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How do you sell a home in Highland Park, Los Angeles?

To sell a home in Highland Park, Los Angeles, start with three checks: whether the house sits inside the Highland Park–Garvanza HPOZ, what the City's Residential Property Report will show, and how City transfer tax and Measure ULA apply to your price. Then price from recent nearby sales, prepare the house within HPOZ rules, and launch.

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Steps

How do you sell a Highland Park home, step by step?

  1. 1. Pull the parcel facts

    ZIMAS (HPOZ, zoning, fire and hillside layers), LADBS permit history, and Contributing status.

  2. 2. Order the RPR

    Deal with permit surprises before buyers see them.

  3. 3. Price from true comparables

    Use the same HPOZ status, era and condition, and the same side of Figueroa or York where it matters, not the neighborhood median.

  4. 4. Prepare inside the rules

    Use exempt and staff-level work first, and keep receipts and sign-offs together.

  5. 5. Launch with the facts buyers ask for

    Year built, HPOZ status, distance to Highland Park Station, permits, brush clearance if mapped.

  6. 6. Negotiate with the transfer tax math in front of you

    Price, credits and who pays which tax all change the net.

Fees

What does it cost to sell in Highland Park?

  • 2.5%Essential
  • 3%Full Service
  • 3.5%Signature

Seller costs usually include commission, escrow and title fees, County and City transfer tax (plus ULA above the threshold), the RPR fee, any prep work, and any credits negotiated with the buyer. The amount or rate of real estate commissions is not fixed by law. They are set by each broker individually and may be negotiable between the seller and broker. Each plan is listing-side pay, set in your written listing agreement.

Local rules

What sets Highland Park apart for a seller?

General information, not legal or tax advice. Talk with a CA attorney or CPA about your situation. Rules as of October 24, 2026; the source links hold the current text.

It includes the City's largest HPOZ

Los Angeles City Planning describes the Highland Park–Garvanza HPOZ as the largest of the City's HPOZs, with approximately 4,000 structures, including over fifty Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments, and the first HPOZ to include commercial buildings. Source

The houses are old, and the City has dated them

The Highland Park–Garvanza Preservation Plan, adopted December 9, 2010, sets the district's period of significance at 1886 to 1961 and notes that the older homes are Victorian while the majority reflect the Craftsman style. City Planning's district page adds Queen Anne, Shingle, Mission Revival and Tudor Revival. Source

It has been part of the City of Los Angeles since 1895

The Preservation Plan records the 1895 annexation, so City of Los Angeles rules apply: the Residential Property Report, City transfer tax, Measure ULA and, for older rentals, the Rent Stabilization Ordinance. Source

The Arroyo Seco runs along its edge

The Preservation Plan places the district in the Arroyo Seco and records that the Arroyo Seco Parkway opened in 1940 as California's first freeway. Source

Rail is back

Metro's A Line (the former Gold Line, renamed by Metro on June 16, 2023) stops at Highland Park Station, which Metro's own station data lists with entrances at Avenue 57 and Avenue 59. Buyers who commute by rail often check the walk to that platform, so a listing can state it plainly. Source

On North Figueroa Street, which the Preservation Plan notes was once Pasadena Avenue, the Plan's history singles out the Highland Park Masonic Temple (completed 1923) and the Highland Theater (built 1924, designed by L.A. Smith and still a cinema).

HPOZ

Is your home in the Highland Park–Garvanza HPOZ, and what does that change?

Check your parcel on ZIMAS first. If the HPOZ layer shows, the Highland Park–Garvanza Preservation Plan applies to exterior work. The Plan states that most types of work on a property that involve a discernable change to the structure or site will require HPOZ Board review, while listed categories are exempt or handled by Planning staff.

The 2010 Preservation Plan sorts work into tiers. Confirm the current rules with City Planning HPOZ staff before you start, because the Plan says City Planning staff decide all questions of visibility, and the Department can refer a delegated project to the Board for a recommendation when compliance with the design guidelines is unclear.

Tier (Preservation Plan, Ch. 3)Examples the Plan listsWhat it means before a sale
Exempt from HPOZ review (§3.5)Interior work that doesn't change an exterior feature; exterior painting with no change from existing colors; foundation repair with no exterior change; rear-yard mechanical equipment; removing security grilles or fences installed outside the period of significanceExempt only as the Plan lists it, and not in the public right-of-way; confirm the category with City Planning HPOZ staff before starting exterior work
Delegated to the Director of Planning (§3.6, staff-level)New exterior paint colors (not on previously unpainted stone, masonry or stained wood); in-kind repair and maintenance; in-kind asphalt shingle reroofs; gutters and downspouts; replacing non-original windows to match surviving originalsPlan for a staff sign-off before the work, not after
Conforming Work, HPOZ BoardWork on a Contributing building beyond the delegated list that doesn't change character-defining featuresBoard meeting timing matters (2nd and 4th Thursdays)
Certificate of Appropriateness / CompatibilitySignificant work on a Contributing element; new construction on a vacant lot or where a Non-contributor is proposed for demolitionUsually a buyer's project, not a pre-listing one

Seller checklist for an HPOZ house

  • Look up the parcel on ZIMAS and save the printout for the disclosure file.
  • Find whether the house is Contributing or Non-contributing in the Plan's Historic Resources Survey (Chapter 5).
  • List any exterior work done during your ownership and whether it had sign-off.
  • Where you can, keep prep to work the Plan lists as exempt (for example, interior alterations that don't change an exterior feature, or exterior paint in the existing colors), and confirm the category with City Planning HPOZ staff before starting any exterior work.
  • Ask staff before changing a paint color, a window or a front-yard surface.
  • Tell buyers the house is in the HPOZ early; it shapes what they plan to do after closing.

The HPOZ Board meets the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month, 6 to 8 pm, at the Arroyo Seco Library Community Room, 6145 N. Figueroa St., according to City Planning's district page. Board review of unpermitted work is handled differently: the Plan says projects tied to an enforcement case, or asking approval for work done without approval, go to the Board.

City rules

Which City of Los Angeles rules apply when you sell?

Residential Property Report (RPR). For residential property in the City of Los Angeles, the Municipal Code requires the seller to obtain the Report of Residential Property Records and Pending Special Assessment Liens and deliver it to the buyer before entering into an agreement of sale or exchange; where an escrow has been opened, the report may be presented to the buyer through escrow before close of escrow (LAMC §§ 96.302, 96.307). LADBS lists a fee of $70.85 per report and offers an online application or a mail-in form. The code gives LADBS up to 15 calendar days after accepting the application to deliver it, so order it early. Some transfers are excepted (LAMC § 96.308). LADBS online building records let you look first.

Documentary transfer tax and Measure ULA. Three layers apply inside the City of Los Angeles:

  • The LA County Registrar-Recorder lists the County tax at $1.10 per $1,000 of value.
  • The City of Los Angeles Office of Finance lists the City's base tax at $2.25 per $500.
  • In addition, the Office of Finance states for Measure ULA: "Effective for transactions closing after June 30, 2026, the new ULA thresholds will be $5,400,000 and $10,900,000. Transactions greater than $5,400,000 but less than $10,900,000 will be assessed a 4% tax, and transactions of $10,900,000 or greater will be assessed a 5.5% tax." The Office of Finance states that, consistent with Measure ULA, these thresholds and rates are adjusted annually based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Chained Consumer Price Index.

The Office of Finance states that the City's base tax is calculated on net value (excluding any lien or encumbrance remaining on the property at the time of sale), while the ULA tax is calculated on gross value (including it). The County tax is a separate charge.

Simplified example, arithmetic only: on a $1,200,000 sale with no lien or loan carried over to the buyer, $1.10 per $1,000 is $1,320 (County) and $2.25 per $500 is $5,400 (City base tax). The price is not above $5,400,000, so the Office of Finance chart shows a 0% ULA rate. Your purchase contract sets who pays which tax, and escrow calculates the actual taxes for your transaction.

Renting instead of selling. LAHD states that the Rent Stabilization Ordinance generally applies to rental properties first built on or before October 1, 1978, and lists which property types are covered. If you are weighing a sale against renting out an older Highland Park house or duplex, read LAHD's overview first.

Fire and hillside

Should you check fire and hillside maps for your parcel?

Yes. Check them for each parcel, not by neighborhood. ZIMAS shows whether a specific parcel is mapped in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and whether it falls in a designated Hillside Area. Where a parcel is in a VHFHSZ, LAFD states that owners must maintain brush clearance year-round within 200 feet of structures, under LAMC 57.4906.5.2. Buyers and their insurers ask about it, so print the ZIMAS result and keep brush-clearance receipts with your disclosures. We don't label Highland Park as a whole either way; the parcel map decides.

Neighbors

How is Highland Park different from Eagle Rock, Mount Washington, Garvanza and South Pasadena?

  • Garvanza is not a separate market rule-wise. The Preservation Plan calls it the northern section of Highland Park, and it sits inside the same HPOZ, which expanded to include Garvanza in 2010.
  • Eagle Rock and Mount Washington are neighboring Los Angeles neighborhoods that City Planning lists in the same Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan area. City rules such as the RPR, transfer tax and ULA work the same way. The Highland Park–Garvanza HPOZ review does not apply unless the parcel is inside its boundary, so check ZIMAS. Mount Washington's A Line stop is Southwest Museum Station; Highland Park's is Highland Park Station (Metro station data). See the Eagle Rock hub.
  • South Pasadena is a separate city. The City of Los Angeles RPR, City transfer tax and Measure ULA don't apply there; South Pasadena has its own rules. See the South Pasadena hub.
  • Pasadena is also a separate city with its own rules; the City of Los Angeles RPR, City transfer tax and ULA don't apply there. See the Pasadena hub.

Preparation

How should you prepare a Highland Park home for buyers?

  • Lead with original fabric. Buyers of Victorian and Craftsman houses look for original windows, doors, built-ins and arroyo-stone work. The Preservation Plan calls painting historic arroyo stone retaining walls inappropriate, so clean the stone instead of coating it.
  • Fix the systems quietly. Electrical, plumbing, foundation and roof repairs often matter more than cosmetic upgrades in a pre-1961 house. Foundation repair with no exterior change is exempt from HPOZ review.
  • Paint the same color, or ask first. Same-color exterior paint is exempt; a new color is a staff-level review.
  • Gather paperwork. Permits, HPOZ sign-offs, the RPR, ZIMAS printouts, brush-clearance receipts, and any Mills Act contract.
  • Stage for the architecture. Keep rooms simple so the woodwork, porches and windows lead.

Civic calendar

Where is the local civic calendar?

  • HPOZ Board: 2nd and 4th Thursdays, Arroyo Seco Library Community Room, 6145 N. Figueroa St. (City Planning).
  • Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council: meets the 1st Thursday of the month; EmpowerLA posts the location and agendas.
  • Planning context: City Planning lists Highland Park in the Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan, last updated in 1999.

Where Sidney works

Where in and around Highland Park does Sidney work?

The Figueroa and York corridors, Garvanza, the streets around Sycamore Grove and the Arroyo Seco, the blocks near Highland Park Station, and the neighboring areas of Eagle Rock, Mount Washington, Montecito Heights and South Pasadena.

Situations

Which situations need a different plan?

Your agent

Who reviews Highland Park homes here?

  • Since 1990In real estate
  • 155+Closed sales
  • English & SpanishFluent

Sidney Manzo, Agent, CA DRE #01108914.

  • In real estate since 1990
  • 155+ closed sales
  • RE/MAX Hall of Fame
  • Member, Pasadena Association of REALTORS® and C.A.R.

About Sidney

RE/MAX Dream Properties (ASLG Inc), CA DRE #02142193

Last reviewed by Sidney Manzo.

Questions

What do Highland Park sellers ask?

Is my Highland Park house in the HPOZ?

Check your parcel on ZIMAS, the City's zoning map, which shows the Highland Park–Garvanza HPOZ layer. City Planning describes it as the largest HPOZ in Los Angeles, with about 4,000 structures, so many Highland Park homes are inside it, but the parcel map decides, not the street name.

Can I repaint my house before selling if it's in the HPOZ?

Under the 2010 Highland Park–Garvanza Preservation Plan, exterior painting with no change from existing colors is exempt from HPOZ review, and new colors go to a staff-level review. Painting previously unpainted stone, masonry or stained wood is not part of that delegated list. Confirm with City Planning HPOZ staff before you start.

What is the Measure ULA tax on a Highland Park sale?

The City of Los Angeles Office of Finance states that for transactions closing after June 30, 2026, sales greater than $5,400,000 but less than $10,900,000 are assessed a 4% tax, and sales of $10,900,000 or greater 5.5%. At or below $5,400,000, the Office of Finance chart shows a 0% ULA rate. The Office of Finance states the thresholds and rates are adjusted annually based on the Chained Consumer Price Index.

Do I need a Residential Property Report to sell in Highland Park?

Yes, for most residential property in the City of Los Angeles. The Municipal Code requires the seller to deliver the Residential Property Report to the buyer before entering into an agreement of sale, or, where escrow has been opened, through escrow before close of escrow (LAMC §§ 96.302, 96.307). LADBS lists the fee as $70.85 per report. Order it early so permit questions surface before escrow.

Which Metro station serves Highland Park?

Highland Park Station on Metro's A Line, which absorbed the former Gold Line on June 16, 2023. Metro's station data lists entrances at Avenue 57 and Avenue 59. Southwest Museum Station is the next stop toward downtown.

Is a home review the same as an appraisal?

No. Sidney's home review is a broker opinion of price based on recent comparable sales. It is not an appraisal. A lender, court or tax matter may require a licensed appraiser.

Sources

Where can I read more about selling in Highland Park?

Sources

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