Balboa Park BART. Single-family homeowners shuttling south to Silicon Valley or BARTing to downtown and points east. Balboa Park. An urban delight with an indoor swimming pool, outdoor ball fields, and a great playground. Ocean Avenue boutiques, grocery stores, restaurants, and more are a quick meander away.
Mission Terrace is bordered on the west and north sides by I-280, while Geneva defines the southern neighborhood boundary and Mission Street is the eastern neighborhood boundary. Balboa Park, and the Balboa Park BART and Muni light rail stations are all located along the eastern side of the neighborhood, making this a surprisingly transit-rich neighborhood.
The bulk of Mission Terrace consists of single family homes on 25′ wide lots. Many of the homes are attached or semi-attached to the neighboring homes. While the neighborhood has some features of a “residential park” it doesn’t have the wide streets and lush greenery of neighborhoods like St. Francis Wood or Forest Hill. There are a few smaller condominium complexes in the neighborhood, as well as some smaller unit buildings that have been converted to condominiums.
Corner stores and shops are sprinkled through the neighborhood. Ocean Ave. restaurants, grocery stores, and shops are within walking distance from much of the neighborhood.
While southern neighborhoods aren’t generally known for great transit options, Mission Terrace is very well served by bus lines, a BART station, and a light rail Muni station. If you want a single family home and have a commute to downtown, Mission Terrace can be a great option. Freeway access to the South Bay is also quite convenient.
Mission Terrace Neighborhood Vibe
Bounded by Balboa Park to the west and Alemany Blvd. to the east, the area has long been popular with locals who do their best to keep it a quiet secret. Balboa Park BART, I-280, proximity to City College and the shops of Ocean Avenue are just a few of the reasons locals love Mission Terrace.
Popular Mission Terrace Home Styles
While Mission Terrace has some features of a “residential park,” it doesn’t feature the wide streets and lush greenery of its swankier neighbors to the north like St. Francis Wood or Forest Hill. While it’s an area of primarily single-family homes, there are a few smaller mid-rise condo buildings.
Getting Around in Mission Terrace
South and southeast SF neighborhoods aren’t usually known for great transit options, but Mission Terrace is very well served by bus lines, a BART station, and Muni light rail. Downtown commuters who desire single-family homes love the location. I-280 access to the South Bay is also quite convenient.
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Median sales price is calculated based on sold data and doesn’t account for seller concessions. Median price represents the point at which half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less. In smaller neighborhoods like many of those found in San Francisco, this metric is less likely to be influenced by extremely high or low sales prices that don’t represent the typical neighborhood home.
Days on Market indicates how quickly or slowly homes are selling in the neighborhood. The lower the days on market (DOM), the stronger the market is for sellers, all other things being equal.
The number of homes available for sale in active status at the end of a given month. Fewer homes available for sale may indicate a seasonal trend or market dynamics that favor a seller more than a buyer.
In strong or balanced markets, homes in San Francisco typically sell over asking. In a buyer’s market, homes will sell at list price or slightly under. If a home has had price reductions, the calculation is based on the last listed price.
Price per square foot is most useful when the homes are almost identical in size, age, layout and other factors important to buyers. Our experience suggests it is a more valuable metric in larger condo buildings and less valuable for homes in neighborhoods built with a diverse selection of styles, sizes, and ages.
Mission Terrace is a neighborhood in the south-central part of San Francisco. It’s bordered by Sunny Side, Glen Park, and Bernal Heights to the north, Excelsior to the east, the Outer Mission and Crocker-Amazon to the south, and Ingleside, Sunny Side, and Interstate 280 to the west. On an SFAR (San Francisco Association of Realtors) MLS (add internal link) map, Mission Terrace is identified as neighborhood 10h.
According to the New Mission Terrace Improvement Association, Mission Terrace was the city’s first planned neighborhood of affordable homes, built on former vegetable fields in 1911 and developed by the end of the 1920s. Today it is an area of mostly single-family homes, with a working class, diverse community of homeowners, many going back generations.
While Mission Terrace is largely a residential neighborhood, it’s located near some lively commercial areas like the Mission Street corridor, with its mix of casual dining and shopping spots. Mission Terrace locals are also privileged with access to nearby parks like Balboa Park and Glen Canyon Park. These green retreats provide great opportunities for outdoor pursuits, leisurely picnics, and engaging in recreational sports, providing a beautiful, natural counterpoint to the area’s residential charm.
Mission Terrace has a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere, and a great balance of urban locale and suburban vibe. Tree-lined streets, parks, and nearby amenities make it an especially welcome destination for young families, new homeowners, and Silicon valley commuters.
As an “already built” neighborhood, Mission Terrace is not a neighborhood where you should expect to find substantial new construction projects. Smaller developers may renovate/flip existing single family properties, or may take advantage of recent housing laws to add additional units to already existing housing. Transit corridors and major neighborhood streets are the most likely areas for new construction buildings in already built neighborhoods with existing housing stock.
You can scroll up to see our market charts showing current neighborhood prices and other real estate trends for Mission Terrace. We update these charts dynamically as new data becomes available. Reach out to us to learn more about prices, trends, and possibilities in Mission Terrace.