Vintage Oaks
Spacious and Charming
This partially walled community, surrounded by beautiful towering oak trees, consists of about 150 homes, mostly on minimum quarter-acre lots, with a convenient, fully equipped community park that includes a play structure and plenty of room for kids to run around.
The land, which was part of St. Patrick’s Seminary, was purchased from the Catholic Church after years of controversy with the surrounding neighbors. At that time, it was the first major subdivision in Menlo Park in 30 years.
Six Styles to Choose From
There are 110 semicustom homes, 21 custom homes, and 14-duet-style townhouses on 46 acres of land. Construction started in 1996. The major developer of Vintage Oaks was Oak Leaf Associates, a partnership of Vintage Properties (known for homes of enduring quality, environmental consciousness, and architectural merit) and the O’Brien Group, a well respects builder in the bay area. There were two other builders, Kelly Gordon and John Schink, who also built several of the custom homes.
Before building Vintage Oaks, the developer conducted focus groups of local Realtors to pulse the market for the qualities buyers valued. Questionnaires included questions like, “Do buyers value hall coat closets?”
The Oak Leaf homes have six basic floor plans ranging in size from approximately 2600 to 3900 square feet. There are multiple elevations for each home, offering styles such as Tudor, English Country, Prairie, French Country, and Farmhouse. These homes were designed by Pacific Peninsula Architects to resemble the traditional styles found in Palo Alto’s Crescent Park and Professorville, with a focus on high tech amenities. The uniqueness of the development increased with the teaming of Sunset Magazine and Oak Leaf Associates to build Sunset’s Western Dream House at Vintage Oaks, which showcases items for the best in contemporary living.
An Early Owner of Vintage Oaks
Vintage Oaks Custom Home
Elaine knows Vintage Oak because she’s lived there. As one of the first buyers to occupy a Vintage Oaks home, she had the benefit of watching the neighborhood grow up. Elaine moved in to the fourth house to be occupied, while construction of the first phase was in various stages of completion. The developer allowed many custom changes in the early days of the project but soon found that the flexibility was unnecessary, since the homes were selling faster than they could be built. These custom changes involved options like expansion of the house and rearranging of the room sizes.
Vintage Oaks has been a popular choice for buyers moving from the east coast who are accustomed to the traditional styling and large homes, although the lots average around one-quarter of an acre, not the several acres that buyers in other states enjoy.
Purple Slide Park
The children of Vintage Oaks enjoy the park that the developer donated to the city as part of the development. Formally called Seminary Oaks Park, children in the neighborhood often refer to it as “Purple Slide Park.” The annual Halloween parade is also a favorite, and is just one more thing that helps to give Vintage Oaks its true neighborhood feeling.
Both police and fire stations are nearby, as well as excellent shopping opportunities in both downtown Menlo Park and nearby Stanford Shopping Center.
Work with the Vintage Oaks Expert
No one has sold more homes in Vintage Oaks than Elaine—except the original developer. Elaine has closed nearly 40 transactions in Vintage Oaks, working with both buyers and sellers. In fact, she’s sold several homes multiple times.
Contact Elaine for more information on buying or selling a Vintage Oaks home.
“Elaine, you are a ROCK STAR! Anyone selling in Vintage Oaks would be silly not to hire you, you are THE go-to expert…Your knowledge and connections were critical in pricing the house correctly, negotiating and getting things resolved very quickly. You earned every penny of your commission and then some.”
–Jesse and Alison Deutsch
“Elaine is completely knowledgeable about the market and what appeals to buyers. She was available whenever we needed, had answers to all of our questions, and is a skillful negotiator—all while maintaining the utmost integrity.”
–John Stacy
“We were thrilled with the assistance you provided in helping us evaluate the market and develop a sales strategy, preparing our home for sale in a very short period of time and working on our behalf to achieve a great outcome….Thanks for your tireless efforts, late night calls and faxes, evening and weekend work at the house and “can do” attitude. This is why you have been AND will remain the #1 agent in the Menlo Park area.”
–Vintage Park Sellers
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