Silver Lake · Market Guide
What the numbers in a Silver Lake housing report mean, which ones to trust, and where the official data lives.
How to read the Silver Lake market
Read Silver Lake housing data one property type and one setting at a time, over several months, never a single month. Silver Lake is small, so monthly sale counts are low and every figure jumps around. Median price tells you what a typical sale looked like; price per square foot is a steadier read on value; days on market and months of supply tell you who has the leverage. Public figures come from the California Association of REALTORS and, for individual properties, the Los Angeles County Assessor.
Read direction, not decimals. In a neighborhood this size, a single architect-designed house or a run of hillside view sales can move a month's median on its own. Compare the same month a year earlier, or a rolling six to twelve months, before drawing a conclusion.
The core metrics, defined
What each number measures and how to read it
| Metric | What it measures | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Median price | The middle sale price of homes that closed in the period: half sold for more, half for less. | Shifts with the mix of homes that sold, not only with value. Best read year over year, by property type. |
| Price per sq ft | Sale price divided by the home’s living area. | Adjusts for size, so it is usually steadier than the median. Views, lot, access and architecture still skew it, especially on hillside lots. |
| Days on market | How long homes took to sell, measured from listing to contract or to close depending on the report. | Rising days point to more buyer leverage; falling days, to more seller leverage. Check which definition the source uses. |
| Active listings | Homes on the market and available at a point in time. | A snapshot of choice for buyers. Seasonal, so compare to the same time last year. |
| Months of supply | Active listings divided by the average number of monthly sales. | How long current inventory would last at the current pace. Fewer months favors sellers; more months favors buyers. |
| Homes sold | The number of closed sales in the period. | Low counts make every other figure jumpier. In a neighborhood the size of Silver Lake, use a longer window. |
None of these numbers means much alone. A rising median with rising days on market is a different story from a rising median with homes selling in a weekend. Read price, pace and supply together, and always ask what property type and what area the figure covers.
Closed sales also lag the market. A sale that closes this month usually went under contract weeks earlier, so the latest closed figures describe decisions buyers and sellers made a month or two ago. And many homes sell without ever being publicly listed, so public data never shows the whole picture.
Why Silver Lake has to be read in pieces
The comparisons that matter
| Split | Why it matters | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Detached vs attached | Houses, condos and townhomes sell to different buyers at different price points, and attached homes carry HOA dues. | Never combine them. Use reports that separate detached and attached sales. |
| Single-family vs income property | Duplexes, bungalow courts and small apartment buildings are priced on rents and rules as much as on the house. | Compare income property with income property, and check the rent rules that apply. |
| Flat lot vs hillside | A flat lot near Sunset Junction and a view house on a steep street in the hills are different products, with different access, building rules and costs of ownership. | Compare hillside with hillside, and note views, stairs, parking and driveway. |
| Architectural vs conventional | A documented house by a known architect, or a Historic-Cultural Monument, draws a different buyer and may carry a Mills Act contract. | Look for comparable architectural sales across the Eastside and beyond, not only next door. |
| Neighborhood vs zip code | Silver Lake shares zip codes with parts of Echo Park, Los Feliz and neighboring areas, and many reports are by zip code or citywide. | Check whether a figure covers the neighborhood, a zip code, the city or the county. |
A countywide or citywide median blends everything from downtown condos to hillside estates. It is useful for direction, and almost useless for pricing a specific Silver Lake house. The closer the comparison is to your home in type, setting and condition, the more it tells you. For neighbors with their own guides, see Just Echo Park, Just NELA and Los Feliz Living.
Where the official data lives
Public sources for Silver Lake housing figures
| Source | What it publishes | Where |
|---|---|---|
| California Association of REALTORS (C.A.R.) | Monthly statewide and county sales and median price data, affordability indexes and historical series, including Los Angeles County. | C.A.R. market data |
| Los Angeles County Assessor | Ownership, assessed values, parcel maps and property characteristics for individual properties. | Assessor property search |
| City of Los Angeles ZIMAS | Zoning, Hillside Area status and historic designation for individual parcels: the rules that shape what a property can become. | ZIMAS parcel lookup |
Price, pace and supply, one property type and one setting at a time.
What is the best single number for judging Silver Lake home values?
No single number does the job, but price per square foot over several months, for one property type in a similar setting, is usually steadier than the median sale price. The median shifts with which homes happen to sell; price per square foot adjusts for size. Read both alongside days on market and months of supply.
Where can I find official Silver Lake housing statistics?
The California Association of REALTORS publishes monthly county-level sales and median price data and historical series, including Los Angeles County. Neighborhood figures come from the local MLS, usually through an agent. For a specific property, the Los Angeles County Assessor holds ownership, assessed value and parcel information, and the City's ZIMAS site shows zoning and historic status.
Why are Silver Lake market numbers so jumpy?
Silver Lake is a small neighborhood with a wide range of homes, from flat-lot bungalows to hillside architectural houses, so any one month has few sales and the mix changes from month to month. Reading six to twelve months together, and comparing like with like, gives a far truer picture than any single month.
For Silver Lake Buyers and Sellers
Want a read on your home or your search?
Public reports describe the market. A valuation describes your house. Debbie Pisaro represents buyers and sellers in Silver Lake and across California, and prepares every valuation by hand. Many of the homes she sells never reach the open market.
Reach DebbieDebbie Pisaro, California real estate agent, DRE #01369110, is a 24-year California real estate veteran, an Inman Luxury Leader and the founder of Coastline 840. Coastline 840 is a brand of Side, Inc., CA DRE #02014153, responsible broker. This page explains how to read housing data; it does not report current figures. More at debbiepisaro.com and coastline840.com, and in the Silver Lake real estate guide and seller guide. DRE #01369110 · Coastline 840 · Side, Inc. DRE #02014153