Neighborhood

South of Midtown

Palo Alto, California US

AI Summary•Updated May 2026

Area

0.64 mi²

ZIP Code

94306

County

Santa Clara County

State

California

Redfin — median sale & volumeZillow ZORI — asking rentFEMA National Risk Index v1.20OpenStreetMap — POIFBI UCR — state crimeEPA — radon zonesWashU ACAG — satellite PM2.5EPA FRS / BTS — hazard screeningUS Census ACS / TIGER 2024

Verified Price · Median Sale

$3,199,050

YoY+11.4%

Gross Rental Yield

1.4%

Listed rent · ZORI annualized

Red Flag Index

High

65 / 100

Walkability Score

Very Walkable

OpenStreetMap POI density · national percentile

Education Score

100 / 100

Excellent · better than 100% of U.S. districts

Pre-pandemic SEDA (2018/19) · district proxy

AI Score

Limited

DistrictScore attractiveness · national model

South of Midtown Property Prices & Rental Yield

Verified Redfin sale data and Zillow ZORI asking rent for South of Midtown, Palo Alto.

Unlock the South of Midtown 12-month price trend

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Market Economics Snapshot

May 2026

Metric	Value	YoY
Median Sale Price	$3,199,050	+11.4%
Price / Sq Ft (Verified)	$1,900/sqft	+5.4%
Asking Rent (Median)	$3,716/mo	+5.7%
Gross Rental Yield	1.4%	—
Liquidity Score	28 / 100	Low
Homes Sold (Period)	73	+25.9%

Is South of Midtown Safe? Natural-Hazard Risk

FEMA National Risk Index composite across eight hazards, plus inherited California crime context.

Red Flag Breakdown

65 / 100

High Risk

Composite is weighted by expected impact — frequent low-damage hazards (hail, wind) weigh less than flood or wildfire.

Flood100Very High

Earthquake100Very High

Wildfire60High

Heat60High

Tornado20Low

Strong Wind20Low

Hail20Low

Hurricanen/an/a

7/8 hazards scored · FEMA NRI v1.20

Crime (state-level): California averaged 25.6 crimes and 4.9 violent per 1,000 residents (-8.9% YoY) in 2024(FBI UCR). Compare the state to the country, not states as a ranking — full Safety & Crime data lives on the state page.

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Tract-level hazard heatmap & parcel detail with Pro

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What Stands Out AI Insight

Appreciating market — +11.4% sale-price YoY

Highly walkable neighborhood — score 87/100

Active transaction volume — 73 homes sold last period

Flood risk is Very High (100/100)

Earthquake risk is Very High (100/100)

Insights are generated from South of Midtown's live DistrictScore metrics.

South of Midtown Environment & Safety

Satellite PM2.5 air-quality history, FBI UCR crime trend (California-level, the finest official aggregation), EPA radon potential and point-source hazard screening.

Air Quality — PM2.5

2015–2024

5.1 µg/m³ Meets EPA, above WHO guideline-13.9% since 2015

EPA 9WHO 5

20152024

Annual mean fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration at the South of Midtown centroid, satellite-derived (ACAG). References: WHO guideline 5 µg/m³ · EPA annual standard 9 µg/m³. Latest year ranks worse than 20% of U.S. neighborhoods.

California Crime Trend

FBI UCR

20132024

All crimes / 1k

Violent / 1k

Year	Crimes / 1k	Violent / 1k	YoY
2024	25.6	4.9	-8.9%
2023	28.3	5.1	-0.7%
2022	28.6	5.0	+8.0%
2021	26.5	4.8	+1.9%
2020	25.8	4.4	-7.3%
2019	27.8	4.4	—

Reported at the state level — the finest official US crime aggregation; South of Midtown inherits the California figures.

Radon Potential

EPA

Zone 2

Zone 2 — Moderate potential · South of Midtown

EPA radon zones estimate indoor radon potential county-wide (Zone 1 highest, Zone 3 lowest). Testing is recommended in all zones.

Environmental Hazards

EPA / BTS

Superfund (NPL)0.8 kmVery High

Industrial odor7 nearbyVery High

Point-source screening near South of Midtown: EPA Superfund National Priorities List & Facility Registry (2026), BTS aviation noise (2020, 24-hour average level). Superfund shows distance to the nearest listed site; odor shows detected sources within the screening radius. Only detected sources are listed; the bar shows severity vs. all U.S. neighborhoods.

Walkability & Amenities in South of Midtown

Amenity density and pedestrian access from OpenStreetMap points of interest.

Walkability & Amenities

OpenStreetMap POI

87

Very Walkable

Walkability Score

5

Grocery

20

Dining

8

Schools

0

Universities

2

Hospitals

3

Pharmacies

3

Parks

1

Rail Transit

0

Coworking

POI counts are amenities within South of Midtown's boundary plus a 400 m walk buffer. Rail transit excludes bus stops.

South of Midtown vs Palo Alto vs California

How South of Midtown benchmarks against its city and state medians.

Benchmark vs City & State

In South of Midtown, the median sale price sits in line with the median for Palo Alto neighborhoods and about 240% above the statewide median. Gross rental yield is 1.4%, against 1.4% for Palo Alto neighborhoods and 3.7% statewide. Over the past 12 months, prices rose 11.4%. Transaction liquidity sits above the median for Palo Alto neighborhoods and in line with the statewide median.

Area	Median / Sq Ft	Gross Yield	Liquidity
South of Midtown	$1,900/sqft	1.4%	28
Palo Alto	$1,900/sqft	1.4%	25
California	$559/sqft	3.7%	28

Unlock the South of Midtown benchmark

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Buying Property in the US as a Foreigner

Federal & California tax facts for non-resident buyers, plus the latest local market news.

Buying as a Foreigner

US Tax & Ownership

Applies to everyone7

Capital Gains (Federal)

Long-term capital gains taxed federally at 0/15/20%, plus a 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax on higher incomes (2026).

Property Tax

Property tax: ~0.69% average effective rate (statewide average; set and collected locally).

State Income Tax

State income tax up to 13.3%; rental income is taxed at these rates.

State Capital Gains

Capital gains are taxed as ordinary income at state rates.

Transfer Tax

Real estate transfer tax: documentary transfer tax $0.55 per $500 + local.

Assessment Cap

Prop 13 caps assessed-value growth at 2%/yr; property is reassessed to market value when you buy.

Mansion Tax / Rent Control

No statewide mansion tax (LA has a local one); statewide rent control caps increases at 5%+CPI (AB 1482).

US citizens & tax residents8

Primary-Home Exclusion

Selling your main home: exclude up to $250k of gain (single) / $500k (married) if you owned and lived there 2 of the last 5 years.

1031 Like-Kind Exchange

A 1031 like-kind exchange defers capital gains tax on investment property; 45 days to identify, 180 to close. Real estate only.

Depreciation Recapture

Residential rentals depreciate over 27.5 years; on sale, recaptured depreciation is taxed up to 25% (Section 1250).

Mortgage Interest Deduction

Mortgage interest is deductible on up to $750k of home debt. The SALT cap rose to $40,000 for 2025-2029 (reverts to $10k in 2030).

Opportunity Zones

Opportunity Zones are now permanent (2025): reinvested capital gains get deferral plus a basis step-up, and are tax-free after 10 years.

Rental Income (Resident)

Rental income is reported on Schedule E; passive-loss rules (Section 469) limit deducting rental losses against other income.

Senior & Veteran Exemptions

Disabled-veteran property-tax exemption (~$161,083 in 2025, more if low-income); senior programs available.

1031 State Conformity

California conforms to 1031 but claws back deferred CA-source gain (Form FTB 3840) if you move out of state.

Foreign buyers (non-residents)5

FIRPTA (Foreign Sellers)

FIRPTA: the buyer withholds 15% of the gross sale price when a nonresident sells US property. It is an advance deposit, not the final tax.

Non-Resident Capital Gains

Nonresident sellers pay US capital gains tax (generally 15-20%) on the net gain via Form 1040-NR; FIRPTA withholding is credited.

Non-Resident Rental Tax

Nonresident rental income is taxed at 30% of gross by default, or on net income at graduated rates via a Section 871(d) election (W-8ECI).

Estate Tax (Non-Resident)

Nonresidents get only a $60,000 US estate-tax exemption (vs $13.99M for residents); US property above it is taxed up to 40%. Treaties may help.

ITIN Requirement

Nonresidents without an SSN need an ITIN (Form W-7) to file US tax returns, claim FIRPTA refunds, and report rental income.

Talk to a US real-estate tax advisor

FIRPTA, ITIN & California property-tax guidance for foreign buyers

Latest Palo Alto Real-Estate News

New Fed chairman may leave mortgage rates mostly unchanged

Guaranteed Rate • Jun 18, 2026

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Eye On Housing • Jun 18, 2026

U.S. commercial property prices hit record as deal patterns shift

Altus Group • Jun 18, 2026

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