Would you like to back your car out onto the “crookedest street in the world”? The two-level condo at 1028 Lombard St., recently listed for just under $4 million, has a driveway that leads directly to the landmark, which attracts an estimated 2 million visitors each year.
Aside from the tricky traffic situation, the four-bedroom, 3.5-bath condo also has walls of windows that let in light from all four sides, a peekaboo view of Alcatraz from the breakfast nook, a shared roof deck with panoramic views and a private backyard that feels worlds away from the much-photographed street, according to listing agent Marie Carr of Sotheby’s International.
“It’s bright. It’s cheerful. It’s quiet,” she said. “Someone’s going to love this and just take it.”
Despite the property’s positives, Carr said she can imagine some buyers might be anxious about needing to make a daily drive down the street, but that owners are allowed to make an otherwise barred right turn from Hyde, “so you don’t have to wait in the long line of Lombard cars.”
“You can sneak in, get in, get out, and do what you need to do,” she said.
The sellers had their vegetable garden on a sunny front porch that overlooks the street, and Carr said they were never bothered by tourists snapping selfies, as the home is set back and the front door is several flights up. The upstairs neighbors have lived at the property for 30 years and many who live along the street are long-time residents as well.
The sellers bought the 2,800-square-foot condo just three years ago for $3.5 million after 15 years in a smaller condo on the street. They are selling due to an East Coast relocation, Carr said.
She originally listed the home in the spring but took it off when it became clear that President Donald Trump’s tariff threats had spooked buyers. With more optimism heading into the fall, the sellers decided to relist over Labor Day weekend in the hopes of picking up out-of-town interest.
Yet it’s been mostly locals looking, Carr said; typically, a couple or family with teenage children who appreciate the privacy of the lower-level bedroom setup.
The last time the 1915 property underwent a major remodel was about 15 years ago, according to city permits, with renovations to the kitchen, bathroom and powder room on the upper main floor and a remodeled rec room with wet bar and walk-out access to the backyard below. A bathroom and new interior staircase were added. Nothing substantial has changed since then, other than the installation of Murphy beds in two bedrooms. The home retains original features like stained and leaded glass windows in the dining room.
There are only about 20 properties along the famous block of Lombard, known for its bricked and heavily landscaped hairpin turns. Those turns were added in the 1920s to make the steep street safer, according to SF Travel, but it didn’t become a postcard mainstay until the 1960s, when the hydrangeas went in. (A neighborhood group donates money for a private gardener to tend to the flowers, and volunteers also assist, according to Carr.)
Despite its reputation, it’s not even the crookedest street in San Francisco, according to the SF tourism boosters; that’s Vermont between 20th and 22nd in Potrero Hill, site of the Bring Your Own Big Wheel Race each Easter.
A property just a few doors down from 1028 Lombard St., but technically on Montclair Terrace, sold for about $3.7 million in May after initially listing for $4.2 million in February. The home at 949 Lombard that housed Pam, Puck, and Pedro for the 1994 installment of MTV’s “The Real World” last listed for $7 million in 2017 but failed to find a buyer. It appears to be available as a short-term rental for about $10,000 a month on Airbnb.
Carr touts the condo’s central location, “serene” yard, and great views, though she understands that the site could be intimidating to the uninitiated.
“I think it can work both ways, where the crookedest street can be a little daunting for some, but those that know it realize you are in the heart of the city,” she said. “It’s as iconic as it gets.”