Luxe | The New Face of Real Estate
Two trends are quietly reshaping who is buying luxury real estate and why. Wellness infrastructure and health-centered design have become major drivers at the top of the market, with nearly 38% of agents working in the $10 million-and-above segment reporting that aging in place is now a growing factor in purchase decisions. Wellness real estate has more than doubled in size over five years and is projected to surpass $1.1 trillion by 2029. Meanwhile, new research shines a light on women as a rising force in luxury purchasing, with women holding over 15% of luxury real estate in the U.S. and owning 54% of luxury properties in the under-35 bracket. The profile of the luxury buyer is evolving, and for those of us working at the high end of the Westside market, understanding who is buying and what they are prioritizing has never been more important.
The New Face of Luxury Real Estate: Why Wellness and Women Are Reshaping the High End of the Market
The luxury real estate market has always been shaped by wealth. But in 2026, two powerful forces are quietly redefining what wealthy buyers actually want, and who those buyers are. Understanding these shifts is not just interesting. For anyone buying, selling, or advising at the top of the market, it is essential.
Longevity Is the New Luxury
For decades, luxury real estate was defined by square footage, location, and finishes. The bigger the home, the more prestigious the address, the more desirable the property. That calculus is changing.
According to the 2026 Mid-Year Luxury Outlook report, the fundamental force reshaping global luxury real estate right now is the rise of longevity-driven living. Ultra-high-net-worth buyers are increasingly making purchase decisions based on wellness infrastructure, health-centered design, and the ability to age in place gracefully. Nearly 38% of real estate professionals working in the $10 million-and-above segment report that aging in place has become a growing factor in buyer decisions, a figure that would have seemed surprising just five years ago.
The numbers behind this shift are significant. The global longevity market is projected to grow from $5.3 trillion in 2023 to $8 trillion by 2030. Wellness real estate has more than doubled in size over the past five years and is projected to surpass $1.1 trillion by 2029. These are not niche figures. They represent a structural change in how affluent buyers think about property.
What does this look like in practice? Buyers at the top of the market are prioritizing homes with home gyms, spa bathrooms, air and water filtration systems, seamless single-level living, and proximity to nature. They want properties that support a long, healthy, active life, not just ones that impress guests. The question is no longer simply "is this a beautiful home?" It is "does this home support the life I want to live for the next thirty years?"
On the Westside, this trend is already visible. Properties with wellness amenities, whether a dedicated infrared sauna, a resort-quality pool setup, a meditation garden, or a thoughtfully designed master suite, are commanding premiums and generating more buyer interest than comparable properties without them. It is a shift worth paying close attention to, both for buyers thinking about what to prioritize and for sellers thinking about how to position their home.
Women Are Rewriting the Rules
The second major force reshaping luxury real estate is perhaps even more striking. The profile of the luxury buyer is changing, and women are leading the way.
Research shows that women with a net worth above $5 million now own more than 15% of luxury real estate in the United States, a figure that continues to climb. In the under-35 luxury bracket, the numbers are even more telling: 54% of luxury properties in that age group are owned by women. Single women now account for 21% of all home buyers nationally, compared to just 9% for single men, the widest gender gap on record.
This is not a trend quietly building in the background. It is already reshaping how luxury homes are designed, marketed, and sold. Affluent women are approaching real estate with a distinct set of priorities: privacy, function, intentional design, and long-term investment value. They are less interested in homes that perform for others and more interested in homes that work for how they actually live. Spaces that feel genuinely personal, private, and purposeful are resonating. Showroom-polished trophy homes are not.
For real estate professionals, this shift demands a rethinking of how we communicate about properties. The language of luxury is evolving alongside its buyers. Conversations that center around lifestyle, design integrity, and long-term value are increasingly more relevant than ones focused purely on prestige or status.
What This Means for the Westside Market
Both of these trends converge in a meaningful way for buyers and sellers on the Westside of Los Angeles. This is a market where lifestyle has always been central to the purchase decision, where proximity to the beach, access to outdoor living, and the quality of the home environment matter enormously. The broader luxury market is now catching up to what Westside buyers have understood intuitively for years.
For sellers, the takeaway is clear: wellness features and thoughtful, functional design are no longer nice-to-haves. They are value drivers. A home that speaks to longevity, health, and intentional living will find a larger and more motivated pool of buyers than one that does not.
For buyers, the market is offering something genuinely interesting right now. There is more inventory at the top end than we have seen in years, a growing pool of well-designed properties to choose from, and a window of time before the SpaceX IPO lockup expiration in December brings a new wave of ultra-high-net-worth buyers into the market.
The luxury market is not just strong. It is evolving. And the buyers and sellers who understand where it is headed will be best positioned to take advantage of it.
