Santa Monica home and condo appraisals for estates, trusts, and taxes
Beach city of Craftsman cottages, estate lots and converted condominiums
Santa Monica is an incorporated beach city on Santa Monica Bay, bordered by Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, West Los Angeles, Mar Vista and Venice. Executors and trustees here often need a date-of-death value for a North of Montana house, a retrospective value for a converted condominium, or a buyout figure for a Sunset Park bungalow.
- Location
- Santa Monica is an incorporated city in the Westside & Malibu region of Los Angeles County
- ZIP codes
- 90401, 90402, 90403, 90404, 90405
- Properties
- Single-family homes and condominiums
- Fees
- $449 Standard Desktop, $299 Basic Desktop
- Delivery
- 3+ business days
Homes in Santa Monica
North of Montana Avenue the lots widen, and the blocks above San Vicente Boulevard hold the city's largest estate parcels. Between Wilshire and Montana, Craftsman houses and older duplexes sit among low-rise condominium buildings, while Ocean Park keeps early beach cottages near Main Street and Sunset Park is mostly single-family housing from the prewar and postwar decades. A notable share of the condominiums began as rental buildings converted under TORCA, a 1984 charter amendment that allowed tenant-approved conversions until 1996.
What moves value in Santa Monica
Value sorts first by distance to the beach and by position relative to Montana Avenue, with ocean views carrying a clear premium. Buyers also pay for walkability to Main Street and the Third Street Promenade and for access to the E Line stations. Condominium values hinge on building age, parking, HOA reserves and whether the unit was built as a condominium or converted.
Neighborhoods and tracts
- North of Montana
- Gillette Regent Square
- Wilmont
- Northeast Neighbors
- Mid-City
- Pico
- Ocean Park
- Sunset Park
Local reference points: Reference points include Palisades Park, the Santa Monica Pier, Montana Avenue, Clover Park and Santa Monica Airport, which the city plans to close at the end of 2028.
Appraisal considerations in Santa Monica
The city has designated historic districts, including the Third Street Neighborhood and 11th Street Bungalow districts, so designation status should be confirmed before an older house is treated as land value. For TORCA conversions, remaining tenant occupancy and association reserves can affect marketability. Homes close to the airport may warrant a note on airport influence as of the effective date.
How is a North of Montana house valued as of a parent's date of death?
We select closed sales from North of Montana and similar streets that sold near the date of death, then adjust for lot size, condition and location relative to San Vicente and Montana. Because many buyers here remodel or rebuild, we also test the result against recent land-value sales.
Reports we prepare for Santa Monica properties
Each is a certified desktop appraisal of a single-family home or condominium, as of a current or past date.
- Date-of-Death Appraisals
- Step-Up in Basis Appraisals
- Trust Administration Appraisals
- Estate Settlement & Estate Tax Appraisals
- Gift Tax Appraisals
- Prop 19 Parent-Child Transfer Appraisals
- Divorce & Date-of-Separation Appraisals
- Family Sale & Co-Owner Buyout Appraisals
- Retrospective Appraisals
Reviewed November 2026.
Need a value for a Santa Monica property?
Send the address and the date the value is needed for. We confirm the property and the fee within one business day; the report is delivered in 3+ business days.