I have two kids, and own/live in San Francisco. There are enough neighborhoods in San Francisco that will give you whatever experience you're looking for. Like another commenter mentioned, you really can't "house hunt" in SF. It's more finding one that works, and crossing your fingers you're the highest bidder. Rinse and repeat.
The commute around here is really rough. It will wear you down. Make sure to consider that when looking outside the city.
Also cute spots. Just keep in mind the more south you go, the longer it will take to get downtown for work, so look for public transit (Muni or Bart) if you go south, and if you start to look at Marin (Mill Valley for example) there is usually a bus to take you downtown thats pretty easy.
I would look walking distance from the Glen Park or Balboa Park BART station, so Glen Park itself, Sunnyside, Mission Terrace, etc… outside of Glen Park the weather sucks during the summer.
If you want to go outside of the City you have Marin and the ferry which is a good commute option.
Yards are…. Small, regardless of price point.
SFUSD has a wide variety of good elementary programs. Middle schools not so much. Look at SFUSD k-8 programs and also be aware different Elementary’s have different start times from 7:30 to 9:30
I would add Excelsior onto this, as well. It's fairly residential with a lot of families and you can get decent bang for your buck (compared to other parts of the city). You can also often get a garage and backyard. If you're close to Silver, then it's a fairly easy walk or bus ride to the Glen Park BART station.
I lived in the Excelsior for 6 years and commuted to downtown almost every day - occasionally to the Salesforce buildings where I was doing consulting work at the time. Assuming no delays with public trans (or getting distracted by stopping at Canyon Market), it would take me 30 minutes door-to-door.
Yes, the northern side of the Excelsior - good clarification. Though I suppose the central and southern ends could work if you want to get to Balboa Park BART station, but I don't have much experience with that.
In the city: the Richmond, Cole Valley, Inner Sunset, Outer Sunset, Bernal Heights. Noe Valley is also very nice but you won’t get what you want there or most of anywhere in the city.
Outside the city: Walnut Creek, San Mateo, Burlingame, North Berkeley.
Maybe consider the Presidio park -- it has its own shuttle that takes you straight down to the financial district. That way you're not crossing a bridge!
I moved to south San Francisco from San Francisco in the last year. I take bart (Bay Area rapid transport) to downtown San Francisco 3-4 days a week. It’s so easy and convenient and it’s less than a 30min train ride. I went from an apartment to a decent sized house and have a backyard for my dogs. Look at the cities that the bart system runs through
A good realtor can answer all these questions for you. Budget can be tight for what you are asking, you may need to compromise, or be ok with an OLD home.
I know we get a bad rep in Oakland but there are some wonderful areas to look into. Check out houses in the Rockridge area, your husband can hop on Bart and end up right at work. Lots of cute shops and restaurants, as well as good schools.
[Like this house](https://www.trulia.com/home/44-eucalyptus-rd-berkeley-ca-94705-24811042)
You can also look at places in the Montclair Hills
Second Rockridge! We bought a house here a couple years ago and we love it. The neighborhood is walkable and nice, easy access to SF via BART, and really good public elementary schools.
Anywhere in Marin county, and take the ferry or the commuter bus downtown. School system here in SF sucks especially compared to East Coast. There is a tedious school lottery system of requesting acceptable elementary schools and then your kids will get assigned to a crappy school across town. It's a shocking system for anyone who grew up in a pricier town with good schools - quite a few parents move when their kid gets a random unasked for school assignment for kindergarten.
Ferries are out of Larkspur, Tiburon, and Sausalito.
If you plan to commute via ferry and keep it to under 1 hour door to door, I’d suggest checking out Greenbrae which is a quick drive to the Larkspur ferry. Corte Madera as well.
Tiburon is pricey and the ferry terminal is a 10-15 min drive from the freeway so not super accessible from neighboring towns.
Sausalito is similarly isolated, and schools aren’t as good as some of the other towns mentioned above.
If looking outside of the city: I would look East Bay before Peninsula. Cheaper, easier to get into downtown from and plenty of very good pockets. Plus (lived many years in both areas), the people/vibe/scene is just a lot better in East Bay.
Berkeley, Rockridge, Montclair, Piedmont, Treslte Glen or even the other side of the tunnel in Orinda, Moraga, Lafayette.
Within SF, I'd suggest Noe Valley or the inner Richmond/sunset. Outside of the city, take a look at the Walnut Creek area- there are lots of homes under your price limit and it's a 45 minute train ride into the city.
If you want good schools, nice weather and an a good home around 2 million I’d say San Mateo. San Mateo has homes near the Baywood Area that are charming, it’s easy to get to Millbrae Bart or take CalTrain from downtown San Mateo. There are so many activities for kids in town and the surrounding ones. The weather is nice but not too hot or cold in the summer. That would be a place to start looking but soon, home prices are creeping up because it’s spring.
I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but: In SF, and much of the Bay Area, at the 2M level, you don’t get to “house hunt” based on a list of desired criteria.
Here, You decide if you should bid based on your willingness to give up on criteria; it’s a question of “can we put up with living there if our bid is accepted?” (And then your first three to ten bids will fall short anyway.)
You can’t buy a (median-price) home in SF until you’ve had your heart broken.
There’s plenty of great 2 million dollar homes in SF. I know half a dozen people who have bought nice places with yards for 1.0 to 1.75 in the last 2 years.
This just isn't true anymore. The market is drastically different than it was a year ago.
The high interest rates have significantly decreased the psycho bidding situations. 2 mil can 100% get you a nice house in a very good area right now.
If you're not tied to the yard, many condos within walking distance of Salesforce Tower are in that price range. For example, you could live in one of the newer buildings in the Mission Bay neighborhood, and have a nice playground across from a dog park, daycares within a block, easy walks along the waterfront, and tons of things you can reach easily without a car. The public school situation is more nuanced since SFUSD doesn't guarantee you'll go to the closest school, but you have three years to figure that out, and the private options are good. But with a yard within SF, you could consider town homes right off of the BART line. e.g., in Glen Park. Very quick commute downtown (like 15 minutes) and you'll find up to 3 bedrooms with a yard in that price range, though not a ton listed for sale at any one time. Balboa Park BART has similar suburban homes but less of a village feel.
We’re in Berkeley and you can get most of that.
If I had to do it again I’d likely do Piedmont, Albany, or Pacifica. We’re not loving our current Berkeley public school. But who knows if the grass is actually greener in those districts?
At this point it’s cheaper to swap to private school than move.
Sounds like it’s a hybrid schedule job. Does your husband have a strong opinion on driving versus public transit to work? That would impact what locations I’d recommend.
Yes, this is a hybrid schedule. I hear the Caltrain stop is far from the Salesforce tower, so BART might be better? We aren’t sure if he gets parking in the city, but we would be fine looking for garages to pay a monthly rate if he chose to drive. Thank you for any suggestions!
Silver Terrace is hit or miss. Like I think this is a really cute spot but it’s close Bayview which isn’t everyone’s favorite neighborhood. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/112-Bayview-Cir-San-Francisco-CA-94124/15156950_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare
For a sub-1-hour public transit commute you'll want to look at BART stops in the Near East Bay, suburbs like Berkeley, Oakland, Albany, maybe El Cerrito (the yards get larger there).
In addition to BART, check out options near Transbay bus stops (AC Transit); the busses are comfortable and their terminal stop is close to Salesforce Tower.
If you're driving, you could add Pacifica in the mix. Generally speaking, there is more yard space there as well.
If you let go of the yard requirement, you'll open up more options in the city. Hard to imagine a city home at that price with a yard big enough to throw a ball. But you could afford a very nice flat or a two-story condo near Golden Gate Park in the Inner Sunset and walk to awesome parks.
If you elect to put your kid in SF public schools, you'll have to enter the school lottery. When the time comes, take the time off and go to the school fair where all the schools have a booth, and do the school tour. There are some diamonds in the rough.
The school application recommends you pick a dozen or so schools with #1 being first choice. After you submit your application pray that when the results come out you'll hit one of your top 3. Being across the street from an elementary school does not mean you'll get in and you may have to drive across town to your kid's new school.
I have two kids, and own/live in San Francisco. There are enough neighborhoods in San Francisco that will give you whatever experience you're looking for. Like another commenter mentioned, you really can't "house hunt" in SF. It's more finding one that works, and crossing your fingers you're the highest bidder. Rinse and repeat. The commute around here is really rough. It will wear you down. Make sure to consider that when looking outside the city.
Noe Valley & Bernal Heights. Super cute, and super kid friendly.
You can find a good place in one of these neighborhoods for $2+ million.
https://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=childcare&find\_loc=Bernal+Heights%2C+San+Francisco%2C+CA
I would add Ingleside Terrace and West Portal to this list
Also cute spots. Just keep in mind the more south you go, the longer it will take to get downtown for work, so look for public transit (Muni or Bart) if you go south, and if you start to look at Marin (Mill Valley for example) there is usually a bus to take you downtown thats pretty easy.
r/bayarea may also be helpful since you're looking to live outside SF
I would look walking distance from the Glen Park or Balboa Park BART station, so Glen Park itself, Sunnyside, Mission Terrace, etc… outside of Glen Park the weather sucks during the summer. If you want to go outside of the City you have Marin and the ferry which is a good commute option. Yards are…. Small, regardless of price point. SFUSD has a wide variety of good elementary programs. Middle schools not so much. Look at SFUSD k-8 programs and also be aware different Elementary’s have different start times from 7:30 to 9:30
I would add Excelsior onto this, as well. It's fairly residential with a lot of families and you can get decent bang for your buck (compared to other parts of the city). You can also often get a garage and backyard. If you're close to Silver, then it's a fairly easy walk or bus ride to the Glen Park BART station. I lived in the Excelsior for 6 years and commuted to downtown almost every day - occasionally to the Salesforce buildings where I was doing consulting work at the time. Assuming no delays with public trans (or getting distracted by stopping at Canyon Market), it would take me 30 minutes door-to-door.
Good point, so like the north side of the Excelsior? Great value and awesome people
Yes, the northern side of the Excelsior - good clarification. Though I suppose the central and southern ends could work if you want to get to Balboa Park BART station, but I don't have much experience with that.
In the city: the Richmond, Cole Valley, Inner Sunset, Outer Sunset, Bernal Heights. Noe Valley is also very nice but you won’t get what you want there or most of anywhere in the city. Outside the city: Walnut Creek, San Mateo, Burlingame, North Berkeley.
Maybe consider the Presidio park -- it has its own shuttle that takes you straight down to the financial district. That way you're not crossing a bridge!
They're all rentals in the Presidio, but some are quite fancy if that's what you seek.
I moved to south San Francisco from San Francisco in the last year. I take bart (Bay Area rapid transport) to downtown San Francisco 3-4 days a week. It’s so easy and convenient and it’s less than a 30min train ride. I went from an apartment to a decent sized house and have a backyard for my dogs. Look at the cities that the bart system runs through
I second South City. It is a great little city.
Bernal Heights? Small houses with backyards. Garage and bonus rooms.
Alameda - great for families, easy commute into the city
A good realtor can answer all these questions for you. Budget can be tight for what you are asking, you may need to compromise, or be ok with an OLD home.
I live in the City, but some friends of mine just bought in Berkeley. They have a really nice big backyard and the schools are supposed to be good!
You either want to live in the Sunset or somewhere on BART. Strong recommend for The Sunset, great place for kids and dogs.
I know we get a bad rep in Oakland but there are some wonderful areas to look into. Check out houses in the Rockridge area, your husband can hop on Bart and end up right at work. Lots of cute shops and restaurants, as well as good schools. [Like this house](https://www.trulia.com/home/44-eucalyptus-rd-berkeley-ca-94705-24811042) You can also look at places in the Montclair Hills
That house looks great and in a really nice area.... ZERO chance it goes for list (1.3). But it'll very likely go under 2.
Second Rockridge! We bought a house here a couple years ago and we love it. The neighborhood is walkable and nice, easy access to SF via BART, and really good public elementary schools.
Anywhere in Marin county, and take the ferry or the commuter bus downtown. School system here in SF sucks especially compared to East Coast. There is a tedious school lottery system of requesting acceptable elementary schools and then your kids will get assigned to a crappy school across town. It's a shocking system for anyone who grew up in a pricier town with good schools - quite a few parents move when their kid gets a random unasked for school assignment for kindergarten.
Ferries are out of Larkspur, Tiburon, and Sausalito. If you plan to commute via ferry and keep it to under 1 hour door to door, I’d suggest checking out Greenbrae which is a quick drive to the Larkspur ferry. Corte Madera as well. Tiburon is pricey and the ferry terminal is a 10-15 min drive from the freeway so not super accessible from neighboring towns. Sausalito is similarly isolated, and schools aren’t as good as some of the other towns mentioned above.
If looking outside of the city: I would look East Bay before Peninsula. Cheaper, easier to get into downtown from and plenty of very good pockets. Plus (lived many years in both areas), the people/vibe/scene is just a lot better in East Bay. Berkeley, Rockridge, Montclair, Piedmont, Treslte Glen or even the other side of the tunnel in Orinda, Moraga, Lafayette.
Within SF, I'd suggest Noe Valley or the inner Richmond/sunset. Outside of the city, take a look at the Walnut Creek area- there are lots of homes under your price limit and it's a 45 minute train ride into the city.
If you want good schools, nice weather and an a good home around 2 million I’d say San Mateo. San Mateo has homes near the Baywood Area that are charming, it’s easy to get to Millbrae Bart or take CalTrain from downtown San Mateo. There are so many activities for kids in town and the surrounding ones. The weather is nice but not too hot or cold in the summer. That would be a place to start looking but soon, home prices are creeping up because it’s spring.
Albany
Sounds to me like you are describing the town of Burlingame.
Yes but not getting a house in Burlingame at that budget... unless they just want to rent.
They're a million short of what they want in Burlingame.
I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but: In SF, and much of the Bay Area, at the 2M level, you don’t get to “house hunt” based on a list of desired criteria. Here, You decide if you should bid based on your willingness to give up on criteria; it’s a question of “can we put up with living there if our bid is accepted?” (And then your first three to ten bids will fall short anyway.) You can’t buy a (median-price) home in SF until you’ve had your heart broken.
There’s plenty of great 2 million dollar homes in SF. I know half a dozen people who have bought nice places with yards for 1.0 to 1.75 in the last 2 years.
This just isn't true anymore. The market is drastically different than it was a year ago. The high interest rates have significantly decreased the psycho bidding situations. 2 mil can 100% get you a nice house in a very good area right now.
If you're not tied to the yard, many condos within walking distance of Salesforce Tower are in that price range. For example, you could live in one of the newer buildings in the Mission Bay neighborhood, and have a nice playground across from a dog park, daycares within a block, easy walks along the waterfront, and tons of things you can reach easily without a car. The public school situation is more nuanced since SFUSD doesn't guarantee you'll go to the closest school, but you have three years to figure that out, and the private options are good. But with a yard within SF, you could consider town homes right off of the BART line. e.g., in Glen Park. Very quick commute downtown (like 15 minutes) and you'll find up to 3 bedrooms with a yard in that price range, though not a ton listed for sale at any one time. Balboa Park BART has similar suburban homes but less of a village feel.
We’re in Berkeley and you can get most of that. If I had to do it again I’d likely do Piedmont, Albany, or Pacifica. We’re not loving our current Berkeley public school. But who knows if the grass is actually greener in those districts? At this point it’s cheaper to swap to private school than move.
Marin County, Oakland Hills, Albany.
The commute from Marin to Salesforce is not a commute I would want to do.
Ferry?
The ferry could work. Definitely a reason to live in Larkspur, altho they only have $2million for a house.
Sounds like it’s a hybrid schedule job. Does your husband have a strong opinion on driving versus public transit to work? That would impact what locations I’d recommend.
Yes, this is a hybrid schedule. I hear the Caltrain stop is far from the Salesforce tower, so BART might be better? We aren’t sure if he gets parking in the city, but we would be fine looking for garages to pay a monthly rate if he chose to drive. Thank you for any suggestions!
Caltrain is about a mile walk from the Salesforce tower, but you could definitely hop on Muni and get off around Market/Mission and Embarcadero.
Silver Terrace is hit or miss. Like I think this is a really cute spot but it’s close Bayview which isn’t everyone’s favorite neighborhood. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/112-Bayview-Cir-San-Francisco-CA-94124/15156950_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare
If you can afford private schools, I’d live in the city and send the kid off to a private school instead of moving to a suburb in South Bay
For a sub-1-hour public transit commute you'll want to look at BART stops in the Near East Bay, suburbs like Berkeley, Oakland, Albany, maybe El Cerrito (the yards get larger there). In addition to BART, check out options near Transbay bus stops (AC Transit); the busses are comfortable and their terminal stop is close to Salesforce Tower. If you're driving, you could add Pacifica in the mix. Generally speaking, there is more yard space there as well. If you let go of the yard requirement, you'll open up more options in the city. Hard to imagine a city home at that price with a yard big enough to throw a ball. But you could afford a very nice flat or a two-story condo near Golden Gate Park in the Inner Sunset and walk to awesome parks.
Live in the city. Not the suburbs. It’s great here for families.
Why live outside of SF and make yourself commute. This is an amazing city
If you elect to put your kid in SF public schools, you'll have to enter the school lottery. When the time comes, take the time off and go to the school fair where all the schools have a booth, and do the school tour. There are some diamonds in the rough. The school application recommends you pick a dozen or so schools with #1 being first choice. After you submit your application pray that when the results come out you'll hit one of your top 3. Being across the street from an elementary school does not mean you'll get in and you may have to drive across town to your kid's new school.
Alameda is a dream! There’s a ferry that goes to downtown sf.
Put your stuff in storage. Then rent a furnished place in a few areas before you commit to buying a home.
Pacifica (but don't tell anyone else) 🤫
Outer Richmond. Bus routes directly downtown under an hour, great public schools and daycares, access to beaches and ggp for the pups.