A Hobbit House, A Sanitation Shed, and a $15M “Steal”:

Your Menlo Park-Atherton-Palo Alto Broker Tour Recap

Week of July 7th

My Musings

After spending the past week in rural Nebraska, I figured Broker tour might be a bit sleepy after the July 4th holiday, but it proved to be wide awake! There were noticeably more homes to tour than I’ve seen over the previous couple of weeks, a welcome shift for buyers who have been waiting for more choice. While we still need the Compass July market reports to confirm whether this is the start of a trend or simply a seasonal bump, it was encouraging to see.

Nebraska also left me with a reminder that extends well beyond real estate. In a town of 550 people, nearly everyone seems to show up whether it be for the parade, the rodeo, the fireworks, and each other. Community isn’t a buzzword; it’s simply how they live. As I walked through neighborhoods this week, it reinforced something I think about often: a house may get you through the front door, but it’s the people, the streets, and the sense of belonging that ultimately make it feel like home.

Tuesday, July 7: Menlo Park & Atherton (Plus a Portola Valley Cameo)

30 Catalpa Drive, Atherton | $7,488,000

4bd/2.5ba · 2,850 sqft · DeLeon Team, Deleon Realty

Completely enchanting, and I mean that literally. This one lives at the intersection of farmhouse and hobbit house, which sounds like it shouldn’t work and somehow absolutely does. The thoughtful details are what sell it: a mud/laundry room with actual folding space (be still my heart), heat-lamped outdoor seating, and built-ins that feel considered rather than default-builder. The back and side yards are lush and private on a lot pushing north of an acre, which likely means a potential buyer is already sketching ADU plans in the margins of the disclosure packet. Catch a few frames of it on my Instagram.

811 Paulson Circle, Menlo Park | $2,988,000

3bd/2.5ba · 2,429 sqft · DeLeon Team, Deleon Realty

Technically a single-family home, but it sits inside a planned community with a light-touch HOA, a community I hadn’t spent time in before and came away impressed by. The room sizes are generous, the upstairs layout includes a genuinely functional seating nook, and yes, the backyard runs tight. But I’d argue that’s a feature dressed as a flaw: this is the house for the young family who wants ownership without a weekend mowing commitment. The catch is the upstairs sightline, which lands on a parking lot (some trees soften it). Whether that bothers you probably depends on how much time you actually spend staring out your bedroom window!

25 Stowe Lane, Menlo Park | $2,298,000

4bd/2.5ba · 1,590 sqft · Omar M. Kinaan, Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty

This one belongs in Truckee as it exudes full winter-wonderland energy, that is if Truckee had a Sanitation Department shed as your welcome committee. Perched on a hill, the interior gives genuine treehouse vibes, though you look down on the surrounding homes which undercuts the privacy you’d expect to have in this setting. Charm, yes. Location, great. Just don’t expect total seclusion.

2062 Mills Avenue, Menlo Park | $3,188,000

3bd/2ba · 2,116 sqft · Jackie Schoelerman, Coldwell Banker Realty

Called an audible on this one thanks to a construction back-up! From the listing photos, it reads move-in ready, with kitchen and bath updates that look like they’ve been in place roughly a decade. My one flag for buyers: this is an older home at its core, so read the disclosures carefully on the mechanical systems before you fall for the surface-level polish.

241 Georgia Lane, Portola Valley | $15,495,000

6bd/6.5ba · 5,686 sqft · Brent & Mary Gullixson, Compass

The one Portola Valley stop, and the one I’m most curious to watch play out. Will it sit or fly? My gut says the ask is aggressive relative to what the layout delivers, visually it’s a showstopper, but the bones have real quirks. The primary is one step removed from the kitchen (not ideal), and the second and third bedrooms come with closets that don’t match the price tag. The ADU, though, is genuinely stunning: an entire retractable glass wall. The primary bedroom mirrors that same retractable glass feature, which means the ADU occupant and the primary occupant can, in theory, wave at each other across the yard. Charming or invasive? I’ll let the buyer decide which.

Friday, July 10: Palo Alto

65 Kirby Place, Palo Alto — $6,488,000

5bd/3ba · 2,485 sqft · Annie Watson, Coldwell Banker Realty

The star of the tour, full stop. The lot is enormous in a way the street view doesn’t prepare you for — round through the front door and it’s an honest “whoa” moment. The home itself is move-in ready but reads its age: three bedrooms sharing a single bathroom is a genuine logistics problem, ceilings run low, and the bedroom arrangement has a faint motel-hallway quality. The real story here is the 16,280-square-foot lot — agents on-site were already debating whether the eventual buyer keeps the house as-is or builds into all that land.

1700 Castilleja Avenue, Palo Alto | $4,795,000

3bd/3ba · 2,938 sqft · Christy Giuliacci, Compass

Southgate is a neighborhood I’ll go to bat for every time, and this one delivers a redwood beside the front yard that deserves a full minute of appreciation before you even ring the bell. Location is excellent, a short walk to the park. Where it gets complicated is the bedroom layout: primary upstairs, one ensuite bedroom on the main floor tucked near the living room and laundry, and a third ensuite on the opposite side of the house entirely. Great for a family just one where the kids are old enough to not need you down the hall.

1560 University Avenue, Palo Alto | $4,988,800

6bd/3.5ba · 3,660 sqft · Maggie Ma, Keller Williams Palo Alto

Not quite a Grande Dame, but there’s an undeniable sense of regalness running through this stately University Avenue property. It needs real TLC and a layout rethink for how people actually live now given the four upstairs bedrooms share Jack-and-Jill bathrooms, including the primary. The updates that have been made feel utilitarian rather than true to the home’s original style and attitude. Here’s hoping whoever buys it restores it to what it should be.

771 Center Drive, Palo Alto | $5,500,000

4bd/3.5ba · 2,391 sqft · Anita Gat, Keller Williams Thrive

Not much editorializing needed: this is a tear-down, plain and simple. The location however, is excellent.

601 Bryson Avenue, Palo Alto | $2,788,000

3bd/2ba · 1,166 sqft · DeLeon Team, Deleon Realty

1,166-square-feet of charm!. This is a genuine starter home with opportunity to customize and reconfigure for an ensuite primary and open up the kitchen a touch. Right now the kitchen sits at the front of the house with a quaint eat-in breakfast nook, which gives the otherwise galley-style layout a little more purpose.

852 Ross Court, Palo Alto | $3,498,000

4bd/2ba · 1,780 sqft · Julie Tsai Law, Compass

Ready to go, no notes needed on the work: new kitchen, new baths, new hardware throughout, fresh paint. The layout has a few quirks buyers will either adapt to or renovate around. The one glaring gap… no lawn. It’s gravel wall to wall and practically begging for some foliage.

3109 Maddux Drive, Palo Alto — $3,439,000 (back on market, ~$50K reduction)

4bd/3ba · 1,789 sqft main house + 748 sqft, 2bd/2ba detached ADU ·

Loveless Team, Intero Real Estate Services

Second look at this one since first touring it back in June, and it’s returned to market at a modest discount. Full transparency on the layout: the main house runs four bedrooms with a single bathroom, and the detached ADU offers its own bedroom and bath, plus a sitting room with bedroom potential, though that extra room would still share the ADU’s one bathroom, an awkward ask for two people.

3645 Ramona Street, Palo Alto — $3,488,000

4bd/2.5ba · 1,859 sqft · DeLeon Team, Deleon Realty

True story: I could not find this house. No signage, no cluster of agent cars to point the way. I circled the block, admitted defeat, and moved on to the next stop.

Also on Tour (Quick Scan)

Menlo Park-Atherton, July 7:

2140 Santa Cruz Avenue, Unit 203, Menlo Park — $738,000 | 1bd/1ba · 760 sqft · Condo · Beth Leathers, Coldwell Banker Realty
1054-1058 Marcussen Drive, Atherton — $2,950,000 | 5bd/2.5ba · 2,600 sqft · Duplex · Nancy Goldcamp, Coldwell Banker Realty
444 San Antonio Road, Unit 7B, Palo Alto — $1,650,000 | 2bd/2.5ba · 1,556 sqft · Townhome · Mike Aranda, Guide Real Estate
245 Bonita Road, Portola Valley — $2,595,000 | 2bd/1ba · 870 sqft · Mike Sokolsky, Coldwell Banker Realty
144 Alta Mesa Road, Woodside — $4,795,000 | 4bd/4ba · 3,395 sqft · Scott Dancer, Compass
143 Bonita Avenue, Redwood City — $1,688,000 | 2bd/1ba · 1,490 sqft · Josh Rubin, Compass

Palo Alto, July 10:

2355 Louis Road, Palo Alto — $3,295,000 | 4bd/2ba · 1,260 sqft · Tommy Derrick, Broker (just took a $100K price cut)
325 Channing Avenue, Unit 112, Palo Alto — $3,988,000 | 2bd/2.5ba · 2,112 sqft · Condo · Judy Decker, Compass
518 Everett Avenue, Unit A, Palo Alto — $1,199,900 | 2bd/1ba · 1,044 sqft · Condo · Penny Goldcamp, Coldwell Banker Realty (price reduced $88,100)
675 Sharon Park Drive, Unit 311, Menlo Park — $899,000 | 2bd/2ba · 986 sqft · Condo · Mary Molinari, Coldwell Banker Realty (price reduced $86,000)