sell · foster city
Selling a home in Foster City
Only 33% of Foster City’s sales in the last 12 months were single-family houses, the lowest share of the 25 cities with 100+ sales in the last 12 months, and 59% of sales since January 2024 closed over asking. Here’s what the numbers say, what’s different about selling here, and the homes we’ve listed in and near Foster City.
foster city by the numbers
What the Foster City market says right now
Foster City closed 222 sales in the last 12 months; 33% were single-family houses and the rest condos and townhomes. Price per square foot came in at $906 in July–September 2026 and hasn’t passed its June 2022 high of $1,093.
- median sale price$1.43Mlast 12 months, 222 sales; Silicon Valley $1.65M
- over asking59%of 632 sales since January 2024; median overbid $100K
- $2M–3M72%of 172 sales in that band since January 2024 closed over asking
- best closing monthMay77% over asking, against 55% in December; May is also busiest
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 = averaged over 2012–2025. See Foster City by the numbers.
what’s different here
What sellers in Foster City should plan for
What we plan for on Foster City listings.
Mostly condos and townhomes
measured: 33% houses
Most Foster City sales are condos and townhomes: only 33% of sales in the last 12 months were single-family houses. In the two years to October 27, 2026, 282 condos and townhomes sold: the typical townhome for $1.38M, with 64% of townhome sales over asking, and the typical condo for $920K, with 35% over. The typical house sold for $2.2M, and 71% of house sales went over asking. We price against sales of your kind of home, not the city median.
Bidding depends on the neighborhood
measured: 24 months
In the 24 months to October 27, 2026, counting all home types, Bay Vista (4.9% over), Sea Colony & Port Royal (4.3%) and Carmel Village (3.0%) sold furthest over asking. In Marina Point & Harbor Side the typical sale closed at asking and in Treasure Isle 0.3% under, but most sales in both were condos and townhomes; houses alone sold a typical 5.3% over in Marina Point & Harbor Side (12 sales) and 1.3% over in Treasure Isle (26 sales). We start from your neighborhood’s record and your kind of home.
Liquefaction zones, almost everywhere
measured: 99% of lots
4,486 of the 4,542 lots zoned single-family in Foster City’s records (99%) have their parcel center in a state liquefaction zone on the California Geological Survey’s maps, where loose, water-saturated soil can lose strength in strong shaking. Sellers must disclose when a home is in one, and cities and counties generally require a site-specific geotechnical report before approving new building in these zones. Among those lots, flood zones are rare and fire zones absent: one has its parcel center in a FEMA high-risk flood zone (AE), in Treasure Isle, and none touches a CAL FIRE fire hazard severity zone. Townhomes and condos, most of the city’s sales, aren’t in these counts. Zone X isn’t zero risk, and maps change, so we check the current FEMA map for the address.
Earthquake zones by neighborhood · Lots, flood and fire zones
Even lots, and design review
city records and our Eichler index
The median lot zoned R-1 or R-1/PD is 5,810 sq ft, and every neighborhood’s median falls between 5,710 and 6,150 sq ft, so lot size rarely separates one Foster City neighborhood from another. The city applies architectural review to exterior changes citywide (Municipal Code chapter 17.58), so buyers who plan changes check with Community Development, and we found no single-story overlay here. An Eichler publication says Eichler built more than 200 homes in Foster City from 1963 to 1968, in clusters among other builders’ homes; the one Foster City home we’ve listed, 250 Stilt Court, was described in its listing as an Eichler.
Timing
measured: 2012–2025
Averaged over 2012–2025, May closings sold over asking most often (77%) and December closings least (55%); January closings went over 60% of the time. May is also the busiest month, with about 10% of the year’s closings. A May closing typically means an accepted offer in April, with the listing before that.
Closing costs follow the county
county
Foster City adds no city transfer tax. The San Mateo County tax is $1.10 per $1,000, so $1,650 on a $1.5 million sale, and by local custom the seller pays it. San Mateo County’s escrow customs are the reverse of Santa Clara County’s: 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 Foster City
Since 2020 we’ve matched two Foster City sales to MLS records: one home we listed and one where we represented the buyer. The home we listed:
sold Dec 2022 · foster city
$1.95M
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,540 sq ft
2.4% under the final list price of $2.00MListed by the Boyenga Team at Compass
For the one home we listed here, the sold record shows the final list price: it closed under asking. The final list price is the asking price after any price changes. Source: closed MLS records, read October 27, 2026.
The homes we’ve listed closest to Foster City, all in neighboring San Mateo:
sold Oct 2021 · san mateo
$560K
3049 Los Prados Street #122 · Mariner’s Island & Lakeshore
1 bd · 1 ba · 717 sq ft
Listed by the Boyenga Team at Compass
sold Jan 2022 · san mateo
$880K
1631 Marina Court #E · Mariner’s Island & Lakeshore
3 bd · 1 ba · 1,054 sq ft
Listed by the Boyenga Team at Compass
sold Jun 2020 · san mateo
$1.30M
1619 Echo Avenue · Shoreview & Parkside
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,584 sq ft
Listed by the Boyenga Team at Compass
sold Apr 2022 · san mateo
$2.00M
1711 Wolfe Drive · Sunnybrae & 19th Avenue Park
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,700 sq ft
Listed by the Boyenga Team at Compass
sold Mar 2026 · san mateo
$2.30M
637 Vanessa Drive · Sunnybrae & 19th Avenue Park
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,400 sq ft
Listed by the Boyenga Team at Compass
Both of our Foster City sales (one listing, one buyer side) were in Bay Vista.
our plan
How we’d sell your Foster City home
The same Property Nerd plan we run on every listing, tuned to Foster City.
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 Foster City that means pricing against sales of your kind of home: in the two years to October 27, 2026, 64% of townhome sales, 35% of condo sales and 71% of house sales closed over asking.
Prepare what buyers notice
Paint, light, landscaping and staging, budgeted in the Prep Lab, with Compass Concierge to front eligible costs. Inspections up front show what’s worth fixing before buyers find it.
Disclose early
Inspections and disclosures ready before launch, so buyers make offers on facts. In Foster City that includes the Natural Hazard Disclosure report, and for a condo or townhome the HOA documents, so buyers can weigh the dues and what they cover; the HOA Lab shows what to ask for.
Launch on purpose
A private or Coming Soon start if it fits, then the full launch; the Launch Lab shows the plan. May closings sold over asking most often, and May is also the busiest month; a May closing typically means an accepted offer in April.
Negotiate and close
We compare offers on price, terms and certainty, then run escrow to closing.
The Foster City data series
our own analysis
More from the series
by price and place
Seller tools
plan your numbers
Looking for an agent rather than a plan? Meet Eric & Janelle Boyenga · Foster City neighborhood guides
questions
Questions Foster City sellers ask us
How often do Foster City homes sell over asking?
From January 2024 to September 2026, 59% of 632 Foster City sales closed above the final list price, with a median overbid of $100K. 33% closed below it, with a median discount of $38K. In the $2M–3M band, 72% of 172 sales closed over asking. Across Silicon Valley, 60% closed over asking.
When is the best time to sell in Foster City?
Averaged over 2012–2025, Foster City closings in May sold over asking most often (77%) and December closings least often (55%); January closings went over 60% of the time. May also has the most closings, about 10% of the year’s sales. A May closing typically means an accepted offer in April, with the listing before that.
How do Foster City condos and townhomes sell?
In the two years to October 27, 2026, 282 condos and townhomes sold in Foster City: 138 townhomes and 144 condos. The typical townhome sold for $1.38M and the typical condo for $920K, against $2.2M for a typical house. 64% of townhome sales and 35% of condo sales closed over the final list price, against 71% of house sales.
Is my Foster City home in a liquefaction or flood zone?
4,486 of the 4,542 lots zoned single-family in Foster City’s records (99%) have their parcel center in a state liquefaction zone. Sellers must disclose when a home is in one, so we order the Natural Hazard Disclosure report early. Only one of those lots has its parcel center in a FEMA high-risk flood zone (AE), in Treasure Isle. Zone X isn’t zero risk, and flood insurance is optional there; maps change, so we check the current FEMA map for the address.
Can a buyer change the outside of a Foster City house?
Foster City applies architectural review to exterior changes citywide, aiming for compatibility in height, roof form, materials and details (Municipal Code chapter 17.58), so buyers who plan changes check with Community Development first. We found no single-story overlay in Foster City.
Does Foster City charge a transfer tax?
No. Foster City adds no city transfer tax, so only the San Mateo County tax applies: $1.10 per $1,000 of the sale price, or $1,650 on a $1.5 million sale. 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, the reverse of Santa Clara County. All of it is negotiable, and the purchase contract decides.
What do you charge to sell a Foster City home?
Commissions are negotiable. We offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about selling in Foster City?
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 Foster City? Send us a note.
Eric & Janelle Boyenga
Realtors DRE01254724 / 01254725
Realtors DRE01254724 / 01254725