sell · atherton
Selling a home in Atherton
Atherton’s median sale price was $11.30M over the last 12 months (73 sales), and since January 2024 more of its sales closed under asking (51%) than over (38%). Here’s what the numbers say, what’s different about selling here, and the homes we’ve listed and sold in and near Atherton.
atherton by the numbers
What the Atherton market says right now
Atherton closed 73 sales in the last 12 months, all of them single-family houses, at a median of $11.30M, or $2,219 per square foot (Silicon Valley: $992). That’s fewer than 100 sales, so each figure here shows its count, and we read five years of sales where one year is too thin.
- median sale price$11.30Mlast 12 months, 73 sales; Silicon Valley $1.65M
- over asking38%of 201 sales since January 2024; median overbid $405K
- under asking51%of the same 201 sales; median discount $469K
- best closing monthMay39% over asking, against 21% in September and 22% in December; 2012–2025 sales pooled
Source: closed MLS sales, Boyenga Team analysis, October 2026. Recent 12 months = October 2025 to September 2026; over and under asking = January 2024 to September 2026; best month = all 2012–2025 sales pooled by closing month, because most months have too few sales to average year by year. Atherton = sales the MLS lists in Atherton, which can include a few unincorporated addresses with an Atherton mailing city. See Atherton on our City Scorecard and Best month to sell.
what’s different here
What sellers in Atherton should plan for
What we’d plan for on an Atherton listing.
More sales under asking than over
measured: since January 2024
Since January 2024, 102 of Atherton’s 201 sales (51%) closed under the final list price and 77 (38%) closed over it (Silicon Valley: 60% over). The median discount was $469K and the median overbid $405K. In the five years to October 27, 2026, the typical house sale closed 1.6% under its list price and 34% sold over asking (338 sales); in the two years to that date it closed at asking, with 40% over (131 sales). So we price from the closest sales rather than counting on a bidding war.
Your part of town sets the plan
measured: five years
In the five years to October 27, 2026, the typical house sale in Atherton’s four highest-priced guides closed under its list price: 3.1% under in West Atherton (58 sales), 4.3% in West of the Alameda (43), 2.6% in Selby Lane (93) and 0.8% in Lindenwood (66). In Lloyden Park (50 sales) it closed at asking, with 46% of sales over, and in Holbrook-Palmer Park & Town Center (26 sales) 0.1% over, with 54% over. Medians ran from $4.34M in Holbrook-Palmer Park & Town Center to $11.34M in West Atherton.
The top of the market
measured: five years
Of the 338 houses sold in the five years to October 27, 2026, 284 (84%) closed at $5 million or more and 144 (43%) at $10 million or more; the highest, $40M, was in West Atherton. In the last 12 months the middle half of Atherton’s 73 sales closed between $7.30M and $18.00M. From October 1, 2021 to October 21, 2026, the two highest medians among Menlo Park and Atherton streets with at least 6 house sales were Almendral Ave ($16.21M, 16 sales) and Atherton Ave ($13.28M, 17 sales). Price per square foot went from $1,290 in the two years to October 27, 2016 (139 sales) to $2,082 in the two years to October 27, 2026 (131 sales), up 61% (prices as recorded, not adjusted for inflation, and different houses in each period).
Acre lots and heritage oaks
county parcels and town rules
Across our six Atherton guides, the median single-family lot is 0.99 acres, from 0.51 acres in Lloyden Park to 1.08 acres in West of the Alameda (2,460 lots, by county parcel records). New subdivisions in the Town’s R-1A district need at least one acre per lot (the Town’s Housing Element also covers SB 9 lot splits), though county parcel maps put about 390 of roughly 2,450 single-family parcels under half an acre. Valley, coast live and blue oaks with a trunk diameter of 15.2 inches or more at 54 inches above grade are heritage trees anywhere on a lot, and other trees that size are protected outside the main buildable area; removing one takes a heritage tree removal permit, and development projects need a tree protection plan from a certified arborist. Buyers who plan to build read the lot and the trees first, so we gather the survey and any arborist reports you have before launch.
Flood, fire and earthquake zones
measured: 2,460 lots
Of the 2,460 single-family lots in our six Atherton guides, none has its parcel center in a FEMA high-risk flood zone, and only two touch a CAL FIRE fire hazard severity zone, both Moderate, in West of the Alameda. By parcel center, 109 (4%) are in a state liquefaction zone, most in Selby Lane (48 of 676) and West of the Alameda (37 of 323), and 3 are in a landslide zone. Cities and counties generally require a site-specific geotechnical report before approving new building in these zones, and sellers must disclose when a home is in one, so we pull the zones for your address before launch.
Timing and transfer tax
pooled months, county tax
Atherton has too few sales in most months to average year by year, so we pool all 2012–2025 sales by closing month: May closings sold over asking most often (48 of 124, or 39%), and September (18 of 84, or 21%) and December (16 of 73, or 22%) least. With this few sales, the monthly numbers swing more than in larger cities. Atherton adds no city transfer tax to the San Mateo County tax of $1.10 per $1,000, so a $12 million sale carries $13,200. By local custom the seller pays the county tax, and in San Mateo County the buyer usually pays the escrow fee and the owner’s title policy. All of it is negotiable, and the purchase contract decides.
our sales
Homes we’ve listed and sold in and near Atherton
Since 2016 we’ve matched two Atherton sales to MLS records: one home we listed and one where we represented the buyer. The home we listed:
sold May 2024 · atherton
$5.52M
5 bd · 5.5 ba · 3,700 sq ft
0.3% over the final list price of $5.50MListed by the Boyenga Team at Compass
For the one home we listed here, the sold record shows the final list price: it closed over asking. The final list price is the asking price after any price changes. Source: closed MLS records, read October 27, 2026.
The homes at $3M or more we’ve listed closest to Atherton, all with Redwood City or Menlo Park addresses:
sold Apr 2024 · redwood city
$5.05M
1200 Stockbridge Ave · Horgan Ranch & Redwood Oaks
6 bd · 5.5 ba · 4,320 sq ft
Listed by the Boyenga Team at Compass
sold Jun 2021 · redwood city
$4.45M
1758 Stockbridge Avenue · Horgan Ranch & Redwood Oaks
6 bd · 4.5 ba · 3,836 sq ft
Listed by the Boyenga Team at Compass
sold Apr 2019 · menlo park
$3.20M
1105 Hidden Oaks Drive · Central Menlo Park
3 bd · 2.5 ba · 2,360 sq ft
Listed by the Boyenga Team at Compass
sold Apr 2019 · menlo park
$3.80M
675 Evergreen Street · Central Menlo Park
4 bd · 2 ba · 2,200 sq ft
Listed by the Boyenga Team at Compass
sold Aug 2025 · menlo park
$3.10M
2150 Valparaiso Ave · West Menlo Park
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,870 sq ft
Listed by the Boyenga Team at Compass
Atherton neighborhoods with our sales (listing and buyer side): Lindenwood (1), Lloyden Park (1).
our plan
How we’d sell your Atherton home
The same Property Nerd plan we run on every listing, tuned to Atherton.
Price against the right sales
We start with the closest recent sales in your neighborhood and of your kind of house, then read the competition that week. In Atherton that means pricing from the closest sales in your part of town: since January 2024, 51% of sales closed under asking.
Prepare what buyers notice
Paint, light, landscaping and staging, budgeted in the Prep Lab, with Compass Concierge to front eligible costs. With a median lot near an acre, the plan covers the grounds and the trees as well as the house.
Disclose early
Inspections and disclosures ready before launch, so buyers make offers on facts. In Atherton that includes the flood, fire and earthquake zones for the address, which the natural hazard disclosure report states.
Launch on purpose
A private or Coming Soon start if it fits, then the full launch; the Launch Lab shows the plan. Pooled over 2012–2025, May closings sold over asking most often and September and December least, so we set the date around your timing.
Negotiate and close
We compare offers on price, terms and certainty, then run escrow to closing.
The Atherton data series
our own analysis
Seller tools
plan your numbers
Looking for an agent rather than a plan? Meet Eric & Janelle Boyenga · Atherton neighborhood guides
questions
Questions Atherton sellers ask us
How often do Atherton homes sell over asking?
From January 2024 to September 2026, 38% of 201 Atherton sales closed above the final list price, with a median overbid of $405K. A larger share, 51%, closed below it, with a median discount of $469K. In the $5M+ band, 34% of 173 sales closed over asking. Across Silicon Valley, 60% closed over asking.
What do Atherton homes sell for?
In the last 12 months the median Atherton sale was $11.30M, and all 73 sales were single-family houses. 1 in 10 closed at or below $4.08M and 1 in 10 at or above $23.44M; the middle half sold between $7.30M and $18.00M. The median price per square foot was $2,219 (Silicon Valley: $992).
When is the best time to sell in Atherton?
Atherton has too few sales in most months to average year by year, so we pool all 2012–2025 sales by closing month. Pooled that way, May closings sold over asking most often (39% of 124), and September and December least often (21% of 84, 22% of 73). With this few sales the monthly numbers swing more than in larger cities, so the calendar is one input next to condition, price and what else is for sale.
Is every Atherton address in the Town of Atherton?
No. ZIP code 94027 covers the Town, but some unincorporated addresses, such as part of Selby Lane in Sequoia Tract and the condominiums at 3421 El Camino Real, also use Atherton as their mailing city and are under county planning and permits. We check the parcel record before launch, since it decides whose rules and permit files a buyer will read.
Is my Atherton house in a flood, fire or earthquake zone?
Of the 2,460 single-family lots in our six Atherton guides, none has its parcel center in a FEMA high-risk flood zone, and two touch a CAL FIRE fire hazard severity zone, both Moderate, in West of the Alameda. By parcel center, 109 (4%) are in a state liquefaction zone, most in Selby Lane (48) and West of the Alameda (37), and 3 are in a landslide zone. A lot can straddle a zone line and maps change, so we check your address. Sellers must disclose when a home is in a state earthquake zone, and the natural hazard disclosure report states the zones for the property.
Does Atherton charge a transfer tax?
No city transfer tax. The San Mateo County tax is $1.10 per $1,000 of the sale price, so a $12 million sale carries $13,200. By local custom the seller pays the county tax, and in San Mateo County the buyer usually pays the escrow fee and the owner’s title policy. All of it is negotiable, and the purchase contract decides.
What do you charge to sell an Atherton home?
Commissions are negotiable. We offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about selling in Atherton?
We’ll pull the closest sales to your house, walk through prep and timing, and tell you what we’d do. No pressure and no obligation.
eric boyenga dre 01254725 · janelle boyenga dre 01254724 · compass · equal housing opportunity
Thinking about selling in Atherton? Send us a note.
Eric & Janelle Boyenga
Realtors DRE01254724 / 01254725
Realtors DRE01254724 / 01254725