Los Angeles New Condos

What are new condos in Los Angeles?

New condos in Los Angeles are recently built attached homes sold as individual units inside a common interest development, concentrated in the city’s densest, transit-served corridors. The category covers ground-up towers Downtown and in Century City, mid-rise buildings in Koreatown and along Wilshire, and seven-story infill projects replacing older apartment stock. What links them is not architecture. It is the fact that the building, its systems, and its homeowners association are all new at the same time.

The value proposition is straightforward. You get contemporary layouts, current-code seismic and fire systems, modern electrical and plumbing, energy performance older LA stock cannot match, and statutory builder warranties resale buyers do not receive. You also get an association with no maintenance history, a reserve fund that starts at zero, and a developer who controls the board until enough units close. Both halves of that trade are real, and a buyer who only hears the first half is going to be surprised in year three.

Browse the current new condo listings below, or contact The Knight Group and we will pull the specific building’s public report, budget, and reserve study before you write an offer.

What actually counts as a new construction condo?

Buyers use “new” for three different things. True pre-construction means buying from renderings and a price sheet, with delivery as a projection. Standing inventory means a completed building that has not sold out, where the developer is still the seller. A first-generation resale is a unit in a recently finished building being sold by its original owner.

Only the first two are developer sales, and that distinction matters more than the marketing does. In a developer sale you buy under a subdivision public report, and California’s statutory construction warranties run from that first sale. In a first-generation resale you are buying a used home from a private party, and the remaining warranty period is whatever is left on the original clock.

Which Los Angeles neighborhoods have the most new condo development?

Downtown carries the largest concentration of for-sale high-rise product. Century City is the highest-priced cluster. Koreatown holds the highest-volume mid-rise pipeline, with Hollywood, the Arts District, and the Wilshire corridor accounting for most of the remainder inside city limits. New condo supply here follows two things: land that permits vertical density, and proximity to rail.

That is not an accident of taste. The city’s Transit Oriented Communities Incentive Program, created under the voter-approved Measure JJJ, offers developers density bonuses ranging from roughly 20 percent to 80 percent above base zoning in exchange for setting aside income-restricted units, and it applies within a half mile of a major transit stop. Per Los Angeles City Planning, the incentive area around each qualifying stop is tiered at 750, 1,500, and 2,640 feet, with the strongest incentives closest in. Draw those circles on a map of LA and you have drawn a map of where new attached housing gets built.

Koreatown illustrates the pattern. Neighborhoods.com has reported the neighborhood’s density at roughly 42,000 people per square mile, with projects like Mariposa and Fedora I from developer Fedora Bliss, LLC: two adjacent seven-story buildings totaling roughly 170 condominiums, replacing older apartments. That is the shape of most new LA condo supply outside the towers.

Which new and newer condo buildings should you know?

Downtown’s for-sale towers are the reference points. Perla on Broadway at 400 South Broadway is a 35-story building with 450 condominiums above roughly 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, with published unit sizes running from about 466 to 1,067 square feet, which tells you it was designed for one- and two-bedroom buyers rather than families. TEN50 at 1050 South Grand Avenue was completed in 2016 with 151 condominiums, a pool, screening room, and fitness center. The Metropolis development on Francisco Street is the largest of the group: the roughly $1 billion project delivered two residential towers in 2017 and 2018 along with a hotel, and its condominium component, the 56-story Thea tower, was planned at about 650 units. Scale changes the ownership math, spreading fixed costs across far more owners while running a far more complex operation.

In Century City, the Fairmont Century Plaza Residences at 2025 Avenue of the Stars is the benchmark. The 46-story building holds 363 residences designed by Yabu Pushelberg, with living areas running from roughly 776 to 2,452 square feet, plus a separate pool of hotel-branded units offered for lease with minimum stays. Owners have access to the adjacent Fairmont hotel’s services. Nearby, Century City Center is a 37-story, 730,000-square-foot office tower completing in 2026 that will house Creative Artists Agency: not residential, but a signal about where daytime demand in that submarket is heading.

The Arts District pipeline is thinner on for-sale product, and much of what has been delivered there is rental. For the full picture of what is on the market citywide, start at our Los Angeles region pages and work down into the neighborhood you are targeting.

What do new Los Angeles condos cost?

Price depends almost entirely on submarket, and the spread is wide. Norada Real Estate reported the Los Angeles metro area median home price at $860,000 as of April 2026, up 1.2 percent year over year, which anchors the region but sits well below what new tower product commands. A mid-2026 Redfin snapshot of Century City condominium listings showed a median list price around $1.64 million across 46 active listings. In neighboring West Hollywood, which is its own incorporated city, the Barrentine Group reported a 2026 median condo list price near $949,000.

Treat those as orientation, not valuation. New construction pricing is set by the developer against an absorption schedule rather than by comparable sales, which means a building can hold list prices while the surrounding resale market softens. Concessions in a slow release phase show up as closing cost credits, paid HOA dues, or upgrade allowances rather than headline price cuts, and they run larger than buyers assume on the units hardest to move: low floors, poor exposures, and plans next to elevator or trash rooms.

How do HOA dues and reserves work in a brand new building?

This is where new construction diverges most sharply from resale, and it is the most common source of buyer regret. In a new project the association has no operating history. The first-year budget is a projection prepared by the developer and reviewed by the California Department of Real Estate, which examines it to confirm the association will be financially solvent during its first year. That review is real, but it is a review of a forecast.

Two things routinely go wrong. Insurance renews above the projection, and reserve contributions prove too low once the building’s actual maintenance profile emerges. JDJ Consulting has reported typical Los Angeles condominium and townhome HOA fees in the range of roughly $340 to $388 per month as of 2025, close to double the California median it cites at about $278, and e360 Insurance has put Los Angeles HOA master policies at roughly $2,000 to $12,000 per year depending on building size, coverage, and location. When a master policy renews sharply higher, the gap comes out of owners’ pockets through a dues increase or a special assessment.

Ask three questions before you commit. What does the budget assume for insurance, and when does the master policy renew? What share of assessment income goes to reserves? When does developer control of the board end? A thin first-year reserve line is not disqualifying, but you should price it in.

What warranty protection comes with a newly built condo?

California’s Right to Repair Act, enacted as SB 800 and codified at Civil Code section 895 and following, applies to new residential construction including condominiums and common interest developments sold on or after January 1, 2003. It sets performance standards and attaches time limits measured from the date the home is first sold new.

The headline period is ten years for structural defects, meaning failures in load-bearing portions that compromise structural support and safety. Below that sit shorter windows: roughly five years for how paints and stains perform against building surfaces, and roughly four years for plumbing and sewer systems, electrical systems, and walkways and driveways. Those are statutory floors, and a developer may add an express warranty on top of them.

The Act also imposes a pre-litigation process. Before an owner or an association can sue over a covered defect, the builder generally gets notice and an opportunity to inspect and repair. The practical takeaway: document defects in writing early, keep the punch list correspondence, and do not let a warranty window close while you wait for a callback.

How does financing a new condo work, and what changed in 2026?

Condo financing got materially stricter this year. For conventional conforming applications dated on or after August 3, 2026, Fannie Mae’s Limited Review and Freddie Mac’s Streamlined Review pathways are permanently retired. Projects that previously qualified for a lighter look now require a Full Review or, where eligible, a waiver of project review. Full Review means the lender examines the HOA budget, reserve study, board minutes, special assessments, insurance evidence, and any sign of critical repairs.

Two related requirements matter. Effective August 3, 2026, the reserve study must be completed within the previous 36 months of the lender’s project review date and must follow the highest funding level the study recommends, per Fannie Mae Lender Letter LL-2026-03 and the corresponding Freddie Mac bulletin. And as of January 4, 2027, the minimum reserve allocation on Full Review files rises from 10 percent to 15 percent of annual budgeted assessment income.

The building’s paperwork now underwrites alongside you. A project can be well located and correctly priced and still fail project review because a reserve study is stale or an insurance certificate falls short. Get the project reviewed before you remove your loan contingency, and ask which lenders are already approved on the building.

What paperwork should you read before signing?

In a developer sale, the controlling document is the subdivision public report issued by the California Department of Real Estate. State law requires a subdivider to provide that report to a prospective buyer before the buyer becomes obligated to purchase, and to any prospective purchaser who asks for it. The report discloses the covenants, conditions and restrictions governing use of the property, the costs and assessments that fund the association and common areas, and other material disclosures.

Read four things closely. The CC&Rs, which define rental restrictions, pet rules, and what you may change inside your own walls. The first-year budget, which sets the number your dues get measured against. The reserve study, the closest thing you have to a forecast of future special assessments. And any phasing disclosure, meaning whether more buildings or units will be annexed into your association later, which changes both your vote share and your cost share.

Does Measure ULA apply when you sell a Los Angeles condo?

Yes, if the property sits inside the City of Los Angeles and the price clears the threshold. Measure ULA is a real property transfer tax administered by the Los Angeles Office of Finance, and it applies to single family homes, condominiums, and commercial property alike. For transactions closing after June 30, 2026, the thresholds are $5,400,000 and $10,900,000. Sales above $5.4 million and below $10.9 million are assessed at 4 percent, and sales at or above $10.9 million are assessed at 5.5 percent.

Two details cost sellers money when missed. The tax is calculated on the gross sale price, not on gain and not on equity, so a leveraged seller can owe ULA on a transaction that produces little cash. And it is a threshold tax, so clearing the line by a small amount can cost far more than staying below it. That matters at the top of the Century City and Downtown penthouse market and almost nowhere else in this category. ULA is also a City of Los Angeles measure: West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Culver City set their own transfer tax rules.

How is new transit changing where condos get built?

The Metro D Line extension is the most consequential infrastructure change on the Westside in decades. Section 1 opened for regular service on May 8, 2026, adding stations at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax, and Wilshire/La Cienega and extending the line roughly four miles west from Wilshire/Western in Koreatown through Hancock Park, the Fairfax District, and Carthay. Metro has described the ride from Union Station to the new western terminus as roughly 20 minutes without a transfer.

Two more phases are planned. Section 2, adding Beverly Hills and Century City stations, is tentatively set for spring 2027, and Section 3, reaching UCLA and the VA hospital, is tentatively planned for fall 2027. Because the Transit Oriented Communities incentives key off proximity to major transit stops, each opening unlocks development capacity within a half mile of the new stations.

Sites near stations already open trade on delivered value. Sites near stations not yet open trade on projected value, and projected value is where timelines slip. If a building’s pitch depends on a station still under construction, verify the schedule with Metro rather than with the sales center.

What ongoing obligations do Los Angeles condo owners face?

Beyond dues, the association carries statutory duties that eventually reach owners’ wallets. SB 326, codified at Civil Code section 5551 within the Davis-Stirling Act, requires condominium associations to inspect exterior elevated elements: balconies, decks, stairways, walkways, and railings whose load-bearing components are substantially supported by wood. The first inspection deadline was January 1, 2025, and the cycle repeats every nine years, with the report presented at an open board meeting and a summary sent to owners afterward.

For a genuinely new building this is a future obligation, but it belongs in your underwriting because it sets a recurring, non-optional capital event on a nine-year clock. Buildings with extensive wood-framed balconies carry more of this exposure than concrete-and-steel towers do. Ask which construction type you are buying into, and whether the reserve study accounts for the cycle.

Is new construction actually a better buy than resale?

Sometimes. New construction wins on systems, warranty coverage, insurability, and energy performance. Resale wins on price per square foot, transparency, and negotiating leverage, because a ten-year-old building has a documented dues history, a real reserve balance, minutes you can read, and neighbors you can talk to. Older buildings in prime LA locations also tend to have larger floor plans than the compact units that dominate recent tower construction.

The honest framing: new construction moves the unknowns from the physical building to the association. You trade roof and plumbing risk for governance and budget risk. Which trade is right depends on how long you plan to hold and how much tolerance you have for a dues line that can move.

Frequently asked questions about new condos in Los Angeles

Can I negotiate on a new construction condo?

Often, though rarely on the list price itself. Developers protect headline pricing because recorded sale prices set the comparable values for the rest of the building. Concessions show up instead as closing cost credits, a period of paid HOA dues, upgrade allowances, or parking and storage at no charge. Ask what has already been given to earlier buyers in the release.

How long do builder warranties last in California?

Under the Right to Repair Act, structural components carry a ten-year period measured from the first sale of the home when new. Shorter statutory periods apply elsewhere, including roughly five years for paint and stain performance and roughly four years for plumbing, electrical, and walkways and driveways. Any express developer warranty sits on top of those standards.

Are HOA dues in a new building lower than in an older one?

Not reliably. New buildings often carry more amenities, and amenities cost money to staff and maintain. What is more common is that first-year dues are set against a projection that later proves optimistic, particularly on insurance. Compare the budget’s insurance and reserve lines against comparable buildings rather than comparing the dues figure alone.

Will a new condo qualify for a conventional loan?

Most do, but the review is stricter than it was. Since August 3, 2026, conventional conforming applications require a Full Review or an eligible waiver, and the lender will examine the budget, reserve study, minutes, insurance, and special assessments. Confirm project eligibility with your lender before removing the loan contingency.

Does Measure ULA apply to my condo purchase?

ULA is paid on the transfer, and it applies to property inside the City of Los Angeles at or above the thresholds. For closings after June 30, 2026 those thresholds are $5.4 million and $10.9 million, at rates of 4 percent and 5.5 percent. Most new condo transactions in Los Angeles fall well below that line. Penthouse and large-format units in the top towers are the exception.

Do new Los Angeles condos allow short-term rentals?

Usually not, and you should assume restriction until the documents say otherwise. Rental rules live in the CC&Rs and are also constrained by the City of Los Angeles home-sharing ordinance. If rental flexibility is part of your reason for buying, read the CC&Rs before you sign anything, not during escrow.

How does The Knight Group work in this market?

We underwrite the association before we underwrite the unit. That means pulling the subdivision public report, the first-year budget, the reserve study, the master insurance certificate, and any board minutes, then reading them against the price of the unit you want. On a new building, those documents predict your carrying cost more accurately than the price sheet does.

We also work the developer side directly. Release schedules, unsold inventory, and concession history are not published, and they are the leverage points in a new construction negotiation. Knowing which plans have sat and which release phase a developer needs to clear is worth more than a general market opinion.

If you are comparing buildings across Downtown, Century City, Koreatown, and the Wilshire corridor, we will put the real numbers side by side: price per square foot, dues per square foot, reserve funding, warranty status, and financing path. Browse the listings below, then reach out to The Knight Group and we will tell you which of them survives the paperwork.