Pricing a Los Feliz Home Near $5.4 Million: The Measure ULA Math, Step by Step

Under the 2026 Measure ULA numbers, a Los Feliz sale above $5,400,000 needs to reach about $5,626,000 to match a sale at exactly $5,400,000 after city transfer tax. Between those two numbers, a higher price carries more tax than the extra price brings in. That range is where Measure ULA pricing takes a plan.

This guide walks through the math at five prices, the break-even point, and the steps we use to choose a list price near the line. At Rooster Homes, we run this math for any home whose comparable sales point near $5.4 million. Rooster Homes is a Los Feliz, Los Angeles real estate team led by Brandon and Sarah Arlington (DRE #02051216). Pricing is the first place we put that work.

Measure ULA is an added City of Los Angeles transfer tax on documents that convey real property inside the City. It took effect for conveyances on or after April 1, 2023. Los Feliz is inside the City of Los Angeles, so every Los Feliz sale is measured against it. The City states that ULA funds affordable housing and resources for tenants at risk of homelessness. Our overview, What Is Measure ULA?, covers the basics.

According to the City of Los Angeles Office of Finance ULA page, sales closing after June 30, 2026 fall into three bands:

• $5,400,000 or less: the base city transfer tax only, 0.45%.
• Over $5,400,000 and under $10,900,000: the base tax plus 4% ULA, for a total rate of 4.45%.
• $10,900,000 or more: the base tax plus 5.5% ULA, for a total rate of 5.95%.

The detail that shapes pricing is this. ULA is charged on the whole value of the sale, not just the part above the line. One dollar over $5,400,000 moves the entire price into the 4% band.

Here is the City of Los Angeles transfer tax at five prices, using the published rates for sales closing after June 30, 2026. The base tax is $2.25 per $500 of price, rounded up to the next $500. ULA adds 4% of the whole price once it passes $5,400,000.

• $5,400,000: base tax $24,300. Total $24,300. Price after city tax: $5,375,700.
• $5,500,000: base tax $24,750 plus ULA $220,000. Total $244,750. Price after city tax: $5,255,250.
• $5,600,000: base tax $25,200 plus ULA $224,000. Total $249,200. Price after city tax: $5,350,800.
• $5,626,062: price after city tax: $5,375,700, the same as the $5,400,000 sale.
• $5,700,000: base tax $25,650 plus ULA $228,000. Total $253,650. Price after city tax: $5,446,350.

Each figure comes straight from the published rates. The base tax at $5,400,000 is 10,800 units of $500 at $2.25 each. The ULA at $5,500,000 is 4% of $5,500,000.

At $5,400,000 the base tax is $24,300 and there is no ULA. At $5,400,001 the base tax is $24,302.25. ULA then adds $216,000.04, which is 4% of the full $5,400,001.

That one dollar of price brings about $216,000 in added city tax. It is the clearest way to see why a round number just above the line deserves a second look. The line is a cliff for the tax, and the price has to climb well past it before the math comes back even.

A sale at $5,500,000 brings in $100,000 more in price than a sale at $5,400,000. It also brings about $120,000 less after city transfer tax. The break-even point sits near $5,626,000. Above that, each additional dollar of price counts again.

The break-even price is the point where price minus city tax equals the $5,375,700 left after a $5,400,000 sale. Working from the 4.45% total rate gives $5,626,062.

For pricing, the range from just over $5,400,000 to about $5,626,000 is the one to plan around with care. A home whose value clearly sits above it can be priced with confidence above it. A home whose value sits near $5.4 million is often best priced at or just under the line.

1. Start with the comparable sales. The value range comes first. The tax math is applied to that range, never the other way around.
2. Place the range against the line. If the range sits well above $5,626,000 or well below $5,400,000, ULA is a detail. If it straddles the line, it becomes part of the strategy.
3. Check the closing date. The thresholds are adjusted every year based on the Chained Consumer Price Index, and the 2026 figures apply to closings after June 30, 2026. We confirm which year's numbers apply. We cover that in Measure ULA moves every July 1.
4. Confirm how the value is counted. We check for an assumed loan and for a property line that crosses the City boundary before the price is set.
5. Plan the negotiation in advance. We agree with you, before the home goes live, on how offers near the line will be weighed. That way every decision during escrow is quick and calm.

That work lives in the pricing step of how we sell a home.

Assumed loans count. ULA is figured on the gross value of the sale, including liens and any loan the buyer takes over. The base tax uses the net value, which leaves an assumed loan out. We confirm how any assumed loan is counted before we set a price near the line.

The City line matters. ULA applies to property inside the City of Los Angeles. When a property sits partly inside and partly outside the City, the tax applies in proportion to the value inside the City.

Some sales are exempt. The City lists exemptions for qualified affordable housing organizations and certain long-standing 501(c)(3) organizations. Public agencies are exempt too, as are transactions already exempt from the base tax. Each exemption has its own conditions on the Office of Finance page.

All three details come straight from the City's Office of Finance.

This article explains how the tax works. It is not tax or legal advice. For your own situation, talk with your CPA or attorney as well.

• Choose the list price from the comparable sales first. A round number like $5.5 million can feel right. Test it against the tax table before it goes on the listing.
• Compare offers by the price after city tax. A $5,600,000 offer reads higher than $5,400,000. After city tax it leaves $5,350,800 against $5,375,700.
• Use the numbers for your closing date. A sale that closes after June 30 uses that year's adjusted thresholds. Match the table to the expected close.
• Count the whole price. ULA applies to the full value once the price passes the line. Run the math on the full price, not the amount above $5,400,000.
• Decide the plan before the first offer. Settle how you will weigh offers near the line while there is time to think it through.

Here are four hypothetical examples. None describes a real client or a real sale.

A value range that straddles the line. A seller whose comparable sales point to $5,300,000 to $5,500,000 is weighing two list prices. At $5,400,000 the price after city tax is $5,375,700. At $5,500,000 it is $5,255,250. In this case the plan often starts at or just under the line.

Two offers during escrow planning. A seller receives one offer at $5,400,000 and another at $5,600,000. The higher offer leaves $5,350,800 after city tax. The lower one leaves $5,375,700. Because the plan for offers near the line was set in advance, the decision takes minutes.

A value clearly above the range. A seller whose comparable sales point to $5,700,000 is well past the break-even point. At that price the figure after city tax is $5,446,350. The home can be priced with confidence above the line.

A value well below the line. A seller whose home is worth about $4,000,000 pays the base tax only, which is $18,000. ULA is not part of that pricing plan.

A home selling at $2,000,000 pays only the base tax of $9,000. A home at $4,000,000 pays only the base tax of $18,000. On this site, luxury in Los Feliz starts at about $2 million. Both of those prices sit well below the ULA line.

Larger estates are where the line comes into play. If you own one in Laughlin Park or the Los Feliz Hills, this math is worth running before you choose a price. Los Feliz Hills is this site's name for the hillside above Los Feliz Boulevard. The City's SurveyLA report on Hollywood calls the heart of it the Los Feliz Heights Residential Historic District.

Our guide to selling a luxury home in Los Feliz covers the rest of the plan.

This article explains how the tax works. It is not tax or legal advice. For your own situation, talk with your CPA or attorney as well.

Rooster Homes is a Los Feliz, Los Angeles real estate team led by Brandon and Sarah Arlington (DRE #02051216). Brandon has been licensed since 2015. If your home could sell near $5.4 million, we will run this math with your comparable sales and your likely closing date. The plan for offers near the line is set before the home goes live.

Once you sign, the work starts the same day. Escrow, HOA documents, and disclosures move within hours. You get a real, specific update after every showing and open house and a weekly progress update through closing. Our in-house Matterport 3D tour is part of the listing from day one.

You can see each step in our listing process. When you are ready, talk with Rooster Homes and let us know what works best for you. We will coordinate our schedule around yours.