Los Angeles’ super‑prime rise: inside the market shaping global luxury property
Los Angeles ranks among the world’s top super‑prime markets - and a new alliance with Carolwood Estates is opening fresh opportunities for buyers and sellers
Los Angeles ranks among the world’s top super‑prime markets - and a new alliance with Carolwood Estates is opening fresh opportunities for buyers and sellers
Los Angeles is one of the worldās largest superāprime residential hubs, currently ranking third globally for $10āmillionāplus sales - only New York and Dubai rank higher. With 250 recorded sales above $10 million in the past 12 months, totalling $4.6 billion, it remains a dynamic market shaping the landscape of global private wealth.
As various forces continue to influence this everāchanging but resilient market, the combination of local insight and international reach has never been more essential. This is what sits behind the new alliance between 51ĀŅĀ× and Carolwood Estates, a boutique real estate brokerage based in Beverly Hills.

āIn a time when the real estate landscape is experiencing major disruption, our new alliance represents a deliberate and defining choice,ā explains Paddy Dring, head of global prime sales and 51ĀŅĀ×ās Private Office. āWe believe the future belongs to firms that uphold excellent standards of client privacy and combine the strength of a global platform with the agility, intimacy, and deep local expertise of a boutique brokerage. This alliance sets us apart - itās about quality over scale and partnerships that truly understand their markets.ā

Los Angeles, like many major global cities, has navigated a series of challenges that continue to shape behaviour. āWe have come through some very challenging headwinds over the last 36 months from tax reform to fires that have impacted the entire community on a host of different levels - not only from a shortage of housing and the emotional toll that it has taken individually and in our community, but also then the reverberation of insurance and how that has impacted transactions,ā says Nick Segal, managing broker for Carolwood Estates.

Despite these pressures, market performance has remained strong. āIf you look at our statistics from November 2024 to November 2025, Carolwood did just under $5 billion in real estate sales with 160 agents,ā Segal notes. āThat is a microcosm of a marketplace that is not only resilient, but we are poised to be an even better market as we approach 2026. We are in our infancy of how this is all going to reshape the landscape of Los Angeles.ā

Segal highlights that Beverly Hills continues to perform well, bolstered partly by its exemption from the ULA tax - an excise tax of up to 5.5% on highāvalue sales. Santa Monica also remains resilient, while the Palisades is positioned for major change. āI think weāre going to see a complete recalibration of pricing in the Palisades based on its location and the fact that thereās going to be so much new construction there,ā he adds. āIt is going to be a shining beacon in Los Angeles.ā

As Head of US Residential Sales at 51ĀŅĀ×, Jason Mansfield sees the partnership as a gateway to some of Los Angelesā most desirable neighbourhoods. āCarolwood operates exactly where our clients want to live. In Los Angeles, choosing the right location is essential - consider your commute, schools and where you plan to spend your free time. Everyone knows about LA traffic so itās important to be strategic about where you live,ā he explains. āMany of Carolwoodās transactions take place offāmarket, allowing us not only to introduce buyers to exceptional opportunities but also to help sellers maintain privacy.ā

Demand continues to evolve, with wellness and lifestyle playing an increasingly central role. Homes are being designed with elevated leisure and health facilities - from cold plunges to saunas and gyms - responding to buyersā desire for amenities that enhance daily life. āNow itās about the quality of your environment, and what you can experience in your environment,ā Segal adds.
Hollywoodās entertainment sector remains an important source of demand, but the buyer pool is now broader, with tech and other industries playing a greater role. For Segal, Los Angelesā enduring appeal comes down to something deeper. āQuality of life has a value, and people will pay for that value - whether climate and opportunity, but also friendships,ā he says. āCommunity on that base level really drives decisions of where people live, and we are seeing people come back to the California market.ā
To get in touch with our Private Office please email privateoffice@knightfrank.com
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