$1,375,000
1120 Alberni St, East Palo Alto 94303
AddressIntel AI Briefing
This 1940 home sits at a highly attractive price point, but any intensive development is severely constrained. Ground-up redevelopment is heavily undercut by serious environmental blockers, specifically its location in a high-risk flood zone and liquefaction area, which also blocks SB 9. Consequently, a cosmetic value-add or light stealth density: primary + ADU + JADU play is the only viable path to capture the substantial market spread.
Property Permit History
Recent Neighborhood Remodeling (East Palo Alto)
Parcel & Zoning Info
ADU Potential
Standard lot · Corner lot · ~72 ft frontage × 127 ft deep, typical proportions for a detached ADU behind or beside the home. A second street frontage lets an ADU take its own entrance and address.
Screening heuristic based on lot size, existing coverage, lot orientation, and hazard overlays. CA ADU law is ministerial statewide; verify max size, setbacks, and JADU owner-occupancy with the local planning dept.
Seller Motivation
Inferred from days on market and listing-description language (e.g. "as-is", "estate sale", "motivated seller"). A screening heuristic for likely negotiability, not a statement about the seller's circumstances.
Redevelopment Potential
Existing home already uses most of the allowable floor area, little expansion headroom. Zoning allows roughly 2,400 sqft of gross floor area on this lot.
Screening estimate comparing existing living area to the city's single-family floor-area limit. City sets no explicit FAR (or is not individually curated); allowable area is a conservative estimate. Source: conservative default (0.40 FAR — city not individually curated) (as of 2026-06-30). Verify FAR, coverage, setbacks, and height with the local planning dept.
Hazard Snapshot
Flood Zone
Fire Severity
Liquefaction
Fault Zone
Not a substitute for a Natural Hazard Disclosure (NHD) report. Zones reflect available GIS data and may not cover all localities. Liquefaction and fault flags: modified from California Geological Survey, Web Service of Official Maps of Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zones and Web Service of Official Maps of Seismic Hazard Zones (2025).
Nearby Public Schools
Costano Elementary
Ravenswood City Elementary
Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle
Ravenswood City Elementary
Oxford Day Academy
San Mateo County Office of Education
School boundaries are subject to change. Nearest school distance does not guarantee enrollment eligibility. Check with the local district. Data provided by CDE.
Proprietary Intelligence
Market Heat Index
69/100
Based on recent sales velocity and local demand in 94303.
Flippability Score
85/100
Measures neighborhood renovation density vs. recent permits on this property.
Bidding War Prob.
1%
Likelihood of multiple offers based on local list-to-sale ratios and DOM.
Proforma ROI Calculator
Back-of-the-napkin deal analysis across development strategies.
Zoning allows roughly 2,400 sqft here, less than the 2,485 sqft standing today, so a compliant rebuild would be smaller than the existing house. We don't quote a return on this one. Demolishing generally forfeits the existing non-conforming floor area, so treat it as a remodel or check the local code for what it lets you rebuild.
Median of 12 recent single-family sales in East Palo Alto (94303): $641/sqft, plus 5% because new houses sold at a median 1.07x their comps across 239 real rebuilds. Sized within 25% of the 2,500 sqft build, because smaller houses sell for more per foot and pricing a rebuild off them overstates resale.
Commission, transfer tax and closing. Deducted from resale before profit, so the ROI below is net of the exit rather than gross.
Interest on the purchase price for the whole project plus half the build budget, since construction draws ramp up. The default is 7% over 33 months, the median purchase-to-sale time of 239 real Peninsula and South Bay rebuilds. Set the rate to 0 for a cash purchase, or use your own lender's terms.
Projected Profit
Warning: Project is mathematically underwater.
Recent Comparables (East Palo Alto 94303)
Sized to the modelled 2,500 sqft build: sales within 25% of it. Smaller houses sell for more per foot, so pricing a rebuild off them overstates resale.