San Francisco · Investment Property
Investment Property and 1031 Exchanges in San Francisco
Five separate clients have named my 1031 exchange work in their reviews, unprompted, including a 45-day exchange closed in under 30 days with a solar contract complication attached.
Investment Property in San Francisco, What You Get
San Francisco investment property is mostly two- to four-unit buildings, larger apartment buildings, and rented condos and houses, and almost all of it comes with local rules. The City's Rent Ordinance limits rent increases in many older buildings and sets eviction rules for most rentals, and larger wood-frame buildings may fall under the City's soft-story seismic program. The numbers only work if those rules are in them from the start.
I've owned and managed East Bay income properties myself since 2002, and five separate clients have named my 1031 exchange work in their reviews without being asked.
Ready to find your next home?
Tell me what you're looking for and I'll get you real options.
Start Your Home SearchOr call/text (415) 722-0472
Or read how we do it, step by stepWhy San Francisco Investors Choose Tanja Odzak
One 1031 client of mine had a 45-day window and a complicated solar panel contract attached to the home. We closed in under 30 days. That speed and coordination comes with me to a San Francisco purchase.
Our Investment Property Process in San Francisco, What to Expect
We start with your deadline and your numbers. Then: the actual rents in place and what the Rent Ordinance allows, the estoppel and lease records for each unit, the building's soft-story status if it applies, an honest condition read, and the 3R report so the unit count you're paying for is the legal one.
For a 1031 exchange, the search and negotiation move at the pace the deadline requires. The full method is on how I help you buy.
Local Context & Proof for San Francisco
San Francisco's rental stock is dominated by older multi-unit buildings, many built before 1979.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does San Francisco have rent control?
Yes. Under the City's Rent Ordinance, units in buildings built on or before June 13, 1979, other than single-family homes, generally have both rent increase limits and eviction protection. Newer buildings and most single-family homes and condos generally have eviction protection only. The Rent Board and a real estate attorney can confirm how it applies to a specific property.
What is the soft-story retrofit program?
A City program that required seismic retrofits of wood-frame buildings with five or more units and two or more stories over a soft or weak ground floor, permitted before 1978. Every deadline has passed, and most buildings have finished the work. Check the building's status with the Department of Building Inspection before you buy.
How does the transfer tax affect an investment purchase?
San Francisco charges one transfer tax in tiers on the whole price, and the rate rises to 2.25% for sales from $5 million to under $10 million, with higher tiers above that. I build it into your numbers from the start.
Can I add a unit to a San Francisco building?
Often, since state and City rules allow accessory dwelling units in many buildings, but the lot, the structure, and the building's existing tenancies all matter. Check with the Planning Department and an attorney before you count on the income.
Can I do a 1031 exchange into a San Francisco property?
Yes, if it is held for investment and the exchange follows the IRS rules and deadlines. Work with a qualified intermediary and a tax professional, and I handle the search and negotiation on your timeline.
Is now a good time to buy investment property in San Francisco?
I cannot time the market and will not pretend to. I can run current numbers on a specific building, including rents in place, expenses, the rules that apply, and financing, so you can decide.
Ready to find your next home?
Tell me what you're looking for and I'll get you real options.
Start Your Home SearchOr call/text (415) 722-0472
Or read how we do it, step by stepSan Francisco
What investment property looks like in San Francisco
San Francisco sits just across the Bay, a compact 7-by-7-mile city surrounded by water on three sides, its hills giving almost every neighborhood its own microclimate and its own view.
San Francisco sits just across the Bay, a compact 7-by-7-mile city surrounded by water on three sides. Its hills give almost every neighborhood its own microclimate and its own view, of the Bay, the ocean, or the skyline, which is a big part of why the city reads so differently block to block.
San Francisco's neighborhoods range from dense districts of apartments and condos close to downtown to long rows of single-family homes out toward the ocean, each with its own architecture, from Victorian flats to 1930s Sunset District houses.
- The homes
- San Francisco's housing stock is dense and varied: Victorians and Edwardians in the older neighborhoods, 1920s to 1940s row houses in the Sunset and Richmond, mid-century and modern condos in newer developments, and a large share of the market made up of condos, TICs, and multi-unit buildings rather than single-family homes.
- Why people choose it
- Whether you're weighing a San Francisco condo against a house in the East Bay, or selling a San Francisco property you've owned for years.
The method
