What a local Manhattan Beach agent helps you decide
Manhattan Beach is a single-ZIP city (90266) of about 3.9 square miles, so every sale is compared against a small pool. Redfin counted 110 sales in the three months to September 2026, up 33.8% from a year earlier, with 78 homes on the market at the end of the period, 24.6% fewer than a year before. That is 2.2 months of supply. The median home took 40 days to go under contract, sold at 99.76% of its last list price on average, and 30.6% of homes sold above list.
Those averages hide wide gaps. Redfin's median list price was $4,205,323, almost $920,000 above the median sale price, because the most expensive listings near the sand take longest to sell. A local agent's real work is to sort out which part of that market you are in: a walk-street lot near the sand, a hillside home with an ocean view, a 1960s house on a 9,245-square-foot lot like the one on North Meadows Avenue that sold for $3,523,000 in October 2026, or a townhouse in Manhattan Village. Each one trades on different comparable sales, and the median for the city tells you little about any one of them.
Buying a home in Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach buying step 1: check the payment at the current rate
Freddie Mac's 30-year average was 7.24% in the week of October 29, 2026. On Zillow's typical value of $3,353,430 with 20% down, the loan is $2,682,744 and principal and interest come to about $18,283 a month before tax and insurance. Ask lenders whether a loan of that size counts as jumbo, compare at least three, and get a written pre-approval before you tour.
Manhattan Beach buying step 2: compare by home type, not by city median
In ZIP 90266, Redfin's three-month medians to September 2026 were $3,904,015 for 84 single-family sales, $2,881,254 for 17 townhouse sales, $2,235,000 for 7 two-to-four-unit buildings and $1,346,210 for just 2 condo sales. Detached houses sold fastest, at a median of 33 days. Townhouses took 76 days. If your budget is under $2 million, you are mostly looking at condos and older townhouses; our Manhattan Beach condos guide covers them.
Manhattan Beach buying step 3: read the parcel record before you offer
The County Assessor's portal shows the year built, lot size, use code and tax rate area for each parcel. Many Manhattan Beach lots are narrow: one record we checked near Manhattan Avenue shows a lot 35 feet wide and 100 feet deep. Compare the listed square footage with the Assessor's, ask the seller for permits on any additions or roof decks, and ask the city's building department for the permit history.
Manhattan Beach buying step 4: budget for the school parcel tax and fixed charges
Manhattan Beach Unified levies Measure MB, a $225 annual parcel tax that went to voters for renewal in March 2024 (Easy Reader reported the count was close to the two-thirds threshold). Look for it and any other direct assessments on the seller's current tax bill.
Selling a home in Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach selling step 1: pick your season
Redfin's ZIP 90266 figures show a clear calendar. Only 64 homes sold in each of the periods ending January and February 2026, with a median of 64 days on market. In the periods ending May and June 2026, 115 and 104 homes sold at a median of 28 days, and the median sale price peaked at $3,900,000 in June. By September it was back to $3,274,038. Spring listings met the most buyers in 2026; ask your agent how that pattern applies to your type of home.
Manhattan Beach selling step 2: price from the nearest true comparables
A recent MLS list of Manhattan Beach sales from October 2026 ranged from $1,349,000 for a three-bedroom townhouse on 11th Street to $10,950,000 for a duplex on The Strand. Within the same month, two-bedroom and four-bedroom houses a few blocks apart sold millions of dollars apart. Price from sales on your street type and lot size, and ask how the agent will adjust for views and recent rebuilds.
Manhattan Beach selling step 3: count the transfer tax and other costs
Manhattan Beach is not one of the five Los Angeles County cities with an extra city transfer tax, so a sale pays only the county rate of $1.10 per $1,000 of value ($0.55 per $500). On a $3,353,430 sale that is about $3,689. Our California transfer tax guide and closing costs guide cover the rest, and the seller disclosure guide lists the forms you will sign.
Manhattan Beach areas at a glance
The city has no official neighborhood map, but buyers and agents use a set of common names. Our Manhattan Beach neighborhoods guide compares them in more detail.
The Strand and the Sand Section
Oceanfront homes line The Strand, the beach walk and bike path that runs from about 400 to 4500 The Strand, according to the county's beach page. Behind it, the Sand Section has walk streets with small lots. Prices here set the top of the city's market: the October 2026 MLS list included Strand sales at $8,500,000 and $10,950,000.
El Porto in north Manhattan Beach
The north end near Rosecrans Avenue is known as El Porto, which the county describes as a popular surf spot. Homes are on small lots close to the sand; a four-bedroom house on El Porto Street built in 2026 sold for $4,450,000 in October.
Downtown and the pier
Manhattan Beach Boulevard ends at the 900-foot pier, with downtown shops and restaurants around it. Condos and older multi-unit buildings sit on the streets close to downtown; see the condos guide for recent sales.
The Hill Section
The Hill Section is known for high-priced homes, many of them remodeled or newly built, with ocean and city views from its steep streets. The city's highest point, at 244 feet, is in its southwest.
The Rosecrans corridor
On the south side of Rosecrans Avenue between Sepulveda Boulevard and Aviation Boulevard sit the Manhattan Beach Country Club, a hotel and golf course, supermarkets, offices and shopping centers. Homes nearby trade on convenience to shops and to the job centers of El Segundo rather than on beach access.
East Manhattan Beach and Manhattan Village
The east side of the city includes Manhattan Village, Manhattan Heights and Liberty Village. Manhattan Village is a townhouse community that its listings describe as gated, with access to the Manhattan Village Mall and the country club. A two-bedroom townhouse on Cordoba Court sold for $1,525,000 with HOA dues of $830 a month, per its listing.
Local property checks in Manhattan Beach
- Property tax: most of the city is in tax rate area 6174, where the 2026-27 total rate is 1.112987%: the 1% general levy plus 0.081808% for Manhattan Beach Unified bonds, 0.022679% for the community college district and 0.0085% for the Metropolitan Water District (County Auditor-Controller). On $3,353,430 that is about $37,323 a year before fixed charges. Confirm your parcel's TRA on the Assessor portal. The Los Angeles County property tax guide covers exemptions, supplemental bills and appeals.
- Prop 13 base year: long-held homes can carry very low assessments. One Assessor record we checked, a house with a 1977 base year, is assessed at about $375,000. Your bill resets to your purchase price, so never estimate your tax from the seller's bill. See our Prop 19 guide if you are moving a base year.
- Flood and tsunami: check the address on the FEMA flood map and the California Geological Survey tsunami hazard maps, especially for homes on and near The Strand.
- Insurance: get a homeowners quote before you remove your contingency. Our homeowners insurance guide and earthquake insurance guide explain the options.
- HOA documents: for a condo or townhouse, read the budget, reserve study and minutes; the California HOA laws guide lists what the seller must provide.
How to choose a real estate agent in Manhattan Beach
Look up any agent's license on the California Department of Real Estate (DRE) public lookup, then ask for a list of their closed sales in 90266 in the last two years, by address. In a city where a walk-street house and a house east of Sepulveda can differ by $2 million, recent work in your part of town matters more than a big total.
Questions to ask: How many Manhattan Beach sales of my home type have you closed? How would you price this home against the last three sales like it? What would you fix before listing, and what would you leave? Who handles showings, paperwork and escrow day to day?
Since the 2024 changes to commission rules, buyers sign a written agreement with their agent before touring, and the fee is negotiable. Our California real estate commission guide explains how it works. If you want a starting point, read about our featured local agent for Manhattan Beach and how we checked him.