HISTORY/BACKGROUND
Nestled in the eastern Hollywood Hills between the Hollywood Reservoir and Griffith Park, Beachwood Canyon is a highly sought-after neighborhood due to its proximity to nature, seclusion, and convenient location close to Hollywood and film studios. Old Hollywood legends like Humphrey Bogart, Bela Lugosi, and Greta Garbo lived in Beachwood Canyon, and newer stars including Andy Samberg, Aubrey Plaza, and Charli XCX have recently called Beachwood Canyon home.
The Beachwood Canyon neighborhood started in the 1920s as part of the Hollywoodland development project. The developers built the now-famous Hollywood Sign on Mount Lee above Beachwood Canyon to advertise the new housing development. The original sign read “Hollywoodland” and was intended to be temporary, but the sign became iconic and the “land” was removed in 1949. Storybook-Style homes give Beachwood Canyon its charm, as the original Hollywoodland homes were required to be built in French Normandy, English Tudor, Spanish and Mediterranean styles.
The heart of Beachwood Village is the Beachwood Cafe, which opened in 2012. It was designed by renowned architect Barbara Bestor and won an AIA Restaurant Design Award. Beachwood Village also has a market, a florist, and a vintage clothing store.
Beachwood Canyon has been the backdrop in many movies and shows, including David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” starring Naomi Watts. The Pelham steps, which connect Westshire Drive to Hollyridge Drive, were a featured filming location in the 1956 horror movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” The 1960s Batman TV show used the nearby Bronson Caves as the entrance to the Bat Cave.
REAL ESTATE TODAY
The market shows much more robust activity this year than last year. There are 139 active listings (up 42% from last year), the number of homes in escrow is up 12%, and the number of closed sales is up 15%.
The median sale price of a single family home is $1,994,500, essentially unchanged from last year, but the average sale price of $2,554,585 is up 15%. Total volume is also up 33% compared to this time last year.
The average days on market is 32 days.
The highest sale was 6342 Mulholland Hwy which sold for $18 million in an off-market deal. The home had previously been listed on the MLS in 2023 starting at $21,000,000. The property, called Castillo del Lago, is a gorgeous Spanish-style villa sited on 3 acres that was once owned by Madonna.
The next highest sale was 2650 Creston Dr for $4,100,000, much closer in price to the other sales in the neighborhood. Built in 2022, this modern-style home was originally listed on the MLS for $5,695,000, and has sweeping views of Downtown, the Hollywood Sign, and Griffith Observatory.
The lowest sale was a fixer at 2536 Vasanta Way, which sold for $815,000 and just closed on Sept 30.
SELLING LISTINGS IN BEACHWOOD CANYON THIS YEAR
I’ve sold 3 of highest top 20 sales in the neighborhood this year:
2654 Hollyridge Drive – This home was previously listed with another agent who had not been able to sell. I took the listing and we kept it the same price but painted and staged it to create more of a “wow” factor. I sold it in 18 days. The sale price was $2,582,000.
2789 Westshire Drive – This home has previously been listed with another agent, but it was priced too high. The other agent had it listed for 10 months and had to reduce it twice and it fell out of escrow twice. There were some structural issues that were discovered during the cancelled escrows. When I was brought in to take the listing, I knew we had to be priced aggressively to make up for the structural issues. With the attractive pricing, I was able to bring my seller multiple offers in just 10 days and we sold it for over the asking price. The sale price was $2,065,000.
6026 Graciosa Drive – My co-listing agent and I sold this one for $455,000 above the asking price. We brought the seller 7 offers in just 12 days on the market. The sale price was $2,250,000.
If you’re thinking about making a move to Beachwood Canyon, I have a beautiful property on the market now, located at 6491 Rodgerton Drive.
Perched above the Hollywood Reservoir, this house is an art lover’s dream come true, drenched in natural light with soaring ceilings, hardwood floors, gallery-style walls, and designer light fixtures throughout. For more information or to schedule a private showing, give me a call!
