Ocean view from a hilltop in Pacific Palisades

Pacific Palisades Real Estate Agent

A community rebuilding, and still one of the most sought-after stretches of the Los Angeles coast. For buyers navigating today's Palisades, from standing homes to lots.

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The Palisades Today

Buying in Pacific Palisades Now

In January 2025, the Palisades Fire reshaped this community, and buying here now means understanding a market unlike any other on the Westside. Whole streets are being rebuilt, land trades where homes once stood, and standing inventory is concentrated in the pockets the fire spared. What hasn't changed is why people want to be here: the setting between the Santa Monica Mountains and the sea, and a community determined to come back. Here's how the Palisades actually breaks down today.

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The Riviera: Largely Spared, and the Standing Inventory

On the eastern edge near the Riviera Country Club, this is the Palisades' most prestigious address, and the fire never physically reached it. That makes the Riviera the main concentration of standing homes in the neighborhood: large lots, established estates, and the closest thing to a conventional purchase you'll find here right now.

Coastal palm against the Pacific Palisades sky

Santa Monica Canyon: Historic and Intact

Tucked along Chautauqua at the neighborhood's southeast corner, Santa Monica Canyon came through largely intact. It's historic, walkable toward the beach, and one of the more reliable places to find a standing home rather than a lot.

The Alphabet Streets: Hit Hardest, Rebuilding

The Palisades' oldest and most walkable pocket sits north of Sunset near the village. The fire hit here hardest, with close to 1,200 homes lost, and much of the area is now lots and active rebuilds. For a buyer, that means land and a long horizon rather than a move-in home.

The Huntington: A Patchwork

South of Sunset on the coastal bluffs, the Huntington is a flat, prestigious pocket that's walkable to the village. Damage was uneven: some streets were leveled while others closer to Chautauqua were spared, so inventory here is a patchwork of standing homes and lots, block by block.

Marquez Knolls: Views, Mostly Land

Mid-century homes with ocean views north of Sunset, Marquez Knolls was heavily affected, especially closer to Sunset. Rebuilding is underway, and buyers here are largely buying land and a view.

The Highlands: Gated, Mixed, Check the Fine Print

In the upper Santa Ynez Canyon at the north end, the gated Highlands communities mix condos and estates. This is where the fire began; survival was mixed across the sub-communities, and some carry Mello-Roos assessments worth confirming before you commit.

Castellammare: Ocean-View Hillside on the West Edge

On the western edge above Pacific Coast Highway, Castellammare is a hillside pocket of ocean-view homes with Italian street names. Damage was mixed, and it was among the first areas reopened to residents.

The Palisades Market

What a Buyer Should Know

Two Markets

Standing homes cluster in the spared pockets, mainly the Riviera and Santa Monica Canyon. Across the burn, the market is land and rebuilds.

Lots Have Their Own Math

A burned lot does not price like a house. Size, buildable pad, view, debris-clearance status, and permit progress drive the number.

Diligence Comes First

Insurance, clearance phases, and rebuild timelines shape every deal here. Know them going in, not after.

The right move depends on your goal, whether that's a standing home in a spared pocket or a lot to build on. Reach out and Maxine will walk you through current inventory and what each option really involves.

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Schools & Financials

District: Los Angeles Unified
Middle: Paul Revere Charter Middle
High School: Palisades Charter High

Two neighborhood elementary schools, Palisades Charter and Marquez Charter, were lost in the fire; students have relocated and rebuilds are underway. Palisades Charter High reopened on its main campus in early 2026. Confirm current school assignments before you buy.

Zip Code: 90272
County: Los Angeles
PCH: Reopened 2025

Property Tax Rate: ≈1.1–1.25% of value
Special Assessments: Mello-Roos in parts of the Highlands

The Setting

What Draws People Back

The Coast and Canyons

The reason people are rebuilding is the land itself. The bluffs over Will Rogers State Beach, the canyon trails at Temescal and Santa Ynez, and the ocean air are what they always were. Will Rogers State Historic Park has reopened, though its historic ranch house was lost. Temescal Gateway Park is open again, with some upper trails still closed.

The Village

The heart of the Palisades is coming back. Caruso's Palisades Village survived the fire and is reopening after an extensive restoration, anchoring the return of shops and dining along Sunset. The Getty Villa, on the neighborhood's southern edge, reopened in 2025.

The Community

What defines the Palisades now is the community's determination to return. Rebuild permits are moving, Pacific Coast Highway has reopened, and long-time residents are choosing to come back. At its core, it remains the kind of place where people put down roots.

Your Pacific Palisades Agent

Work with Maxine in Pacific Palisades

Buying in the Palisades right now takes a clear head: knowing which pockets still hold standing homes, how a burned lot is really priced, and what insurance and permits mean for your plans. Maxine Sarai represents buyers here with the legwork to find what actually fits, whether that's an intact home in the Riviera or a lot to build on.

You work with Maxine directly, from the first conversation through closing.

Work with Maxine