The Wealth Report: Los Angeles’ luxury housing market

In this episode, we take a deep dive into Los Angeles’ luxury housing market—one of the world’s largest super‑prime residential hubs, currently ranking third globally for $10‑million‑plus sales. Despite a range of challenges in recent years, the market continues to show remarkable resilience and remains a key destination for global private wealth.Liam is joined by Nick Segal to unpack the dynamics of a market that has recorded 250 sales above $10 million in the past 12 months, totalling $4.6 billion. Nick explains how the city is navigating significant headwinds—from the ULA tax reform, which imposes an excise tax of up to 5.5% on high‑value transactions, to complex insurance challenges and the emotional toll following last year’s devastating fires. While these factors have prompted some wealth migration to states such as Texas and Florida, the conversation explores why a degree of “stickiness” remains, and why some buyers are already returning to California.The discussion explores the structural shifts in buyer behaviour, noting a move away from “aspirational” pricing towards a necessary realism among sellers. Nick highlights how tech wealth and other alternative sectors are backfilling changes in the traditional entertainment industry. In addition, a new trend in wellness‑driven development is reshaping the luxury landscape, with an increasing emphasis on lifestyle quality.Looking ahead to 2026, Liam and Nick discuss the potential for a “righting of the ship,” driven by anticipated interest rate reductions and growing political momentum to recalibrate tax initiatives. They identify key sub‑markets to watch, including the Palisades—which is poised for a major recalibration—and Beverly Hills, which remains a stronghold for developers due to its exemption from the ULA tax.For more insight into global wealth, luxury markets and the assets that sit alongside property subscribe to Liam’s twice-weekly research briefing here: https://preferences.knightfrank.com/subscribe-to-research?utm_campaign=2703391_Data%20Protection%20-%20Not%20asked%20consent%20%28Headshot%29&utm_medium=Email%20Marketing&utm_source=Dotmailer&dm_t=0,0,0,0,0Host: Liam Bailey, Global Head of Research at Knight Frank & Editor of The Wealth Report, [email protected]: Nick Segal, Managing Broker at the leading Los Angeles brokerage, Carolwood, which has recently launched a new strategic alliance with Knight Frank. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.