Brentwood
The Story of Brentwood
Brentwood sits between Santa Monica and the 405. It climbs from the flat blocks south of San Vicente up into the canyons below Mulholland. It grew from the early 1900s onward as a residential retreat. Then Brentwood Park, laid out in 1906, still has the landscaped traffic circles and winding streets its planners designed to slow people down.
San Vicente Boulevard is the neighborhood’s front porch. The wide grass median once carried streetcar tracks. The coral trees planted along it are a designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. On weekend mornings, the median fills with runners heading toward the ocean. A few blocks away, the Brentwood Country Mart, a red barn-style courtyard of shops and cafés that opened in 1948, remains the neighborhood’s meeting place.
Above Sunset, the Getty Center has looked down on Brentwood since 1997, and Crestwood Hills holds one of LA’s best-known collections of mid-century modern homes. Many were designed by A. Quincy Jones for a post-war housing cooperative.
The Flats and the Canyons
Sunset Boulevard divides Brentwood into two kinds of neighborhood. South of Sunset the land is fairly level. The blocks near San Vicente and Barrington hold condos and smaller single-family homes. They’re within walking distance of restaurants and the Sunday farmers market on Gretna Green Way. Meanwhile Brentwood Park, to the west, has estate-sized lots. North of Sunset the streets climb into Kenter Canyon, Crestwood Hills, and Mandeville Canyon. The homes there sit on hillside lots and many roads end at a trailhead.
Brentwood Schools
Depending on the address (you can always verify current attendance boundaries with LAUSD), public school students attend Kenter Canyon Elementary or Brentwood Science Magnet, then Paul Revere Charter Middle School and Palisades Charter High School. Niche keeps a current list of the best public schools in Brentwood. Many families also consider the private schools nearby, among them Brentwood School and the Archer School for Girls.
Getting Around and Getting Outside
Sunset, San Vicente, and Barrington carry most of the local traffic, and the 405 runs along Brentwood’s eastern edge. Santa Monica’s beaches are usually about ten minutes west by car. Rail is getting closer as well. Metro projects that the D Line’s Westwood/VA Hospital Station will open in fall 2027 just across the 405, and our article on what the Purple Line means for property values looks at the likely effect on nearby homes.
For time outdoors, residents use the canyon trails and the dog park and ball fields at Barrington Recreation Center. Will Rogers State Historic Park, a short drive west, lost its ranch house in the 2025 fire but reopened that November, and the polo field and main lawn are in use again. Some trails and recovery areas remain subject to restrictions.
Selling in Brentwood
Two subjects now come up in nearly every conversation with a Brentwood seller. The first is fire. In January 2025 the Palisades Fire burned into Mandeville Canyon and forced evacuations across the neighborhood. Buyers of hillside homes have since asked detailed questions about fire hazard zones, defensible space, and whether the house can be insured at a reasonable cost. It helps to have those answers ready before the home goes on the market.
The second is the City of Los Angeles transfer tax known as Measure ULA. Because Brentwood is part of the City of Los Angeles, the tax applies to sales above a threshold that currently sits a little over $5 million, and at those prices it is often one of the largest costs a seller pays. It belongs in the pricing and timing discussion from the beginning.
Some Brentwood homes are also coming to market after decades in one family. If you inherited a property or no longer live in Los Angeles, Should You Sell, Hold, or Hand It Off? A Guide for Absentee Property Owners in Los Angeles and Capital Gains on Inherited Property in California walk through the choices, and Here’s What You Need to Know About Selling Your Luxury Home in Los Angeles covers higher-priced listings. Owners who would rather keep the house and rent it out can talk with the Martin Feinberg Team Property Management Group.
You can search for a listing or view rentals to see what is available. Buyers comparing Westside neighborhoods may also want to look at Mar Vista and Palms.
Brentwood with Martin Feinberg
Martin Feinberg has represented Westside sellers for decades. If you own in Brentwood, reach out and our team will go through the numbers with you, including the transfer tax, before you decide whether to sell, lease, or wait.
Check out properties I’ve sold in this neighborhood. If you’re interested in buying or selling a property in the neighborhood, call me at 310.729.6573 or scroll down to schedule a meeting.