Best Realtors in Stanford, CA (2026 Guide)
By Matthew Martinez
Stanford is the unincorporated Santa Clara County community around Stanford University, next to Palo Alto and Menlo Park. It is not an ordinary housing market: the University keeps the land, and campus homes are sold as leaseholds under Stanford’s ground lease program to eligible faculty and certain staff. The agents below name Stanford, its ZIP code 94305, or Stanford sales on their profiles; most are based in Palo Alto and nearby Peninsula offices.
This guide is published by Diamond Real Estate Group, one of the brokerages listed. Our broker is listed first; other agents are in alphabetical order. The order is not a ranking, and inclusion is not an endorsement.
How we chose the agents in this guide
Each agent below met three checks in October 2026:
- A current California license. We opened each agent’s record on the California Department of Real Estate (DRE) public lookup and confirmed the name, license type (salesperson or broker) and a "Licensed" status, with a responsible broker or broker-associate affiliation that matches the brokerage on the agent’s profile.
- A named brokerage. Each agent’s DRE record shows the brokerage they work under.
- A public page that names Stanford. We opened each agent’s brokerage or MLS profile and confirmed it names ZIP code 94305 as a service area, or shows Stanford-addressed listings or sales.
We did not rank agents, and we did not consider sales volume, reviews or awards. A profile that names Stanford does not by itself mean the agent has handled a campus ground lease sale, so ask. Licenses and affiliations change, so check the license yourself before you sign anything, and interview more than one agent.
Stanford housing in numbers
| Census measure | Stanford CDP |
|---|---|
| Population (April 1, 2020 Census) | 21,150 |
| Owner-occupied housing unit rate (2020–2024) | 26.8% |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes (2020–2024) | $2,000,000 or more (top-coded) |
| Median gross rent (2020–2024) | $1,976 |
| Median household income (2020–2024, 2024 dollars) | $75,208 |
| Persons per household (2020–2024) | 1.91 |
| Mean travel time to work (2020–2024) | 14.6 minutes |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Stanford CDP, California.
These figures include students living in university housing, which explains the low household income, small households, short commutes and low owner-occupancy rate. They say little about the price of a faculty home; the Census reports the median owner-occupied value only as "$2,000,000 or more." Stanford’s Faculty Staff Housing office publishes its own historical sale prices for ground-leased homes.
How Stanford campus homes are bought and sold
- Land stays with the University. Stanford’s Residential Ground Lease program explains that the University’s founders barred the sale of campus land, so buyers acquire a leasehold interest in a single-family home, townhouse or condominium on leased University land, not the land itself.
- Two kinds of lease. The same page describes a standard residential ground lease for on-campus purchases and a restricted residential ground lease, an affordability product used for certain on- and off-campus homes that Stanford sells.
- Who can buy. Stanford’s eligibility overview says its housing purchase programs are limited to faculty, executive staff and clinician educators, each with their own loan and assistance programs, and points to a detailed eligibility criteria document.
- Selling and renting. Stanford’s sell or rent your home page says sellers can list through the Faculty Staff Housing online portal, that a delegation form is required if someone else manages the listing, and that restricted-lease homes can be sold back to the University. It says a home may be rented only temporarily during an approved University leave, must stay the lessee’s principal residence, and renters generally must meet Stanford’s rental eligibility rules.
For more on the area, see our Stanford real estate guide, association and assessment costs, home improvement records and inspection and insurance planning pages.
Costs and rules specific to a Stanford purchase
- Ground rent and HOA fees. Stanford publishes HOA and ground rent fees for campus homes. Add them to your monthly budget alongside the mortgage and property tax.
- Transfer tax. The Santa Clara County Ordinance Code, Division A30, Chapter III sets the county tax at 55 cents per $500 ($1.10 per $1,000), and the Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder collects transfer tax at recording. Campus homes are outside Palo Alto city limits, so Palo Alto’s city tax should not apply, but ask escrow how the tax is figured on a leasehold sale and confirm it on your estimate.
- Read the lease first. Stanford posts its residential ground lease. Read it with your agent and a lawyer before you commit, since it controls resale, renting and improvements.
- Hazards. The natural hazard disclosure report shows mapped earthquake fault and other zones for the address. Get an insurance quote early.
Stanford agents with verified licenses
Matthew Martinez, Diamond Real Estate Group (publisher of this guide)
Matthew Martinez is the Founder, CEO and Managing Broker of Diamond Real Estate Group. He is based in Sonoma County; contact him to discuss a purchase or sale in Stanford. Contact Matthew · Broker #01869679 · Diamond Group Estates Inc DBA Diamond Real Estate Group, DRE #02163490
| Agent | Brokerage | License | Areas named on profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julie Hadidi (licensed as Poopak Julie Hadidi) | Compass | Salesperson #01955868 | Stanford (past sales); Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Los Gatos |
| Anne King (licensed as Anne Adkins King) | Compass, Menlo Park | Broker #00552568 | Stanford-addressed listings; Palo Alto, Bay Area |
| Lynne Mercer (licensed as Kathleen Lynne Mercer) | Compass, Palo Alto | Salesperson #00796211 | ZIP code 94305 (Stanford); Palo Alto, Mountain View, Menlo Park |
| Jane Volpe (licensed as Jane Miller Volpe) | Yarkin Realty, Palo Alto | Salesperson #01330133 | ZIP code 94305 (Stanford); Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Menlo Park, Sunnyvale |
| Jeanine Wade (licensed as Jeanine Danielle Wade) | Coldwell Banker Realty, Palo Alto | Salesperson #02074822 | ZIP code 94305 (Stanford); Palo Alto, Mountain View, Menlo Park, Redwood City |
On the DRE record, Compass agents are licensed under Compass California II, Inc. (DRE #01527235), Coldwell Banker Realty agents under NRT West, Inc. (DRE #01908304), and Jane Volpe under Yarkin Realty (DRE #01857154). None of these profiles says the agent specializes in Stanford ground lease sales; ask each one directly. For more agents nearby, see our Palo Alto agents guide and Santa Clara County agents guide.
How to vet a Stanford agent
- Ask about ground lease sales. Ask how many Stanford campus sales the agent has handled and whether they worked through the Faculty Staff Housing office.
- Confirm your eligibility first. Use Stanford’s eligibility tool and talk to Faculty Staff Housing before you tour homes.
- Ask how they price a leasehold. Ask which campus sales they use as comparables, and how they account for ground rent and lease terms.
- Read the lease and HOA documents together. Ask what the agent looks for in the ground lease, the HOA budget and any restrictions on improvements.
- Coordinate the loan. Stanford runs its own homebuyer loan and assistance programs; ask how the agent coordinates timing with them.
- Check the license yourself. Confirm a "Licensed" status with a current broker on the DRE lookup.
Stanford questions we hear
Can anyone buy a home on the Stanford campus?
No. Stanford says its purchase programs are limited to faculty, executive staff and clinician educators who meet its eligibility rules.
Do I own the land under a Stanford campus home?
No. Stanford keeps the land and sells a leasehold interest in the home under its residential ground lease.
Is Stanford part of Palo Alto?
No. The campus is unincorporated Santa Clara County land next to Palo Alto, even though many addresses use Stanford or Palo Alto as the mailing city.
Can I rent out a campus home?
Only in limited cases. Stanford’s homeowner page says rentals are allowed temporarily during an approved University leave and renters generally must meet eligibility rules.
Is the agent order a ranking?
No. Our broker is listed first because we publish the guide; everyone else is alphabetical by last name.
Sources & notes
- California DRE public license lookup (individual records linked in the table)
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Stanford CDP, California
- Stanford Faculty Staff Housing, Residential Ground Lease program
- Stanford Faculty Staff Housing, Eligibility overview
- Stanford Faculty Staff Housing, Sell or rent your home
- Stanford Faculty Staff Housing, HOA and ground rent fees
- Stanford residential ground lease (PDF)
- Santa Clara County Ordinance Code, Division A30, Chapter III, Real Property Transfer Tax (county rate of $0.55 per $500; section A30-40 credit for a conforming half-rate city tax)
- California Attorney General Opinion 06-1009 (documentary transfer tax and city credit)
- County of Santa Clara, Clerk-Recorder’s Office
- Agent profiles on compass.com and mlslistings.com, linked in the table
- License records checked October 2026 on the California DRE public lookup. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
Nearby agent guides: Palo Alto · Menlo Park · Mountain View
Related: Stanford real estate guide · Stanford home valuation · Santa Clara County agents guide · 20 tips for choosing a real estate agent
License-status update: the linked California DRE public records were checked November 2, 2026 and showed "Licensed." Public profile research retains the dates stated above. Names on DRE records may differ from public profile names; verify status and brokerage before selecting an agent.
