Encino jumbo loans and 2026 loan limits.

Ventura Boulevard divides Encino in two. North of the boulevard the land is level. Streets run in a grid toward the Ventura Freeway and the Sepulveda Basin, a large flood-control basin behind Sepulveda Dam that holds parks, golf courses and Lake Balboa. South of the boulevard the streets begin to climb, first gently and then steeply, into the Santa Monica Mountains. Mulholland Drive follows the ridge, and Encino Reservoir sits in the hills below it.

On the level streets there are mid-century ranch houses, many of them on deep lots, along with newer two-story houses that replaced them. Condominiums and apartment buildings line the boulevard and the streets just off it. In the hills are mid-century houses, estates behind gates and newer houses on graded pads with views across the Valley. Los Encinos State Historic Park, just off the boulevard near Balboa Boulevard, keeps the spring and the adobe that the area grew around.

Which side of the boulevard the home is on tells a lender a good deal. Flat lots raise questions about added units and remodels. Hillside lots raise questions about the appraisal and insurance.

Deep, level lots are well suited to an accessory dwelling unit, and many Encino houses have one, or a converted garage. A lender wants to know the unit has permits. Rent from it can sometimes be counted, under each program’s rules, and an unpermitted unit may be given no value by the appraiser.

South of the boulevard, most of the hills are mapped by the state as fire hazard zones. Homeowners insurance there can be slow to place and may come through the California FAIR Plan with a second policy beside it. A lender will not close without proof of cover. The city of Los Angeles also has hillside building rules that limit the size of a house by the slope of its lot, which matters if you plan to add on.

The city of Los Angeles charges a transfer tax of its own on higher-priced sales. It is a closing cost, usually the seller’s, and not part of the loan, but it can affect how a sale is negotiated. Ask your agent or the title company what applies.

Royal Oaks is in the eastern part of Encino, south of Ventura Boulevard and close to the San Diego Freeway and the Sepulveda Pass. Its streets, Royal Oak Road among them, wind uphill toward the crest of the mountains under old oak trees.

Lots here are large for the Valley, and many are set behind gates and hedges. The houses run from single-story mid-century ranch homes to recently built estates with guest houses, pools and tennis courts. For a lender this is individual-property territory. An appraiser may find few recent sales of similar houses and may have to look to other hillside neighborhoods for comparisons. On a larger loan, a second appraisal is common. Every building on the lot should have permits. The upper streets are in mapped fire hazard zones, so ask for insurance quotes early. Oak trees are protected by city rules, which can shape where an addition or a new house may go.

Amestoy Estates is on the level ground north of Ventura Boulevard, around Amestoy Avenue and Louise Avenue, between White Oak Avenue and Balboa Boulevard. The name comes from the Amestoy family, who once ranched this land.

The streets are wide and straight, with deep lots and many mature trees. Original houses are single-story ranch homes from the mid-century years. Many have been replaced by larger two-story houses, so old and new often stand side by side. An appraiser sorts sales by age and size, because a new house and an original ranch house on one block are not good matches for each other. If you are buying an older house to rebuild, a standard purchase loan covers the purchase only, and the building work needs a construction loan or savings. This part of Encino is level ground away from the brush-covered hills, so insurance is usually simpler than south of the boulevard. Deep lots make accessory units common here: ask whether the one you are looking at has permits.

Encino Hills is the name used for the upper slopes south of Ventura Boulevard, along Hayvenhurst Avenue and the streets that branch from it toward Mulholland Drive. Much of it dates from the mid-century years, built on terraces cut into the hillside.

Houses are mostly one-story and split-level homes placed for the view over the Valley, many since remodeled, with newer and larger houses near the ridge. Pads are level but the land around them is steep, so a lender’s appraiser pays attention to retaining walls, drainage and the usable part of the lot. Two houses of equal size can differ a lot in value depending on view and yard. Much of the area is in mapped fire hazard zones, close to open land along Mulholland Drive and around the reservoir. Collect homeowners insurance quotes before you make an offer, and plan for brush clearance, which the fire department inspects each year. Access is by a few winding roads, something to notice when you visit.