Sunnyvale Real Estate Agent
School district lines and second-story design review shape what a Sunnyvale home can become. Representation built around your address.
Lisa M. Lum is a Sunnyvale real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Realty, based at 1706 El Camino Real in Menlo Park. Sunnyvale has kept a genuine downtown along Murphy Avenue, a pedestrian-friendly strip of restaurants, cafes and boutiques.
Its neighborhoods range from mid-century ranch homes to newer townhomes and condos. Cherry Chase and Cumberland, on the western side, hold mid-century ranch and split-level homes on tree-lined streets.
Birdland, beside Raynor Park, is known for streets named after birds and a shift from single-story houses to two-story rebuilds. The Heritage District around downtown mixes historic homes with modern development.
North of US-101, Lakewood Village combines single-family ranches with newer townhomes and condos near Fair Oaks and Tasman. Nearby, Moffett Park has turned from an industrial district into a mixed-use hub.
Multiple school district lines, a city-specific stormwater disclosure and design review for second-story work can each bear on a sale. Lisa flags which ones may touch your address, so you can confirm them with the districts, the city or your transaction attorney before you commit to 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 Sunnyvale home
Lisa prices a Sunnyvale home from comparable sales in your neighborhood. The line between Sunnyvale School District and Cupertino Union can separate otherwise comparable homes, so the comparables have to sit on the right side of it.
Sunnyvale has one city-specific disclosure. Under Municipal Code Chapter 12.60.200, sellers of properties with qualifying stormwater Best Management Practice installations since 2001 must provide buyers a current copy of Chapter 12.60 and disclose the maintenance obligation in writing. Thresholds vary by installation year, so confirm with your transaction attorney or escrow officer whether it applies.
The city does not currently require a sewer lateral inspection at sale, though lateral maintenance stays the owner’s responsibility.
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, assembled before launch.
If a protected tree needs to come out, file the permit application at least 10 working days before the removal date, and well before photography.
Lisa manages the marketing, showings and negotiations. When offers arrive, she reviews each one on price, terms, contingencies and the buyer’s financing.
Go deeper: 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 Sunnyvale
Start with schools, because assignment follows the address. Sunnyvale School District serves most of the city for K-8.
Cupertino Union School District serves parts of the southern portion of the city, and its boundary with Sunnyvale School District runs through some south Sunnyvale neighborhoods. Santa Clara Unified covers a small northern area near Lawrence Expressway.
For high school, most Sunnyvale addresses feed Fremont Union High School District, including Homestead, Fremont and Cupertino High School. Confirm both the K-8 and high school assignment for the exact address with the districts before you write an offer.
Then consider what you might add. Under Chapter 19.84, any second-story addition or second-story exterior change in R-0, R-1 or R-2 zones goes through design review, with a 14-day public comment period.
Single-story additions under 20 percent of existing floor area are generally exempt. If expansion is in your plan, confirm the path with the Community Development Department before you sign.
Trees count as well. A Protected Tree Removal Permit is required before any protected tree comes down, and heritage landmark trees also need a landmark alteration permit.
Ask whether the property has a stormwater Best Management Practice installation. If it does, ask the seller for the maintenance agreement, since the city requires the BMP to be operated and maintained.
For the full picture of the market, see the Sunnyvale community guide and Lisa’s buyer’s guide.
Sunnyvale neighborhoods served
- Cherry ChaseTree-lined streets and cul-de-sacs in 94087, bordered by Fremont Avenue, Hollenbeck, El Camino Real and Highway 85.
- CumberlandMid-century homes on 6,000 to 8,000 square foot lots, many rebuilt as larger two-story homes.
- BirdlandBird-named streets between Homestead Road, Lawrence Expressway, El Camino Real and South Wolfe Road, near the Raynor Activity Center.
- Lakewood VillageRanches, townhomes and condos north of Highway 101, close to Levi’s Stadium and Moffett Park.
- Heritage DistrictCentral Sunnyvale between El Camino Real, Mathilda Avenue, Central Expressway and Fair Oaks, a walk from the Murphy Avenue farmers market.
- Moffett ParkNewer townhome, condo and multifamily housing north of US-101 between Mathilda Avenue and Lawrence Expressway, near the Bay Trail.
Every neighborhood above has a full profile in the Sunnyvale community guide.
