Hello, May 🌹
The fog over Sand Hill rolls out by 9 these mornings, and the Filoli rose garden is sitting in full sun. There is a stretched-out quality to May on the Peninsula that I never get tired of, the kind of light that makes open houses feel like garden parties and turns every backyard tour into a reason to linger.
Whether you are watching your home's value or just curious about what is happening in the neighborhood, this month's numbers tell a real story. Both counties posted their busiest April yet, and buyers competed harder than they had in late winter. Inventory is moving, multiple offers are back in steady rotation, and well-prepared listings are commanding the kind of attention that rewards good timing. If you have been watching to see what spring would do, May has answered.
That is May from where I sit. Thanks for being here.
-Lisa
April Report
San Mateo County - Market Housing Statistics
Single Family Residential | April 2026
San Mateo County Area Report
Santa Clara County - Market Housing Statistics
Single Family Residential | April 2026
Santa Clara County Area Report
In the News
🏡 A $50 Million Atherton Estate Comes With a Wellness Wing and Glass-Walled Pool
A new Billionaires' Row listing on Walsh Road just hit the market for $50M, complete with a fitness pavilion, indoor-outdoor pool, and the kind of perfectly proportioned acreage that defines the top of the Peninsula market. It's a useful benchmark for what ultra-luxury looks like right now, even if you're nowhere near that price band. …
🏡 A Tale of Two Markets: Spring Reveals a Split in Peninsula Real Estate
Palo Alto Online's reporting this spring captures something I am seeing in person every week. Confident high-end buyers are competing aggressively in Atherton, Hillsborough, Los Altos, and Menlo Park, while mid-market shoppers are weighing layoffs, rates, and the news cycle before pulling the trigger. Two real markets, in the same zip codes ...
🏡 A New State Law Will Reshape Every Peninsula Caltrain Neighborhood
A new state housing law allows 9-story buildings adjacent to any Caltrain or BART stop, 7 stories within a quarter-mile, and 6 stories within a half-mile. The first concrete example is already underway: the 12-story office tower at 2121 S. El Camino Real in San Mateo is converting into 156 apartments. Every Peninsula town with a Caltrain station, which is most of them, will feel this one over the next few years. ...
🏡 Nvidia Files Plans for Third Headquarters Building
Nvidia filed permit drawings for a 700,000-square-foot third hexagon-shaped building in Santa Clara, the latest sign that AI-driven Peninsula expansion is not slowing. Combined with the company's recent purchase of the 10-building research park on Walsh Avenue, this is the most aggressive corporate footprint expansion the Peninsula has seen in a decade. It is a meaningful tailwind for housing demand south of San Mateo …
🏡 California's New 2026 ADU Laws Are Reshaping Bay Area Backyards
Two new state laws (SB 543 and AB 462) tightened the timelines local cities have to approve ADU applications: 15 days to confirm an application is complete, 60 days to make a decision. If you have been thinking about adding a backyard cottage or converting a garage, the approval clock is dramatically shorter than it was even a year ago. The property tax impact is limited to the new structure, not your main house …
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Lisa M. Lum
DRE #02005150
Mobile: +1 (650) 668-1868 | Email: lisa.lum@cbrealty.com
Coldwell Banker Realty
1706 El Camino Real, Suite 220, Menlo Park, CA 94027
About Market Minute
Market Minute is Lisa M. Lum's monthly letter on Peninsula luxury living: the market, the neighborhoods, the homes, and the life around them. Subscribe free and it arrives once a month.