The 1284 Stanyan Street cottage in San Francisco's Cole Valley area closed on Oct. 26, 2026, after a bidding war among all‑cash buyers. The two‑bedroom, 1,500‑sq‑ft home sold for $5.85 million, more than double the $2.8 million it fetched in July 2019. The sale followed a $4.5 million listing and closed just 14 days after the property hit the market.
The property sits on two adjoining parcels that together span nearly 10,000 sq‑ft. One parcel has frontage on Belgrave Avenue, while the other is bordered by a dense canopy of redwoods that gives the home a rare degree of privacy in a dense urban core. The cottage, built in 1951, has seen a 1979 redwood cladding and a 2020 remodel of its kitchen and bathrooms.
The house's provenance dates back to 1967, when the Newsom family owned it. Arthur Menzies, the maternal grandfather of Gov. Gavin Newsom, originally held the deed. The property changed hands in 1972 when Tessa Menzies sold it to a private family that kept it for more than 40 years, before it returned to the market in 2019.
Listing agent John DiDomenico said the Newsom connection drew initial interest, but the parcels' development potential ultimately drove the bids. "The land is a rare commodity in San Francisco," DiDomenico told The San Francisco Standard. "It offers a chance for significant expansion, subject to city approvals."
The sale tops a series of transactions: a July 2019 sale at $2.8 million, a 2025 intra‑family sale at $3.9 million, and a 2019 listing at $3.6 million. With the latest price, the property has more than doubled in value over seven years, reflecting the city's increasing appetite for land in coveted neighborhoods.
The transaction is now pending final title transfer, expected for early November 2026. The new owner plans to explore zoning amendments that could unlock the parcels' full development potential.