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Malibu is 21 miles of coastline and the canyons above it, and a house on Carbon Beach has almost nothing in common with one on a Point Dume bluff or up Latigo Canyon. Since the January 2025 Palisades Fire, the questions buyers bring are also different: what burned, what can be rebuilt, and how long permits take.
Gary Jacobs sorts Malibu property by stretch of coast and by permit status, so the comparisons are fair.
Nearly all of this coast was once the Rindge family's Rancho Malibu. May Rindge fought for years to keep the railroad and the public road off the ranch, and only in the 1920s did she open land to development, leasing lots that became Malibu Colony to Hollywood names. Residents incorporated the city in 1991, largely to take local control of growth, and drew the boundary to leave Pepperdine out. The result is a long, thin city with no real downtown: the Civic Center and Cross Creek near the lagoon, beach communities strung along PCH from Topanga Beach to Leo Carrillo, and neighborhoods on the bluffs and up the canyons.
The housing follows the land. Beachfront rows like Carbon Beach, Malibu Road, the Colony and Broad Beach sit on narrow lots against the sand; Point Dume, Malibu Park and Malibu West spread out on the western mesas; Serra Retreat, Malibu Knolls and the canyon roads trade ocean frontage for privacy and acreage. Much of the city depends on septic systems, and permitting runs through a certified coastal program. Fire is part of the history. The 2018 Woolsey Fire destroyed hundreds of homes, mostly in western and central Malibu, and the 2025 Palisades Fire took hundreds more in the east, from Big Rock and Carbon Mesa to La Costa and the beach rows along PCH. Rebuilding is under way but has been slower than in flatter neighborhoods inland.
Market Snapshot
Live MLS numbers for Malibu, refreshed every night. The Free Market Report box lower on the page uses the same figures.
Homes, townhomes and condos (no rentals) from the MLS. These numbers refresh every night as listings go active, pending or sold. Last updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:02 pm.
Absorption rate shows how fast homes are selling. It takes the homes for sale today and divides them by the number of homes that sold per month over the last 12 months.
The answer is how many months it would take to sell every home on the market if no new listings came up. Under about 3 months usually means a seller’s market, 3 to 6 months is balanced, and over 6 months favors buyers.
Right now about 6% of the homes for sale in Malibu are selling each month.
See the full Malibu market report →
Based on 216 sales in the last 12 months. Charts cover the last 8 full quarters. Source: CSMAR MLS and its data-share MLSs. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Malibu is a 21-mile strip, and the neighborhoods along it differ more than the shared address suggests: beachfront colonies such as Malibu Colony and Broad Beach, bluff-top tracts at Point Dume, and canyon and hillside communities above Pacific Coast Highway. The areas mapped below each have their own guide with the homes for sale and sold inside the outline. Hover over or tap one to see its name, then tap again to open the guide.
Outlines follow the recorded tract maps in Los Angeles County assessor records and the community names agents use on MLS sales. They are approximate, not legal boundaries. Grey areas are neighboring communities; tap one to open its guide.
The worst damage was in eastern Malibu. City officials named Big Rock, Carbon Mesa and La Costa among the hardest-hit areas, and many beachfront homes along PCH between Las Flores and Topanga were lost. The December 2024 Franklin Fire, which started near Malibu Canyon Road, also destroyed a smaller number of structures. Western Malibu, including Point Dume and much of the Woolsey Fire area from 2018, was largely outside the 2025 burn. For a fuller picture, see the Malibu market after the 2025 fires.
Often, yes, but the timeline and cost depend on the lot. State law and the governor's 2025 executive orders eased coastal permitting for qualifying replacements that keep roughly the same use, location and size (the prior floor area, height and bulk plus about ten percent). Steep or bluff-top lots, shoreline protection, septic upgrades and geology can still add months. The city opened a Malibu Rebuild Center to guide owners, and permit rules have been changing, so check current requirements and any pending legislation before you close. More in buying and rebuilding after the fires.
Malibu has a certified Local Coastal Program, so the city issues most coastal development permits itself. The California Coastal Commission keeps appeal authority over certain projects, especially those near the shoreline, wetlands or sensitive habitat, and seawalls and bluff work get extra scrutiny. If you are planning to add on or rebuild, budget time for planning review before building permits.
Mostly not. Many Malibu homes rely on onsite wastewater treatment systems, and the city runs an operating permit program for them. A permit is required on a change of ownership, and a failing system found at inspection can require an upgrade, which can be expensive on a tight beach lot. The Civic Center area has a regional prohibition on new onsite disposal systems. A septic inspection by a city-registered practitioner is worth including in any escrow here.
Malibu's public schools are part of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District: Webster Elementary, Malibu Elementary on Point Dume, and Malibu High School (grades 6 to 12). The city has been working for years to form its own Malibu Unified, and in December 2025 the city and SMMUSD approved agreements on how to split, but state approval was still pending. Check the current status before counting on either district.
Beachfront homes such as Carbon Beach, the Colony and Broad Beach usually sit on narrow lots with direct sand access and face erosion, seawall and septic questions. Bluff neighborhoods like Point Dume and Malibu Park tend to have bigger lots and quieter streets with ocean views. Canyon homes trade frontage for land and privacy, with more fire exposure and longer drives. Our beachfront, bluff and canyon guide goes deeper.
PCH is the spine of Malibu and the main route to Santa Monica and the Westside, and it is prone to closures from fire, rockslides and storm damage. Malibu Canyon Road, Kanan Dume Road and Las Virgenes connect to the 101 in Calabasas and Agoura Hills. Where you live along the coast changes the drive a lot, so test the route at the hours you would use it.
Malibu comparables are tricky right now because a standing house, a fire-damaged house and a cleared lot with approved plans can sit side by side. Gary Jacobs can pull recent sales by stretch of coast and separate them by condition and permit status, whether you are buying or selling. Sellers can start with a home valuation.
The newest Malibu listings, straight from the MLS.
Active$3,295,0002315 Live Oak Meadows Road
Active$1,999,9991636 Decker Road
Active$3,495,00023813 Harbor Vista Drive
Active$14,203,40027212 Pacific Coast Highway
Active$8,650,0005637 Busch Drive
Active$45,000,0005878 Deerhead Road
Active$3,750,0006817 Seawatch Lane
Active$1,895,0004370 Hillview Drive
Active$16,995,00024230 Malibu RoadFree Market Report
Everything in the snapshot above, in far more detail: month-by-month prices, what sells at each price point, neighborhood-by-neighborhood numbers and who lives here. Homeowners also see recent sales of homes like theirs.
Homes for sale and closed sales (no rentals) from the MLS — CSMAR and its data-share MLSs. Updated Nov 3, 2026.
Full market report
Free, and it opens right away. No sign-in needed to read it.
Public and private schools that serve Malibu. Assignments go by exact address, so confirm with the district before you buy.
School assignments follow the street address, and districts adjust boundaries and offer transfers, so confirm the schools for a specific home with the district before you rely on them. Ratings and test scores open on GreatSchools.
Top-rated local spots in and around Malibu. Tap a category.
Ratings and details from Google. Refreshed monthly.
Read helpful resources and articles related to the area.
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Schedule a ConsultationThe information being provided by Conejo Simi Moorpark Association of REALTORS® (“CSMAR”) is for the visitor's personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties a visitor may be interested in purchasing or leasing.
Information relating to properties referenced on this web site may originate from the Internet Data Exchange (IDX) program of CSMAR. This web site may reference real estate listing(s) held by a brokerage firm other than the broker and/or agent who owns this web site.
Any information originating from CSMAR, relating to a property, regardless of source, including but not limited to square footages and lot sizes, is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be personally verified through personal inspection by and/or with the appropriate professionals.
Listing data originating from CSMAR is copyrighted by CSMAR and is protected by all applicable copyright laws. Any dissemination of this information is in violation of copyright laws and is strictly prohibited.
