Encino North of Ventura Boulevard Compared: The Flats, the Hills Above It and Lake Balboa Across Victory

Written by Antonio Vaziri, Realtor, Epique Realty, DRE #01927866 · Last updated October 2026

Over the last twelve months, Encino houses north of Ventura Boulevard sold for about $1.64 million at the median. Up the hill on the other side of the boulevard, the median was about $2.52 million. A few miles north, across Victory Boulevard in Lake Balboa, it was $885,000. Per square foot of house, though, the first two came out almost even. This page puts the three areas next to each other so you can see what the price difference actually pays for.

Buyers looking at Encino usually end up weighing it against one of these alternatives. Some are deciding between a house on the flat side and a bigger lot in the hills. Others are stretching from Lake Balboa or weighing a condominium in Encino against a house farther north. The numbers below come from closed MLS sales in each area, pulled on October 7, 2026, followed by what is planned nearby, the public schools with addresses on the north side, and live searches of what is available.

How the three areas are drawn for this comparison

Encino north of Ventura is the part of the Encino Neighborhood Council area between Ventura Boulevard on the south and Victory Boulevard on the north, with Lindley Avenue on the west and the San Diego Freeway (I-405) on the east. The homes inside carry Encino addresses in ZIP codes 91316 and 91436. The Sepulveda Basin takes up much of the northeast corner, so there are no homes there, only parks, golf courses and ball fields.

Encino south of Ventura is the rest of the same neighborhood council area, climbing from the boulevard to Mulholland Drive. Only sales recorded with an Encino city name are counted; hillside homes near the freeway that carry a Sherman Oaks address are left out.

Lake Balboa follows the Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council boundary, across Victory Boulevard and the basin to the north. It has its own seller's report on this site, and the two Encino ZIP codes have guides of their own: 91316 and 91436.

The scorecard: one year of closings in each area

Closed MLS sales (CRMLS, The MLS and other Southern California MLSs) inside each boundary, closings recorded October 8, 2025 to October 6, 2026, retrieved through Redfin's sold-home data on October 7, 2026. "Houses" means detached single-family homes. Active listings as of October 7, 2026.
Measure Encino north of Ventura Encino south of Ventura Lake Balboa
All sales 283 174 199
Houses sold 156 162 165
Median house price $1,637,000 $2,518,900 $885,000
Median house size 2,250 sq ft about 3,550 sq ft 1,477 sq ft
Median lot 6,131 sq ft 17,329 sq ft 6,509 sq ft
Median price per sq ft (houses) $750 $743 $613
Median year built (houses) 1954 1964 1950
Houses that sold under $1.5 million 66 12 162
Houses built 2020 or later 28 (median $3,575,000) 14 (median $5,722,500) 1
Condominium and townhome sales 125 10 20
Median condominium price $460,000 $997,500 $480,750
Houses for sale on October 7 77, median ask $1,895,000 89, median ask just under $4,000,000 53, median ask $965,000
Condominiums and townhomes for sale on October 7 57 6 9

Lake Balboa also recorded 14 sales of apartment buildings and other income property in the period, and Encino north of Ventura recorded two; those are left out of the house and condominium rows.

Reading the scorecard: you are paying for land, not for the house

The row worth starting with is price per square foot. A house north of the boulevard sold for a median of $750 per square foot of living space, and a house in the hills for $743. The hills cost more in total because the typical house there is about 1,300 square feet larger and sits on almost three times as much land, not because each square foot of house costs more.

Against Lake Balboa the story reverses. Lot sizes are close (6,131 square feet against 6,509), and the houses are about the same age, yet the Encino side sold for roughly $137 more per square foot of house and for a median about $750,000 higher. Part of that gap is size, since the median Encino house north of the boulevard is close to 800 square feet larger, and part of it is the Encino address and its position next to Ventura Boulevard and the freeway. Lake Balboa is also almost entirely houses: 162 of its 165 house sales closed under $1.5 million, where only 66 did on the north side of Encino.

The other row worth a second look is condominiums. The hills recorded ten condominium sales in a year, so in practice Encino's condominium market is the north side. If a condominium or townhome is what you are after, the comparison is really between buildings north of the boulevard and the much smaller attached-home market in Lake Balboa.

The Ventura Freeway draws a second line through the north side

A single median hides how different the north side is from one block to the next. The US 101 runs east and west through it, a few blocks above Ventura Boulevard, and the houses on either side of it sold in very different ranges. The groups below are sorted by each home's map position.

Detached houses sold north of Ventura Boulevard in Encino, split by position relative to the US 101 and Balboa Boulevard. Same period and source as the scorecard.
Group Houses Median price Median size Median lot Per sq ft Median year built
Above the 101, west of Balboa (91316) 75 $1,153,500 1,628 sq ft 5,652 sq ft $777 1949
Between Ventura and the 101, east of Balboa (91436) 60 $2,080,750 3,000 sq ft 8,287 sq ft $725 1961
Between Ventura and the 101, west of Balboa (91316) 20 $3,780,000 5,339 sq ft 18,998 sq ft $818 1995

One more house, in 91436 above the freeway, sold for $2,060,000.

Above the freeway

The blocks between the 101 and Victory Boulevard, west of Balboa, are a grid of post-war tract houses on lots of a little more than 5,000 square feet, on streets such as Bullock, Collins, Martha, Shoshone and Balcom. This is where most of the north side's sales under $1.5 million happened, and the per-square-foot figure is the highest of the three groups because the houses are small. A house here and a house in Lake Balboa often look alike from the street; the difference is mainly the address, the ZIP code and the location of the nearest freeway ramp.

Between the boulevard and the freeway, east of Balboa

East of Balboa Boulevard, the strip below the 101 holds larger mid-century houses on lots around 8,000 square feet, on streets such as Woodley Avenue, Otsego Street, Morrison Street, Valjean Avenue and Magnolia Boulevard. Sixty sales at a median just above $2 million make this the second-largest group of house sales on the north side.

Between the boulevard and the freeway, west of Balboa

West of Balboa, the same strip includes some of the largest flat lots in Encino, on Amestoy, Louise, Andasol, Cumpston and Encino Avenues and nearby blocks. Only 20 houses sold there, but the median lot was close to 19,000 square feet, and several sales were newly built houses, including a 2026 house on Amestoy Avenue that closed at $10,000,000, the highest house sale on the north side in the period.

Lot size and price, hills against flats

Sorting houses by lot size shows where the two halves of Encino overlap. On lots between 10,000 square feet and a full acre, the north side sold for as much as the hills, or more, because big flat lots are scarce there and several of them sold with newly built houses.

Encino house sales by lot size, same period and source.
Lot size North of Ventura: sales North: median price South of Ventura: sales South: median price
Under 10,000 sq ft 120 $1,426,500 22 $2,097,500
10,000 to 19,999 sq ft 24 $3,680,000 99 $2,470,000
20,000 sq ft to just under an acre 10 $3,495,000 36 $3,044,250
One acre or more 2 $6,815,000 5 $6,835,000

A hillside lot of the same size usually carries costs a flat one does not: slope, retaining walls, longer driveways, brush clearance and, on many streets, a fire hazard designation that affects insurance. A flat lot north of the boulevard trades those for more traffic noise near the freeway and Ventura Boulevard. Neither column is a value judgment; they are different kinds of land.

New houses: the north side rebuilt twice as many as the hills

Twenty-eight houses built in 2020 or later sold north of Ventura in the twelve months, at a median of $3,575,000. In the hills there were 14, at a median of $5,722,500. Lake Balboa had one. On the north side, 98 of the 156 houses that sold were built before 1960, at a median of $1,304,950, so an older house on a buildable lot and a finished new one are the two ends of the same street in many cases.

Anyone buying an older house with the idea of rebuilding should look at the parcel's zoning, the Los Angeles Baseline Mansionization Ordinance limits on floor area, any protected oak trees on the lot, and whether the house falls inside the Ventura-Cahuenga Boulevard Corridor Specific Plan, which covers parcels along the boulevard. The city's ZIMAS parcel lookup is the place to start, followed by a conversation with an architect or a land-use consultant before you remove contingencies.

Condominiums and townhomes, where the north side has the field mostly to itself

The north side recorded 112 condominium sales and 13 townhome sales. Prices ran from $126,000 to $1,060,000, and the spread is easier to read once one complex is set aside.

5460 White Oak Avenue. Twenty-four of the 125 attached sales were in one gated 1971 complex at 5460 White Oak Avenue, described in MLS records as 9.33 acres with three pools and tennis courts. They sold from $126,000 to $295,000, at a median of $240,000, while monthly dues on those listings ran from $736 to $1,104. Prices that low next to dues that high are a signal to read the association's budget, reserve study, minutes, insurance and any notices about pending matters before writing an offer. At least one 2026 listing there directed buyers to documents on file about such matters, and a lender's condominium review may be part of the timeline.

Condominium and townhome sales north of Ventura in Encino, excluding 5460 White Oak Avenue. Same period and source.
Bedrooms Sales Median price
Studio or one bedroom 11 $295,000
Two bedrooms 66 $505,000
Three bedrooms or more 24 $762,500
All 101 sales 101 $545,000 (median 1,415 sq ft, dues median $634)

Most of these buildings date from the 1960s and 1970s and line Lindley, Zelzah, Yarmouth, Newcastle and White Oak Avenues, Balboa Boulevard and Burbank Boulevard. Eleven sales along the 5300 to 5500 blocks of Lindley Avenue closed at a median of $522,000, with dues between $350 and $626. Several of these communities have their own guides on this site: The Lindbrook at 5420 and 5440 Lindley, Ports of Call at 5400 Lindley, and the townhomes of Encino Spa East on White Oak Avenue.

In Lake Balboa, 20 condominiums and townhomes sold over the same period, with townhomes at a median of $587,500. A two-bedroom condominium in Encino and a townhome in Lake Balboa ended up in about the same price range, so the choice often comes down to the building, the dues and what they include.

Matching a budget to the right side of the map

These ranges come straight from the sales above. They describe what sold, not what any one home will sell for.

  • Under $600,000Mostly condominiums. North of the boulevard, two-bedroom units sold at a median of $505,000; in Lake Balboa, attached homes sold in a similar range, and only two houses closed under $600,000.
  • $800,000 to $1.2 millionThis is where Lake Balboa houses (median $885,000) meet the smallest houses above the 101 in Encino. In Encino at this price, expect a smaller, older house above the freeway; 45 north-side houses sold under $1.2 million. In Lake Balboa, the same money usually buys more interior space on a lot of about the same size.
  • $1.2 million to $2 millionMostly the Encino tract streets above the 101, and the lower end of the 91436 blocks between the boulevard and the freeway. Twelve hillside houses sold under $1.5 million in the year.
  • $2 million to $4 millionHere the two halves of Encino truly compete: larger houses between Ventura and the 101, new construction on the flats, or a hillside house on a lot two or three times the size.
  • Above $4 millionNew construction on the big flat lots west of Balboa, or the larger hillside estates south of the boulevard, where the top sale in the period was a Royal Oak Road estate at $25,500,000.

Getting around, and the 2,000 acres next door

The north side is the part of Encino closest to the freeways. The 101 has ramps at Hayvenhurst Avenue, Balboa Boulevard and White Oak Avenue, and the 405 runs along its eastern edge. Metro bus lines 150 and 240 travel Ventura Boulevard, lines 235 and 236 run up Balboa Boulevard, line 237 uses White Oak Avenue and line 164 runs on Victory Boulevard. The G Line busway has a station on Balboa Boulevard near Victory.

The Sepulveda Basin, about 2,000 acres of flood-control land behind the 1941 Sepulveda Dam, fills much of the land between Burbank Boulevard, Victory Boulevard and the 405. Inside it are the Encino and Balboa golf courses at 16821 Burbank Boulevard, the Balboa Sports Complex at 17015 Burbank Boulevard, the Encino Velodrome at 17301 Oxnard Street, a 250-meter outdoor track in use since 1961, and the 27-acre lake in Anthony C. Beilenson Park. Closer to the boulevard, Los Encinos State Historic Park at 16756 Moorpark Street preserves an 1849 adobe and an 1872 limestone house on the site of Rancho El Encino, and Encino Park sits at 16953 Ventura Boulevard. Encino Hospital Medical Center, a general acute care hospital with an emergency room, is at 16237 Ventura Boulevard.

Approvals, proposals and closings around the north side

Status is as of the date of the report cited for each item.

  • PlannedWhole Foods Market at Encino Marketplace, 16325 Ventura Boulevard. A Whole Foods is planned for the space a closed Amazon Fresh store left behind earlier in 2026; an alcohol permit was obtained in May 2026. What Now Los Angeles, June 12, 2026.
  • ClosedAmazon Fresh, Encino Marketplace. Closed earlier in 2026, per the same report.
  • OpenVered on Ventura, 16161 Ventura Boulevard. A six-story building with 107 assisted living units and 16 memory care units, leasing after construction. Urbanize LA, March 7, 2025.
  • ApprovedParkPointe Encino, 17017 Ventura Boulevard. A five-story building with 66 assisted living and 24 memory care apartments, plus a three-story, 55,000 square foot medical office building. Approved by the City Council; a construction start was not confirmed. Urbanize LA, December 4, 2024.
  • Proposed16747 Ventura Boulevard, the Mercedes-Benz dealership site next to Los Encinos park. A twelve-story building with 130 apartments, 26 of them affordable, over a showroom. Filed in December 2023; no later approval was found. Urbanize LA, December 13, 2023.
  • Approved17500 Burbank Boulevard, a former church site. A six-story eldercare building with 228 units, approved by the Zoning Administrator in February 2022; construction status was not confirmed. What Now Los Angeles, February 14, 2022.
  • Approved16610 to 16618 Ventura Boulevard, south side of the street. Five stories, 45 apartments (8 for very low income households) over 3,400 square feet of retail. The City Council upheld the approval on September 16, 2025. LA City Clerk Council File 25-0813.
  • Approved4741 Libbit Avenue, just south of the boulevard. Seven stories, 68 apartments, 14 of them for very low income households; building permits still needed. Urbanize LA, July 20, 2026.
  • Approved routeSepulveda Transit Corridor. On January 22, 2026, the Metro Board chose an underground heavy rail line under Van Nuys Boulevard between the Van Nuys Metrolink station and the E Line, with a Ventura Boulevard station on the Van Nuys alignment in Sherman Oaks, not in Encino. No opening date has been set. Metro fact sheet, April 2026.
  • Under constructionG Line improvements. Bridges over Van Nuys and Sepulveda Boulevards and a new elevated Van Nuys station, with the bridge work expected to finish in December 2027. Metro community meeting, September 22, 2026.
  • ApprovedLos Angeles River bike path, Vanalden Avenue to Balboa Boulevard. 2.93 miles of bike path with a walking path, connecting to the G Line at Balboa and Victory. Construction was targeted to start in August 2026, with the main path finished in summer 2028. City Administrative Officer report, May 22, 2026.
  • Approved venueLA28 Olympic and Paralympic events in the Sepulveda Basin. BMX freestyle and racing, skateboarding, 3x3 basketball and modern pentathlon are planned for the basin during the Games, July 14 to 30, 2028. Sports Video Group, April 15, 2025.
  • Long rangeSepulveda Basin Vision Plan. The city's final plan lists about 50 projects over 20 to 25 years, at nearly $5 billion, most of it not yet funded. Spectrum News 1, June 17, 2024.
  • Environmental reviewAmestoy Avenue pedestrian bridge and Louise Avenue overcrossing on the 101. Caltrans lists railing, accessibility, lighting and bikeway work, with construction scheduled for fall and winter 2029 to 2030. Caltrans District 7 project page.
  • RemovedEncino Avenue pedestrian bridge over the 101. Demolished in 2022 and not being replaced. FOX 11 Los Angeles, October 2, 2022.

Approved projects can still be redesigned or delayed, and proposals can be withdrawn. Check the city's planning case files before counting on any of them.

Public schools located north of the boulevard

Four Los Angeles Unified campuses have street addresses inside this area, and every one is listed as active in the California Department of Education School Directory (records updated August 25, 2026). Each name links to the school's page on the California School Dashboard.

The closest middle and high schools sit outside the boundary: Gaspar De Portola Charter Middle (grades 6 to 8, 18720 Linnet Street, Tarzana), William Mulholland Middle (grades 6 to 8, 17120 Vanowen Street, Lake Balboa), Birmingham Community Charter High (grades 9 to 12, 17000 Haynes Street, Lake Balboa) and Taft Charter High (grades 9 to 12, 5461 Winnetka Avenue, Woodland Hills).

Being close to a campus does not decide where a home is assigned. LAUSD assigns schools by the exact street address, and magnet and charter enrollment follow their own rules, so look up any address you are considering in the LAUSD Resident School Identifier and confirm with the district.

Search the north side's listings today

Both buttons open a live search drawn along Ventura Boulevard, Lindley Avenue, Victory Boulevard and the 405. Narrow it by price, beds or property type, then press Save Search to have new matches emailed to you. A few listings beside the freeway on the eastern edge carry Sherman Oaks addresses. For the other two areas, the Lake Balboa and Encino search pages cover them.

Homes for sale north of Ventura in Encino Homes for lease north of Ventura in Encino

The deals I have closed on this side of Encino

Much of my own Encino work has been north of the boulevard. I represented the buyers of a house on Hesperia Avenue, between Ventura and the 101, in 2021, and the buyers of a house on Balcom Avenue, above the freeway, in 2022. On Lindley Avenue I have sold two condominiums at The Lindbrook for their owners, in 2022 and in 2026, and I helped a client buy a condominium at 5334 Lindley in 2020, then sold it for the same client in 2023. I have also represented a unit owner at Ports of Call and placed tenants in homes on Magnolia Boulevard and Balboa Boulevard. That mix of houses, condominiums and leases is why I tell buyers to compare by building and by block, not by ZIP code. If you want to see the flats and the hills in one afternoon, call or text me at 818-381-9977.

Selling a home north of Ventura? Start with the right comparisons

A house above the 101 and a house a few blocks south of it can be worth very different amounts, and a condominium's dues and building matter as much as its square footage. For an estimate built from the sales closest to your address, request a home value report.

More reading: Encino homes for sale, Encino condominiums, the 91316 and 91436 ZIP code guides, the Lake Balboa seller's report, the Tarzana hillside guide next door, and every guide on the neighborhood guides page.

Data sources and the dates behind them

The information on this page was compiled from public MLS records and other public sources and is current only as of October 2026. It is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed, and it is not a representation or warranty of any kind. Prices, association dues, special assessments, zoning, building and rebuilding rules, insurance availability, taxes, transit plans, school assignments and neighborhood boundaries change over time and can change without notice. Do not rely on this page for any purchase, sale, lease or financing decision; verify everything that matters to you through your own inspections, the association documents, the escrow or lease disclosure package, the preliminary title report, the county tax records, the City of Los Angeles and your lender. Nothing here is legal, tax, financial, insurance or lending advice. All real estate advertised is subject to the federal Fair Housing Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act; we do not discriminate and do not support discrimination against any protected class.

Antonio Vaziri, Realtor · Epique Realty · DRE #01927866 · buyandsellcaliforniahomes.com