Palo Alto Broker Tour: History, Character & a $10M Masterpiece
Lisa M. Musich, Compass Palo Alto
May 15, 2026
Lisa M. Musich of Compass Palo Alto wrapped up Friday’s May 15th tour with one clear takeaway: this week, Palo Alto real estate showed up. After last week’s sheet felt like it was stuck in neutral with townhomes, condos, and starter homes dominating, today’s tour delivered range, character, and more than a few properties worth talking about seriously.
And the timing couldn’t be more fitting. Palo Alto is anything but a sleepy Peninsula suburb this weekend. BTS is in town for three sold-out shows at Stanford Stadium, with tens of thousands of fans descending on a city that, for all its buttoned-up reputation, knows how to have a moment.
The range on today’s sheet – from $735K to $18.888M – is a reminder that Palo Alto real estate is never just one market. It’s a dozen conversations happening at once, each with a different buyer, timeline, and calculus. My job is knowing which conversation you need to be in and making sure you’re ready when the right property surfaces. This week had several worth moving on. Follow the market weekly at lisamusich.com — Lisa M. Musich, Compass Palo Alto.
And, for those of you who are wondering why I am writing in the 3rd person… SEO my friends, SEO!
The Standout of the Tour
1353 Martin Ave — $10,000,000 | 5bd/5.5ba · 3,117 sqft · 8,395 sqft lot · Young Platinum Group, Golden Gate Sotheby’s
This one stuck with me. A custom-built home completed in 2015, 1353 Martin Ave is the rare property that delivers on both design and livability in equal measure. Walk through the front door and your eye goes straight to the backyard which is framed by a full nano wall that dissolves the boundary between inside and out. The attention to detail throughout is genuine rather than performative: every bathroom uses the same tile, but the color palette and placement shift in each one, creating a sense of cohesion without repetition. Bedrooms run on the smaller side but are perfectly and logically configured, with bathrooms and closets exactly where you’d want them. And radiant floors throughout give the whole home a warmth that no amount of staging can manufacture. For buyers seeking premier custom Palo Alto luxury real estate in the $10M range, this is one to move on quickly.
The Character Properties
2275 Amherst St — $7,250,000 | 7bd/3.5ba · 3,355 sqft · 19,563 sqft lot · Leannah and Laurel, Christie’s Sereno
A grand Victorian dame on nearly half an acre in one of the most sought-after pockets of Palo Alto real estate. The historic photographs displayed throughout tell the story, this house once stood alone in what became a neighborhood, and its bones reflect that original confidence. I will admit freely to being a sucker for an old home, the quirky hallways, the surprising connections between rooms, the sense that the house has lived multiple lives. But eyes open: the updates made here don’t always honor the spirit of the architecture, and four bedrooms including the primary sharing a single upstairs bathroom is a practical reality that buyers need to sit with. The porch, however, is spectacular. The backyard is genuinely untapped potential, with room for an ADU that could transform this property’s long-term value proposition. A thoughtful buyer with a vision for a respectful, practical interior remodel could unlock something exceptional here.
1427 Byron St — $5,798,000 | 4bd/2.5ba · 3,030 sqft · 5,600 sqft lot · Heng Seroff Group, Compass
If you subscribe to Architectural Digest, this is your house. Delft tile details, Colefax & Fowler wallpaper, a statement kitchen with floor-to-ceiling white subway tile that flows seamlessly into the dining area, all housed in what reads from the street as a modest cottage with a white picket fence. The juxtaposition is the point and it works beautifully. Understated from the curb, quietly sophisticated inside. One of the more distinctive Professorville homes to hit the Palo Alto market in recent memory.
1150 Byron St — $6,495,000 | 4bd/3.5ba · 3,293 sqft · 5,625 sqft lot · Jennifer Buenrostro, Compass
A newer Craftsman-style home with the kind of details that signal real intention: stained glass in the archways, a proper entry with a built-in bench (a small thing that makes a significant difference in how a home begins), and a layout that speaks to how people actually live. The back patio, however, is overbuilt for the lot size and the overall footprint feels tight on the land. Beautiful craftsmanship throughout, but the outdoor-to-indoor ratio will be a consideration for buyers who prioritize garden and outdoor living in their Palo Alto home search.
The Starter & Value Plays
237 Edlee Ave — $2,798,000 | 3bd/2ba · 1,690 sqft · 6,000 sqft lot · Denise Simons, Compass
A wonderful starter home in Charleston Meadows and the market apparently agrees. A young family expecting their first child at the end of May was on the tour and, from what I overheard, heading straight to their agent to prepare an offer. That kind of immediate buyer conviction is the most honest real estate review there is. A mid-century modern that delivers on the promise of the neighborhood and the price point. For first-time buyers searching for Palo Alto homes for sale under $3M, this is worth moving on.
640 Fairmede Ave — $6,988,000 | 5bd/5.5ba · 3,753 sqft · 11,215 sqft lot · Delia Fei, Compass
Full disclosure: this property has appeared on the last three broker tours and I finally made it through the door today. Worth the wait. I am generally not a new build enthusiast, but this one earns its distinction with a genuinely smart single-story layout. The flow is excellent and the floor plan allows for thoughtful modification if desired; the two bedrooms on one wing could plausibly be reconfigured into an ADU. The wine cellar wall as a design element felt like overkill while it provides a welcome division in what would otherwise be one long open run from front to back, I think there are more subtle and complementary ways to achieve the same effect.
The Land Conversation
342 Kellogg Ave — $18,888,000 | 5bd/4ba · 2,859 sqft · 26,388 sqft lot · Annie Watson, Coldwell Banker
Old Palo Alto land at $18.888M which, for context, starts to look almost measured next to the $24M Bryant Street deal we discussed back in May. The existing house has genuine quirks that I actually appreciated. The original structure and its addition have a character that, with vision, could find its way into any new building plans rather than simply being cleared. The mature redwoods on the lot aren’t moving, but they can be worked around and ultimately become an asset rather than a constraint. This feels like a property where a family has built decades of memories, and the right buyer will honor that while building the next chapter. For developers and buyers exploring Old Palo Alto real estate opportunities at this scale, land of this caliber rarely surfaces.
Also on Tour
1545–1565 Stanford Ave — $4,750,000 | 4bd/4.5ba · 2,226 sqft · 9,375 sqft lot · Kelly Griggs, Coldwell Banker.
746 Santa Ynez St — $5,300,000 | 6bd/3.5ba · 4,010 sqft · 50,300 sqft lot · Chris Iverson, Golden Gate Sotheby’s.
1875 University Ave — $3,998,000 | 5bd/4ba · 3,274 sqft · 12,862 sqft lot · Annie Watson, Coldwell Banker.
3057 South Ct — $3,195,000 | 3bd/1.5ba · 1,228 sqft · 6,456 sqft lot · Timothy Foy, Midtown Realty.
2355 Louis Rd — $3,395,000 | 4bd/2ba · 1,260 sqft · 7,496 sqft lot · Tommy Derrick, Broker.
566 Everett Ave — $2,810,000 | 4bd/1.5ba · 1,008 sqft · 5,000 sqft lot · Jen Sullivan, Compass.
1017 Oregon Ave — $2,395,000 | 2bd/1ba · 1,133 sqft · 5,663 sqft lot · Kelly Kim, Coldwell Banker.
360 Fernando Ave — $1,930,000 | 2bd/1.5ba · 903 sqft · 3,045 sqft lot · DeLeon Team.
410 Sheridan Ave #444 — $885,000 | 1bd/1ba · 804 sqft · Condo · Jennifer Buenrostro, Compass. Price reduced $113K from $998,000.
444 San Antonio Rd #7B — $1,650,000 | 2bd/2.5ba · 1,556 sqft · Townhome · Mike Aranda, Guide Real Estate.
1982 W Bayshore Rd #219, East Palo Alto — $735,000 | 2bd/2ba · 1,186 sqft · Condo · Timothy Trailer, Compass.