| Summary | National Percentile | Rank vs Metro |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | 75th | Fair |
| Demographics | 50th | Poor |
| Amenities | 82nd | Best |
Multifamily Valuation
| Property Details | |
|---|---|
| Address | 2616 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA, 94704, US |
| Region / Metro | Berkeley |
| Year of Construction | 2002 |
| Units | 22 |
| Transaction Date | 2014-10-21 |
| Transaction Price | $8,500,000 |
| Buyer | 2616 TELEGRAPH AVENUE LLC |
| Seller | SATAKE 2 LLC |
2616 Telegraph Ave Berkeley Multifamily Investment
Urban-core Berkeley location with strong renter demand and a newer-vintage profile supports leasing durability, according to WDSuite’s CRE market data. Elevated ownership costs in the area tend to sustain the tenant pool and support long-term occupancy management.
Situated in Berkeley’s Urban Core, the property benefits from dense amenities and daily-needs access that underpin renter convenience. Neighborhood amenity availability ranks competitive among 469 Oakland-Berkeley-Livermore neighborhoods, with restaurants and cafes performing in the top percentiles nationally, per commercial real estate analysis from WDSuite. Grocery and pharmacy access are also strong relative to national norms, aiding retention and everyday livability.
The neighborhood skews renter-occupied, with a high share of housing units renter-occupied compared to national benchmarks. For investors, this indicates a deep tenant base and generally stable demand for multifamily units. By contrast, neighborhood occupancy is below the metro median, so asset-specific operations and product differentiation can matter more for maintaining occupancy and rent trade-outs.
Within a 3-mile radius, population and household counts have grown in recent years, and forecasts point to additional household growth alongside smaller average household sizes. This typically supports multifamily absorption over time by expanding the tenant base and adding more singles and smaller households entering the rental market.
Home values in the neighborhood are elevated versus national averages and rank in the upper percentiles, which signals a high-cost ownership market. For multifamily investors, that dynamic often reinforces reliance on rental housing, supporting pricing power and lease-up resiliency, while still requiring careful attention to rent-to-income ratios and renewal strategy.
Relative to the Oakland-Berkeley-Livermore metro, neighborhood safety indicators are weaker, with crime ranks placing the area below metro average and in lower national percentiles. Recent year-over-year trends show property and violent offense measures that have been elevated compared with many neighborhoods nationwide.
Investors often plan for visible security, lighting, controlled access, and coordination with local resources to support resident confidence. Submarket and block-level conditions can vary meaningfully; underwriting should consider asset-specific measures and historical trend lines rather than a single-year snapshot.
Proximity to major Bay Area employers supports commuter convenience and broad white-collar renter demand, notably in consumer products, retail, finance, and cloud software reflected below.
- Clorox — consumer products (4.1 miles) — HQ
- Gap — apparel retail (8.7 miles) — HQ
- Aig — insurance (8.8 miles)
- Salesforce.com — cloud software (8.8 miles) — HQ
- Charles Schwab — financial services (8.8 miles) — HQ
Built in 2002, the asset is materially newer than the area’s older prewar building stock, positioning it competitively against nearby properties while still warranting periodic system updates and potential common-area refreshes over a hold. According to CRE market data from WDSuite, the surrounding neighborhood shows strong amenity access and a high renter-occupied housing share that supports a sizable tenant base, even as neighborhood occupancy trends run softer than the metro median. Elevated ownership costs locally further sustain renter reliance on multifamily housing, aiding rent growth durability when paired with disciplined affordability management.
Within a 3-mile radius, recent population and household growth, together with forecasts for additional households and smaller average household sizes, point to a gradually expanding renter pool over time. Execution risk centers on managing rent-to-income pressures and differentiating product quality to maintain occupancy stability in a competitive urban environment.
- Newer 2002 vintage versus older neighborhood stock supports competitive positioning and reduced near-term capex risk.
- Dense amenity access and commuter proximity underpin leasing and renewal potential.
- High-cost ownership market reinforces rental demand and pricing power with thoughtful lease management.
- 3-mile growth indicators and smaller household sizes expand the tenant base and support absorption.
- Risks: softer neighborhood occupancy and affordability pressure require strong operations and resident retention focus.