How do you downsize from a Mount Washington home?

With the next home and the date you want to be there. Everything else works backward from those two answers.

1. Choose the destination: a smaller house, a condo, a rental, or a place closer to relatives.
2. Get a property-specific home review so you know your likely budget.
3. Decide the order: buy first, sell first, or rent between.
4. Sort belongings in rounds, one floor or room at a time.
5. Prepare the house lightly, with brush cleared and the City report requirement checked.
6. List when the house shows well, often with most furniture already gone.
7. Book movers who have seen the street, then close.

It depends on how much certainty you want and how much you can carry. Your lender and tax adviser help with the financial side.

In rounds, with a deadline for each. Start with rooms you use least, such as a lower level or garage, and finish with the kitchen.

• ☐ Choose what's coming, using a floor plan of the new home
• ☐ Offer heirlooms to relatives early with a pickup date
• ☐ Book estate sale, donation or consignment help
• ☐ Shred old files, keeping house records for the sale
• ☐ Arrange hauling for what's left
• ☐ Photograph the finished rooms for the listing

The streets. Some hillside streets are narrow or winding, so ask your mover to look at the actual route and loading area and whether a smaller truck or a shuttle makes sense. During declared Red Flag parking restrictions, parking is prohibited on posted streets in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and vehicles can be towed; the City's map includes Sea View Lane, Nob Hill Drive and Oneonta Drive.

Decision point: if your move falls in fire season, choose a backup date and check LAFD's live status at lafd.org/redflag before the move.

Often the lot and setting as much as the rooms: views, outdoor space, stairs and entry, parking, and what they could add, which depends on lot-specific Specific Plan limits a buyer should confirm. For lower-slope homes, Southwest Museum Station on the Metro A Line sits at the base of the hill, worth noting when it's accurate for your address.

Preparation worth considering when downsizing:

• Remove most furniture so rooms read larger
• Clear brush and tidy slopes, paths and decks
• Repair stair rails and lighting on exterior steps
• Paint and update worn light fixtures

LADBS requires City home sellers, with some exceptions, to give the buyer a Residential Property Report ($70.85 per report as of October 27, 2026); a report issued in the last six months can be reused, so check with LADBS before ordering.

As of October 27, 2026, a City of Los Angeles sale carries County transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 and City transfer tax of $2.25 per $500; for closings after June 30, 2026, Measure ULA adds 4% on the full price above $5,400,000 and under $10,900,000, or 5.5% at $10,900,000 or more. Escrow confirms the exact amount and any exemption. Escrow, title and commission are additional.

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.

Two topics to discuss with a tax adviser. IRS Publication 523: eligible homeowners may exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 for married couples filing jointly, depending on ownership and use tests. Proposition 19 (BOE) may let eligible homeowners transfer their taxable value to a replacement home. Your tax adviser assesses how these apply before you decide timing.

Sidney Manzo, CA DRE #01108914
In real estate since 1990 · RE/MAX Hall of Fame · Member, Pasadena Association of REALTORS® and California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.)
Brokerage: RE/MAX Dream Properties (ASLG Inc), CA DRE #02142193

Related guides: selling a Mount Washington home when relocating · selling a Mount Washington house as-is · selling a house in Mount Washington · downsizing in Highland Park.