Palo Alto Broker Tour: The Bungalow Edition
Lisa M. Musich, Compass Palo Alto
Friday May 1, 2026
Lisa M. Musich of Compass Palo Alto hit the Friday May 1st broker tour with one clear theme emerging fast: Palo Alto bungalows. Three of them on today’s sheet, all with personality, all with upside, and all asking you to bring a little vision. If you’re buying in Palo Alto right now and you’re not looking at this category, you’re missing the most interesting inventory on the market.
What Lisa is watching: That $1M price reduction at 1301 Bryant St is worth paying attention to. At $7,995,000 it’s either a signal that the $7M–$10M Palo Alto segment is softer than sellers want to admit or it was simply priced too aggressively for a home sitting on a main road. Either way, it’s a data point buyers in that range should be tracking closely.
The Bungalows — Three Very Different Stories
360 Stanford Ave — $3,498,000 | 4bd/3ba · 1,865 sqft · 7,500 sqft lot + ADU was the standout of the day. This is the bungalow done right — yes, there’s a bedroom immediately off the kitchen that could use some rethinking, and things get a little cozy in spots, but none of that is the story. The story is the ADU. Walk in and it’s a genuine wow moment — a fully functional, rentable unit that adds real financial flexibility for the right buyer. Add a charming neighborhood street lined with similar homes and this one checks nearly every box. Favorite property of the tour, full stop.
649 Seneca St — $5,250,000 | 4bd/3.5ba · 2,095 sqft · 5,000 sqft lot is genuinely one-of-a-kind. Great street, garden space front and back, and then there’s the party trick: a door hatch in the kitchen floor that opens to a spiral staircase down to a wine cellar. It can feel tight in places, but the bones and the character are hard to find at any price in Palo Alto. Worth noting, the listing agent Brian Chancellor has had a strong run this year and his properties move fast. Don’t wait too long on this one.
690 Lincoln Ave — $3,980,000 | 3bd/2.5ba · 1,913 sqft · 5,625 sqft lot is a lovely Spanish bungalow with a location that will polarize buyers. Directly across from top-rated Addison Elementary – a major win for families. But it sits along Middlefield Road, a busy corridor, and let’s just say the primary bathroom hedges are doing a lot of heavy lifting for privacy of the Primary bath! The three private outdoor alcoves are a genuine delight, the addition could use some polish, and the ADU (currently no plumbing) has real potential as an expanded outdoor entertaining space for buyers who don’t need the office functionality.
Worth a Closer Look
2330 Emerson St — $3,598,000 | 3bd/2ba · 1,692 sqft · 5,600 sqft lot has charm but needs someone willing to unlock it. The layout lacks flow and the primary bedroom and bath are decent but not a showstopper. The real opportunity is the large two-car garage in back which are perfectly positioned for an ADU conversion that could generate serious rental income. One caveat: a massive redwood in the center of the backyard likely limits any future expansion of the main house footprint. Eyes open on that one.
634 Wildwood Ln — $4,435,000 | 3bd/3ba · 2,027 sqft · 7,155 sqft lot is a genuine surprise. You walk in expecting a bungalow and the 14-foot ceilings stop you cold. Technically a former Eichler, as one original wall is about all that remains after a full reconfiguration in 2003, it offers a wonderful great room and well-proportioned bedrooms. The spirit of the Eichler is long gone but what replaced it has its own appeal.
The Fixer Conversation
3609 South Ct — $2,798,000 | 3bd/2ba · 1,175 sqft · 6,160 sqft lot is for the buyer who can see past the current condition. Zero flow in the layout, needs attention throughout but it’s livable or rentable while permits work their way through the system. The backyard backs up to a school which you can see from the backyard, depending on your perspective this is either a feature or a footnote. You decide.
4072 Sutherland Dr — $2,498,000 | 3bd/1ba · 1,097 sqft · 6,000 sqft lot is an excellent entry point, starter home or continuing investment play. Currently tenant-occupied on a month-to-month lease, so the tenants can stay or go. Touring it requires imagination since the current occupants have made themselves very much at home, but the bones are solid and the flexibility on the lease is genuinely useful for buyers with a plan.
Also on Tour
1301 Bryant St — $7,995,000 | 3bd/3.5ba · 4,288 sqft · 16,020 sqft lot · Price reduced $1M — An oversized lot in Old Palo Alto on a prestigious street with a caveat; it sits along a major road.
256 Ferne Ave — $3,295,000 | 3bd/2ba · 1,324 sqft · 8,579 sqft lot — Solid mid-century in PA 233, generous lot relative to the home size.
860 Marshall Dr — $3,195,000 | 3bd/2ba · 1,493 sqft · 7,156 sqft lot — Light-filled mid-century modern, good bones in a strong pocket.
2731 Greer Rd — $3,098,000 | 3bd/2ba · 1,303 sqft · 6,114 sqft lot — Sold before the broker tour began!
3868 Louis Rd — $3,099,995 | 3bd/2ba · 1,421 sqft · 7,700 sqft corner lot — This will soon have a sign in front of it that says ‘Proposed Project’ This is a land play!
235 Middlefield Rd — $2,888,000 | 3bd/2ba · 1,296 sqft · 5,000 sqft lot — Old world charm with modern updates.
444 San Antonio Rd #7B — $1,650,000 | 2bd/2.5ba · 1,556 sqft — Townhouse, one of the most accessible entry points into Palo Alto real estate right now.
561 Thain Way — $1,695,000 | 3bd/2ba · 1,445 sqft · Situated in the highly desirable Barron Square condo community. Nestled amongst the trees, competitive price point for the area.
What I’m Watching
The bungalow category in Palo Alto is quietly becoming one of the more interesting segments to track, character-rich, competitively priced relative to new construction, and increasingly attracting buyers who want something that doesn’t look like everything else. I’ll keep covering it. Follow along at bayareacali.com or reach out directly — Lisa M. Musich, Compass Palo Alto @ lisa.musich@compass.com or 415.619.1426.
