Palo Alto Real Estate Agent
A century of housing stock, historic districts and Individual Review for two-story projects. Representation that reads those details before anyone names a price.
Lisa M. Lum is a Palo Alto real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Realty, representing buyers and sellers from Old Palo Alto and Crescent Park to Midtown and Greenmeadow. Palo Alto’s housing stock spans more than a century, and the details of each neighborhood change what a home is worth.
Professorville, a National Register historic district near downtown, dates to the 1890s. Old Palo Alto is known for 1920s Mediterranean and Tudor revival homes on lots of 7,500 to 15,000 square feet and more.
Crescent Park, north of University Avenue, has estate-scale lots under heritage oaks, sycamores and redwoods, with early-twentieth-century craftsman, Spanish and Tudor architecture.
Midtown is known for 1950s and 1960s ranch and Eichler homes. Greenmeadow, a 1950s Eichler community in south Palo Alto, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and its community association runs design review.
Barron Park, near the foothills, keeps a semi-rural feel along the Bol Park trail. Attendance areas vary by neighborhood, and two-story projects go through the city’s Individual Review process, so Lisa reads those details before anyone names a price.
Meet Lisa M. Lum
Lisa is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty, working from the brokerage’s Menlo Park office at 1706 El Camino Real. She has been licensed in California since 2018 (DRE #02005150) and studied Legal Studies at UC Berkeley.
More about Lisa →Selling your Palo Alto home
Palo Alto buyers typically map their search to specific elementary boundaries before they tour. A listing that states its attendance area and shows the home at its best answers their first questions before they ask.
Lisa’s spring 2026 listing at 3720 Feather Lane shows the approach. Targeted preparation was completed before photography, and five days after launch the home was pending with an accepted offer above list.
For a single-family home, the same discipline applies at a larger scale. Lisa prices from comparable sales in your neighborhood, because a Crescent Park estate and a Midtown ranch home answer to different buyers.
Through her Home Refresh program, Lisa manages the vendors for repairs, paint, staging and curb appeal, and you approve every estimate before work begins.
Home Refresh also covers a pre-listing inspection and a disclosure package, so buyers see the answers to their questions before they write.
When offers come in, Lisa compares them with you on price, terms, contingencies and the buyer’s financing.
Go deeper: how to choose a listing agent in Palo Alto and the Home Refresh program.
Lisa’s guide
The Home Refresh Guide
How Lisa prepares a home before it goes to market, from the pre-listing inspection to staging.
Buying a home in Palo Alto
Begin with the attendance area. Palo Alto Unified School District assignments vary by neighborhood, so buyers usually map their search to specific elementary boundaries before touring.
Confirm the assignment for the exact address with the district before you write an offer.
Then look at the rules that govern the house. Two-story projects, second-story additions and larger floor-area requests go through Individual Review, which weighs massing, daylight plane and neighborhood compatibility.
That review adds time to a project, so if you plan to expand, ask Palo Alto Planning about the current timeline early and build the runway into your decision.
Historic districts add another layer. Homes in Professorville and Greenmeadow may face additional design review and may qualify for property tax relief under the California Mills Act program.
An Eichler in Greenmeadow and an early-twentieth-century home in Crescent Park call for different inspection plans, so scope each one before you compete for it.
For the full picture of the market, see the Palo Alto community guide and Lisa’s buyer’s guide.
Recent results in Palo Alto
From Lisa's published case studies and client reviews.
Pending in 5 days, above list
3720 Feather Lane, an end-unit townhome in the Echelon community, listed on May 8, 2026 after targeted pre-list preparation and went pending five days later with an accepted offer above list.
“From day one, Lisa white-gloved the entire preparation process. She coordinated repairs, painting, cleaning, staging, and inspections, and kept everything organized and moving forward. We got on the market, negotiated a strong offer, and closed incredibly quickly.”
Palo Alto neighborhoods served
- Old Palo Alto1920s Mediterranean and Tudor revival homes on lots of 7,500 to 15,000 square feet and more.
- Crescent ParkEstate-scale lots north of University Avenue under heritage oaks, sycamores and redwoods.
- ProfessorvilleA National Register historic district near downtown, with 1890s-era homes and strict design review.
- Midtown1950s and 1960s ranch and Eichler homes on roughly 6,000 to 8,000 square foot lots.
- GreenmeadowA 1950s Eichler community in south Palo Alto, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Barron ParkA semi-rural pocket near the foothills, home to the Bol Park trail.
Every neighborhood above has a full profile in the Palo Alto community guide.
Palo Alto questions, answered
Figures are September 2026 single-family data from SCCAOR/MLSListings, refreshed monthly. The rest is how Lisa works.
What do homes sell for in Palo Alto?
The median single-family sale in Palo Alto was $4,168,500 in September 2026, or $2,157 per square foot. Across all of 2025, the median was $3,880,000. Individual homes range widely around the median by size, condition, lot, and street, so Lisa prices from the closest comparable sales rather than the citywide figure.
How long does it take to sell a home in Palo Alto?
The average Palo Alto single-family sale took 16 days in September 2026. Homes that are prepared before launch and priced from current comparables usually clear faster than the average; homes priced above the market sit past it and often sell for less after a reduction.
Do homes in Palo Alto sell over asking?
On average, yes. Palo Alto sellers collected 109% of list price in September 2026, so the typical home sold at or above asking. Pricing to invite competition, rather than at the ceiling, is what produces that result.
What does a real estate agent cost in Palo Alto?
Commissions are negotiable and are set in writing before any work starts: the listing agreement for sellers, and the buyer representation agreement for buyers. Lisa walks through the fee, what it covers, and the other closing costs (county transfer tax, title and escrow, any preparation you choose) before you sign anything.
Does Lisa M. Lum work with both buyers and sellers in Palo Alto?
Yes. Lisa represents buyers and sellers in Palo Alto from the Coldwell Banker Realty office at 1706 El Camino Real in Menlo Park (DRE #02005150). Sellers can use her Home Refresh program, which manages repairs, paint, staging, and curb appeal before launch with every estimate approved first. She works with clients in English, Chinese, Japanese, and French.
