DeLeon Insight- September 2025 Cover Page

The DeLeon Insight – September 2025



San Francisco Bay Area: America’s Second City

New York City is consistently viewed as the preeminent city in America, and arguably the world. However, the title of “Second City” has been more fluid, in flux from as early as 1890. Chicago was originally dubbed the Second City to illustrate its status in America. When Los Angeles surpassed Chicago in population in 1984, the informal title of Second City transferred to Los Angeles.

How to Effectively Build Your Dream Home

By: Ken DeLeon, ESQ | Founder The demand to purchase a lot and build a custom home in Silicon Valley is higher than ever before. The three main reasons for this, in declining order, are: The lack of new homes being offered by speculation builders, …

Neighborhood Spotlight: West Menlo/University Heights

  The University Heights neighborhood of Menlo Park straddles Alameda de las Pulgas (which in Spanish means “Avenue of the Fleas”), connecting Valparaiso Avenue to the north and Sandhill Road to the south. Also commonly referred to as…

Video: Our New Ethical Ideal for the Industry

We are thrilled to announce our most stunning innovation yet: going forward, DeLeon Realty will not take commission from both sides of the same transaction. If any DeLeon Realty agent represents a buyer on any DeLeon Realty listing, then we will waive 100 percent of the buyer-side commission.*

Neighborhood Spotlight: Ladera of Portola Valley

  The enclave of Ladera was named to reflect the rich Spanish history of the area; “ladera” is Spanish for hillside. This idyllic community was the brainchild of the Peninsula Housing Association, which was formed in 1944 with the goal of…

Los Altos Hills: Joining The Building Bloom

  From developers building speculation homes to residents designing their custom dream homes, Los Altos Hills has seen a significant increase in new development over the years. In 2015 and 2016, the building department at the town of Los Altos…

DeLeon Realty’s Most Significant Innovation Yet

We formed DeLeon Realty with the belief that there was a better way to sell real estate and, in doing so, a better way to build a real estate company. We have raised the client experience through offering significantly elevated marketing for our listings; employing exceptionally well-educated and well-trained agents

Color Trends 2017

By Lauryn Varnum | Interior Designer Every year, new trends emerge for color schemes in home design. The majority of previously popular schemes have included muted palettes with soothing, understated colors, such as cool greys, mossy hues, slate,…

Stanford University: Housing, History, and Architecture

  Stanford University is one of the largest employers in Silicon Valley, with over 12,000 faculty and staff members. There are also 1,600 faculty physicians and more than 1,100 residents and fellows working for Stanford Medicine (including…

Our Most Significant Innovation Yet

For far too long, the highly profitable real estate industry in Silicon Valley has remained riddled with controversy. Despite our booming market and cutting-edge environment, the outdated system frequently traps both buyers and sellers, forcing…