which the current data does not show.
Talk to me about your San Francisco numbers
Citywide medians are a starting point, not an answer. If you want the comp set broken down by your specific district, property type, or block, I can pull the sub-district-level data behind this report and walk you through what it means for your buy or sale. No pressure and no obligation, just the numbers that actually apply to your situation.
Last updated: August 28, 2026
