A New Design for L.A. Living: Spotlight on Bryce Pennel

Bryce Pennel has an exceptionally trained eye for real estate, in all its facets.

A graduate of USC’s Marshall School of Business, Pennel began his career as an investment manager at Morgan Stanley before transitioning into residential real estate full time in 2017. That background brings a level of financial acumen to his fiduciary role as an agent. Just as critical to his success, however, is his instinct for architecture, design, and interiors—an eye he developed early while flipping homes across Los Angeles. During that period, Pennel also co-founded a Los Angeles–based residential development firm, further deepening his hands-on experience across acquisition, design, and execution and giving him a nuanced understanding of what goes into a well-built home—something many agents are not formally trained in.

A San Francisco Bay Area native, Pennel counts many of the country’s leading designers and creatives among his close circle and regularly draws on their perspectives. That design-centric network has helped shape The Pennel Group into a business known for its aesthetic rigor as much as its transactional expertise.

“We’re all motivated by design,” Pennel says. “I’ve built my business around helping clients understand its value.”

Since bringing The Pennel Group to Douglas Elliman’s Beverly Hills office in January 2024, Pennel has continued to refine that positioning. When preparing a home for market, he regularly collaborates with respected art and home-staging firms—including Creative Art Partners, Ash, JSN Studio, and DEN—and taps trusted industry contacts to help source the right pieces that bring each space to life.

“Social media has made buyers more sophisticated,” he says. “Even if they’re not gallery-hopping or touring open houses on weekends, they’re still acutely aware of what’s happening visually and culturally.”

With a strong referral-driven business already in place, Pennel sees his move to Elliman as an opportunity to elevate visibility on his own terms. “I want The Pennel Group to be known for what we actually do,” he says.

Pennel’s path into brokerage grew naturally out of development. Early on, he identified a large supply of well-located homes that hadn’t been meaningfully updated—properties ripe for re-envisioning but intimidating to many buyers. He leaned into that opportunity, discovering both a talent and an appetite for repositioning homes thoughtfully and efficiently. That experience now plays out at a larger scale across the luxury market, where his ability to communicate potential and guide buyers through complex transactions has become a defining strength.

Still, Pennel is candid about the challenges facing Los Angeles real estate. “The city has been through a difficult stretch, especially last year,” he says.

Active in the industry’s response to recent wildfires, Pennel has been keenly attuned to the evolving priorities of buyers. One of his Palisades listings addressed the issue directly, emphasizing the home’s insulation from fire damage and ongoing reconstruction—a framing that reflects the new reality many buyers are navigating.

As attention to safety has increased, so too has the complexity of inspections. Pennel and his team have become adept at managing that process, working with inspectors they trust to evaluate everything from structural integrity to seismic performance, while being mindful of reports and inspectors that can sometimes over-complicate a transaction.

Following a strong 2025, Pennel is quietly optimistic that easing interest rates will unlock inventory and increase activity. Unlike markets such as New York, where all-cash purchases dominate, his buyers still tend to favor financing. “Why tie up the capital in a home when it can be working harder elsewhere?” he says.

What hasn’t changed, in his view, is the enduring appeal of great houses in great locations—particularly what he calls “the bubble between the Brentwood Country Mart and Doheny.” Beyond Brentwood and Beverly Hills, Pennel continues to see opportunity in West Hollywood, Hancock Park, Los Feliz, and especially the hills above the Sunset Strip.

“The Hollywood Hills—particularly the Bird Streets—has always treated me and my clients very well,” he says.

David Hay is a well-known architectural writer and playwright. His stories have been featured in The New York Times, Dwell and New York.