It may be time to start calling Harvard the "Stanford of the East."
Stanford University was recently named the No. 1 university in America by the inaugural Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranking of U.S. colleges. The Stanford, California-based hotbed of higher learning snagged the top spot after posting strong scores across the ranking four main metrics—student outcomes, school resources, student engagement and learning environment/diversity.
More:The Five Most Expensive Homes for Sale in the U.S.
For parents encouraging their children to head west and attend this illustrious institution, investing in off-campus housing could go a long way to sweetening the deal.
Below, we’ve identified six homes in the Stanford-adjacent communities of Palo Alto and Menlo Park that are on the market now.
These homes are a short distance from campus and could greatly improve your incoming freshman’s collegiate experience, as well as your investment portfolio—neighboring Atherton is routinely ranked among America’s most expensive zip codes.
The Homes
Price: $2.345 million
This three-bedroom, two-bath ranch house (painted a pretty shade of blue) has space for a couple of roommates and a rather large office area where students can actually get some work done without being distracted by their friends and classmates milling about, the way they might be at the university library. There’s also a spacious galley kitchen, a formal dining area and front and back yards.
Price: $4.25 million
Who would ever want to live in a dorm room when they could have this English Tudor-style home, instead? This six-bedroom, four-bathroom house was built in 2003 and almost feels big enough to be a frat house (but is in much better shape). In addition to its 10-foot high ceilings, a spacious kitchen and walk-out terrace, there’s a recreation room for winding down after a long day of studying.
Price: $5.75 million
The two biggest draws to this three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath house in the historic Professorville neighborhood of Palo Alto are the open floor plan inside and the beautiful landscaping outside. Warning: It could be hard to focus on studying (instead of entertaining) here.
Price: $1.898 million
If apartment living appeals to you more (hey, it’s still a major step up from campus housing), you might want to consider this 1,762-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bath that’s on the fifth floor of a remodeled building in Downtown Palo Alto. The apartment has an updated kitchen and bathroom plus the master bedroom has a separate dressing area and a master bath that opens onto a (second) balcony.
Price: $7.95 million
Over in Menlo Park, this custom-built modern farmhouse has five bedrooms, five full baths and two half-baths. The house is over 6,000 square feet (particularly big compared to other lots in the area) and has a media room on the lower level with a bar, wine room, exercise room and hobby room. But the real icing on the cake at this house: a swimming pool in the back yard.
Price: $7.9 million
If you’re looking for a statement property, this house in Menlo Park may be worth considering. Designed by Carmel architect John Thodos, entire walls and ceilings are made of structural glass. Dubbed a "House of Light" because of the sunshine that comes in on all four sides, this could be the perfect antidote for the college student who tends to sleep in past their morning classes. The five-bedroom, five-and-a-half bathroom house is surrounding by native planting, redwoods and has a fountain that adds to its Zen vibe.