South of Ventura Boulevard, Encino climbs into the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, where gated estate streets like the Royal Oak Road corridor give this hillside section of Encino its reputation as one of the San Fernando Valley’s premier addresses.
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Homes south of Ventura Boulevard sit on sloped, cul-de-sac lots that commonly range from about half an acre to over an acre, often with long gated driveways and mature oak trees. The housing stock mixes upgraded mid-century ranch homes with large contemporary custom estates that can include tennis courts, guest houses, and multi-car garages (source: neighborhood market reporting). Many properties offer panoramic views over the Valley or into the Santa Monica Mountains, and the area sits close to Mulholland Drive and neighborhood hiking trails (source: neighborhood market reporting).
As of mid-June 2026, Encino citywide has a median sale price around $1,460,000, or about $669 per square foot, with a median list price around $1,950,000, or about $733 per square foot (source: Redfin). The hillside estate streets south of Ventura Boulevard represent the top end of Encino’s market, well above these citywide figures. CRMLS listing data shows active listings in Encino Hills (South of Ventura) running from $6,250,000 to $29,995,000, with a median list price of $10,122,250 (a sample of 24 of the 320 active listings as of August 29, 2026).
Homes in this area of Encino offer a combination of architectural character, established landscaping, and strong community identity that attracts buyers looking for something beyond a generic suburban tract. While the broader Encino market provides a range of options, this particular pocket has its own micro-market dynamics — often with faster absorption times and tighter inventory than comparable addresses across town.
gated communities south of Ventura typically carry HOA dues covering private road maintenance and security Buyers who prioritize privacy, outdoor space, and a neighbors-who-wave culture consistently point to neighborhoods like this one as undervalued relative to the broader San Fernando Valley market.
The homes in this area range from post-war single-family residences to updated modern builds, with many properties undergoing significant renovations over the past decade. Lot sizes are competitive for Los Angeles County standards. Most homes feature private outdoor space, attached garages, and mid-century design cues that have become increasingly sought-after in Southern California real estate.
Buyers with specific taste — whether for Spanish Colonial, Craftsman, or Contemporary — will find homes here that meet that brief. The range of price points within the community also means that entry-level buyers and move-up buyers often shop the same streets, which keeps demand diversified across market cycles.
This area of Encino has tracked alongside or above the broader San Fernando Valley appreciation curve over the past several years. Rental demand is also strong — single-family homes in Encino attract quality long-term tenants, making buy-and-hold strategies viable even with current interest rate environments. The Knight Group tracks off-market opportunities in this area specifically because they rarely generate open-offer situations and tend to close with less friction than listed properties.
South of Ventura Boulevard, Encino’s residential character shifts from the hillside estates and the commercial-adjacent condos of the northern section to a more conventional suburban single-family residential grid — the quiet, tree-lined streets of mid-century ranch homes that the working professional and the family residential buyer have consistently valued for the Encino address at the more accessible SFV price tier. The neighborhood’s streets are primarily residential with low through traffic, the lot sizes are conventional SFV R1 (6,000-9,000 sq ft), and the home inventory ranges from the original 1,200-1,800 sq ft ranch to the expanded and remodeled 2,400-3,500 sq ft family home that successive owners have built out over the decades of Encino’s residential evolution. The Ventura Boulevard commercial access is immediate — a one- to two-block walk for most addresses south of the boulevard — providing the walkable access to Encino’s restaurants, coffee shops, and services that the south-of-Ventura resident can access without a car for most daily needs. The Hayvenhurst Avenue corridor and the Balboa Boulevard commercial nodes provide the secondary commercial access that fills in the gaps between the major boulevard nodes.
One of the south-of-Ventura area’s less-discussed advantages is the straightforward access to the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area — the 2,000-acre public open space that sits immediately south of the US-101. The Encino Golf Course, the Balboa Golf Course, the Encino Park lake (duck pond and picnic grounds), the Balboa Sports Center (one of the Valley’s largest public athletic facilities, with tennis, swimming, and field sports), and the extensive jogging and cycling paths through the basin are accessible by bicycle or a short drive from the south-of-Ventura residential streets. This public recreation infrastructure distinguishes the Encino residential geography from comparable-quality SFV neighborhoods that lack immediate access to a major public park system.
Encino’s hillside sections south of Ventura Boulevard sit directly in the Santa Monica Mountains foothills, the part of the city most exposed to the roughly 175 properties citywide flagged with some wildfire risk over the next 30 years (source: Redfin climate data).
Hillside elevation can moderate some of the Valley heat compared to the flatlands below, though the area still sees the hot, dry summers and milder, occasionally rainy winters typical of the San Fernando Valley (source: Redfin climate data)
This section of Encino is reached via canyon roads climbing south from Ventura Boulevard, with Mulholland Drive running along the ridgeline above.
Homes here fall within the Los Angeles Unified School District, with Encino Charter Elementary, Portola Middle School, and Birmingham Community Charter High School commonly cited for this part of Encino.
Encino is part of the City of Los Angeles and is served by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) serves this area. Within the neighborhood’s draw zone, families typically access Encino Charter Elementary, Portola Middle, and Taft High. LAUSD and private school options are also available for families pursuing specialized programs in math, arts, or bilingual education. The availability of strong public schools at multiple grade levels is a consistent driver of demand in this area.
Residents commute primarily via Ventura Blvd, the 101 Freeway, and the 405, with typical drive times of 20–45 minutes to Century City, Westwood, and Burbank. For buyers who prioritize non-freeway alternatives, local surface streets and rideshare coverage are solid. Remote work has reduced the commute calculus for many buyers in this market, but access to major employment corridors still factors into pricing at the neighborhood level.
Day-to-day conveniences are handled by Ventura Blvd’s restaurant row and the Encino Town Center. Grocery options, pharmacies, fitness studios, and coffee shops are accessible without significant driving. The mix of national brands and local independents gives the area a lived-in feel that distinguishes it from purely commercial suburban centers.
Outdoor recreation centers on Balboa Park, the LA River Greenway, and the Santa Monica Mountains. Year-round outdoor activity is the norm in Southern California, and this neighborhood’s access to trails, parks, and recreational facilities is a meaningful part of the value proposition for active buyers. Nearby options expand the range further for buyers who prioritize specific activities like cycling, hiking, or swimming.
As of mid-June 2026, Encino’s citywide median sale price is around $1,460,000, up 2.9% year over year, with a median sale price per square foot of about $669, down slightly (-0.22%) year over year (source: Redfin). The gated estate streets south of Ventura Boulevard sit well above these citywide figures given their larger lots and custom homes.
Encino had about 286 homes on the market with 42 recently sold citywide, and homes typically going pending in around 62 days at about 98.8% of list price, with buyers averaging roughly one offer per home and a typical down payment around 40.6% (source: Redfin).
Citywide, Encino’s median sale price is up 2.9% year over year even as price per square foot has slipped slightly, suggesting larger or more updated homes are driving recent sales (source: Redfin). The large custom estates south of Ventura Boulevard are consistent with that larger-home trend pulling the citywide median upward.
Active listings in this area of Encino have been trading in the $1.1M–$4.5M range for single-family homes, depending on square footage, lot size, and renovation quality. The market is sensitive to condition: fully updated homes transact at the top of the range, while fixer-upper and dated inventory sits longer and tends to attract investor offers below list. Understanding this bifurcation is essential for buyers calibrating their search budget.
The buyer profile here skews toward entertainment professionals, upscale family buyers, and Valley-to-Westside commuters. Demand is rarely speculative — most buyers who commit to this neighborhood are making primary residence decisions tied to school zoning, commute routes, or lifestyle preferences that are not easily substituted elsewhere. This makes the market relatively resilient during broader downturns: demand does not evaporate, it waits.
Inventory has been tight relative to historical averages. Well-priced homes in move-in condition typically receive multiple offers within the first week. Overpriced or significantly deferred-maintenance properties sit considerably longer — sometimes through multiple price reductions — before finding a buyer. The Knight Group uses real-time MLS data to identify mispriced inventory and act before market corrections happen.
The price dynamics in this area are shaped by Encino’s Ventura Blvd adjacency and larger lots sustain pricing above surrounding Valley markets. Buyers who understand these local drivers are better positioned to make competitive offers and negotiate from strength. The Knight Group’s market intelligence extends beyond list prices and includes off-market sales, pending transactions, and expired listings that paint a more complete picture of true market value in this area.
Within the broader Encino market, individual micro-neighborhoods trade at meaningfully different price points depending on elevation, lot size, and proximity to Ventura Boulevard. The south-of-the-boulevard flat grid trades at the entry tier for Encino ($1.1M-$1.8M for single-family), while the hillside estates north of Ventura and the gated communities along Mulholland command $2.5M-$6M+. Condo and townhome product concentrated near Ventura Boulevard in the village and condo-heavy zones typically ranges $550K-$900K, providing the most accessible Encino ownership entry point. Days on market in Encino run shorter than the broader SFV average for well-priced inventory — the Encino premium relative to neighboring Sherman Oaks and Tarzana is driven primarily by the LAUSD Encino Charter Elementary boundary and the larger lot sizes that the hillside neighborhoods provide. For investment buyers, the multi-unit and duplex market along the Ventura corridor offers gross yields of 4.0-4.5% with the long-term appreciation that the 101 Freeway access and the Westside employment proximity sustains.
Gated estate streets, including the Royal Oak Road corridor, with lots commonly ranging from about half an acre to over an acre, mature oak trees, and a mix of upgraded mid-century ranch homes and large contemporary custom estates (source: neighborhood market reporting).
Encino’s citywide median sale price is around $1,460,000, or about $669 per square foot as of mid-June 2026 (source: Redfin). The hillside estate streets south of Ventura Boulevard represent the top end of Encino’s market, well above these figures.
Many of the larger custom estates include features like tennis courts, guest houses, and multi-car garages, along with panoramic views over the Valley or into the Santa Monica Mountains (source: neighborhood market reporting).
Encino Charter Elementary, Portola Middle School, and Birmingham Community Charter High School are commonly cited for this part of Encino, all part of LAUSD.
Competition varies significantly by price point and condition. Turnkey single-family homes in desirable pockets of Encino often attract multiple offers — particularly when listed under $1.1M. Fixer-uppers and properties with deferred maintenance see much softer competition. Working with an agent who has real-time visibility into days-on-market and offer-history data is critical to calibrating your bid strategy correctly.
Encino has demonstrated consistent appreciation over the past decade, supported by Encino’s Ventura Blvd adjacency and larger lots sustain pricing above surrounding Valley markets. While no market guarantees future returns, the fundamentals here — limited land supply, strong school performance, and proximity to employment — align with the characteristics that historically underpin sustained appreciation in Southern California. The Knight Group can provide a detailed appreciation analysis for specific streets or sub-neighborhoods on request.
A meaningful percentage of transactions in Encino — particularly in the upper price tiers — never hit the MLS. Sellers who want privacy, convenience, or to avoid the preparation costs of a listed sale often prefer a direct buyer introduction. The Knight Group maintains an active off-market network in Encino and can present qualified buyers to sellers before a property is listed. If your target property type is not available on-market, a conversation with our team about off-market options is worth having.
Encino contains multiple distinct micro-neighborhoods, each with its own character, price range, and amenity profile. The differences between a north-of-Ventura address and a south-of-Ventura address in this area, for example, can be meaningful in terms of pricing, lot size, and school assignment. The Knight Group provides neighborhood-level guidance — not just city-level — to ensure buyers understand exactly what they are buying into before making an offer.
Generally, Encino north of Ventura — particularly the hillside streets that climb toward Mulholland — commands a 20-40% premium over comparable south-of-Ventura properties due to views, larger lot sizes, and the estate character that the hillside terrain creates. South-of-Ventura Encino typically trades $1.1M-$1.9M for standard ranch homes, while north-of-Ventura hillside homes range $1.8M-$5M+ depending on view and lot. Both areas share the Encino Charter Elementary school boundary premium.
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