2026 Critical to know if you’re selling a house near BART in Rockridge, Berkeley, Oakland, San Leandro…

Are you a long-time home owner thinking of selling your single-family house or small multi-family property on a large lot within 1/2 a mile of BART or major transit?

It was a long sentence but you’ll be happy you read through it.

As of July 1, 2026, California Senate Bill SB 79 goes into effect.

SB79 allows for dense housing near major transit hubs especially for residential and commercial zones within .5 miles to BART, for example.

Rockridge home owners with large back yards will be prime targets for “we buy houses as is cheap!” marketers.

Of course they’ll buy your house in any condition. The property is going to rise in value with the prospect of potential development in the yard (or to tear down the structure and build multiple units).

How is SB 79 different from ADU laws?

Oh, in major ways.

This bill is designed to do the following, as described by development advocy group California YIMBY: “SB 79 will make it faster and easier to build multi-family housing near transit stops, like train and rapid bus lines, by making it legal for more homes to be built in these areas.“

More homes on small lots means HEIGHT. The heights allowed for qualifying properties are multiples of what ADU laws allow as far as maximum height (which varies depending on if the property is single-family or multi-family).

Recent Rockridge home sales on large lots received major attention from developers. For example, 5115 Lawton, a cute 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 1,180 square foot house set back on an 11,100 sqare foot lot sold for $1,580,000. (However this property is > .5 miles to Rockridge BART although it’s very close to major bus lines on 51st St.)

Know your property’s potential before selling!

Research if it qualifies for SB79 and think about based on the position of your house or buildings if it has potential for developers. Resist the lowball offers…even if you want a quick, as-is sale, Realtors® who have your best interest in mind can help you get a price much higher than the typical flipper or developer offers.

Better yet, get in touch, and we’ll think about it together!