Palo Alto / Menlo Park District Tour Report
Date: Friday, July 18, 2025
Properties of all varieties and price points on today’s tour and one that sold even before the tour began! Overall, not much to report from this week in real estate. The market continues to be a bit in favor of the buyer and buyers are starting to circulate again after the last couple months of tariff turbulence.
I will be hosting an open house at 546 9th Ave, Menlo Park, new construction, offering a beautiful lot with mature trees and a wonderful backyard… they didn’t build to the property lines on all sides!
Palo Alto 233 – South Palo Alto
Listing Agent / Broker: Annie Watson, Coldwell Banker Realty
Address: 1035-1037Amarillo Ave
Bedrooms: 3 – Bathrooms: 3 Full
Sqft: 1540
Lot Sqft: 10113
Price: $2,999,000
Listing Agent remarks: Rare Opportunity on Large Lot
My takeaways: There are two opportunities with these properties: update the 2 cottages and have them as rentals or level the cottages and use the lot to build a house and ADU. Why I am not sure about this being a development property is there are 4 cottages total, only 2 (front and back) are for sale, so next to the property is a driveway (easement) that will continue to serve the other two cottages. I do think the cottages could be updated to be really charming.
Palo Alto 234 – Midtown Palo Alto
Listing Agent / Broker: Lynne Mercer, Compass
Address: 773 Loma Verde Ave Unit A (Townhouse)
Bedrooms: 3 – Bathrooms: 2 Full, 1 Half
Sqft: 1549
Lot Sqft: N/A
Price: $1,798,000
HOA: $840 p/m
Listing Agent remarks: End unit townhouse. Spacious rooms, windows on 3 sides. Attached 2 car garage.
My takeaways: Wonderful double height living room with windows on all 3 sides providing the space with wonderful natural light. Overall a relatively tight space that needs updating. I’d consider remodeling the space a bit to lose the breakfast nook and expand the kitchen so that level of the townhouse isn’t as choppy.
Palo Alto 237 – Old Palo Alto
Listing Agent / Broker: Deleon Team, Deleon Realty
Address: 1932 Emerson St
Bedrooms: 6 – Bathrooms: 6 Full
Sqft: 5310
Lot Sqft: 10000
Price: $9,988,000
Original Price: $10,500,000
Listing Agent remarks: Price reduction! Stunning estate in old palo
My takeaways: This is one of the most attractive properties. The lush landscaping is breathtaking. The arched, leafy covered gate well, if you follow me on Instagram, you know how much I like an entrance way that gives a bit of mystery. The house will have a difficult layout for some. There are a number of bedrooms and entertainment space on the basement level. Yes, there are bedrooms on the second floor, but that full 6 bedroom count is split between the 2nd floor and the basement level. I loved the main living room and kitchen area, beautifully positioned to enjoy the view of the serene backyard. Note: this property was on the market 2 years ago, didn’t sell, came off the market, and was put back on the market earlier this year = they’ll likely strongly consider any respectable offer.
Palo Alto 238 – Green Gables
Listing Agent / Broker: Deleon Team, Deleon Realty
Address: 653 Wildwood Ln
Bedrooms: 6 – Bathrooms: 4 Full
Sqft: 3645
Lot Sqft: 10156
Price: $4,988,000
Listing Agent remarks: Expanded Mid-Century home on nearly ¼ acre
My takeaways: Don’t let the bland curb appeal (let’s be honest!) fool you! Walk in the front door and this house opens up into a spacious ground floor with a wall of windows welcoming light and backyard views. The second story is primarily dedicated to the primary suite which is HUGE, the majority of the bedrooms are on the ground floor. A great family home with a great back yard.
Palo Alto 239 – Crescent Park
Listing Agent / Broker: Brian Chancellor, Christie’s International Real Estate Sereno
Address: 1661 University Ave
Bedrooms: 3 – Bathrooms: 2 Full
Sqft: 4527
Lot Sqft: 15000
Price: $8,395,000
Listing Agent remarks: Luxe home w/ resort-like living that is surprisingly serene. Not to be missed!
My takeaways: This house sits on University, a main thoroughfare in Palo Alto that leads to the city center on one end and straight out to US 101 on the other BUT don’t let that stop you! Upon stepping in the main gate an immediate feeling of calm hit me and once in the house you don’t even remember that University Avenue is just that close. AMAZING distressed wood floors, one rounds the corner to a WOW kitchen and main room that is wrapped with windows. The house is built in a U shape built around a courtyard and opening up to the backyard – I happen to love this configuration. The Primary is on the ground floor which is a win for a lot of Buyers, but there is only one other bedroom on the main floor with two bedrooms upstairs. Ultimately, this set-up might not work for families with younger kids who want all the kid’s rooms down the hall from the Primary.
Listing Agent / Broker: Sherry Bucolo, Compass
Address: 1420 Pitman Ave (link no longer available)
Bedrooms: 5 – Bathrooms: 3 Full, 1 Half
Sqft: 3088
Lot Sqft: 10640
Price: $5,900,000
Listing Agent remarks: N/A
My takeaways: Gone! Sold before it was even seen by Agents! This is a proof point that in this area, while there is more inventory and properties are sitting on the market a little longer, if the property is in the right neighborhood at the right price it goes in a snap!
Palo Alto 241 – Professorville
Listing Agent / Broker: Adam Touni / The Resolve Group, Compass
I originally covered this property on June 27th when it wasn’t being publicly marketed, it is now coming to market officially.
Address: 580 Melville Ave
Bedrooms: 4 – Bathrooms: 3 Full, 1 Half
Sqft: 2,821
Lot: 8,000
Price: $6,750,000
Listing Agent remarks: N/A
My thoughts: I run by this property most Sunday mornings. Incredible curb appeal, corner lot, I so wanted to love it, but…. It just felt tight inside, offering very distinct room spaces, and a lot of step ups and downs on the second floor. The backyard space was disappointing, given the size of the house, and in comparison to 467 Lincoln Ave. The house is move-in ready, my gut is the buyer will want to freshen up the kitchen and bathrooms, but no immediate work is needed.
Palo Alto 242 – Downtown Palo Alto
Listing Agent / Broker: Deleon Team, Deleon Realty
Address: 154 Bryant St
Bedrooms: 4 – Bathrooms: 3 Full, 1 Half
Sqft: 3135
Lot Sqft: 5000
Price: $4,488,000
Listing Agent remarks: Craftsman masterpiece in downtown Palo Alto
My takeaways: Not sure if this qualifies as a Craftsman given it was built in 2011, but it does feel Craftsman-esque – go ahead fight me on it, lol! If you want to be within walking distance from downtown Palo Alto this house is perfect. Great use of the backyard space which is limited. Overall the space does feel tight, bedrooms are on the smaller side.
Menlo Park 311 – County Area / Fair Oaks
Listing Agent / Broker: Emely Weissman, Compass
Address: 3523 Oak Dr
Bedrooms: 4 – Bathrooms: 2 Full, 1 Half
Sqft: 2380
Lot Sqft: 8370
Price: $2,725,000
Listing Agent remarks: Virtually new MP listing! Painted inside and out, move-in,staged and beautiful
My takeaways: While this property has been freshened up, it is far from new, so consider this full of opportunity, but yes, it would be livable while one specs out architectural plans! My POV, there is an opportunity to expand the half bath to a full bath on the ground floor to create a guest suite. The bedrooms upstairs are quite large, the positioning of the hall bathroom is less than ideal, it is on the opposite side and down the hall from those who would use it. The ground floor lacks the flow it could easily have.