City of Los Angeles

The City of Los Angeles is a 470-square-mile patchwork of neighborhoods, and most of them are a different market from the one next door. Gary Jacobs works the parts of the city that connect naturally to the Conejo Valley and the 101 corridor: the San Fernando Valley, from Woodland Hills and Encino out to Porter Ranch and Sylmar; the Westside, from Pacific Palisades and Brentwood down through Westwood, Venice and Playa Vista; and Hollywood and the hills, including the Hollywood Hills, Beverly Crest, Beverly Grove and the historic districts around Fairfax and Carthay. Every area below has its own guide with live listings and nightly MLS numbers, and the home search on this site covers the entire city and beyond.

Market Snapshot

Live MLS numbers for the entire City of Los Angeles, inside the city limits only (Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Culver City, Burbank and Glendale are their own cities and have their own pages). Houses, condos and townhomes, refreshed every night.

How the city breaks down

The Valley

North of the Santa Monica Mountains, the San Fernando Valley is where most of the city's single-family homes sit. South of Ventura Boulevard (Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Studio City) is the hillside, higher-priced tier; the west and north Valley (West Hills, Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Northridge, Granada Hills) tends to offer bigger lots and newer tracts; and the central and east Valley is where buyers often find the most house for the money inside city limits. Burbank, Glendale and San Fernando are independent cities in the same valley and are covered on the San Fernando Valley guide.

The Westside

Between the 405 and the ocean, the Westside is the city's estate and coastal market: Pacific Palisades, Brentwood and Bel Air in the hills; Westwood and Century City around UCLA and the office towers; Venice and Playa del Rey on the sand; and Mar Vista, Palms, Del Rey and Playa Vista, which have become the home of Silicon Beach. Santa Monica and Culver City are separate cities surrounded by it, and Marina del Rey is unincorporated county, so they are covered on the Westside guide rather than counted in the city numbers above.

Hollywood and the hills

The Hollywood Hills and Hollywood Hills West run along Mulholland between the Valley and the basin, with view homes and canyon streets that attract buyers from both sides of the hill. Below them, Hollywood, Beverly Grove, Fairfax, Carthay and Pico-Robertson are the walkable, mostly pre-war neighborhoods wrapped around Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, which are their own cities. See the Beverly Hills & Hollywood guide for the full set.

Moving to Los Angeles

Which part of the city fits you?

For space and a yard inside city limits: the west Valley (Woodland Hills, West Hills, Porter Ranch, Granada Hills). For hillside and view homes with a quick drive to the Westside or studios: Encino, Sherman Oaks, Studio City and the Hollywood Hills. For the beach and walkability: Venice and Playa del Rey. For estates: Bel Air, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades. For newer construction near tech employers: Playa Vista, Del Rey and Mar Vista.

Why work the city from the Conejo Valley?

Many of Gary's clients move along the 101: families trading a Valley or Westside home for more room in Westlake Village, Agoura Hills or Thousand Oaks, and empty-nesters or commuters going the other direction. Knowing both ends of that move, and how the two markets price against each other, is often the difference between a smooth trade and a stalled one. Gary and Lisa can list the city home and find the Conejo one as a single, coordinated plan.

Common questions about buying in the City of Los Angeles

Is the Valley part of the City of Los Angeles?

Mostly, yes. Woodland Hills, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Northridge, Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Sylmar and the other Valley neighborhoods listed above are all inside the city limits. Burbank, Glendale, San Fernando, Calabasas and Hidden Hills are separate cities.

Does the City of Los Angeles have a transfer tax?

Yes. The city charges its own documentary transfer tax on top of the county's, and since 2023 sales above a threshold (adjusted each year) pay an additional "Measure ULA" tax of several percent. It is usually paid by the seller and can change the math on a higher-priced sale, so Gary runs the numbers before a listing goes live.

What does the Market Snapshot above cover?

Every house, condo and townhome listed in the MLS inside the City of Los Angeles boundary, from the Valley to the Westside to the Eastside. It leaves out the independent cities inside and around L.A. so the numbers reflect the city itself.

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