Brentwood’s median single-family sale closed at $4,357,500 over the last 90 days. The top quartile started at $7,775,000. Between those two numbers sits the $5M Measure ULA line, and it is quietly shaping how this market behaves.
Here is what the tape actually says.
What counts as a luxury home in Brentwood right now?
“Luxury” is a word people use instead of a number. So here is the number.
Across 56 single-family sales in 90049 that closed between July 17 and October 14, 2026, the median sale price was $4,357,500 and the median home was 3,292 square feet. The top quartile begins at $7,775,000. Within that band the median sale was $11,550,000.
Basis: CRMLS tape pulled 2026-10-17, zip 90049, status Sold, property subtype Single Family. n=56. Condominiums and townhouses excluded. Price-per-square-foot figures use the 53 of those 56 records carrying a verified square-footage value.
So the practical definition in this market: under $4.4M is the middle of Brentwood. Above $7.8M is the top quarter. The gap between them is wide enough that the two ends behave like different markets, and they price like it.
Which Brentwood pockets actually hold value?
Brentwood is not one market. It is a set of pockets with different supply, different lot geometry, and different buyers.
The canyon pockets trade on land and privacy. Sullivan Canyon is the clearest example: equestrian-adjacent, low turnover, and valued on parcel and seclusion more than finish level. Inventory there is thin by construction, which means a single listing can set the comp for a season.
The condominium stock is a separate conversation entirely. Montana Terrace and the buildings around San Vicente trade on walkability and building quality, and they do not track the single-family curve. A buyer comparing a canyon parcel to a Montana-corridor condominium is comparing two different assets that happen to share a zip code.
The flats between Sunset and San Vicente are where most of the volume sits, and where the median above actually lives.
If you are weighing pockets, start at the Brentwood overview and work down.
What does the current tape say about price per square foot?
Median price per square foot across those 53 sales was $1,350. The interquartile range ran from $1,098 at the 25th percentile to $1,613 at the 75th.
Inside the luxury band the median was $1,995 per square foot — roughly 48% above the overall median.
That spread matters more than the midpoint. A $500-per-foot range inside one zip code means per-square-foot is a weak pricing tool here unless it is matched on the things that actually drive it: lot size, street, view corridor, and whether the house is original or rebuilt. Quoting a single Brentwood per-foot number without those controls produces a confident figure that describes nothing.
One more number worth holding: median days on market was 17 across all 56 sales. Well-priced Brentwood inventory is not sitting.
What does Measure ULA take off the top at this price band?
This is the part that catches sellers.
Measure ULA applies 4% on transfers from $5M to $10M, and 5.5% above $10M. It is not a marginal rate. It applies to the entire sale price once the threshold is crossed, not just the portion above it. Thresholds are adjusted annually, so confirm the current figure before you model a net.
Run that against the Brentwood tape:
- The median sale at $4,357,500 sits below the line. No ULA.
- A sale at the 75th percentile, $7,775,000, carries roughly $311,000.
- The luxury-band median at $11,550,000 carries roughly $635,250.
Note where the median landed. Brentwood’s middle market closes just under the threshold. That is not a coincidence in a market where everyone pricing a home near $5M can do this arithmetic. A list price of $5,050,000 and a list price of $4,975,000 are separated by $75,000 of ask and roughly $202,000 of transfer tax.
If you are selling in that band, the question is not what the house is worth. It is what it nets.
What should a buyer check before writing an offer?
Three things, in order.
Fire hazard zone status, per address. Brentwood runs up against the Santa Monica Mountains, and zone designation drives insurability, which drives financing. We verify this per-address against the LA City ZIMAS record rather than relying on a general area map. The answer changes block to block.
Insurance before contingency removal, not after. A quote that arrives late is a renegotiation at best. In the hillside pockets it can be the deal.
What the parcel does, not what the house looks like. In the canyon pockets especially, buildable area, access and setback constraints carry more value than finish level. A renovated house on a compromised lot and an original house on a clean one can list within a few hundred thousand dollars of each other and be nothing alike.
The TKG read
Brentwood’s single-family median is $4,357,500 on $1,350 per square foot, moving in 17 days. The top quarter starts at $7,775,000 and prices near $2,000 per foot.
The structural fact underneath those numbers is the $5M ULA line. It sits between Brentwood’s median and its upper quartile, which means a large share of this market is pricing against a tax threshold rather than against comparable sales. Sellers who model their net before setting an ask make better decisions than sellers who model it after an offer arrives.
For buyers, the discipline is narrower: match comps on lot and street before square footage, verify the fire zone per address, and get the insurance answer early.
If you want the current pocket-level read on a specific Brentwood street — including what has not reached the MLS — that is the conversation to have before you are in escrow, not during.
Jason Knight · Compass · DRE# 02133297. Figures from a CRMLS tape pulled 2026-10-17 covering sales closed 2026-07-17 through 2026-10-14; zip 90049, single-family, n=56. Market data is a snapshot and moves. Nothing here is tax or legal advice — confirm current ULA thresholds and your own net with your tax professional.
Frequently asked questions
What do luxury homes in Brentwood, Los Angeles cost?
Across 56 single-family sales in 90049 closing July 17 to October 14, 2026, the median was $4,357,500. The top quartile started at $7,775,000, with a median of $11,550,000 inside that band and roughly $1,995 per square foot. Condominiums price on a separate curve and are excluded from those figures.
When does Measure ULA apply to a Brentwood sale?
ULA applies at 4% on transfers from $5M to $10M and 5.5% above $10M, assessed on the entire sale price rather than only the amount above the threshold. Brentwood’s single-family median currently closes below that line; the upper quartile sits well above it. Thresholds adjust annually, so confirm the current figure with your tax professional before modeling a net.
How do you find off-market and pocket listings in Brentwood?
Pre-market inventory moves through agent relationships and brokerage channels before it reaches the MLS, which means access depends on who is actively working the pocket rather than on any public search. In the thin-supply canyon pockets this is a larger share of real activity than the public count suggests.
FAQ sources: question 1 from Google related searches for “luxury homes in brentwood los angeles price” (SERP-derived, sampled 2026-11-02); question 2 from the AI fanout “Los Angeles mansion tax Measure ULA 2026 threshold rate” (5 occurrences, Omni Presence, 94-day window); question 3 from the AI fanouts “best real estate agent in Brentwood for pocket listings” and “top luxury real estate agent Brentwood Los Angeles off-market listings” (5 occurrences each).