San Mateo County fills the Peninsula between San Francisco and Santa Clara County, with bayside cities strung along El Camino Real and Highway 101, wooded towns along the Skyline ridge, and a largely rural coast from Pacifica south to Pescadero. The San Andreas Fault runs through the county along the ridge and the Crystal Springs valley.
- Coverage
- Desktop appraisals countywide
- Single-family & condo
- Basic Desktop $299 · Desktop $449
- 2–4 units
- Desktop from $549
- Effective dates
- Current or retrospective
The San Mateo County housing landscape
Dense postwar tracts of attached and detached homes cover Daly City, South San Francisco and San Bruno, while Burlingame, San Mateo and Belmont mix pre-war period homes with mid-century neighborhoods, including the Eichler homes of the San Mateo Highlands. Foster City and Redwood Shores were built on bay fill as lagoon communities, with many homes on the water. Hillsborough, Atherton, Woodside and Portola Valley are zoned for large residential lots, and Woodside and Portola Valley add horse properties and semi-rural estates. On the coast, Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Montara and Pacifica pair ocean-view homes with farmland, nurseries and open space.
Cities we frequently appraise
- San Mateo
Property elsewhere in San Mateo County? Desktop appraisals cover the entire county — include the address in your request.
Property types
- Eichler and mid-century homes
- postwar row and tract homes
- lagoon-front homes
- estate and equestrian properties
- coastal bluff and ocean-view homes
- coastside farm and nursery parcels
Valuation considerations
Bluff erosion in Pacifica has forced the demolition of buildings at the ocean's edge, and coastside parcels must account for Coastal Commission review and setback limits. Foster City's levees and Redwood Shores' lagoons raise flood-zone and sea-level questions, while homes within San Francisco International Airport's noise contours in South San Francisco, San Bruno and Millbrae carry an aircraft-noise influence. Hillside parcels near the San Andreas Fault and in Pacifica's canyons can involve landslide and fault-zone disclosures.
Is a desktop appraisal the right fit?
Dense bayside sales in Daly City, San Mateo and Redwood City give a desktop appraisal a solid footing for estate, trust and divorce assignments. Bluff-top coastal homes, estate properties in Woodside or Portola Valley with outbuildings, and hillside homes with unpermitted additions are stronger candidates for an inspection.
Read more about how desktop appraisals work, or compare report types on the pricing page.
Purposes we handle in San Mateo County
- Date-of-Death Appraisals
- Estate & Trust Appraisals
- Divorce Appraisals
- Bankruptcy Appraisals
- Proposition 19 Appraisals
- Property Tax & Gift Tax Appraisals
- Pre-Purchase Appraisals
- Pre-Sale Appraisals
- Family Transfer Appraisals
- Insurance Dispute Appraisals
- Bail Bond Appraisals
- Expert Witness & Litigation Support
- Appraisal Review & Second Opinions