Downtown Healdsburg Real Estate

Downtown Healdsburg real estate is casually limited by walking distance. You can choose whether to go three or four blocks from the downtown Healdsburg Plaza for your unofficial boundary, but if it takes more than five minutes to walk to a public concert or Farmer’s Market, you aren’t in the downtown core.

I would define the northernmost boundary as Grant St, the next street up from Piper and the southern boundary as Haydon St. On the west University St is a convenient marker. On the east, Healdsburg Avenue is the limit of residential real estate with almost everything between Healdsburg Ave and Highway 101 is commercial including restaurants, hotels, retail, and the great Bear Republic brewery and restaurant.

The architectural stock of Healdsburg is very mixed in this district. The dominant elements include 19th century Victorians, 20th century Craftsmans and bungalows, and a few 21st century new and remodeled gems. Of course, there are many additional styles including Greek revival, 1960’s schlock apartments, and original farmhouses. (See downtown Healdsburg real estate for sale at the bottom of this post)

Demand for downtown living has been strong for many years and shows no signs of abating. The demand is created by two main groups. One is local residents who want to move closer to the action and the other is visitors who have discovered the charm of Healdsburg and are familiar with the downtown area from visits to the many fine restaurants and hotels in the area. I would venture to say the buyers today are moderately older, more affluent, more inclined to walking for exercise, and more savvy in what they are looking for. In many cases we are working with people downsizing from country property who are seeking less maintenance and more time for fun. That’s what I mean by savvy. Downtown Healdsburg appeals to people who want to enjoy life.

Matheson is the busiest street in this area. It’s a main artery that leads around Fitch Mountain. Many grand homes were built here for farmers in the nearby valleys who would send their families to town for school.  The streets south of Matheson also feature beautiful homes, but  the lesser traffic here makes for some of the most peaceful and gracious neighborhoods in this district. Both Mason and Tucker St are wonderful streets for residences.

The homes tend to be smaller north of Matheson. There are more bungalows on Fitch and Piper. Sadly, many grand homes in this area were torn down and replaced with apartments in the middle of the last century. It lets more people live downtown, but for the most part these apartment buildings weren’t erected with the care and grace previous generations lavished on their dwellings.