The Westside Los Angeles neighborhoods where home values jumped the most this year.


A few Westside Los Angeles neighborhoods saw values climb over the past year:
South Santa Monica: up 23.2%, from $1.79M to $2.2M.
Westwood: up 12.5%, from $1.6M to $1.8M.
Rancho Park: up 8.4%, from $1.62M to $1.76M.
Mar Vista: up 8.2%, from $1.94M to $2.1M.
Figures are based on both condos and single-family homes.

If you’re buying, getting in before an area peaks is how you build equity. If you’re selling, this is your window.

But numbers are only half the story. The best part of living here is everything beyond the front door: where to eat, shop, and spend a weekend. My Local Los Angeles Guide covers favorites all across the city, not just the Westside. 

Why South Santa Monica moved so much.
Two things are happening at once. Part of it is real demand. South of Montana, including Sunset Park and Ocean Park, is the more attainable way into Santa Monica. Buyers priced out of North of Montana, where single family homes run well above $5M, look in this pocket. It is beach-close, walkable, and inventory is tight. Competition pushes prices up.
Part of it is sales mix. This is a smaller area. A handful of high-end or newly renovated closings can pull the median up sharply in a single quarter.

So I would call it a strong year for the area, not a promise that every home rose 23%. The exact percentage is amplified by which homes happened to sell.

Why Westwood outpaced other Westside areas.
Westwood is a relative value neighborhood as well as also steady end user and investor demand from UCLA, the medical center, and nearby job centers including Century City.

Why Rancho Park outpaced other Westside areas.
Same story of relative value. When the prime Westside gets pricey, buyers look to the adjacent pockets that still offer a way in. Rancho Park is one

— Leah Guerra, your Brentwood, Los Angeles real estate agent, sharing the best homes, neighborhoods, and local living on the Westside of Los Angeles.
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