The Street That Never Matched
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Lately Frank and I keep landing on the same topic. Wherever developers are chasing square footage, the same house keeps appearing: white siding, black windows, repeated from one lot to the next like a stamp.
Developers are hunting for square footage, and what comes out is the same house over and over. White siding. Black windows. Nothing about it is wrong, exactly. It just feels a bit uninteresting.
Think about what made the Palisades so special. You could stand on a single street and see a Spanish next to a mid-century next to a Tudor, each one built by someone with a different dream. Nobody planned that variety, and nobody could have manufactured it. It was the neighborhood. As the Palisades rebuilds, I find myself hoping that spirit finds its way back.
I see the same thing in the places I love most. The median lot in Venice is only about 4,300 square feet. In the Canyon, the land slopes and curves and refuses to be flat. Architects couldn’t copy and paste here, so they had to listen to the land. Those limits produced the homes people still stop and stare at.
The market has been noticing for a while. Zillow’s listing data last year showed mentions of artisan craftsmanship up 21% and vintage accents up 17%, a sign of what buyers are responding to. And here in LA, agents are seeing buyers who tour several new homes with the same floors, fixtures, and layouts struggle to tell them apart. Designer homes are sought after.
A house that could be anywhere is easy to build. A house that could only be here is the one someone falls in love with.
Watch Frank and Diana on Instagram →
Speaking of the Palisades and what comes next for it, there was important news on Election Day. Los Angeles voters passed Measure TE overwhelmingly, with about 64% voting yes in early returns, roughly 461,000 votes to 260,000.
The measure creates a one-time exemption from the city’s Measure ULA transfer tax for original owners selling homes damaged or destroyed in the January 2025 Palisades Fire. ULA charges 4% on sales above about $5.4 million and 5.5% on sales above roughly $10.6 million. To qualify, owners must sell within five years of the fire, by January 6, 2030.
For families still deciding whether to rebuild or sell, this changes the math. Eligibility details matter, so it’s worth confirming with a tax advisor before making a move. And if you’re weighing your options in the Palisades, we’re always here to talk it through.
Results are unofficial until the vote is certified.
The Canyon Portraits Are Back, and This Is the Last Chance!
Last month, photographer Josh Madson set up at Canyon Square and took close to 200 portraits in a single day. Neighbors, kids, dogs on leashes, people who just happened to be walking by. His joy is contagious, and so is the idea behind it.
Every face will become part of a portrait collage of Rustic Canyon, part of Josh’s larger project to document 28 Los Angeles County communities before the 2028 Olympics. No two faces are alike, which feels fitting this week.
The final session is Saturday, November 14th, starting at 10am. It takes two to three minutes, it’s free, and two digital portraits land in your inbox right after. Walk-ins are welcome, though a time slot isn’t guaranteed. To reserve one, click the link below. Arrive five minutes early, since slots run in 15-minute increments.
Already sat for one but want another? Talk to us and we’ll work something out. Some cases may need a small extra donation.
The collage will be unveiled at Gallery 169 on December 12th. Come be part of the picture.
A street where no two homes match, a neighborhood finding its way back, and a canyon full of faces that will never repeat: the places worth loving are the ones that could only be here.