Westlake Village Homes for Sale

Los Angeles, CA

Why People Move to Westlake Village

Where: the northern foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, straddling the Los Angeles and Ventura county line, about nine miles inland from the ocean.
What it is: a master-planned community built around a private lake, with open country against its back edge and a freeway through the middle.
Cooler than the Valley. The climate runs milder than the San Fernando Valley over the hill and sits out of the city's smog, which is most of why life here is outdoors focused.

The private lake is at the center of this community: residents boat are allowed fish on it as more than 1,300 homes sit on or near the shore. Behind the houses the land climbs straight into the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, so the trailheads start where the tracts end. People can even take an electric boat from their home to dinner at The Landing.

The community went up in the 1960's. Its shoreline was sculpted with coves, inlets and small islands, which is why it reads as though it was always there. Only about a third of what everyone calls Westlake Village is the incorporated City of Westlake Village; roughly two thirds sits in Ventura County, inside the City of Thousand Oaks, and the county line runs through the lake itself.

Living in Westlake Village

The Landing: sits right on the lakeshore with a patio where the boats dock. Full of restaurants and stores.
The Stonehaus: on the grounds of the Westlake Village Inn with its own vineyard, a cafe by day and a wine bar at night. Sit outside under the vines and enjoy wine and appetizers.
Brent's Deli: the second location of the original 1967 Brent's, and voted the number one delicatessen in Los Angeles.
Two country clubs: North Ranch runs 27 holes with tennis and three pools, and Sherwood Country Club sits just south past Lake Sherwood.
The Four Seasons: one of the largest hotel pools in Southern California, three restaurants, and locals treat the spa as a neighborhood amenity.

The Promenade and Westlake Plaza carry the shopping, the restaurants and the cinema, and children on the Los Angeles side walk to White Oak or Westlake Hills elementary through the greenbelts rather than along a road. Agoura Hills is the neighbour east along the 101, Oak Park sits north over the hill, and guard-gated Lake Sherwood is south down Potrero Road.

Neighborhoods in Westlake Village: the Island, the Shores and the Trails

There are fifteen named enclaves in all, each with their own unique lifestyle.

Westlake Island: behind a 24-hour guard gate, built from earth dredged out of the lake bottom. Every back garden is a boat slip, and people take an electric boat to dinner instead of the car. The bridge in had to satisfy two counties' building codes.
The Shores, Northshore and Lakeshore: the shoreline communities, with beach access, private docks and residents-only beaches reached by greenbelt rather than by road.
First Neighborhood: Westlake's first planned tract. Its greenbelts connect every cul-de-sac to White Oak Elementary, so children walk or bike without crossing a road.
Westlake Hills: laid out as a concentric hexagon that funnels foot traffic inward to a central park and its own elementary school, one block from the Promenade.
Westlake Trails and Southridge: split-rail fences and bridle paths left from the ranch era, with horses still kept and open-space trailheads out the back.
Village Homes, Foxmoor and Three Springs: the family tracts. Single-storey ranch houses, shared clubhouses, tennis courts and greenbelts.
North Ranch: custom houses tucked into the canyons north of Thousand Oaks Boulevard, around a 27-hole country club.

Homes for Sale in Westlake Village

Westlake was built out between the 1960s and the 1990s, so almost every house for sale here dates from those decades.

Single-storey ranch houses from the first decade. The most asked for floor plan in Westlake.
Two-storey tract plans on level lots with greenbelts behind them. Most of the market.
Larger 1980s and 90s floor plans in the later tracts. More square footage and more formal rooms than the originals.
Mid-century and split-level townhomes on the lake side. The cheapest way in, and the HOA maintains the outside.
Custom and architect-built houses. North Ranch runs from Mediterranean to glass-lined contemporary on broad lots. The shoreline streets run from Cape Cod revival to glass-and-steel modern.
Hillside and view homes. The slopes above the lake look over water and ridgeline, but the streets are steep. The plateau above Foxmoor has city-light views on level ground.

There is almost no land left, so you are buying an existing house, and condition sets the price more than the floor plan does. Two houses with the same plan can be far apart depending on whether the kitchen, the baths and the systems have been redone, and buyers here expect move in ready properties. What comes to market at any one time usually sells in a competitive market.

The market follows the school calendar: it picks up in late winter, peaks around mid-June, and has a second season from September to Thanksgiving, whether you are buying or pricing a listing.

Finding a Home With a Westlake Village Real Estate Agent

Westlake Village is fifteen enclaves in one area. An island house with a boat slip at the back, a townhome on a residents-only beach, a walk-to-school tract with greenbelts, a horse property up on the Trails, a custom estate in the North Ranch canyons: each carries its own HOA, its own zoning and its own pace of life. Reach out to Shen Realty and we will point you at the enclave that fits. Our whole team was born and raised in the Westlake, Agoura Hills and Malibu area, and we have worked this market for almost 30 years.

Common Questions About Westlake Village

Is Westlake Village in Los Angeles County or Ventura County?

Both, and that is the whole thing to understand. About a third of the community, the part incorporated as the City of Westlake Village in 1981, is in Los Angeles County. Roughly two thirds is in Ventura County and is formally part of the City of Thousand Oaks, even though everyone calls it Westlake Village.

Which school district serves Westlake Village?

One of two, depending on the side. The Los Angeles County portion is mostly Las Virgenes Unified; the Ventura County portion falls under Conejo Valley Unified. Settle this first if you have school-age children, because two houses a few streets apart can have different answers.

Can I keep a boat on the lake?

If your property carries the right, yes, and it will be electric. The lake is private, residents use it by permit through the Westlake Lake Management Association, and gasoline motors have never been allowed. Lake and dock rights attach to particular parcels rather than to everyone facing the water, so get it in writing before you commit.

Is every Westlake Village address inside the City of Westlake Village?

No. Only the Los Angeles County third is. If your parcel sits on the Ventura County side, your city hall is Thousand Oaks, and that is where plan check, permits and local services come from. Confirm it on the parcel rather than the postal address.