Parkmead, Walnut Creek

Parkmead sits southwest of downtown Walnut Creek, near South Main Street. Downtown is a few minutes away, and Shell Ridge Open Space and the Iron Horse Regional Trail are close by. According to the Parkmead Community Association, the neighborhood is split between Walnut Creek and unincorporated Contra Costa County, so it is worth checking whether a given address is inside city limits.

At a glance: In the 12 months through September 2026, the median sale price of a single-family home in Parkmead was $1,475,000, across 19 sales. Homes sold for about 102.4% of their list price, and the middle sale took 10 days on the market.

Mostly single-story California ranch homes from the 1950s, with some from the late 1940s and later decades. Lots tend to have front yards and mature trees. Many homes have been remodeled and expanded over the years, and some original homes have been replaced with newer, larger ones.

What should you look for in a Parkmead home? Homes from the late 1940s and 1950s are now old enough that the basics deserve a close look. Check the electrical panel and wiring, the original plumbing, the roof, and the foundation. Ask about past additions and whether they had permits, and confirm which agency issued them, since the City handles permits inside city limits and the county handles them in the unincorporated part. There's no ordinance requiring a sewer lateral certificate in Walnut Creek, however a sewer lateral inspection is recommended.

Yes. The Parkmead Community Association is a voluntary membership group with small annual dues and a board elected each year from seven districts across the neighborhood. It sponsors a neighborhood-wide garage sale, a summer block party, a chili cook-off, and an Earth Day cleanup, and it works on neighborhood projects. There are no mandatory HOA dues for belonging to Parkmead.

Shell Ridge Open Space, part of the city's protected ridgelines, has miles of trails. The paved Iron Horse Regional Trail runs through Walnut Creek for running and biking. Downtown Walnut Creek, with Broadway Plaza, the Lesher Center for the Arts, and a Sunday farmers market on Locust Street, is a few minutes north. For young athletes, the city's club programs are close by, from Walnut Creek Little League baseball and softball to club soccer and the swim clubs at Heather Farm Park.

Walnut Creek has no extra city transfer tax, only Contra Costa County's, and the same county tax applies in the unincorporated part of Parkmead. There's no ordinance requiring a sewer lateral certificate in Walnut Creek, however a sewer lateral inspection is recommended. Most of Walnut Creek is not in a state fire hazard severity zone, but it is worth checking the address; a home in a High zone adds a routine defensible space inspection at sale. My Walnut Creek home selling page explains the steps.

Homeowners move on for all kinds of reasons including (but not limited to): upsizing to a second or third home, divorce, relocating for work, or the passing of a family member.

Tanja Odzak is a Top East Bay Realtor with eXp Realty, helping buyers and sellers in Walnut Creek and across the East Bay. Parkmead is a neighborhood of about 620 homes southwest of downtown Walnut Creek, most of them single-story ranch houses built in the 1950s. It is one of the city's earlier postwar neighborhoods, with homes going back to the late 1940s, and it has an active, volunteer-run community association. Parkmead Elementary School, which shares its name, is on Magnolia Way.