Where Thomas works on the Peninsula
Thomas’s Peninsula residential focus is Burlingame. He also works regularly with buyers and sellers in neighboring San Mateo and Millbrae. This site does not claim equal expertise in every Peninsula city; Hillsborough appears in the comparison guide only because Burlingame buyers routinely consider it.
Burlingame
Tree-lined single-family neighborhoods, two walkable downtowns, and tight inventory.
Burlingame guide → 02Burlingame vs. neighbors
San Mateo, Hillsborough, and Millbrae compared.
Compare → 03San Francisco or the Peninsula?
What changes when you move 15 miles south.
Compare →Address, city, and school district are not the same thing
This is the single most common source of confusion for Peninsula buyers, and it matters for taxes, permits, services, and schools.
- ZIP codes cross city lines. For example, the 94010 ZIP code covers Burlingame, much of Hillsborough, and unincorporated areas such as Burlingame Hills. A “Burlingame” mailing address does not by itself tell you which jurisdiction governs the property.
- Unincorporated pockets are governed by San Mateo County for planning and permits rather than by the neighboring city.
- School district boundaries follow their own lines. Elementary and high school districts are often separate, and attendance can depend on the exact address.
How to verify an address
Check the parcel with the San Mateo County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder; confirm the city or county planning jurisdiction; and confirm school assignment directly with the school district for that exact address before removing contingencies.
Buying a single-family home on the Peninsula
- Choose on commute and schools first, then neighborhood. Caltrain, BART (in the northern Peninsula), US-101, and I-280 create very different daily routines.
- Expect limited inventory. Most Peninsula cities are built out; new single-family supply is rare.
- Read the disclosures and inspections early. As in San Francisco, many sellers provide inspections before an offer date.
- Check city-specific requirements. Some cities have point-of-sale requirements (for example, related to sewer laterals), tree ordinances, and design review for additions.
- Budget for reassessment. Property tax resets on purchase; bond and special assessments vary by city and district.
Thomas’s perspective · opinion
Buyers moving down from the city often underestimate how much the specific block matters on the Peninsula: flight paths, rail-line proximity, and the school boundary can separate two houses a few hundred feet apart.
Selling on the Peninsula
Peninsula sellers benefit from the same preparation that works in San Francisco: pre-sale inspections, a clean disclosure package, and pricing based on closely comparable single-family sales. In addition, confirm any city point-of-sale requirements early so they don’t delay escrow, and have tax questions (capital gains, Proposition 19) answered before listing. See the Burlingame seller guide for detail.
Market data
Peninsula single-family reports on this site use MLSListings data filtered by city and property type. See the Peninsula single-family market report and the Burlingame market report.
Sources & where to verify