Two-bedroom house on what might be the smallest lot in SF hits market at $599000

  • A two-bedroom, two-level Sutro Heights house on a 644-square-foot lot hit the market in Dec. 2015 for $599,000. Listing agent Heather Stoltz believes it might be the smallest lot in San Francisco with a single-family home. Photo: Open Homes Photography

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An 830-square-foot Sutro Heights cottage squeezed onto a 644-square-foot lot brings new meaning to the word cozy.

The two bedrooms on the second-story are the size of a walk-in closet in the suburbs and can only fit double-size beds (or maybe a queen if you can figure out how to get it up the stairs).

In fact, listing agent Heather Stoltz believes 544 46th Ave. might be the smallest lot in San Francisco with a single-family home.  


But that’s not stopping prospective buyers. More than 300 people showed up for the two-hour open houses on Saturday and Sunday, and Stoltz thinks she’ll hand out at least 25 disclosure packets.

“That’s a lot in only four hours,” she said. “For a house in Noe Valley, we might get between 60 and 80 people at an open house. In the Richmond District out there by the beach, we might see only 25 people…even in this market. It’s just slower out there.”

It’s certainly not the minuscule size of this abode that’s the draw. Stoltz said it’s the $599,000 listing price that’s garnering interest.


“There’s such a backup of buyers in the $600,000 to $750,000 price range… like thousands and thousands of people who want to buy a place in San Francisco,” Stoltz said. “Most people in this price range are lucky if they’re going to get a one-bedroom condo with monthly dues. This is a single standalone with no HOA dues. It’s an affordable price point that’s hard to come by.”

Tucked away in a wooded area two blocks from Sutro Park, this tiny home sits at the end of a cobblestone path neighboring two larger cottages. The trio were part of the original estate of silver baron Adolph Sutro, and Stoltz believes 544 46th Ave. was originally a workshop. She thinks it dates back to the late 1800s. The two other cottages were likely workers’ residences.

The home’s light, airy interior has a fresh coat of white paint and the kitchen has been modernized with granite countertops. The windows were likely replaced in the 80s or 90s, but but the original hardwood floors still remain. “You could never play marbles on the floor because it’s so slopey,” Stoltz said.

The current owner lived in San Francisco for 45 years and in this house for 13 years. He’s a retired dog walker and recently moved to Oregon. Stoltz says most of the people interested in buying the property are single people, couples and artists wanting studio space.

Despite the home’s size, it includes just about everything you need: a full bath, an eat-in kitchen opening up to a living room, a downstairs utility room equipped with a washer and dryer, a covered front porch and even views of Golden Gate Park from the upstairs. All of this packed onto one of the city’s tiniest pieces of property.

“There might be some other cottage out there that’s on an even tinier lot but I haven’t come across it,” Stoltz said. 


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