Publication date: June 9

In our fourth weekly report, we will cover market activity (listings, sales, and other activity in the central Palisades burn area land market) that occurred from the date of our last letter on May 26 through June 9. We apologize that there was no weekly report on June 2, as we have been incredibly busy keeping up with market activity. We make this information available to current owners, brokers, and prospective sellers as a way to increase transparency and efficiency in the local market, with the goal of helping to facilitate the recovery of the entire Palisades. We are not brokers, and our valuations and insights are not intended to convince any party to buy, sell, build, or hold any property.

(Our valuation model is built on 20+ separate factors and is based on publicly available data combined with AI and machine learning. We use the model to calculate values for owners and brokers, as well as to determine whether a particular property for sale is overpriced, underpriced, or fairly priced. We create a high-level valuation estimate for no charge, while our deeper dives and other services are available for a fee.  Please reach out to us or visit www.merkletree.llc for more information. See footnotes for information regarding third party data.

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The period from May 26 through June 9 saw just 6 sales, though there are up to a dozen more listed as pending. These sales averaged $2.3MM, or $296/sf. 

During this period (May 26-June 9), there were 26 new listings, at an average price of $2.89MM and $306/sf. The reason for the skew is a handful of very pricey view listings, which tended to be well in excess of the overall Palisades average price per foot of $292 (weighted).  

As of today (June 9), there are 179 properties for sale in the burn zone that we cover (ex-outer Highlands and no Topanga or Malibu), including 4 properties that were listed today (Note: we do not count re-listed properties as new on the market – even if the websites are “gamed” that way).  

As in our last report, Compass is the leading brokerage firm, with 57 listings (2 new, meaning under 7 days or less on the market), followed by Berkshire Hathaway with 27 (1 new), Coldwell Banker with 24 (no new), and the Agency with 17 (1 new). Carolwood is noteworthy, as they are tied for first with 4 new listings of the 8 total they have on the market. Note: These are all on the listing-side; we do not yet track buy-side brokers. 

New listings slowed in May, with just 67 new properties in our zone. June has been slow so far, with a total of 21 listings.

Publication date: May 26, 2025

In our third weekly report, we highlight listings, sales, and other activity in the central Palisades burn area land market (see map below). We make this information available to current owners, brokers, and prospective sellers as a way to increase transparency and efficiency in the local market, with the goal of helping to facilitate the recovery of the entire Palisades. We are not brokers, and our valuations and insights are not intended to convince any party to buy, sell, build, or hold any property.

(Our valuation model is built on 20+ separate factors and is based on publicly available data combined with AI and machine learning. We use the model to calculate values for owners and brokers, as well as to determine whether a particular property for sale is overpriced, underpriced, or fairly priced. We create a high-level valuation estimate for no charge, while our deeper dives and other services are available for a fee.  Please reach out to us or visit www.merkletree.llcfor more information. See footnotes for information regarding third party data.

As of May 26, there have been 56 confirmed public sales of burnt-R1 lots since January 15. This does not include private deals or transfers, or deals in Malibu, Topanga or the upper Highlands.

As of today (May 26), there are 187 properties for sale, or about 180 if we take out the upper Highlands and non-fire lot properties.

As in our last report, Compass is the leading brokerage firm, with 57 listings (7 new), followed by Berkshire Hathaway with 28 (1 new), Coldwell Banker with 24, and the Agency with 16 (all on the listing-side; we do not yet track buy-side brokers). 

New listings peaked in April, with 74 properties hitting the market during the month, the highest rate of new listings this year. For perspective, March had 63 new listings, and February (staring mid-month), had just 14 new listings. From May 1 through the 19th, about 43 properties have been listed, so there’s still time to approach the April high. 

The average time on market is roughly 48 days (up from 42) for all properties, and 33 days for SOLD properties. Properties in the Huntington sold in 26 days, the fastest of all the neighborhoods, while those in the Alphabets took an average of 10 days longer than average to sell. The oldest listings are (on average) in the Alphabets, though the Highlands and Castellammare are slightly longer but out of our central coverage zone.

The average price for a listed property (ex-Huntington*) since January 15 is $2.55MM, with an average asking price per square foot of land of $310/psf (up from $304). That number is lower if we remove the dozen or so Huntington properties, making the average asking price $2.45MM and $286/psf (up from $279/psf). 

The asking prices for properties currently on the market (on a per foot basis) are as follows: (arrows indicate change from last week) (SEE CHART)    >>>