Burlingame Village: Why 3-Bedroom Homes Are So Hard to Find
Burlingame Village has had only 7 home sales in the last year, which works out to roughly 1 home every 6-8 weeks. If you are a first-time buyer looking for a move-in-ready 3-bedroom home in Burlingame under $3M, you will find very few options, and the ones that come up go quickly. Burlingame is one of the suburbs of San Francisco on the Peninsula, and this neighborhood shows why the 3-bedroom search here takes patience.
In this post, I walk through a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home in Burlingame Village, explain the supply gap behind it, and show you what living in the neighborhood is like, including a stop at Village Park.
How Rare Are 3-Bedroom Homes in Burlingame Village?
Burlingame Village saw just 7 homes sell over the last year, so a move-in-ready 3-bedroom home under $3M rarely comes on the market there. When one does, it usually sells quickly. Buyers who want this neighborhood should plan on some patience.
Why 3 Bedroom Homes in Burlingame Are So Hard to Find
3-bedroom homes in Burlingame are hard to find because most of them are only 1,000-1,200 s/f, and very few are larger. I covered this in an earlier video about the biggest supply gaps in the Burlingame and Hillsborough market. A 3-bedroom home of 1,100-1,200 s/f comes with a lower price, but it is a small house.
Buyers tell me all the time that they want an extra room for working from home. The home in this video has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a separate office area, and that combination is hard to find in Burlingame from a supply perspective. If you are thinking about an ADU for extra space instead, my guide to accessory dwelling units in San Mateo County covers the topic.
Flats or Hills: Where Should You Look for a 3-Bedroom in Burlingame?
Your first decision is whether you want a flat neighborhood or a hillier one. Homes in hillier neighborhoods like Mills Estates and Burlingame Hills are typically a few hundred s/f larger than similar homes in the flat neighborhoods. For a closer look at how the two sides of town compare, see my breakdown of Burlingame neighborhoods east and west of El Camino.
Where Is Burlingame Village?
Burlingame Village is the northernmost neighborhood in Burlingame. It is east of El Camino Real, south of Trousdale Drive, and north of the Burlingame Grove neighborhood. From here, you are not within walking distance of Broadway or downtown Burlingame.
Other Flat Neighborhoods to Consider
If you want a 3-bedroom in a flat neighborhood and walking to downtown matters to you, Burlingame Village might not be at the top of your list. In that case, I would point you to Burlingables, Lyon Hoag, and Burlingame Terrace. Burlingame Park is another option, but 3-bedroom homes there are hard to find, and prices typically start in the low $3Ms.
What Does a 3-Bedroom Home Under $3M Look Like in Burlingame Village?
The home in this video is a good example of a strong 3-bedroom home under $3M in Burlingame Village. It is priced in the low $2M range, and in that range (and even in the mid-to-high $2M range) you usually do not see this level of quality and finishes.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Bedrooms and bathrooms | 3 BR, 2 BA, plus an office |
| Home size | A little under 1,700 s/f |
| Lot size | A little over 5,000 s/f |
| Price range | Low $2M range |
| Garage | Attached |
Living Room, Guest Bedroom, and Office
The living room has good ceiling height and recessed windows that look out onto the street and a maple tree. The guest bedroom and bathroom are large, remodeled, and in good shape. The office area gives you the extra work-from-home room that so many buyers ask me for.
Kitchen and Great Room
My clients added the kitchen as an addition, and it is a large kitchen. The space works as a great room, with a big island, the appliances along one side, and a seating area.
Attached Garage
I am a big fan of attached garages, and this one is spacious and simple. You could park a car in it, and it has a sink, a butcher block counter, and a washer and dryer. When my wife and I bought our first house, our garage was narrower than this one, and getting out of the car was hard for her while she was pregnant.
Many of my clients who come from San Francisco tell me they want to park in the garage. I would say 90% of them stop caring once they move in, because street and driveway parking is easy here, and the garage ends up being used for storage.
Primary Suite
The primary bedroom is spacious, and it is the size of bedroom you might see in a $4M home and up. The primary bathroom has a dual vanity, which is not common at this price, and a tiled stall shower instead of a bathtub. The bathroom window looks out on a fence and greenery, which gives it a private feel that not every Burlingame bathroom has.
Backyard and ADU Potential
The lot is a little over 5,000 s/f, and the home is set farther back, so the backyard is not huge, but it is functional. It has a planter bed, a fire pit area, a trellis, a seating area, and a built-in barbecue, which you usually do not see in the low-to-mid $2M range. There is also a spot where someone could put a sandbox or a hot tub.
For context, my own house is also on a 5,000 s/f lot with an attached garage, and our yard is about 3 times as large as this one. A smaller yard like this can get you a better price on your first home in Burlingame. I would not recommend this yard for an ADU, because Burlingame requires side setbacks (4 feet on each side, I believe), and the structure would end up very close to the house. An addition could work here, but other homes would make better ADU candidates.
What Do You Give Up With a 1,700 S/F Home?
At a little under 1,700 s/f, the main trade-off with this home is that it has no dining room. If you want a dining room, you will probably need a bigger house. A 3-bedroom home of around 2,000 s/f is extremely rare in Burlingame, and there is a large gap in supply for homes between 1,700 and 2,200 s/f.
Moving from a 3-bedroom to a 4-bedroom home in Burlingame can add a premium of 7 figures. You have to think carefully about whether you need that 4th bedroom or whether a 3-bedroom with an office like this one fits your needs.
Why Location Should Come First in Your Burlingame Home Search
My philosophy is to spend as much as you can to get the best location you can, even if the home is a little less exciting. You cannot change the location, and the goal is to buy a home you can stay in for a long time. With transaction costs, you do not want to be buying again 2 years later.
Noise matters too. Being near Caltrain, a busy street, El Camino, or 101 can change how a home feels, even in an expensive area like Burlingame. I would sometimes rather see a client spend 5-20% more to get a location that fits them better. I rate every location on an A, B, C, D scale.
What Buyers Should Know About Property Lines in Burlingame
When you buy a home, you usually do not know where the property line is. The only way to know is if the seller had a survey done, for example for an addition or a new build, and included it in the disclosure package. A survey usually costs $4,000-6,000 and can take 1-2 months, which rarely fits a competitive purchase timeline.
That means a fence may or may not be on the property line, and it could be off by 6 inches in one direction or 12 inches in the other. When we did construction on the homes we own in Burlingame, we had surveys done and worked closely with our neighbors to move the fences to the proper line. The architect on our house gave me advice I still share: if you pay for a new fence, put it fully on your own property so it is not shared, and you will avoid disputes with your neighbor.
What Is It Like Living in Burlingame Village in the Suburbs of San Francisco?
Burlingame Village is a neighborhood of mostly 1-level ranch-style homes, and a few homes on Westmoor Road have been beautifully redone with a second story. Burlingame has very few cul-de-sacs, but several blocks here, including Hamilton Lane, are cul-de-sacs. They have no through traffic, and they are nice for walking.
In Burlingame, you will see your neighbors' houses, so if privacy is your top priority, Burlingame may not be the right fit. People here are friendly, and many buyers want that neighborly feel. Homes on Westmoor can hear a little El Camino traffic, and homes at the far end of the cul-de-sac can hear a little California Drive traffic, which is worth knowing if noise matters to you.
Village Park
Village Park is one of my favorite parks in Burlingame, a city with 19 parks and 12 neighborhoods. It has Village Park Preschool, tall redwood trees, a full-court basketball hoop, and the go-to soccer field for kids under 5. The city spent half a million dollars a few years ago renovating the play structure, and I had my 3rd birthday party here 41 years ago.
The park is on Eastmoor Road, 1 block from Westmoor. Caltrain runs nearby, and since it was electrified, the trains are quiet as they pass.
Getting to San Francisco and South San Francisco
Burlingame Village has an advantage over neighborhoods farther south if you work in San Francisco or in biotech in South San Francisco. Depending on where you are in the neighborhood, you can walk or bike to the Millbrae BART and Caltrain station, which has all-day parking.
Trick-or-Treating in Burlingame
Trick-or-treating is a big part of Burlingame culture, and some neighborhoods get far more of it than others. Burlingables and Easton Addition, around Cortez, Cabrillo, and Balboa, are the busiest on October 31. Outside Burlingame, the Aragon neighborhood in San Mateo is another favorite, and friends of ours there gave away 1,800 pieces of candy last October.
Burlingame Village Home Prices and Market Data
In Burlingame Village, the average sale price over the last year was $2.54M, and the median sale price was $2.50M. The average price per s/f was $1,670, which is well above the Burlingame average of $1,495.
| Metric | Burlingame | Burlingame Village |
|---|---|---|
| Average sale price | Over $3.2M | $2.54M |
| Median sale price | Around $3M | $2.50M |
| Average price per s/f | $1,495 | $1,670 |
| Homes sold, last 12 months | About 192 | 7 |
Across all of Burlingame, the average sale price over the last few months was a little over $3.2M, and the median was around $3M. Burlingame has seen a lot of appreciation this year, and homes sold in an average of 9 days on market.
Why So Few Homes Sell in Burlingame
About 192 homes sold in Burlingame over the last 12 months, and over the last 15 years, the most homes that sold in a single year was about 250. 2023 had the fewest sales in the last 25 years, 2024 had the second fewest, and 2025 had the third fewest. I expect fewer sales again in 2026. Burlingame has a lot of 2, 3, and 4-bedroom homes, but very few 5-bedroom homes.
What Is Driving Demand in San Mateo County
Later this year, I expect a lot more liquidity in the market as some of the frontier labs go public. San Mateo County also has a strong job base beyond big tech, including finance, large healthcare systems like UCSF, Stanford, and Sutter Health, biotech in South San Francisco, and Gilead in Foster City.
A statistic I saw 4-5 years ago said San Mateo County had added about 70,000 new jobs and only 5,000 new housing units over the previous 5 years. We have more jobs here than we have housing to support, and that keeps pressure on prices.
How Should You Approach a Burlingame Budget Under $3M?
If your budget is up to $3M, start by deciding which compromises you will make and which you will not. I would think about 4 things: location, condition, floor plan, and size of home. Under $3M, you can usually get 1 or 2 of those 4, and the home in this video is a good representation of what a strong home in the low $2Ms can look like.
Frequently Asked Questions About Burlingame Village
How many homes sell in Burlingame Village each year?
Only 7 homes sold in Burlingame Village over the last year. That works out to roughly 1 home every 6-8 weeks.
What does a home cost in Burlingame Village?
The median sale price in Burlingame Village over the last year was $2.50M, and the average was $2.54M. The average price per s/f was $1,670.
Can you walk to downtown Burlingame from Burlingame Village?
No, downtown Burlingame and Broadway are not within walking distance of Burlingame Village. Depending on where you live in the neighborhood, you can walk or bike to the Millbrae BART and Caltrain station.
Why is it hard to find a larger 3-bedroom home in Burlingame?
Most 3-bedroom homes in Burlingame are only 1,000-1,200 s/f, and very few are larger. A 3-bedroom of around 2,000 s/f is extremely rare, and there is a large supply gap for homes between 1,700 and 2,200 s/f.
Do you get a property survey when buying a home in Burlingame?
Usually not, so most buyers do not know where the property line is. A survey typically costs $4,000-6,000 and takes 1-2 months, which rarely fits a competitive purchase timeline.
Finding a 3-Bedroom Home in Burlingame
Burlingame Village shows how much patience the 3-bedroom search in Burlingame takes, and also what a well-done home in this neighborhood can offer.
This article is copyrighted by Raziel Ungar and may not be reproduced or copied without express written permission.
