I live in Bernal Heights and work with a lot of Buyers and Sellers in that and surrounding neighborhoods. I will take a minute here to talk about the neighborhood.Bernal is quite unusual in that it is made up of a number of smaller sub-neighborhoods with some different characteristics, and different pricing.

The top of the hill is roughly in geographical center. The north slope has many homes with spectacular views to downtown San Francisco and the East Bay. The south side also has some view homes, with views to the west (Twin Peaks) and southern hills. The south side also benefits from proximity to the neighborhood commercial street of Cortland Avenue, which has many neighborhood services like market, shops, cafes, and restaurants. This side of the hill is also quite accessible to Mission Street (Bernal's western boundary), where there are more services, great restaurants and great public transit, including a 2 minute bus ride to the 24th Street BART station.

All of Bernal has great access to the City's freeways, with short travel time to downtown San Francisco, SFO, and jobs on the Peninsula. We have many Bernal residents who work on the Peninsula or Downtown, and who choose the east side of the City because of its good access, but like Bernal for its City "neighborhood" feel and less expensive single family homes.

Indeed, what attracts people to Bernal Heights I think mainly is that it is the least expensive neighborhood to own a single family home on the east side of the City, with good weather, that still feels like the City.

Neighborhoods further south are less expensive but don't feel so connected to City living.

There is a great deal of outdoor space in Bernal too. Bernal Park, at the top of Bernal Hill, is a large park with fabulous views, paths, and great for walking the dog and jogging and just getting some fresh air. There are two other great neighborhood parks too, great for kids plus doing the above; Precita Park on the north side of the hill, and Holly Park on the south side of the hill.

The sub-areas also give you a variance in pricing too. View homes, and those a block or so to Cortland Avenue usually garner the highest prices, while still great homes nestling nearer to the freeways, which fringe the hill, can be lower priced, and can have a modest freeway hum (usually not too bad).

The majority of the housing stock is Victorian era homes, or classic mid-century homes, most in the 1000 to 1200 sq.ft. range. There are some larger, modern homes too, often with fabulous views. There is a great sense of community in Bernal too, something perhaps vanishing from other neighborhoods. People are very proud and happy to live in Bernal and take great pride in the place. It is a nice feeling and one of the reasons I am attracted to it I think.

I work in many different San Francisco neighborhoods, but am something of an expert in Bernal, and I see just about every home that comes on the market, plus get the bead on upcoming listings (I have attached a photo of one that is available off-market just now, near Cortland and Holly Park for $779K.)

I would love to talk with you in person about Bernal and the surrounding areas, with a view to better understand your specific needs. I am sure I could provide the kind of service and expertise you would be expecting.

Regards, Shelley

415.321.7003