West LA & Beach Cities Apartment Buildings: For Sale and Recently Sold

West LA apartment buildings average $524,572 per unit across the LAAA Team's 37 apartment sales among 64 closed transactions. Santa Monica properties average $521,077 per unit, while the West LA corridor near Sawtelle and Sepulveda averages $720,107 per unit across 3 apartment sales. Pricing in this submarket is the highest among the LAAA Team's Los Angeles markets, driven by ocean proximity, tech employment, and UCLA.

Cap rates in West LA and the Beach Cities average 3.78% across the 34 apartment sales with a recorded cap rate, within 64 closed transactions, with a range from 1.83% to 5.27%. This is the lowest average cap rate among the LAAA Team's LA submarkets, reflecting strong investor demand and limited supply. Santa Monica averages 3.98%, while value-add buildings in Palms and Mar Vista can reach higher yields once stabilized.

Santa Monica has its own rent control ordinance separate from the LA RSO, administered by the Santa Monica Rent Control Board. It applies to buildings with 2+ units built before April 10, 1979, and imposes annual rent increase limits that are typically lower than the LA RSO. Vacancy decontrol under Costa-Hawkins still applies, allowing market-rate rent resets upon turnover. Buildings built after 1979 in Santa Monica are subject to AB 1482 statewide rent caps.

West LA offers exceptional long-term appreciation driven by permanent demand generators including UCLA (45,000+ students), Santa Monica's tech corridor (Google, Snap, Riot Games), and the Westside's proximity to major entertainment studios. While entry-point cap rates are lower than other LA submarkets, high barriers to new construction support long-term value. CoStar's Market Snapshot on this page puts submarket vacancy at 6.7% as of 2026 Q1.

The LAAA Team has closed 64 transactions totaling $215.5M in West LA and the Beach Cities since 2012. Top areas by deal count include Santa Monica (22 deals, $81.5M), West LA (10 deals, $34.9M), and Westwood (6 deals, $28.9M). The team's deep Westside experience includes transactions from Pacific Palisades to Culver City.

West LA's apartment stock includes pre-war courtyard buildings (1920s-1940s), mid-century modern complexes (1950s-1960s), and newer transit-oriented developments near Expo Line stations. Common building types range from 4-unit fourplexes in residential neighborhoods to 20-40 unit complexes along major corridors. Many Santa Monica properties feature controlled rents significantly below market, creating upside potential through natural turnover.