San Francisco is notorious for its high-cost, high-reward lifestyle. The expensive real estate and high crime rates can make Fog City a tough place to live if you don’t have the cash.
Property crime is a rampant problem across the Bay Area. According to a 2017 annual police report, there were over 44,000 incidents of larceny and theft alone in San Francisco,1 while all violent crime that year totaled to 6,334 incidents. As a whole, there were 54,659 reports of property crime reported in the city in 2017.2
In 2018, the FBI reported 49,214 property crimes in San Francisco and 155,896 across the Bay Area.2 These numbers positioned San Francisco as top in the nation for property crimes.3
San Francisco has always been pricey, but real estate skyrocketed when high profile tech companies moved into the area. Now, the median home price in San Francisco is $1.4 million.4
These high prices take homeownership off the table for many. High rise apartment buildings, duplexes, and other small spaces are often the better option for buying. Those left renting may have to share tight quarters with others or look into unconventional alternatives. And the problem isn’t going anywhere. Zillow predicts a 4.6% increase for housing within the next year.4
Even nearby SF, real estate is some of the most expensive in the country. For example, Oakland has a median home price of $641,000 and an average rent cost of $2,296 per month. Compare that to $299,400, the median home price in the US as of September 2019.5
If you live in a small or shared place in The City, a smaller, DIY system may be the best move. These systems usually come with stick-on sensors that you can place anywhere like doors or windows.
But the more space you have, the more options there are. For families in the suburbs, wired or professionally installed home security systems are large enough to cover your entire house.