What a local Los Altos agent helps you decide
Los Altos is a city of about 30,700 people and 11,781 homes, according to the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey. Of those homes, 82% are detached single-family houses and 82% of households own the home they live in. The median home was built in 1964, so much of what comes up for sale is a mid-century ranch on a large lot, and a good share of buyers plan to remodel or rebuild. Very little else is for sale: Redfin counted only 39 homes on the market across the city at the end of the three months to September 2026.
That shapes the decisions a local agent helps with. First, which part of town and which school district, because the city is split between more than one elementary and high school district. Second, whether a house is worth buying as it stands or mostly for its lot. Third, how to price an offer or listing in a market where, per Redfin, homes sold at an average of 106.3% of list price and 60% sold above list in the three months to September 2026. Asking prices in Los Altos are often set below the expected sale price, so the list price on its own tells you little.
Buying a home in Los Altos
Redfin's median sale price in Los Altos was $4,617,801 for the three months to September 2026, with 76 sales and a median of $1,969.93 per square foot. Zillow's typical home value, a different measure that covers all homes rather than only those that sold, was $4,591,005. Here is how a purchase usually runs.
Step 1 for Los Altos buyers: plan for a jumbo loan
At Freddie Mac's 30-year average of 7.24% (week of October 29, 2026), a buyer putting 20% down ($923,560) on the Redfin median pays about $25,176 a month in principal and interest on a $3,694,241 loan. Property tax at the Los Altos rate of about 1.149% adds roughly $4,422 a month. A loan this size is above the conforming limit, so lenders look closely at reserves and income. Many sales here close with very large down payments or all cash, so get a written pre-approval or proof of funds before you tour.
Step 2 for Los Altos buyers: confirm the school district by address
Most of the city is served by the Los Altos School District and the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District. Homestead High, part of the Fremont Union High School District, lists Los Altos among the communities it serves, so some south Los Altos addresses sit in a different high school district. Use each district's locator for the exact address and do not rely on the listing or the city name. Our Los Altos schools guide has the Dashboard results.
Step 3 for Los Altos buyers: judge the lot and the rebuild
With a median build year of 1964, many Los Altos homes are bought with plans to remodel or replace them. Before you write an offer, ask the city's planning counter about setbacks, height and floor area limits for that lot, whether the house has any historic status, and how long design review takes. Ask the sellers for permits on earlier additions. Our California ADU rules guide covers adding a second unit.
Step 4 for Los Altos buyers: price and write the offer
In the three months to September 2026, 74.6% of Los Altos homes went under contract within two weeks, according to Redfin. Ask your agent for the last six closed sales within a half mile, with list price, sale price and days on market, and check whether the sellers set an offer date. Our guide to buying a house in California covers contingencies and the purchase contract.
Selling a home in Los Altos
Sellers in Los Altos have the advantage of short supply. Redfin counted 89 new listings and 73 pending sales in the three months to September 2026, with 1.6 months of supply, well below the four to six months usually described as balanced. That does not mean every house sells fast. Prices vary sharply by lot, condition and school district.
Step 1 for Los Altos sellers: price against your own ZIP and lot size
The two main Los Altos ZIPs behaved differently over the last year. In ZIP 94024, Redfin's median sale price was $4,863,571 for the three months to September 2026, up 20.1% on a year earlier, with homes selling in a median 8 days. In 94022, which also takes in parts of Los Altos Hills, the median was $5,124,494, up 0.5%, with a median 19 days on market. Ask for comparable sales matched on lot size, not just bedrooms. See our Los Altos ZIP code guide.
Step 2 for Los Altos sellers: decide what to fix or show as is
Some buyers want a finished home and some want a lot to rebuild on. Ask your agent which group your house will appeal to before spending on updates. Paint, flooring, landscaping and staging usually come back in the price. A kitchen remodel weeks before listing often does not. Get a pre-listing inspection so buyers bid on known facts.
Step 3 for Los Altos sellers: disclosures and your net
California sellers give buyers a Transfer Disclosure Statement and a Natural Hazard Disclosure. Order the hazard report early. Closing costs include escrow, title, the Santa Clara County transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 of price, and any commission you agree to. On a $4,617,801 sale the county transfer tax is about $5,080. Ask your escrow officer whether any city transfer tax applies and who pays it; our California transfer tax guide explains the county and city rules. See also our seller disclosure guide.
Los Altos areas at a glance
Zillow publishes only one neighborhood value inside Los Altos, so the figures below are mostly by ZIP. Zillow's typical home value was $5,059,470 in 94022 and $4,604,457 in 94024 in September 2026, up 8.4% and 7.8% in a year. Our Los Altos neighborhoods guide goes further.
Downtown Los Altos and the First Street condos
The downtown triangle around Main Street, State Street and First Street holds most of the city's shops and restaurants and nearly all of its newer condominiums. The Los Altos History Museum sits at 51 South San Antonio Road beside the library and community center. Several three- and four-story condo buildings have been built along First Street in recent years. See our Los Altos condos guide.
North Los Altos, ZIP 94022
North of downtown, streets of large lots run toward El Camino Real and the Mountain View and Palo Alto borders. The El Camino Real frontage is the city's other commercial strip, and the Packard Foundation has its offices downtown at 343 Second Street. ZIP 94022 also crosses into Los Altos Hills, which is a separate town covered on our Los Altos Hills page.
Loyola Corners and the Loyola area
Loyola is the one Los Altos neighborhood Zillow tracks separately. Its typical home value was $4,963,207 in September 2026, up 7.5% in a year. The area takes its name from the small shopping district at Loyola Corners, and Loyola Elementary sits at 770 Berry Avenue.
South Los Altos, ZIP 94024
South Los Altos runs toward Cupertino, Sunnyvale and the foothills, with Rancho San Antonio Preserve on its western edge. The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District lists more than 25 miles of trail across the 2,180-acre preserve and Deer Hollow Farm. This is also where some addresses fall outside the Mountain View-Los Altos high school district, so check schools by address.
The El Camino Real corridor
Along El Camino Real, a handful of larger condominium and apartment projects have been approved, including a five-story, 47-unit condominium building at 4350 El Camino Real approved by the Planning Commission in July 2022, according to the Los Altos Town Crier. Ask the city for the current status of any project near a home you are considering.
Local property checks before you buy in Los Altos
- Property tax. The 2025-26 Santa Clara County rate book lists 1.14910% for the main Los Altos tax rate area (011-001), and other Los Altos areas range from about 1.147% to 1.162%. On top come parcel taxes, such as the school parcel taxes the county lists for Los Altos (Measures H and A). Ask for the last tax bill. Our Santa Clara County property tax guide shows a full bill.
- Prop 13 reset. Your assessed value resets to the price you pay, so a long-time owner's low bill is not what you will pay. Read our California property tax guide and, if you are 55 or older and selling elsewhere in the state, the Prop 19 guide.
- Fire and flood. Look up the address on the CAL FIRE fire hazard severity zone map and the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, especially for homes near Adobe, Permanente or Stevens Creek or on the western foothill edge. Our California wildfire zones guide explains each tier.
- Insurance. Get two quotes before you remove contingencies. Rebuild costs on a large Los Altos house are high, so check the dwelling limit, not just the premium. See our California homeowners insurance guide and earthquake insurance guide.
- Condo HOA. For a downtown condo, read the budget, reserve study and any balcony inspection report. Our California HOA laws guide lists what the HOA must give you.
Schools, transit and services in Los Altos
On the 2025 California School Dashboard, the Los Altos School District scored 94.7 points above standard in English and 100.7 points above standard in math, both in the top performance level. Los Altos High School had a 96.9% graduation rate. Bullis Charter School, a free public TK-8 charter with campuses on West Portola Avenue and Covington Road, gives admission preference to children living within the Los Altos School District. Our schools guide lists each school.
Los Altos has no train station of its own. The nearest Caltrain stop is San Antonio station at 190 Showers Drive in Mountain View, served by VTA Route 21. Interstate 280 runs along the city's southwest edge and Foothill Expressway cuts through the middle. Census figures show 39.4% of Los Altos workers worked from home, and those who commuted averaged about 22 minutes each way.
How to choose a real estate agent in Los Altos
With about 76 sales in a three-month period, few agents close many Los Altos homes each year, and an agent's record in this city matters more than a regional ranking. Ask any agent you interview:
- How many Los Altos homes have you sold or bought in the last 24 months, and in which ZIP?
- What did they sell for against list price, and how did you set the list price?
- Do you know the city's design review process for remodels and rebuilds?
- Who on your team handles showings, contractors and paperwork?
- What do you charge, and what exactly is included?
Since August 2024, buyers sign a written agreement with their agent before touring, and the agent's pay is set in that agreement rather than on the listing service. Sellers can still offer to pay toward the buyer's agent, but nothing is automatic. Our California real estate commission guide explains what to negotiate. If you want a starting point, read about our featured local agent, whom we chose using the criteria above, and interview at least one other agent too.