GLEN PARK REAL ESTATE–February Recap–Plus: Win a Canyon Market gift certificate (read on)!

Happy March, everybody! Best wishes as we forge ahead toward Spring, and more lovely weather. In times of relative chaos and hardship around the world, it makes one truly appreciate that we live in relative peace locally. Here’s to Glen Park remaining an oasis of calm and peaceful living.

So, what can I say about sales in February? “More of the same” sounds odd when “the same” means homes selling at heretofore-unheard-of high prices, which is what we have once again. Referring to our sales figures below, you can see that homes sold at an average of over 20% above their already not-too-modest list prices, with two selling for over 40% above list price!

So where will we go from here? Will prices continue to rise? Well, since all previous suggestions that “they have to go down sometime” have been proven wrong, it would seem pointless to make such a suggestion at this time. More likely than not, we’ll just have to sit back and enjoy the ride for as long as it continues. If you are selling a home, this is great news; if you are looking to buy, it’s as competitive as ever, but at least mortgage rates are still at historic lows.

Speaking of Prognosticating…

Let’s play Sale Price Roulette!

Below is a list of sales that are currently listed as “Pending.” Take a shot at guessing their sale prices and send your guesses to me by March 31 at Amanda@RealEstateSF.com. Note that if any of the properties are sold before that date, they will be taken out of the contest. The reader whose guesses are closest on average to the final sale price will win a $25 gift certificate to Canyon Market!

The two Pending properties from last month’s post:

One thing I love about Glen Park is the easy access it provides to the rest of the city. There’s BART to connect you with downtown and the rest of the Bay Area, and convenient bus lines heading out in every direction. And of course, there are the freeways, with easy access to 280, 101, and the Crosstown Freeway. What’s that, you’ve never heard of the Crosstown Freeway? That’s because it doesn’t exist. But it almost did! To learn the details, we’ll need to travel back in time to the latter part of the 1950’s, which means that once again it’s time for…

The Glen Park Real Estate Time Machine*

How Much Convenient Freeway Access is Too Much?

How do you like the idea of a freeway that would head North from the 280 near Glen Park and cut through the city in a direct line to the Golden Gate Bridge? What’s that you say, the 101 already goes to the Golden Gate Bridge? Sure, but this new freeway would be more direct and could save you a couple of minutes. Still not convinced? What if I told you Glen Park residents could enjoy this new freeway for the low cost of mowing down over 100 residences and businesses, and half of Glen Park Canyon? Sounds terrible, right? Luckily for us, Glen Park residents in the 50’s and 60’s thought so too. But before I get ahead of myself…

It all started in 1956 when Congress passed the Interstate Highway Act, providing federal funding for the construction of over 40,000 miles of new highways and freeways around the country. Aiming to take advantage of the act, in 1958 the California Division of Highways announced plans for new freeways in San Francisco, including the aforementioned Crosstown Freeway. The proposed route for the crosstown freeway would have taken it right through Glen Park, necessitating the demolition of 120 residential structures and 13 businesses, and the removal of 180 mature trees from the Canyon. Understandably, Glen Park residents were nonplussed, and they made their disapproval known. Eventually, their efforts merged with the broader citywide “Freeway Revolt” that spread through San Francisco from the late 50’s through the 60’s. The Revolt was largely successful, and most of the new plans, including the Crosstown Freeway, were scrapped.

Some of the most impactful Glen Park residents to protest the freeway expansion were the women known as the “Gum Tree Girls,” recently discussed on the Glen Park Association website. If you have not had a chance to learn about the Gum Tree Girls, I encourage you to take a look at this article. You can also learn about the inaugural Glen Park Gum Tree Girls Festival, taking place on July 10th, 2022 in Glen Canyon Park. Maybe I will see you there!

I am so thankful to all those people who worked so hard to keep Glen Park the beautiful neighborhood it is with a gorgeous canyon running through it instead of an ugly freeway!

Currently on the Market

To round out our look at the Glen Park real estate market, below are properties that are currently listed as “Active.” As always, feel free to reach out to me if you want to discuss these or any topics related to real estate!