Santa Monica Homes for Sale
An Independent City, Not a Neighborhood of Los Angeles
- What it is: a separate city with its own council, planning department, police, fire, library system, rent control board and school district.
- Size: 8.42 square miles of land, from the bluffs above the Pacific inland past Lincoln Boulevard.
- Why it matters: crossing the city line changes the rules on permits, rentals and schools.
Jones and Baker auctioned the first lots in July 1875 meaning to build a great port. The port went to San Pedro instead, and Santa Monica became a resort town, which set the shape of everything after it. The Municipal Pier opened in 1909 and the Looff Pleasure Pier followed in 1916, its Hippodrome still standing as a National Historic Landmark with the carousel inside. The city later became the western end of Route 66 and went from beach resort to aerospace town to one of the most desirable addresses on the California coast.
Real Estate in Santa Monica
- North of Montana: the single family core. Lots generally run 7,000 square feet and up, and the estate blocks west of 7th Street reach past 20,000.
- Wilshire Montana: a condo and apartment corridor between the two boulevards, walkable to both commercial strips.
- Downtown: loft style condos above retail, limited parking, everything on foot.
- Ocean Park: small lot houses, duplexes and mid-century apartment buildings along Main Street. A few bungalow courts are still standing.
- Rent control is the thing to check first. It applies to units whose Certificate of Occupancy was issued on or before 10 April 1979, which covers most of the older apartment stock.
Anyone buying a duplex, triplex or apartment building should pull that certificate before writing an offer, and expect HOA governance on most condo purchases.
Permits run through Santa Monica city hall on its own timeline and fee schedule, not through Los Angeles.
Living in Santa Monica
- The beach: three miles of sand, the full length of the city, with the Marvin Braude Bike Trail running the whole way.
- Palisades Park: a ribbon of lawn and palm trees along the bluff with the Pacific below. One of the great walks in Los Angeles.
- Santa Monica Pier: a landmark for more than a century, with a ferris wheel, roller coaster, and carnival games.
- Farmers markets: Wednesday and Saturday on Arizona Avenue downtown, Sunday on Main Street. The Wednesday one is among the best in California.
- Eating: Bay Cities Deli on Lincoln, Rustic Canyon on Wilshire, Cassia on 7th. Hundreds of other famous resturaunts.
- Getting around: the Expo Line runs from Downtown Santa Monica to Culver City and downtown Los Angeles, and the Big Blue Bus has been running its own routes since before Metro existed.
Schools are in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, which is separate from LAUSD and is a large part of why families choose the city. Montana Avenue, Main Street and the Third Street Promenade each carry their own retail character, and most of daily life here happens outdoors and on foot.
Neighborhoods in Santa Monica: North of Montana, Ocean Park, Sunset Park and Downtown
- North of Montana: Quiet streets, mature trees, and lots big enough for a pool and a guest house.
- Ocean Park: the southern neighborhood, running from Pico to the city line and from Lincoln to the ocean, with Main Street as its spine.
- Sunset Park: the southeastern quadrant, south of Pico. Bungalows and ranch homes, a quieter pace, and full Santa Monica schools and services.
- Downtown and Mid-City: the commercial core and the blocks east of it, where the housing is condos and apartments rather than houses.
Whether the purchase is a condo downtown, a bungalow in Ocean Park or a large lot North of Montana, Santa Monica sets the rules, collects the taxes and runs the schools.
Common Questions About Santa Monica
Is Santa Monica part of Los Angeles?
No. It is an independent city with its own council, planning department, police, fire and school district, surrounded by Los Angeles on three sides. Your permits, your property taxes and your school assignment all run through Santa Monica rather than LA.
How do I know if a building is rent controlled?
Check the Certificate of Occupancy. Santa Monica rent control applies to units whose certificate was issued on or before 10 April 1979, so the certificate date decides it rather than the construction year. This is the first thing to verify on any multifamily purchase here.
Which neighborhood has the big lots?
North of Montana. Lots generally start around 7,000 square feet, and the estate blocks west of 7th Street run past 20,000. It is where buyers looking for space and privacy inside the city concentrate.
Do Santa Monica addresses go to Santa Monica schools?
Yes. The city has its own district, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified, separate from LAUSD. That holds across the city, including Sunset Park and Ocean Park.
Working With a Santa Monica Real Estate Agent
Santa Monica rewards knowing which side of a line you are on. City limits, the rent control cutoff, and which of the six neighborhoods a street belongs to all change what a property is and what you can do with it. We have worked this coastline for more than two decades. Come walk the neighborhoods with us before you narrow the search.
Thinking about buying or selling in Santa Monica? Get in touch with Shen Schulz.