# House Hacking in Richmond (94801): The only BART/Amtrak cross-platform transfer, at the metro's cheapest basis · The Rent Hacker > Richmond 94801 for house hackers: The Bay Area's only BART/Amtrak cross-platform transfer over the metro's cheapest entry basis, with a form-based code that u Canonical: https://therenthacker.com/house-hacking/richmond-94801/ Source: The Rent Hacker (https://therenthacker.com/). License: RSL, attribution required — https://therenthacker.com/license.xml --- [East Bay guide](/house-hacking/east-bay/) · Tier S · Rank #6 of 87 # House hacking in Richmond (Downtown / Iron Triangle / Point Richmond). The Bay Area's only BART/Amtrak cross-platform transfer over the metro's cheapest entry basis, with a form-based code that upzones downtown to 12 stories. ## What's actually happening in 94801 - Operational Richmond BART/Amtrak: the Red/Orange-line terminus plus Capitol Corridor and San Joaquins, all in-ZIP. It is the region's only cross-platform BART/Amtrak transfer. [BART FY25 Capital Investment Plan](https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/Final%20FY25%20Capital%20Investment%20Plan%20-%20October%202024.pdf) - Adopted Livable Corridors Form-Based Code (adopted Apr 18, 2023): upzones Macdonald Ave up to 12 stories near BART, plus 23rd St and San Pablo Ave. [City of Richmond](https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/2965/Form-Based-Code) - Funded Metrowalk II / Richmond Transit Village Phase II: about $130M, ~150 affordable units at Richmond BART; funded, with a Mar 2025 financing snag on the record. [Grandview Independent](https://www.grandviewindependent.com/130-million-transit-oriented-housing-project-richmond-bart/) - Existing anchors Employment cluster downtown: Chevron Richmond Refinery (3,000+), Kaiser Richmond, and the SSA Frank Hagel Federal Building (~2,000). ZIP evidence cache (2026-07-04) - Optionality only Waterfront optionality: Point Molate is now EBRPD shoreline park (acquired Aug 2025); Terminal One condos are entitled but stalled. [Point Richmond](https://www.pointrichmond.com/point-san-pablo-peninsula/point-molate/) ## The numbers Median price ~$644K (Richmond, +3.8% YoY 3-mo; Zillow ZHVI $632K): cheapest in the metro Market rent 2bd $2,000 / 3bd $2,500 whole-home (underwriting band; no city rent print this run) Property tax (Contra Costa County) New-purchase ~1.15–1.30% (JVM); the 1.82% Ownwell median reflects legacy assessments, so model the new-purchase range and confirm the TRA Per-bed rent band $800–1,100/mo per bed ADU rent band $1,700–2,200/mo Whole-home rent band 2bd $2,000 / 3bd $2,500 whole-home Underwriting vacancy 5% underwriting vacancy Appreciation scenarios 1.5 / 3.0 / 4.5 %/yr (conservative / base / upside) Cheapest entry basis in the metro. Appreciation basis: Form-based code plus arbitrage; old stock and refinery-area exposure carry high capex. Rent bands are city-level medians; confirm the specific parcel before trusting any of them. [Run your own scenario in the calculator](/calculator/). ## Buildings we underwrote in 94801 13 buildings in 94801 carry a record. 2 beat renting and index funds, 1 rejected; the rest did not. Every row links to its own page, with the numbers it was scored on. Property At our defaults Status [203 Bissell Ave](/property/rh-mm123r/203-bissell-ave/) 4 units · $989,000 +$69,943 House-Hack Underwritten — beats renting and index funds, below the publish cut [156 16th St](/property/rh-ovftf6/156-16th-st/) 3 units · $670,000 +$1,485 House-Hack Underwritten — beats renting and index funds, below the publish cut [219 Barrett Ave](/property/rh-m2zray/219-barrett-ave/) 4 units · $859,900 −$18,169 S&P 500 Underwritten — the index wins at our defaults [607-607B Verde Ave](/property/rh-8ye3m1/607-607b-verde-ave/) 2 units · $725,000 −$64,438 S&P 500 Underwritten — the index wins at our defaults [569 18th St](/property/rh-ps4p9n/569-18th-st/) 2 units · $599,000 −$294,911 S&P 500 Underwritten — the index wins at our defaults [100 12th St](/property/rh-gtmvfs/100-12th-st/) 2 units · $599,000 −$343,628 S&P 500 Underwritten — the index wins at our defaults [628 21st St](/property/rh-7a0923/628-21st-st/) 2 units · $699,000 −$408,206 S&P 500 Underwritten — the index wins at our defaults [400 Bissell Ave](/property/rh-m8lqha/400-bissell-ave/) 4 units · $1,300,000 −$518,172 S&P 500 Underwritten — the index wins at our defaults [1317 Garvin Ave](/property/rh-5yd8be/1317-garvin-ave/) 2 units · $950,000 −$551,524 S&P 500 Underwritten — the index wins at our defaults [240 Duboce Ave](/property/rh-aok7a3/240-duboce-ave/) 2 units · $988,000 −$608,194 S&P 500 Underwritten — the index wins at our defaults [419 B St](/property/rh-vdr21i/419-b-st/) 1 unit · $795,000 −$647,013 S&P 500 Underwritten — the index wins at our defaults [1324 Gaynor Ave](/property/rh-4gztaq/1324-gaynor-ave/) 2 units · $950,000 −$782,520 S&P 500 Underwritten — the index wins at our defaults [1401 Bissell Ave](/property/rh-15q4xz/1401-bissell-ave/) 4 units · $995,000 — no verdict on file Rejected — off market on the public listing as of 2026-09-09 (zpid 18545587, the same page the 2026-09-02 the verified listing record came from, now showing Off market with no ask and no MLS number and reverting to a public record 3 bed 1 bath 1,122 sqft shell) · our listing feed still carried the row Active at 184 days on market, so the feed is stale and the listing is gone · a property that is no longer for sale is not published as a live board row The full [board](/board/) shows every region's current week; this table is every record we hold for 94801, newest basis first. ## The house-hack angle Classic transit arbitrage: SFH room rentals and 2–4-unit buildings at a $600K-ish basis with a one-transfer SF commute. Livable Corridors raises the redevelopment ceiling near Macdonald and BART. ## What breaks it - Chevron regulatory overhang and refinery-adjacency air quality - Iron Triangle safety perception - The 1.82% Ownwell median reflects legacy assessments: confirm the TRA rate and model the 1.15–1.30% new-purchase range This page is the standing analysis. The weekly part, actual Richmond-area listings that pass the math, lands on the East Bay board every Wednesday. [This week's East Bay board](/board/sf-east-bay/) [This week's East Bay board](/board/sf-east-bay/) · [Read past East Bay issues](/issues/sf-east-bay/) · [Every pick, on the record](/track-record/) · [How a deal becomes a pick](/methodology/) Data synthesized 2026-07-04, catalysts re-verified 2026-07-15. Mortgage-rate basis: 6.43% (Freddie Mac PMMS, week of 2026-07-02). Sources are the public planning documents and market listings named above, fetched on the synthesis date. Nothing here is investment advice; every deal needs a bindable insurance quote and parcel-level verification.