Christmas in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach

I didn't have a lot going on yesterday so I thought it would be fun to take pictures of various Christmas decorations in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. If you are not from this area....we received quite a bit of rain on Monday, so Catalina Island and snow in the mountains was very visable. I can't remember the last time it rained. I also noticed many of my friends and relatives had posted on their Facebook profiles pictures of snow Minnesota recently received. I thought it would be fun for them to look at pictures of the area I live in.....not sure if it was fun for them or if it made them jealous. I am going back to Minnesota in 2 weeks, so I will get my fill of snow and cold weather. I haven't been back in a year and a half so it will be fun to catch up with friends and relatives. I turn 40 in January.....so I am sure we will be celebrating when I am back.

There was a little bit of drama in Newport Beach this week. The tract that Kobe Bryant lives in was burglarized. This tract is very close to PCH in the Pelican Hills area. There is a mortgage broker that lives in the same tract.....he was the target. This mortgage broker owes many people money.....so not surprising that he was hit. The strange thing is...this is a guard gated area. I believe they pushed their way through the gate. To see this article click this link. http://www.ocregister.com/news/house-223225-police-one.html

As far as activity in the Newport Beach.....things are slowing down a bit. I have an escrow closing next week.....and I just wrapped up a couple of leases. There are still daily markdowns on properties in the area. Every day I look for changes in price for all of Corona del Mar, Newport Beach and Newport Coast. I am guessing by the beginning of next year we will continue to see more markdowns. I would recommend if you are in a situation right now.....write an offer before the markdowns early next year. It is so much easier to negotiate if there are not any other offers.

I do want to point out a great property in Newport Coast. This home is in the Vistas....full ocean view...with views of Catalina Island and Long Beach. The home is only $1.15 mil......2400 sq ft. Amazing deal for the view....and the home is completely remodeled.

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

Corona del Mar Christmas Walk Sunday, Dec. 6

If you want to do something fun this weekend, head over to Corona del Mar in Newport Beach for the Christmas Walk. This is the 31st year that CdM has hosted this visit. Last year I volunteered with the fireman serving up a BBQ. This year I am enjoying the event with a couple of girlfriends. I have lived in Newport Beach for almost 10 years and this is the one event I see just about anyone I have ever met in Newport. Usually we start around 11:00 at Oysters and make our way down to Bandera. The village shops will set up tables outside their stores with samples of food, clothing, or whatever they are selling. I am hoping the weather cooperates. This will be a very busy event.

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

$38,000,000 Landmark Home in Corona del Mar

Yes, you read that correctly. This home is on 401 Avocado. If you are not familiar with Corona del Mar, the streets are named after flowers and are in alphabetical order. This home is 4 bed/4 baths with a tennis court, guest apartment, indoor pool.....and amazing views of the channel, catalina and Newport Beach Peninsula. I will also add that it is on 2.3 acres. When I saw this home come up on broker preview this week, I was very excited to see it. I thought this home has to have the "wow" factor. I was a little disappointed after arriving at 401 Avocado. This home is turquoise. If you are from this area, you will notice this house and a building on the water that are the same turquoise color. I heard while on one of the boat tours of the bay that as long as this home was in the Irvine family, that the color needed to stay turquoise. Let's hope the new owners change the color. I am guessing that the new owners will probably tear it down and build a new home. The home needs a lot of work. There were some very nice antiques in the house, but clearly, the home needs a little love. I would love to hear of the stories that those walls could tell. You could tell it was a home that was dearly loved by everyone that stayed there.....very much a family home. I could imagine big Christmas parties there every year.

But, for $38 million? This home is not on the water......and the home needs to be updated. If someone wanted the land, it may be worth it. I heard from another realtor that the land could not be broken up in to a couple of lots.

Anyway, a fun house to talk about. I am guessing this home will be on the market for a while. I am also guessing the Irvine family that lives there, is in no rush to sell.

The picture of the Rolls Royce is for fun. Even in Newport, you don't see them all the time.

Lisa@PropertiesInTheOC.com

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

China Cove, Corona del Mar

What a beautiful day in Newport Beach today. This past week on Broker Preview......a day during the week that realtors view houses on the market.......there were 3 open in China Cove. This is a little hidden area off of Ocean Blvd. There are not many houses by this secluded beach. The price points were very different. The first one I went to was on Cove Street. This home was previously owned by a famous actress. Priced at $4.9 mil.....the lowest priced home I viewed in that area....I thought it was well priced. This home sits practically on the water. I am sure during high tide, the water splashes up on the deck. It is a cute, quaint cottage with amazing views of the channel, harbor and Catalina. The next home I visited was called Dolphin Rock., priced at $10.5 mil. Very interesting house as this house was built in to the rock on the cliff. As you entered the home, large formations of rock can be found throughout the house. Built on 4 lots, this home has grandfathered set backs that these days Corona del Mar would never let you do. There was even a hot tub inside by the rock formations that overlook the channel. Again, amazing views of Catalina, channel and the "wedge". You can't get any closer to the water than this house. The final home I viewed was also on the same street as Dolphin Rock. This home is priced at $7.3 mil and is updated and quite traditional for a home on the water. Again, the home feels like it sits on top of the ocean.

For more information, please contact me and I will send you more pictures of the interior of these homes.

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

Shady Canyon and Crystal Cove Comparison and Hawaii Pictures

Sorry I have been slacking on my blog lately. It has been a busy summer......a month of company, moving, a trip to Hawaii.......and selling real estate. The market seems to have picked up a bit. I am telling sellers now, if they are not in escrow, they may want to drop the price to get in to escrow soon. Many families are moving around right now and they need to be in a place before school starts. There are going to be some motivated sellers this fall lowering their prices. This will bring down the price per square footage down. You really want to be one of the next sales.....not chasing the market down. I was looking for the best deals in Crystal Cove and Shady Canyon today......I look for the lowest price per square footage. I thought it was very interesting that some of the best deals were in Shady Canyon. The high end, custom homes had some of the best prices per square footage. In Crystal Cove, the attached condos had the best price per square footage. A very important thing to remember, the market will tell you what your house is worth. Since the banks are doing their own appraisals.....they will look for comparisons in the area. So, to price the house way over market value to fish for a buyer.....doesn't work in this market.

For fun I have posted some pictures from my trip to Hawaii. I went to Maui and Oahu. I would say watching the waves on Oahu on the North Shore and the Hula Bar at Kaanapali were my favorites. We did go to the top of the volcano Haleakala to watch the sun come up was fun....though there was a thick cloud so we didn't see much. The trip was planned around the Transpac yacht race from CA to Hawaii. It was an amazing trip.....one I will never forget. Enjoy the pictures. My next blog will be about the new restaurant Sol in Newport Beach.

http://www.covecanyonandcrest.com/

lisa@CoveCanyonandCrest.com

Villa Rockledge in Laguna Beach, $34,900,000

Yes, you read that correctly.....almost $35 million! It has been a couple of crazy months for me. I am hoping to get better about keeping my blog updated. This past week I was fortunate to view Villa Rockledge in South Laguna Beach. I had to see what $35 million would buy. This residence was built in 1922. It has 8000 sq feet, with 12 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. This home is compound as there are little bungalows that are not connected to the estate. The home is almost like being in a maze. It would have been nice to have a map of the estate. I went down to the private beach and was amazed at the views and privacy this estate has. Rumor has it that the current owner lived in one of the bungalows 30 years ago and then borrowed money from everyone he knew to buy the whole estate. This estate has so much history. The lot was bought in 1887 by Frank Miller. The estate was created as a gift to his wife Marion....hence the original name for the estate "Mariona". This was a destination for many celebrities back in the day. The home is in original restored condition. I should also let you know....there are many steps.....be ready for a work out when visiting this home.

http://www.covecanyonandcrest.com/

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

Trovare

I have a new listing in the gated community of Trovare, Newport Coast. Trovare is off of Newport Coast and Vista Ridge. It was built in 1994 and has about 170 homes. There are 2 and 3 bedroom condos. The price range is generally between $700-$1 million. The listing I have is the largest of the two bedrooms.....at 1483 sq feet. This is an upper unit that overlooks the Trovare pool. The home has granite countertops in the kitchen and marble flooring in the kitchen and dining room. The owner painted and put new carpet in 2.5 years ago. This home shows like a model. In fact, some have wondered if it was a model home or staged.....it shows well. We are priced at $780K.....which is what I sold the home to the current owner 2.5 years ago. Living in Trovare gives you access to the Newport Coast Clubhouse......over on Park Vista. There is a heated, jr. Olympic size pool there that is staffed......so you don't need to bring your own towels. Also there is a "party room" with an ocean view. I had a party there a couple of years ago....it was great. Down the hill from the clubhouse are the tennis and basketball courts. And within walking distance there is a little strip mall that includes a grocery store, Wells Fargo, a couple of restaurants and stores. When I lived in Trovare I used to eat at Pomodoro a couple of times a week. Inexpensive entrees and wine. I also used to walk down to PCH. This is not an easy walk as the hill going down to PCH is quite steep. Walking back up the hill isn't easy. It is 2.5 miles round trip from Trovare. You feel like walking it is difficult until you see the bike riders crusing up the hill easily.

Lisa

www.CoveCanyonandCrest.com

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

My 2 Cents

Sorry I don't have any pretty pictures to post on this entry. I have been really busy the last month showing homes. I really feel the market is picking up. I was asked a couple of times today about my thoughts on what will happen with the Newport Beach real estate market. I thought posting it here would be a good idea as many people are wondering the same thing. Not that I can predict the future, but.........I think the best time to buy is right now. There are some homes that have been on the market a long time that need to sell. People in Orange County typically move around every 5-7 years. There are pent up buyers out there waiting. The reason I think now is a good time to buy, is that come summer, families with children will be moving around to be in the school district they want to be in. If you can't buy now, don't buy this summer during the peak season. A better time to buy is going to be this fall. I should also mention that the market under a million dollars is really hot right now. On well priced properties/short sales/foreclosures, it is common to find multiple offers again. BUT, if you want to talk high end......that is a totally different story. Crystal Cove has 54 homes on the market! Shady Canyon has 50 homes on the market! This is the high end area of Newport Beach/Newport Coast. Shady Canyon technically is in Irvine, but it backs up to Newport Coast/Crystal Cove. Shady Canyon is where many professional athletes live. I predict this area is going to be hurting come fall.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how the market plays out. I think the one thing to remember is, if you really love a house, buy it......stay in it for a while....it will make money. It is hard to find a house you love. I feel like I am giving relationship advice. :) Hope this makes sense. If you are not emotionally attached to a house, make sure it will make money for you in the short term.....2 years. There are great buys out there right now that will make money in a couple of years.....they generally need a little love/attention.

Hope this blog helps and didn't confuse you more. :)

Lisa

www.CoveCanyonandCrest.com
www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

New Construction in Shore Cliffs, Corona del Mar

I also visited a new construction on 215 Evening Canyon Road in Corona del Mar. If you are not familiar with CdM......Shore Cliffs is just south of the village of CdM. It is on the ocean side of PCH. It is a really nice community with its own beach access. This home is also a landmark property as it sits on almost a half acre with great ocean views. If you ever looked at my website, you would see the house that used to sit on this property in one of my slides. This home has a large entertaining deck, swimming pool and a sport court. It is a very contemporary home. I felt like I was in a Restoration Hardware store or high end resort. Definitely one of my favorites on the market today.

My final stop was to a home in Pelican Hill. This is a very high end, custom home area of Newport Coast. This area is next to the Pelican Hill Golf Course. Rare to find a home under $5 million here. The home I viewed is on 28 Fairway Point. Notice the last picture above, they had an indoor pool with adjoining spa. The outside area was amazing.......swiming pool, barbeque area with two fireplaces. I don't like to mention negative things about homes.....but this one had a strange feature that I have never seen before. I walked in to one bedroom with a bathroom......and then through that room I found another bedroom and bathroom. I thought this was unique, until it happened in one of the other bedrooms. It must be a culture thing I am unaware of. I will try and look it up to see why someone would do that. Or if you know.....send me an email an enlighten me!

www.covecanyonandcrest.com

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

Pink House in Corona del Mar

Last week I toured the well known landmark pink house on 444 Begonina Avenue. This home has 5 bedrooms an 3 bathrooms, built in 1947, 3457 sq feet and is priced at $2,595,000. This homes sits on a R-2 corner lot. I have always wondered what it would be like inside this home. Since it is around Easter, I suspected you may get the Easter feeling when you walk in the door. I was right, I felt like I was at one of my relatives houses in Minnesota. This home was ready for Easter brunch......everything was perfectly in place. As I toured the upstairs, I really felt like I was in a MN home. I remember my girlfriends bedroom, which used to be an attic......you had to watch your head or you would run in to the A frame of the roof. There was also steep stairs up to another attic......where this home had a foosball table and it looked like Christmas decoration storage. I really felt at home in this house. You could tell this was a home that grandchildren love to visit. The one thing I thought was interesting, is that they had wallpaper on the kitchen ceiling. I wasn't really crazy about that.......actually, I am not a fan of wallpaper anywhere. Though it seems to be making a comeback. In my pictures, notice the butler......he kind of scared me when I walked in the house.

Next on my tour was a home on 300 Larkspur. This is a 'French Style Chateau'. It is a 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath home, 2100 square foot home that sits on a corner lot. Great location. This home has so many little details to it, I don't think I would ever see them all. There is a little family room on the main level. The main living quarters is on the second level. The master bedoom is the best part. There are two little patios that look like a perfect place to wind down the day with a glass of wine. This home is priced at $2,899,000.

I also visited a house in Shore Cliffs. I will post a separate entry for this home.

www.covecanyonandcrest.com

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

Palm Desert and Palm Springs

It has been a while since I have updated my blog. I have been very busy showing homes and submitting offers. Many of the homes are short sales, so they take a lot of patience as they can take up to 3 months to be approved. I know my clients are starting to get impatient with the whole process. Make sure you look for approved short sales. You won't have to wait for the bank to approve the price of the short sale.

Anyway, I needed a break this past weekend so I went to Palm Desert with a couple of my girlfriends. Palm Desert/Palm Springs is only about an hour an a half from Newport Beach. We checked in to the Marriott on 74855 Country Club Drive last Friday afternoon. We left around 12:30 from Newport Beach. I think any later than that we would have been in major traffic. Upon arriving at the Marriott we discovered that our reservation was not in the computer....though we had a confirmation number. Needless to say, they were booked and put us in a suite......in my terms......a conference room. The good thing is that the "suite" had two bathrooms. That came in handy with 3 girls trying to get ready in the morning. After checking out the room, we decided we should get ready for dinner. I wanted to check out a new restaurant, Jackalope Ranch. A friend of mine highly recommended this place. The address is 80400 Hwy 11 in Indio....not far from the hotel we were staying in. I was really impressed with this restaurant. It is over 21000 sq feet! We quickly made our way to the piano bar and ordered appetizers. I highly recommend anything with chicken. We had the chicken nachos and quesadilla. Both were absolutely amazing. I should also mention they have a great happy hour menu. Make sure to be there before 6. Of course we didn't make it there until 6:30. Anyway, definitely check this place out. They have a great outdoor area that opens up to a good size lounge. Service was a little slow.....but well worth the wait.

So the next stop was back to the hotel. We were told that the lounge in the hotel was a great place to enjoy a glass of wine. We stopped in and met many people from other cities. We also met some nice golf players from Paris. They were in for a quick tournament. I can't imagine going on such a long trip and then to only stay for the tournament. Many of the guys were in the states for the first time. We also met some teachers there for a conference.

The next morning we woke up to hurried down to the pool. We wanted to make sure we had great seats by the pool. Lesson learned.....if you want to meet people, sit by the shallow end of the pool. We sat by the deep end of the pool.......6 ft. I get kind of bored of being in the sun and want to meet people. That didn't happen where we were sitting. We still had a great time catching up on girl talk. I recommend ordering a Pina Colada. It really helped me feel like I was on vacation. After 6 hours in the sun, we went back to the room to get ready for the night. I needed to do some work as I was booked to show homes all Sunday afternoon. After showering and booking appointments, we made our way to Palm Springs. I wasn't too excited to drive all the way there....but one of my girlfriends insisted on it. We ended up at a Sushi restaurant. The food and the service were great. Palm Springs is very touristy. There is a cute little downtown area that everyone walks up and down the street visiting restaurants and shops. We went to a Mexican place after sushi. They had live music. I felt like I was hanging out with my mom and dad......it was a little older crowd. Plus, all couples. We decided to go back to the hotel. We met so many nice people the night before, we thought we would try it again. The lounge was very busy. We ran in to the teachers we met the night before and then we met some people that were locals and like to frequent the Marriott. Very interesting investors originally from Israel. They were trying to talk us in to going to the Marriott night club Costas. I guess this is a hot spot in Palm Desert. We were exhausted and declined. Plus, I had a full day of work on Sunday that I needed my rest for.

To recap the trip, I would highly recommend the Marriott on Country Club Drive and Jackalope for a weekend get away. It is a great place to play tennis, golf, or just sit by the pool and relax.

http://www.propertiesintheoc.com/

http://www.covecanyonandcrest.com/

Major WOW Factor in South Laguna Beach

I usually don't leave Newport Beach too often unless I am in another city showing homes. One of my realtor buddies suggested a couple of weeks ago to start previewing homes in Laguna Beach to change it up a little. Most of the homes in Newport look fairly the same.....older Craftsman or Italian style. Don't get me wrong, there are other styles, but Craftsman and Italian style pretty much dominate. We have many tract homes here.......same community with the same floor plans......usually behind a gate. In Laguna Beach, it is very rare to find tract homes. Laguna Beach is a very artsy area, very unique floor plans for the most part. Many artists live here.

So my buddy realtor friend couldn't go on tour this past Wednesday. I was actually relieved as I thought, great, now I don't have to go and I can stay in Newport to work on some paperwork. I had a tugging feeling that I should go anyway. My incentive to go would be I would only view properties that I thought could have the WOW factor. I had 6 on my list. My plan was to go as far south and work my way up to North Laguna Beach. The first two homes I had on my list were in Three Arch Bay. I stopped by a home on La Senda Drive. Very nice home with amazing views. Very private. I felt like I was on the edge of a cliff. I was impressed, but didn't see anything that was different than any other ocean front home. This home by the way is priced at $8.99 million. The second home I visited was on Barranca Way. It was at the end of a narrow road. I almost passed on it as it wasn't easy to park and I was short on time. Good thing I didn't pass this house up....it is truly an amazing home. The WOW factor was all over this home. The notes in the MLS state that this home is one of the most important historical and timeless estates along the CA Coast. 'Cliff Cote' was developed in the 1930's by the Proctor Family. I am not sure how to describe this home. There were so many levels, nooks and crannies, viewing decks, hidden rooms......this would be the ultimate home to play hide and seek in. There were details in every corner you looked in. The outside decks had amazing views of the beach, ocean, and Catalina. This is a home you could live in and never get bored. There were quite a few stairs, so not good for someone with bad knees. Anyway, I want to get to the good part. As I was leaving.....I stopped by to view the guest house. To my surprise there was the owner of 'Cliff Cote' working on her art.......creating jewelry with amazing stones I have never scene before. She was so nice to give a couple of us realtors a preview of her work. I am not sure if the gentleman with her was her friend or husband, but he was gracious to let me try on a couple of the designs. I love the clear crystal look and she had just created a necklace with crystal that was absoulutely amazing. I was in awe of her work. She had drawers and drawers of different types of stones/gems. I thought it would be so fun to hang out with her one day and watch her work......or make a design of your own. To view her work log on to http://www.leftturndesigns.com/. I have a picture of her in her workshop. Her name is Judy Klimek and her email address is judyk@leftturndesigns.com. I will need to sell a couple of houses to buy one of her necklaces. :) Anyway, what a treat that day was, I will never forget it. I have the best job......viewing homes and meeting interesting people. I should mention this home is priced at $13,95,000. Not bad for ocean front and a piece of history.

http://www.covecanyonandcrest.com/

Broker Preview Laguna Beach, 1000 Steps and Rooftop Lounge

It was an amazing day in Laguna Beach this past Wednesday. There were 3 homes that I really wanted to see. The first one was down by 1000 Steps in South Laguna Beach. If you have never heard of 1000 Steps, it is a stair access to the beach that has about 220 stairs to a small, hidden beach. Most people don't know about this place as it is hard to see from PCH. The best thing to do is to park at the hospital and then cross PCH at the light. Walk about 100 yards south and then you will be in front of the steps. The stairs are somewhat steep so you don't want to go on a rainy day as you will slip right down the staircase. I used to work out at 1000 Steps. The first time I went to 1000 Steps I went up and down the stairs 5 times. I thought I was going to die. I had a 7 day burn. After that I kept to 3 rounds. Many people go to the stairs just to work out. You won't feel the burn when you are going up and down, it is later that afternoon when it kicks in. When I became seasoned at walking up and down the stairs, I would switch it up a bit and run the beach. Trust me, this didn't happen right away. Anyway, not to get off on a tangent. I haven't been to the stairs in over a year. Looking at homes in that area reminded me of what a great workout it is.

Anyway, the first house I went to was on Seacliff, this was an amazing home........views from all levels. The community is on a ledge overlooking the ocean This home had a sunken living room, so to speak, and the kitchen overlooked the living room and ocean. Unbelievable views. I thought the home was well priced at $3.65 million. You are not on the beach......but very close.

The next home I went to was very unique. This home is on Victoria Drive. It is a Chris Abel design. If you don't like stairs, this home is not for you. It seems this home had about 5 levels. The bottom level has an apartment with its own kitchen and laundry room. Every level had an ocean view. There were a couple of bonus rooms.....one was used for a piano room. I love the patio off of the living room. There was a fireplace and ledge overlooking the ocean. This home has a lot of character and charm. Again, I think this home is well priced between $4.99 and $5.29 million.

The last home on my tour was on Cress Street. You may know of Cress Street, the Rooftop Lounge is on the corner. The Rooftop Lounge is on the roof of the hotel La Casa Del Camino. This is another cute, charming hotel in Laguna Beach. The Rooftop Lounge has some of the most amazing views of the ocean that you will see in Laguna Beach. Go early as this place fills up quick! Back to the home I was there to see......actually it was 3 newly renovated cottages. They were really cute. Many details that were unique. Buy all 3 for $8.9 million.

My next post I am going to post some great pictures I took of the mountains that are snow capped.

Have a great weekend!

lisa@CoveCanyonandCrest.com
http://www.covecanyonandcrest.com/