Broker Tour Recap: Menlo Park & the One Palo Alto Listing That Bothered to Show Up
July 21 & 24, 2026
Two tour days, two very different energy levels. Menlo Park brought range: a preschool-turned-house, a modern farmhouse with a courtyard that may or may not make sense, and a clear winner. Palo Alto, meanwhile, brought exactly one new listing to market. One. And, Atherton, for its part, sat this week out entirely — no new listings on tour.
So, let’s talk about a phenomenon every buyer (and every agent) has seen: falling head over heels for a home because of the listing details.
The photos were perfect. The description was poetic. Boxes ticked. The “one” had apparently been found… except they hadn’t walked through the front door, read the disclosures, or spent more than a few minutes imagining life there. And now, as the home heads toward Pending, they’re convinced they lost the house of their dreams.
Buyers, please remember… a listing description is marketing. If done well, it makes a home shine, but it can’t tell you how a room feels, whether the floor plan actually works for your life, whether the “updated kitchen” is truly updated or simply offers a fresh coat of paint, or whether the house has the intangible things that would make it yours.
So, don’t let a house you’ve never stepped inside become the one you think you lost. The right home is still ahead — and it will be worth experiencing in person.
Menlo Park Tour
July 21, 2026
725 Evergreen St
$8,788,000 · 5 bed / 4.5 bath · 3,464 sqft · 10,010 sqft lot · Listed by DeLeon Team, Deleon Realty
My Takeaways: Winner of the day! This is the one. Every room in this Menlo Park home landed in the right place: ceiling heights felt intentional, and the indoor/outdoor flow never read as forced, which is rarer than it should be at this price point. It sits on a genuinely good neighborhood street, on nearly a quarter acre in central Menlo Park. Homes like this don’t sit. Expect this one to move fast.
2155 Sterling Ave
$3,188,000 · 3 bed / 3 bath · 1,806 sqft · 6,000 sqft lot · Listed by Annie Watson, Coldwell Banker Realty
My Takeaways: The template 3-bedroom house, in the best sense. No surprises, nothing to untangle. The bathrooms have been updated well; the kitchen hasn’t quite kept pace and reads a touch dated by comparison. Overall, an easy house to move into.
2180 Ashton Ave
$2,998,000 · 3 bed / 2 bath · 1,380 sqft · 6,000 sqft lot · Listed by Dana Carmel, Represent Realty
My Takeaways: A modern farmhouse built in a U-shape around a central courtyard. An interesting layout on a narrow lot, though it does push the bedrooms into a long line at the back of the house. Fully remodeled, and walking distance to a newly renovated elementary school, so the young-family buyer pool here is obvious. The floor plan is a matter of taste; the location is not up for debate.
3131 Alameda de las Pulgas
$2,500,000 · 3 bed / 2 bath · 1,645 sqft · 6,184 sqft lot · Listed by Evan Kohen, Compass
My Takeaways: This is why touring in person still matters. This single-family house was permitted and converted into a preschool at some point, tiny toilets included. Bringing it back to residential use will take real work and walls! It sits on a corner of a busier street, though the driveway access comes off the quieter neighborhood side. It will be interesting to see who takes this on: developer, school operator, or a family willing to do the work could all make a play.
153 Stone Pine Ln
$3,298,000 · 3 bed / 2.5 bath · 2,625 sqft · 1,874 sqft lot · Listed by Keri Nicholas, Parc Agency Corporation · Townhome
My Takeaways: The Stone Pine Lane townhomes are a genuine favorite. No two units are alike, and this one has been fully redone. Floor-to-ceiling windows paired with light wood floors and white walls make the whole space feel bigger than the square footage suggests, and the kitchen is a standout. The one head-scratcher: the primary bedroom stayed at the front of the house. It was definitely the more straight-forward call, but moving it to the back would have unlocked real views.
559 Placitas Ave
$6,249,000 · 5 bed / 4.5 bath · 5,000 sqft · 19,532 sqft lot · Listed by Judy Citron, Compass
My Takeaways: Worth a direct comparison: 725 Evergreen is listed at nearly $9M for 3,464 square feet in central Menlo Park. Head further west and this property offers 5,000 square feet, a huge guest house, and room for a pool for $6,249,000. Placitas doesn’t sell itself from the curb, but the interior has genuine character: beautiful archways and a living room that feels like a real family house. Even with the updates, something about it still reads dated, and I couldn’t quite pin down why. The two bedrooms on the right side of the house also face a neighborhood street, making for an unusual view, and worth flagging for buyers who prioritize privacy.
414 Laurel Ave
$3,998,000 · 4 bed / 2 bath · 1,915 sqft · 7,000 sqft lot · Listed by Umang Sanchorawala, Compass
My Takeaways: Genuinely charming, and this one has a story. It last hit the market in September 2025 and was scooped up quickly. The buyer priced out an expansion, decided the project was more than they wanted to take on, and put it back on the market. They acquired it for $3.8M; the original list price was $3.2M. It’s back now at $3,998,000. Whether the market agrees this 1926 home has appreciated nearly $200,000 in under a year is the question worth watching.
1270 University Dr
$3,249,000 · 4 bed / 2.5 bath · 2,170 sqft · 1,548 sqft lot · Listed by Deanna Reudy, Compass
My Takeaways: This one reads like a townhome community at first glance — three units in a row, with this one sitting at the back of the lot. Worth noting: there’s no HOA, and it’s legally a single-family home. For a buyer who wants walking distance to Santa Cruz Ave and minimal yard upkeep (Walk Score of 90 says it all), this one belongs on the list.
Also on Tour
23 Shasta Ln | $4,498,000 · 3 bed / 3.5 bath · 2,600 sqft · 14,554 sqft lot · Listed by Clarissa Cortez, KW Advisors
596 Sand Hill Cir – Townhome | $2,350,000 · 3 bed / 2.5 bath · 2,140 sqft · 1,950 sqft lot · Listed by Fereshteh Khodadad, Fereshteh Khodadad Broker
711 Valparaiso Ave – Townhome | $2,250,000 · 3 bed / 3 bath · 1,451 sqft · Listed by Valerie Soltau, Parc Agency Corporation
1004 Del Norte Ave | $2,998,000 · 3 bed / 3 bath · 1,950 sqft · 8,956 sqft lot · Listed by Sabine Dillon, eXp Realty of Northern California
1140 Almanor Ave (price reduced) | $1,288,000 · 3 bed / 1 bath · 970 sqft · 6,874 sqft lot · Listed by Susan Chong, Compass
Palo Alto Tour
July 24, 2026
One listing. That’s the whole tour sheet this week for Palo Alto proper.
4250 El Camino Real, Unit C226 | Condo
$699,000 · 1 bed / 1 bath · 727 sqft · Listed by Victoria Abramova, Compass