Perfect Homes Magazine - Issue 12 | Page 170

San Francisco T he City on the Bay sits on a peninsula with the Pacific Ocean on one side and San Francisco Bay on the other. The  Golden Gate Bridge  soars across the mouth of the bay, connecting the city to Marin County, while the Bay Bridge connects to Oakland in the east. From the sea lions sunning themselves on the pilings at  Fisherman’s Wharf  to swimmers and strollers taking advantages of the many parks and promenades, life in this city is centred on the water. The many hills have astonishing views of the blue bay, skyline, and on some days, the fog rolling in. “Home buyers in San Francisco are willing to pay top dollar to have a glimpse of stunning vistas in neighbourhoods perched high atop the city,” said Betty Taisch, the San Francisco Association of Realtors president elect. The Marina District, close to  the Presidio  and Fisherman’s Wharf, 170 has access to waterfront activities such as swimming and sailing and the Aquatic Park Historic District, as do nearby Russian Hill and Presidio Heights. Many properties in these neighbourhoods have classic Victorian architecture, with views of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. The average price for a single-family home in the Marina is $4.15 million, while the price for a condo is around $1.16 million. In Russian Hill prices range from $1.75 $2.5 million. To the east, the new and up-and-coming neighbourhoods of Mission Bay and South Beach are vibrant and walkable. A condo in Mission Bay starts around $1.5 million. In the west of the city, the prices become slightly more affordable with the average price in Outer Sunset and Outer Richmond starting from $856,000. THE ESSENTIAL COSTA DEL SOL WEBSITE - www.simplymedia-group.com