Our practice has shifted to real estate valuation and analysis for the Palisades area
The Alphabets
Updated June 4, 2025
Devastating. That's the only word that comes to mind when driving the grid of streets that we affectionately called the Alphabets.
Set in a pattern of streets that run from A (Albright) to M (Monument) the neighborhood is defined by Sunset to the South and West, and Bestor to the North, and Chautauqua to the East.
It is predominantly flat, and houses are typically on 6000-6500 sf rectangular lots. Above Bestor are a handful of streets in an area alternately called the "North Village" or "Upper Alphabets".
Homes typically ranged from 1800-2500 sf, with newer homes as large as 6500 sf. There are no pools in this part of the Palisades, and typically fairly small yards.
This pocket was truly the home of the Palisades starter homes (albeit $2MM+), and was a safe haven for young families, the elderly, strollers and joggers.
When that all changed in a manner of hours, the losses were stunning: 80% of homes, over 1,000 in all, were lost.
This loss has created an unprecedented real estate dislocation for the thousands of people that lived in the Alphabets and the Palisades.
Owners are left with the decision to rebuild, sell, or wait. This typically depends on insurance, mortgage debt (including HELOC's) and each family's particular situation.
At this moment, since January 15, there have been 50 or so listings in the Alphabets, with about a dozen sales. The chart below shows all the current (as of June 1) public listings in the Alphabets, as well as my notes regarding each of them.
We use a proprietary model (20+ factors +AI) to value each lot, and we combine this analysis with public sales. The majority of the information we use is from public sources such as Zimas, the Assessor's office, and other third party sites.
As always, we rely on third party data that we deem to be accurate, though we take no responsibility for any errors herein. Make sure to consult with your tax, legal, and real estate professional when considering buying or selling real estate.
The Market
So what's the deal?
All things considered, the Alphabets are an easy market to understand:
- The lots are fairly uniform
- The streets are very similar
- There are many comps from the pre-fire period and more are surfacing weekly
Here is generally where we land:
- Odd sides on N/S streets should trade better than evens
- 900/1000/1100 blocks should trade more frequently than 700/800 blocks.
- Blocks with more sales will trade better (rebuild momentum)
- Early listings (March1- April 15) did not have the benefit of comps that newer listings have - hence a handful of price reductions and/or stale listings (1159 Monument).
As of June 2, even-side (addresses) standard lots are $275-295/sf -- with odd sides $10-30 higher. Views in the Upper Alphabets (Mc Kendree) are not included in the above, but they are trading well over $350 and up to $450 psf.
If you are a broker, list within 10% and expect 45-60 days on standard lots. More are coming.
If you are a buyer, wait -- more lots will come and no one needs to time the bottom perfectly. There are plenty of generic options coming your way (again, views, corners, and other neighborhoods may provide exceptions to this rule).
Learn More
Owners: we are happy to provide valuation analysis with no obligation -- we are not brokers.
Buyers: If you would like us to run analysis on a property (or properties) you are considering buying, please reach out.
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