Contra Costa County · Lamorinda
Lafayette
Wooded hillside lots, Acalanes schools and a BART station of its own.
Lafayette Homes for Sale
Active Coldwell Banker Realty listings in Lafayette, updated straight from the MLS. The full Lafayette search below shows everything on the market from every brokerage.
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Living in Lafayette
Lafayette is the first of the three Lamorinda towns you reach coming through the Caldecott Tunnel, and it is the one with a BART station. Wooded hillside lots, an unfussy downtown, and a straight shot to San Francisco.
Downtown runs along Mount Diablo Boulevard: restaurants, the Town Hall Theatre, a Thursday farmers market and a genuinely small town feel for a place this close to the city. The Lafayette Reservoir is the local landmark, with a loop trail that half the town seems to walk every weekend.
The Lafayette Moraga Regional Trail runs southwest out of downtown, and the hills on either side of the valley keep the whole place feeling green and enclosed.
Lafayette at a glance
- County
- Contra Costa
- School districts
- Lafayette School District for TK–8, Acalanes Union for high school
- High school
- Acalanes High, in town
- ZIP code
- 94549
- Freeway
- Highway 24 through the Caldecott Tunnel
- BART
- Lafayette station, just off Mount Diablo Boulevard
- To San Francisco
- Roughly 35 to 40 minutes on BART
- Housing
- Hillside and canyon property, mid century ranch through custom contemporary, very few condos
The Housing in Lafayette
Lafayette is hillside and canyon property, and flat usable land is scarce enough to be priced accordingly.
Mid century ranch homes, a lot of them significantly remodeled, custom contemporary homes on view lots, and older cottages closer to downtown. Flat, usable land is the exception rather than the rule.
There are very few condominiums or townhomes here, so the entry point into Lafayette is higher than in Walnut Creek or Pleasant Hill. Buyers who want Acalanes schools on a smaller budget usually end up looking at the edges of the district instead.
Inventory is genuinely thin. It is a small city, turnover is low, and a good listing on a flat lot can draw a crowd. That scarcity is why buyers here need to be fully prepared before they tour rather than after.
Topography is the value driver people underestimate. A level lot, a usable backyard and an easy driveway can be worth a very large premium over a down slope property with the same floor plan. When I price a Lafayette home I start with the land, not the square footage.
Lafayette Neighborhoods to Know
Five pockets, and in every one of them the lot matters more than the floor plan.
Burton Valley
A large, established family neighborhood on the south side with its own elementary school and swim club.
Happy Valley and Upper Happy Valley
The prestige address in Lafayette, larger estates on wooded lots north of downtown.
Reliez Valley
Toward Pleasant Hill, a mix of ranch homes and newer construction on bigger parcels.
The Trail neighborhood
Close to downtown and the regional trail, walkable and consistently in demand.
Lafayette hills and canyons
Custom homes on view lots, where topography drives value more than square footage.
Schools in Lafayette
Lafayette is served by the Lafayette School District for TK through 8 and the Acalanes Union High School District for high school, and that district reputation is a large part of what Lamorinda buyers are paying for.
| School | Level | Grades | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acalanes High School | High | 9–12 | Acalanes Union High |
| Stanley Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | Lafayette School District |
| Burton Valley Elementary | Elementary | TK–5 | Lafayette School District |
| Happy Valley Elementary | Elementary | TK–5 | Lafayette School District |
| Lafayette Elementary | Elementary | TK–5 | Lafayette School District |
| Springhill Elementary | Elementary | TK–5 | Lafayette School District |
Read this before you fall in love with a listing. School assignment is set by address and boundaries change. Never assume a school from a listing description. I confirm the assignment with the district before you write an offer.
Getting Around
The Lafayette BART station sits just off Mount Diablo Boulevard, and Highway 24 runs through the Caldecott Tunnel into Oakland.
Figure roughly 25 minutes to downtown Oakland by car outside of peak and about 35 to 40 minutes to San Francisco on BART. The tunnel is the variable, and locals plan around it.
Within town most trips are short, but this is hill country. Walking to downtown is realistic from some neighborhoods and not from others, and that difference shows up in price.
Recently Sold in Lafayette
Closed Coldwell Banker Realty sales in Lafayette. This is what the market actually paid, not what somebody asked.
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Lafayette Questions I Get Every Week
What does a home in Lafayette cost?
The live numbers at the top of this page are the current answer, though Lafayette closes a smaller number of homes than the bigger cities so any single quarter moves around. The more useful answer comes from the lot. Tell me the street and I will tell you the realistic range.
Why is there so little inventory?
It is a small city with low turnover and almost no new construction. That is exactly why buyers here need financing and strategy settled before a listing appears rather than after. When a good flat lot comes up it does not sit.
Which high school will my address feed?
Lafayette addresses are served by the Lafayette School District through eighth grade and then Acalanes Union for high school, with Acalanes High in town. Assignment is still set by address and boundaries change, so I confirm it with the district before you write an offer.
Are there condos or townhomes in Lafayette?
Very few, which is why the entry point here is higher than in Walnut Creek or Pleasant Hill. If Acalanes schools are the goal and the budget is tight, the honest move is usually to look at the edges of the district rather than at Lafayette proper.
How much does a flat lot really matter?
More than almost anything else. A level lot with a usable yard and an easy driveway can carry a very large premium over a downslope property with the same floor plan. It is the single most common thing buyers underestimate here.
How bad is the Caldecott Tunnel?
It is the variable in every Lafayette commute. Off peak it is nothing. At peak it decides your morning. Most people here either ride BART or shift their hours, and it is worth testing your actual commute before you commit to an address.
Your Partner in Real Estate
Buying or Selling in Lafayette
If you are buying here, you get someone who is in these neighborhoods every week and will tell you plainly when a house is not worth what it is asking. I am a Certified Real Estate Negotiator, and I walk you through disclosures, inspections, negotiation and closing so nothing lands on you as a surprise. With inventory this tight, being pre approved and decisive matters more in Lafayette than almost anywhere else I work.
If you are selling here, your home gets professional photography, full MLS exposure, a broker tour in the first week on market, and promotion through my Realtors Marketing Association and Contra Costa Realtors in Motion networks. Pricing is built from what Lafayette buyers are actually responding to right now, not last quarter, and if a listing goes quiet we reposition on the numbers rather than just cutting the price. I also hold a Home Improvement Salesperson license and can bring in my contractor network for the prep work that returns the most.
All of it backed by Coldwell Banker Realty out of the Danville and Blackhawk office, and the marketing reach that comes with the brand.
Book an AppointmentSend Me a Question
Prefer to just ask first? Call or text (925) 917-3970 or email chris@chrisleeluna.com. I answer my own phone.
Explore Other East Bay Neighborhoods
Buyers almost never arrive with one city in mind. Here is the rest of the map.
Thinking about Lafayette?
Tell me what you need out of a lot, a commute and a school district, and I will tell you honestly whether Lafayette works at your number or whether the edges of the district are the smarter play.
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Listing information is provided by Coldwell Banker Realty and the participating MLSs. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
