sell · hillsborough
Selling a home in Hillsborough
Hillsborough’s median sale price, $6.50M over the last 12 months, is the highest of the 25 cities with 100+ sales in the last 12 months, and since January 2024 as many sales closed under asking as over: 40% each. Here’s what the numbers say, what’s different about selling here, and the homes we’ve listed nearest to Hillsborough.
hillsborough by the numbers
What the Hillsborough market says right now
Hillsborough closed 129 sales in the last 12 months, all of them single-family houses, at the highest median price of the 25 cities with 100+ sales in the last 12 months. Price per square foot reached $1,722 in the three months ending August 2026, its highest three-month reading so far; July–September 2026 came in at $1,706.
- median sale price$6.50Mlast 12 months, 129 sales; Silicon Valley $1.65M
- over asking40%of 306 sales since January 2024; median overbid $353K
- under asking40%of the same 306 sales; median discount $287K
- best closing monthJune43% over asking, against 17% in January; 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 some months have too few sales to average year by year. See Hillsborough by the numbers and Best month to sell.
what’s different here
What sellers in Hillsborough should plan for
What we’d plan for on a Hillsborough listing.
As many under asking as over
measured: since January 2024
Since January 2024, 40% of Hillsborough’s 306 sales closed over the final list price, the lowest share of the 25 cities with 100+ sales in the last 12 months (Silicon Valley: 60%), and another 40% closed under it. The median overbid was $353K and the median discount $287K. In the five years to October 27, 2026, the typical house sale in each of our six Hillsborough guides closed at its list price, with 28% (Skyfarm & Oaksbridge) to 43% (Lakeview & Crystal Springs) selling over asking. So we price from the closest sales rather than counting on a bidding war.
Few sales, so we read further back
measured: five years
Over the last five years Hillsborough sold about 103 houses a year, so we compare its neighborhoods over five years. In the five years to October 27, 2026, 515 houses sold: median $5.6M, or $1,430 per square foot, on a median lot of 0.55 acres as listed. Among our guides with at least 8 sales, medians ran from $4.76M in Lakeview & Crystal Springs to $7.32M in Ryan Tract, Homeplace & Brewer. For your house, we pull the closest sales, often across several years in a town this size, and walk you through what they say about price.
The top of the market
measured: five years
Of the 515 houses sold in the five years to October 27, 2026, 332 (64%) closed at $5 million or more and 53 (10%) at $10 million or more; the highest, $70M, was in Carolands. In the last 12 months, 1 in 10 Hillsborough sales closed at $12.00M or more. Street by street, from October 1, 2021 to October 21, 2026, the three highest medians among Burlingame and Hillsborough streets with at least 6 house sales were all in Hillsborough: Eucalyptus Ave ($8.04M), W Santa Inez Ave ($7.55M) and Forest View Ave ($7.49M).
Half-acre lots and fire zones
measured: 26% of lots
Across our six Hillsborough guides, the median single-family lot is 24,070 sq ft, a little over half an acre; guide medians run from 22,840 sq ft in Ryan Tract, Homeplace & Brewer to 26,080 sq ft in Tobin Clark Estates. 1,013 of the 3,852 lots (26%) are at least partly in a CAL FIRE fire hazard severity zone: 349 High and 664 Moderate, none Very High. The most are in Lakeview & Crystal Springs (422 of its 513 lots) and Carolands (197). Depending on the zone and the kind of area, a zone can bring stricter building standards for new construction and additions, defensible-space rules and a line on the seller’s natural hazard disclosure; the town’s building department can say which apply. Only one of the 3,852 lots has its parcel center in a FEMA high-risk flood zone.
Landslide and liquefaction zones
state maps
By parcel center, 715 of the 3,852 single-family lots in our six Hillsborough guides (19%) are in a state earthquake-induced landslide zone, most in Carolands (173 of 708), Lakeview & Crystal Springs (155 of 513) and Hillsborough Park & Hillsborough Knolls (147 of 895). 277 (7%) are in a liquefaction zone, 116 of them in Hillsborough Park & Hillsborough Knolls. 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 and town tax
Hillsborough has too few sales in some months to average year by year, so we pool all 2012–2025 sales by closing month: June closings sold over asking most often (43%) and January least (17%). Pooled numbers swing more. The town adds a small transfer tax to the San Mateo County tax: $0.30 per $1,000 on top of the county’s $1.10, according to title-company tables, or $8,400 in all on a $6 million sale. By local custom the seller pays the county tax and buyer and seller split the town tax 50/50. All of it is negotiable, and the purchase contract decides; confirm the town tax with escrow.
our sales
Homes we’ve listed and sold near Hillsborough
The MLS doesn’t show a Hillsborough sale with our name on it yet. Here are the homes we’ve listed and sold closest to Hillsborough; the numbers above are what decide a Hillsborough sale.
sold Oct 2018 · san mateo
$1.53M
815 9th Avenue · Downtown & Central
2 bd · 2 ba · 1,423 sq ft
Listed by the Boyenga Team at Compass
sold Aug 2023 · san mateo
$1.77M
2900 Monterey Street · Beresford & Hillsdale
3 bd · 1 ba · 1,170 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
sold Apr 2022 · san mateo
$1.73M
1701 Peck Avenue · Shoreview & Parkside
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,150 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 Oct 2025 · san mateo
$2.42M
2055 Ticonderoga Drive · The Highlands
4 bd · 3 ba · 1,890 sq ft
Listed by the Boyenga Team at Compass
our plan
How we’d sell your Hillsborough home
The same Property Nerd plan we run on every listing, tuned to Hillsborough.
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 Hillsborough that means reading several years of sales: about 103 houses a year sold over the last five years, and the typical sale in each of our six guides closed at its list price.
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 a little over half an acre, the plan covers the grounds as well as the house.
Disclose early
Inspections and disclosures ready before launch, so buyers make offers on facts. In Hillsborough that includes the 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, June closings sold over asking most often and January 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 Hillsborough data series
our own analysis
Seller tools
plan your numbers
Looking for an agent rather than a plan? Meet Eric & Janelle Boyenga · Hillsborough neighborhood guides
questions
Questions Hillsborough sellers ask us
How often do Hillsborough homes sell over asking?
From January 2024 to September 2026, 40% of 306 Hillsborough sales closed above the final list price, the lowest share of the 25 cities with 100+ sales in the last 12 months, with a median overbid of $353K. Another 40% closed below it, with a median discount of $287K. In the $5M+ band, 40% of 207 sales closed over asking. Across Silicon Valley, 60% closed over asking.
What do Hillsborough homes sell for?
In the last 12 months the median Hillsborough sale was $6.50M, the highest of the 25 cities with 100+ sales in that time, and all 129 sales were single-family houses. 1 in 10 closed at or below $4.50M and 1 in 10 at or above $12.00M; the middle half sold between $5.50M and $8.30M. The median price per square foot was $1,619 (Silicon Valley: $992).
When is the best time to sell in Hillsborough?
Hillsborough has too few sales in some months to average year by year, so we pool all 2012–2025 sales by closing month. Pooled that way, June closings sold over asking most often (43%) and January closings least often (17%). Pooled numbers swing more than year-by-year averages, so the calendar is one input next to condition, price and what else is for sale.
Is my Hillsborough house in a fire hazard zone?
About a quarter are: 1,013 of the 3,852 single-family lots in our six Hillsborough guides (26%) are at least partly in a CAL FIRE fire hazard severity zone, 349 High and 664 Moderate; none touch a Very High zone. The most are in Lakeview & Crystal Springs (422 of its 513 lots) and Carolands (197), and Ryan Tract, Homeplace & Brewer has none. Depending on the zone and the kind of area, a zone can bring stricter building standards, defensible-space rules and a line on the seller’s natural hazard disclosure, and the town’s building department can say which apply. We check your parcel before you list.
Is my Hillsborough house in an earthquake zone?
By parcel center, 715 of the 3,852 single-family lots in our six Hillsborough guides (19%) are in a state earthquake-induced landslide zone and 277 (7%) in a liquefaction zone. The most landslide-zone lots are in Carolands (173), Lakeview & Crystal Springs (155) and Hillsborough Park & Hillsborough Knolls (147). 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.
Does Hillsborough charge a transfer tax?
Yes, a small one. On top of the San Mateo County tax of $1.10 per $1,000 of the sale price, the town adds $0.30 per $1,000, according to title-company tables, so a $6 million sale carries $8,400 in all. By local custom the seller pays the county tax and buyer and seller split the town tax 50/50, 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; confirm the town tax with escrow.
What do you charge to sell a Hillsborough home?
Commissions are negotiable. We offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about selling in Hillsborough?
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 Hillsborough? Send us a note.
Eric & Janelle Boyenga
Realtors DRE01254724 / 01254725
Realtors DRE01254724 / 01254725