Real Estate in Newport Beach

4th of July in Newport Beach

2011-07-07T20:48:00.001-07:00

Hello,

4th of July on Balboa Island has to be one of the busiest weekends of the year. I moved to Balboa Island a couple of months ago. I decided I was going to park my car on Friday and not use my car all weekend until Tuesday. If you leave your parking space.....it is nearly impossible to find another one. Sunday, a couple friends and I decided to walk to Woody's for brunch. It wasn't too bad of a walk. We were there early so we had a table next to the window. As the restaurant became busy, we hopped on a Duffy that one of my friends own. We headed over to the American Legion......one of my favorite places in Newport Beach.....for the rest of the afternoon. It was great listening to music and watching boats cruise the marina.

Monday, my office manager at McMonigle Group and me, decided the American Legion was so fun that we went back for breakfast. We were hoping to receive a call during breakfast for an invite to go on one my friends boat.....a 70 footer. We didn't receive it so we went walking on the boardwalk. What a crazy place. I was glad we were walking as it was difficult for the bikes to get through the crowds. As we were shopping we did receive a call that the Don Juan was going to be going out on the water. We walked over to the Balboa Bay Club and joined our friends on the Don Juan. What an incredible day on the water. I ended the night by walking to the end of my street on Balboa Island with my dog Sam to watch fireworks. What a great weekend!

This weekend I will be back to work holding an open house at my foreclosure listing in Ladera Ranch. I am hoping the weather will cooperate and there will be many people out looking for homes. The market hasn't picked up as much as we anticipated for summer. I still believe the best buys will be later this fall. BUT, now is the time to list if you need to sell.

Sincerely,

Lisa

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

Foreclosures

2011-06-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

So many things have happened in the last couple of months that have kept me from blogging. I am going to try to keep up on it better in the future. This year I started working with ING Bank foreclosures. I have 3 listings currently with them...one is in escrow. It is an interesting process that I will update my blog with as new experiences happen. Out of the 3, there was only one situation that wasn't fun. There were tenants in a home that the owner quit making payments on a long time ago. I have doubts that the tenant had made rent payments, so we needed them to move. There is a program that offers tenants or owners cash for their keys.......called Cash for Keys. The tenant was so sure the bank would come back and sue them.......so they didn't take the cash. Very sad as the bank was willing to pay them $3,000. One of the other foreclosures had owners living there. As soon as we made contact, he agreed to the cash for keys and he was gone in a couple of weeks. The third foreclosure, the owners moved out months before......so very easy to take ownership. The house was very neglected. All three homes were left in great shape. I was going to list a foreclosure home about 3 years ago.....and the owners had trashed the place so bad you couldn't tell where the master bathroom was. Everything including the toilet were removed. I don't know the whole story, but to trash a home that bad.....is difficult to understand. I didn't take the listing as the previous owner's were starting to harass me. After seeing what they did to the house.....I wanted to stay away from that listing.

My next post I will post about a home I just closed on in Leisure World. I also address why I left HOM Real Estate to work for McMonigle Group.

Hope you are enjoying your day.

Sincerely,
Lisa

My 2 Cents for Fall

2010-08-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

I am not sure where the summer went. In my head it feels like June. If you are not from this area....we have had June gloom all summer. The marine layer comes in during the night and doesn't burn off until noon. We haven't had any hot days. My family in Minnesota has had so much rain and hot weather. I am going back this next week. I am hoping it will be hot and one storm would be kind of cool....since it very rarely rains or storms in CA.

Anyway, the housing market has been very interesting and actually predictable this summer. I have been busy showing homes all over Dana Point, San Clemente, San Juan, CdM, Newport Beach, and Newport Coast the last couple of months. The price range is from $500,000 to $7 million in Pelican Point. What I am seeing is that prices are continuing to come down. What is surprising to me is that some houses are priced about the latest selling comparisons. In this market, homes need to appraise for a bank to fund the sale. Unless someone comes in with cash....the bank isn't going to pay you what you think your house is worth. The bank is going to look at the latest sold comparisons. If there are no other homes like yours......they will use the price per sq ft. No matter how much money you put in your house......that is a fraction of what the bank is looking at for funding. If you want to sell right away.......be competitive with your price per square foot that others in your tract have sold for. You are wasting your time to be over the comparisons.....and the market is going to continue to go down over this next year. The market will tell you the value of your house. Your real estate agent can tell you more about comparisons if you need more info.....or give me a call or send me an email. I can send you comparisons in your area and tell you where you need to be.

High end properties. This is going to be an interesting "fall" for them. I think we are going to see more high end properties in trouble this fall. The areas of Shady Canyon and Crystal Cove are going to get hit. There aren't as many buyers in the high end market.

To sum up this post. We are going to see more decreases in home prices. I don't think in the homes under $1 million range we are going to see dramatic price decreases.....if they are priced right. In the $2 million + range.......more than 10% decreases.

Finally, if you are looking for a home in the $6-$7 mil range....I know of an absolutely awesome house. I also know of many homes in south county under $1 mil.

Lisa@PropertiesInTheOC.com
http://www.propertiesintheoc.com/
949-887-8303

Broker Preview in Laguna Beach, Emerald Bay and Irvine Cove

2010-03-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

Irvine Cove, $20,500,000. The back side of this home completely opens up to a beautiful view of the ocean. 5 bedrooms with 7 baths, 3 car garage and 10,300 sq ft.

Picture of Irvine Cove, beach is below the ledge.

Tunnel connecting Emerald Bay. This is a one lane tunnel. Traffic must stop on each side before entering....to make sure there is not another car on the other side.

Private volleyball courts at Emerald Bay.

Sitting on the patio of a $7,995,000 house in Emerald Bay. Beautiful view.....terrible parking. This home has 4 bedrooms and 5.5 baths.....and is about 4800 sq ft. An interesting point I want to make about this house.....the man converted one of the bedrooms to be his closet.....usually it is the female. The female has a large closet in the master bedroom. I still think the man's "closet" may be bigger.

Emerald Bay and Irvine Cove

Today I toured homes in Laguna Beach. I am currently working with a client in this area so I want to make sure I know as many houses close to the beach as I can. The two main areas I went to were Emerald Bay and Irvine Cove. As you drive south on PCH from Newport Beach, you will pass Crystal Cove and then your first tract is Irvine Cove and then Emerald Bay. Both areas are guard gated. This is a very desirable area in Laguna Beach since they are north of the village and the traffic isn't as hectic. Irvine Cove has around 110 homes on both sides of PCH. There are currently 5 homes for sale ranging from $6 mil to $31.5 mil. There hasn't much for sales in this area.....very exclusive. Emerald Bay has about 524 homes on both sides of PCH. The picture above is of the small tunnel that connects both sides of PCH. A very unique fact about Emerald Bay is that it has it's own fire department within the community. Emerald Bay also has volleyball and tennis courts, park and beach. A much bigger community than Irvine Cove, it is also very prestigious and private.

I also would like to mention another two homes that I visited that are not in gated communities. There is a lovely 4 bedroom/3.5 bath home on Crescent Bay. This area is also north of the village. This home is definitely one meant to entertain in. It is listed at $5,600,000. The last one I visited is on Sunset Ridge. This is the home that has the master bedroom on the top level and the bedroom that was converted to a closet. There are two small rooms next to the master bedroom so it makes for a great family house. This home is priced at $4,495,000. This home is very nice, but didn't have the "wow factor" that I look for in homes this price.

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

Broker Preview Feb 25

2010-02-27T21:04:00.000-08:00

This weeks preview had a great variety of homes open. One of the houses I previewed was a back home in Corona del Mar. The address is 705.5 Poppy. I was very impressed with this home. It has been recently remodeled and has great views from the rooftop deck.

Another house I previewed was very close to the beach in Corona del Mar. This home is around $4.2 million.....$4.5 million furnished. The pictures of the house above are interior pictures. I thought the rooftop gazebo was a great touch.

There were two other homes priced around $1.9 million. One was in Spyglass.....beautiful home with ocean view......4 bedrooms, 4 baths.....and a one story. I thought this home was well priced. For the same price there is a condo on 208 Carnation.....which has amazing views of the harbor, Catalina Island, the wedge and city lights. This home is a condo and needs quite a bit of remodeling. The location is great....very close to public beach and park.

I also viewed a back home in CdM on Orchid.......it is a very rare 4 bedroom. I didn't think there was much sunlight...but if you want a 4 bedroom and want to be in the village, the price of $795,000 is something to think about. The rooftop deck was actually ok.....little bit of an ocean view. I think it would be a great rental.

I want to also bring attention to a home I have been holding open for the last couple of weeks. The home is in Big Canyon Villas.....this tract is right on Big Canyon on the east side. The home is right on the golf course on the 14th and 16th fairway. Priced at $879,000, this home has an attached garage and great views of the golf course. It is really hard to find a condo in Newport Beach with an attached garage and golf course view under a million dollars. This home has 2 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.

I will start posting more of the homes I preview every week. We should start to see more homes enter the market in the next couple of months. Well priced homes continue to sell well.

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

2010

2010-02-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize how long it had been since I have last updated my blog. My apologies. It has been a really busy couple of months. I went back to Minnesota for Christmas, turned 40 in January, and watched the Vikings lose in the playoffs. I don't blame Favre for the loss...he gave us an incredible season to watch.

It is time to focus on the real estate market. I have been showing homes lately and have noticed that homes that are well priced.....sell really quickly. In Newport Coast there are quite a few homes in escrow. My point to this is....if you are looking for a really good deal......so are others. Make sure to make your offer more attractive....with more cash down if possible, shorter escrow and you need to be near asking price. Also, make sure you are qualified with a bank ahead of time. The selling agent will be asking for proof of funds and financing with the offer. To be honest, to get a good deal.....you need to act very quickly and be qualified. I want to also mention the best time to buy a home and get a deal will be between now and May. Once school is out for summer, we are going to see many families moving around. Prices may go up a bit. If you are in the market to buy.....do it soon. If you are in the market to sell......put your house on the market just before school is out. The trick to selling is going to be the right price. Don't overprice or you may lose your window of opportunity to sell. If you are not in escrow by early August.......drop your price.

To summarize. I think there are good deals out there.....maybe not great deals. I don't see prices going down significantly in the Newport Beach area. We may go down a little....but will go up a little as we get closer to summer.

If you want recent sales for your area.....send me an email and I will send you out a list.

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

Christmas in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach

2009-12-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-01T19:47:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-31T11:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-27T21:16:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-20T19:11:00.000-08:00

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/

WOW Factor Camel Point Drive in South Laguna Beach

2009-02-13T15:25:00.001-08:00

If you follow my blog I like to write mostly about homes with the WOW factor. I definitely found that home this week on preview in Laguna Beach. I felt from the moment I walked in that I was floating on the ocean. There are ocean views from every room. In fact, this is one home that I would volunteer to do the dishes every day. The kitchen overlooks a beautiful ocean view with Catalina Island in the background. I thought the light fixture they had in the dining room was so cool. I need to find out where they bought that. I thought that was the most unique fixture I have ever seen. This home is close to the Montage Resort and has its own beach access. I took many pictures and am only able to post 5, so if you want to see more pictures.....email me.

Enjoy the pictures!

http://www.covecanyonandcrest.com/

http://www.propertiesintheoc.com/

Great Deal in Corona del Mar

2009-01-12T19:33:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. I closed on a house for a client on New Years Eve.....great way to start the new year. I have also been busy working on the marketing for our new site http://www.covecanyonandcrest.com/. We will be sending out our first flyer next week.

Anyway, there is a property I want to tell everyone about. This is a home on Hazel....located in the south area of Corona del Mar. It is a 3 story home.....full ocean and canyon view from all 3 levels. The upper level has a master suite. The main level has your living room, dining room and kitchen. The lower level has the other 3 bedrooms and family room. This home is priced at $1.849......listed last year for $3 mil. It is an incredible deal.

There are some incredible deals out there for you buyers.....you just have to look for them. Sellers, now is not the time to sell if you want top dollar. If you have to sell now, look at your competition......recently sold homes and currently sold homes. Are there many in your area for sale? Are they upgraded? Are the priced right? You need the upgrades and correct pricing to sell in this market. If you don't have the upgrades, go below the current comps to sell quicker. My next entry I will talk about one of my favorite listings on Larkspur......I call it the Montage house.

http://www.propertiesintheoc.com/

http://www.covecanyonandcrest.com/

Final Thoughts for 2008

2008-12-27T18:56:00.001-08:00

As I sit at my desk reflecting on the past year....while drinking probably/hopefully my last glass of eggnog.....I wonder what 2009 has in store for me. For those of you that know me, my life has gone through many changes this past year.....including a divorce, selling my house, and then trying to make it in a tough real estate market. I should also mention it was my 20 year high school reunion, which always prompts reflection of the past 20 years. This was the first year that I chose to stay in California for Christmas and not go back to Minnesota. After watching the weather reports, I knew I made the right decision. Though, I felt it was very cold in Newport Beach. My sister was gracious to visit me for the holidays from Florida. My family will be meeting up in February for my grandma's 100th birthday, so I will see everyone soon. This Christmas was going to be very different also for the fact that it was my sister and me. I wasn't sure how fun this was going to be.....going to church for Christmas Eve service and then coming home just the two of us for a big dinner. I decided to have the family I mentor for over for a traditional MN Christmas Eve dinner. The grandmother of the family came over with 2 of her 3 grandchildren and her 16 year old son. It was fun to be able to give to a family in an unfortunate situation. Watching the children open presents reminded me of what it was like for me as a child to open presents. We had a great day. Mom even sent some Lefse from MN.....a Christmas tradition for my family. Earlier in the week my sister and I watched the boat parade from a friend's house on Lido Island. I have posted pictures above of the parade.

2009 is going to be a great year......I can feel it already. I have so much to be thankful for. Here is wishing you a great and properous 2009! I will get back to the real estate blogs after the first of the year.

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

Society in Corona del Mar

2008-12-18T19:27:00.000-08:00

I have finally dried out from the storm yesterday. Prudential had their Christmas party at the Balboa Yacht Club. We were fortunate to have the party on one of the largest boats in the harbor. Unfortunately, the parade was rained out! I was glad some of the boats still chose to cruise around for the many of us that had plans regardless of the rain. Needless to say, the party was fun even with the rain. I am glad it has stopped for now. I need a little sunshine.

I was in Corona del Mar today and noticed a cute new shop on the corner of Poppy and PCH. This store is right across the street from the Five Crowns restaurant. As I walked in the door the cute pink doggie dishes caught my eye. Next time I visit I will bring Sam my Pug. The owners, a mother and daughter team greeted me immediately. They told me they had just moved to this location from their previous location in the Newport Coast strip mall. I think they made a great decision as PCH has so much more traffic. The clothing is European, contemporary street wear. There is something for everyone. Check it out....it is a really cute boutique.

http://www.propertiesintheoc.com/

http://www.covecanyonandcrest.com/

Past Month in Review

2008-12-11T16:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been a while since I blogged. This past month has been really busy. I am working with mostly buyers and they are keeping me busy looking at homes. I put a house in escrow last week in Corona del Mar. With the interest rates this low.....and some great deals out there.....there is quite a bit of activity. You just have to keep your eye on the homes that have been on the market a while.

Anyway, I am going to cover many topics as I did do so much this last month. First of all, I posted a picture of the Fashion Island Christmas Tree. It really is a neat thing to see if you haven't seen it before. In a previous post I explained how they put the tree together.

I also want to bring attention to my new website with my partner...... http://www.covecanyonandcrest.com/ . I took the last part of 3 different areas for the name.....Crystal Cove, Shady Canyon and Pelican Crest. There are more areas in Newport Coast, but we thought this name sounded the best. The website is still under construction. It is at a point that I can talk about it now. The marketing piece that I created looks very similiar to the website. In fact, if you receive the Daily Pilot, we had an ad in there last week with our marketing look. Tonight my website guy should be adding pictures of Shady Canyon.

Previewing new homes as been a little slow lately. I always look for the "wow factor" and I honestly haven't seen much of that lately. The pictures above of the pool is pretty cool. This picture was taken at a home in Newport Ridge. It is hard to tell what the other picture is....it is of a kid's playhouse. I would have loved to have had that growing up. I had a treehouse that my dad made. I can't complain.

I do want to add a blog about Bay Island...off of the peninsula. I did take some pictures a couple of weeks ago. I will try and blog about that in the next couple of days. If you are not familiar with Bay Island, it is small Island that does not allow cars. Imagine carrying your groceries from your parked car on the mainland. I am sure they have little golf carts or something to use to help carry items.

My sister comes in from Palm Beach a week from tomorrow. I am looking forward to having some down time with her. This will be our first Christmas away from our parents. My parents are going to South Bend, Indiana to see my grandma. We are going back in February for my grandma's 100th birthday. We figured one trip to South Bend during this time of year is about all we can handle!

http://www.propertiesintheoc.com/

http://www.covecanyonandcrest.com/

Broker Preview in Shady Canyon

2008-11-13T19:49:00.001-08:00

Yesterdays preview was very interesting. Many of the homes for sale in Shady Canyon were on Broker Preview. I had a 12:30 lunch appointment so I couldn't see as many as I wanted to. I did see a home that was founded by a famous nail salon chain. There was also a home that was on two lots with its own pool house. The pictures above show a very unique kitchen. In all the homes I have been in, I have never seen these colors used in a kitchen. I thought it was actually very cool. The first picture is of a sink in a bathroom. I love the mosaic tile work in the sink. Also notice the picture of the bathtub and shower with a glass opening to the outdoors.....I thought this was a nice touch to a bathroom. I needed to end my tour relatively quick as I was running late to my appointment at Javiers. Javiers is in Crystal Cove.....and is actually one of my favorite restaurants. I don't like to go after 7 pm as it turns in to a "scene". My meeting was running a little late so the waiter approached the table to ask us how long we were going to be as they needed our table for another seating. My client asked if it was for someone famous, to which I thought was strange as I didn't think famous people dined there. The waiter responded that the new guests were kind of famous......so we got it out of him and he said the Anaheim/LA Angels were going to be dining at Javiers. After about 20 minutes we left. I was thinking it would be fun to see them in person....but work was calling and I needed to go back to the office.

http://www.propertiesintheoc.com/

Fashion Island Christmas Tree Lighting

2008-11-09T21:15:00.001-08:00

After preview this past Friday, I went up to Fashion Island to see if they started putting the Christmas tree up yet. I wanted to see the process as it is such a big tree. If I remember correctly, it is one of the tallest in the nation. My instinct was right, they were in the middle of putting up the tree. I have been curious to see how they actually put this tree up. It was very interesting as you will see by the pictures, they shape the nub on the end of the limb and drill it in to the tree. My next question was, if this is how they do it, how do they keep the tree looking so good through the holidays. The answer is, they put a coating on the tree. I am guessing some kind of silicone coating. If you want to see the tree lighting, it is November 21 and 22 at 6:00. Maybe I will be in the holiday mood by then. :)

My past weekend was fairly busy as I was down at Balboa Island holding houses open. Saturday I was at an open house on Coral. Very interesting street. Most had some kind of college flag hanging from their house. I am still not sure who was playing yesterday, but you could hear the couple across the street yelling and cheering during the course of the game. At one point a neighbor across the street yelled over to the couple to find out what the score is. Of course they yelled it back. This was very entertaining.

Busy week ahead. I am hoping to wrap up the new marketing piece and hopefully have a significant start on the new website. The website has to be up before the marketing piece goes out. Hopefully the new business cards will be complete too. It will be nice to have this all done so I can concentrate on other things. It will be a busy week as I am also showing homes to a couple of clients in the Corona del Mar area....as well as Aliso Viejo, Westcliff and Newport Heights area.

http://www.propertiesintheoc.com/

2008-11-06T22:26:00.000-08:00

Todays broker preview I was looking for the WOW factor. I hadn't seen anything spectacular in a while, so I was hoping today I would find something great. My partner and I started our tour on Linda Isle. There is a new listing there on the water for around $8.6 mil. This home was very well taken care of. The detail in the craftmanship of the home was impressive. I took a picture from the patio. We stopped by one on Bayside that was OK. I was expecting the home to be updated....it needs some love. I was surprised at the huge TV in the middle of the master bedroom. The next home we visited was on Ocean Blvd. This street overlooks the ocean on the cliff in Corona del Mar. The views from this house were amazing. Another well kept, updated home listed at $9.495 mil. The next stop was Crystal Cove......a new listing on Timor. This home has a great yard and overlooks the golf course. We didn't stay long as we were excited to view a $20,995,000 home in Pelican Crest. Pelican Crest is the community directly north of Newport Coast Drive......past Pelican Crest is Pelican Point. Both areas have generally large custom homes.......many with amazing views. This home did not disappoint. They were planning for a charity event tonight so there were many people running around trying to prepare for the event. this home has it all. It is late so I am going to sign off. Tomorrow I will talk about the Christmas tree lighting at Fashion Island.

http://www.propertiesintheoc.com/

Change is Good...Christmas Music in Early November.....NOT

2008-11-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

I have learned in life there are two topics you shouldn't discuss with a client or in a new dating relationship....religion and politics. I am actually feeling a little relieved with Obama being elected last night. I think many people were feeling the stress I have been feeling the last couple of weeks. I am a Republican......but when McCain chose Palin to be VP...I was a little nervous about what other decisions he was going to make. There were so many other strong candidates that he could have picked. During the whole campaign all I wanted to hear about was how the candidate was going to fix the housing crisis. This topic didn't really come up until the end of the campaign. The housing crisis affects many other industries.......cars, malls, travel....the list goes on. If no one is buying or selling homes......they are also not spending money in other places. I say this about people in OC. In MN generally speaking, you would stay in your home for 20 plus years. I feel we as a country really needed a change....some hope that things would be different. I was reading on the OCRegister.com that FINALLY Schwarzenegger has come with some plans for the housing industry. I have said for the last year that the common sense thing to do would be to keep the interest rate low for those ARMs that are about to reset at higher rates. Offer 40 year loans....another easy thing to do. The banks would still make money. I think they should also require loan originators to be licensed. It seems any person could be a loan originator. I know in time this will all work out. I look forward to the many changes that are being talked about. Hopefully some of them will become a reality. Enough about politics........I am so glad the signs are gone from yards and street corners! They have been replaced by Christmas decorations.......in early November. I went in to a Hallmark yesterday and they were playing Christmas music. I had to walk out. I am not ready for the holidays yet.

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

Want a Kid Friendly Neighborhood? Look for Halloween Decorations

2008-10-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I am going to make this short tonight. I have a fairly bad headache....too much going on. Knowing myself....it will end up being long. I am working on a new website for my new partner and me and I am also working on his website.....along with our new marketing piece.....it is a lot of work! I also wanted to add the funny picture of my dog Sam. This is from last year at the pumpkin patch.

I was showing homes this weekend to a new client from the East Coast. He is looking for a neighborhood that is kid friendly.....one that you would see children playing, etc. I don't have children, but have a good idea of where the child friendly neighborhoods are.....and I live in one. The children on my street are always playing on the sidewalks.....coming up to my house to say hi......doing kid things. As we started to look I thought of a quick way to figure out where the kid friendly neighborhoods are........where the Halloween decorations are! My partner and I were in Shady Canyon last week and he noticed the lack of decorations in some areas so he wondered if any kids lived there. It must have been the street as we found many homes decorated after he had made the comment. As I was showing homes to my new client.....it was true.....the kid friendly streets had plenty of Halloween decorations.

Yesterday I went on broker preview to a home in Shady Canyon. This home is on Goldfinch. It was a very interesting home as it had an inside courtyard that opened up to just about each room in the home. It also sits just above the putting green. See pictures above. Well priced at $3.199. Also yesterday I was in search for the perfect back house in Corona del Mar. I have two buyers that are looking....and we have looked at close to over 70 homes for each client. I viewed new construction on 2521 1rst Avenue. See picture above. The back house is very nice. It has an ocean and park view. Notice on the picture the front house and the back house look like 2 different homes. The builder said the city requested that the two homes....really one big attached home....have different exterior textures. I thought this was very interesting. You really have to look at the home to see they are not attached.....very cool. I almost forgot to add this in.......if you read my blog....you know I look for the "WOW" factor in homes. I went on preview today and did see one house with the "WOW" factor. I saw a home today that had carpet in the kitchen! I have never scene this before......in a multi-million dollar home. I am not trying to be negative.....but I certainly was thinking WOW when I saw the carpet in the kitchen. I don't like carpet in bathrooms.....probably because I have so much hair to pick up after.....but I can't imagine carpet in a kitchen......unbelievable. They must never cook there. :)

I can't take it any longer. The aspirin is starting to kick in so I don't feel as bad....but I am really tired. I need to get to bed so I can get up early and go to the gym. Tomorrow is a big day. I am dressing up for Halloween for the first time since.....I think I was 22! That is a long time ago! I won't give my age away....but it was way over 10 years ago. A friend of mine invited me to a private party on the Balboa Peninsula. It is a $15 million house.....so of course I can't wait to see the inside of the home. I am not one for dressing up or going to parties where I think there will be a lot of skimpy dressed young 20 somethings.....but, what the heck. If I can bring a camera......I will post pictures this weekend. I was worried about what I was going to wear......actually, very stressed about it. My hairdresser said she went to Condom Revolution.....over by Triangle Square. I have never been in that shop. I tried your traditional Halloween shop and quickly left. The hard core metal music was disturbing. I gave in and went to Condom Revolution. They actually had some cute costumes. I was told to go upstairs to the Wicked Chamber. I was really nervous about going in there.....partly because of the name. I sucked it up.....went up there and was pleasantly surprised at all the cute costumes. They didn't have the trashy costumes I was expecting to see. As I am trying to keep my cover I hear a lady call out my name. I was a little nervous to see who it was. It was one of my realtor buddies from Surterre. We actually work on American Cancer Society fundraisers together. I felt better knowing she was in there for the same reason I was. We laughed and quickly bought what we needed and headed out. Anyway, have a great Halloween and I will catch up with you this weekend.

http://www.propertiesintheoc.com/

Wallace Neff Home.....AMAZING

2008-10-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

What a weekend. I am exhausted. I showed homes yesterday, wrapped up a contract, and prepared for a brunch today. The kids I mentor through Mariners Church were baptised today. I am very proud of them as they chose to do this on their own. My ex also mentors them so it was a uncomfortable day of hanging out together. I am glad he is still involved....that is the most important.
I need to catch up with Fridays broker preview in Newport Beach....the peninsula area. I only viewed two homes.....but the one was very much worth it. The home I was very impressed with is one on 1707 East Bay Avenue. This construction is by Wallace Neff in 1928...and then restored with modern systems in 2005. This was the most Spanish feeling house I have ever been in. Beautiful spanish tiles throughout the home. The main level was an entertainment room.......with a pool table. There is also a really neat shower....that I have pictured.....that has two frogs at the bottom that spout water toward you. My favorite part was on the rooftop. There is a ledge.....bar height....with chairs that over look the ocean. I guess this is one of the tallest homes on the peninsula. The views were 360 degrees from the roof. This house has charm and character unlike any other home I have ever viewed. Pay close attention to the picture with the rug....that is actually a tile rug! Tomorrow I will talk about another one of Rob Glass's homes in Shady Canyon.

http://www.propertiesintheoc.com/

2008-10-24T21:06:00.000-07:00

OK, I am still a day late. Depending on how long this takes.....I may make a second entry for todays happenings. Yesterday was a very busy day for broker preview. I started out on Linda Isle. There are two homes that I viewed. If you not familiar with Linda Isle.....it is a guard gated community right off of Bayside and PCH. The first home I went to was very modern, 4 bedrooms, 4 baths. You would really have to like the modern look to appreciate this home. It is priced at $7.499. I would have been very happy drinking a glass of wine on the patio.....very relaxing. The next home I saw on Linda Isle was priced at $4.995. This home had 3 bedrooms and 4 baths. This home is very unique as it has a swimming pool inside. The stairs actually sit over the pool.....see picture. After leaving the Island area, we headed up to Crystal Cove to a home on Shore Walk. I had viewed the two homes next door to it recently in the last couple of months. This new listing is amazing. It is 4 bedrooms, 6 baths, listed at $11,995. Everywhere you looked there was a unique detail. As you walk in to the home there is a pathway over water....the chandeliers were amazing......the outdoor area is what got my attention. I love a good barbeque/pool area. It would be hard to top this yard. The silver balls in the pool were very eye catching.....see picture......you can actually see Catalina in the background. The pool was in a blue mosaic pattern.....unbelievable! My partner and I wanted to stay longer to soak in the view. I don't think I would ever leave that patio if I lived there. The barbeque area also had a great view for the chef. I don't think you would have a hard time trying to find someone to grill for you. After Crystal Cove we went over to Pelican Hill. There is a new listing on Horizon. This is a very large house......6 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms....priced at $8.45. I think of Pelican Hill as an established area with large custom homes. Many have golf course and or ocean views. We didn't stay long as we wanted to go to a couple more homes on preview. We also visited a listing in Cameo Shores. This area is on the ocean side of PCH, south of Corona del Mar. Most of these homes are one level with a great ocean view. This home is fairly modern, it is priced at $3.45......recently reduced by $1.2 mil It has 3 bedrooms and 3 baths. To end the tour we went to a new listing on Jasmine. It is a cute little back unit listed at $1.049. It is an updated 2 bedroom/2 bath home. I enjoyed the rooftop deck. I am going to sign off on this entry and prepare for tomorrow. I will be showing homes in Aliso Viejo and Newport Beach. I did see a great house today that I will post on tomorrows blog.

http://www.propertiesintheoc.com/

Shady Canyon Tour Broker Preview

2008-10-23T21:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry I am a day late on this. Yesterday I was at Broker Preview at Shady Canyon. Broker Preview is when the agent holds the house open so brokers can go in an view the home.....since most of us work on the weekends....it is difficult to view homes unless they are on preview. Anyway, there were 8 homes open. It was another hot day......95 degrees. If I would have seen a water sprinkler.....I think I would have run through it. Anyway, if you are a follower of this blog, you know I am always looking for the WOW factor. Homes in Shady Canyon range from $2.8 to $18.9 mil. I didn't see much of the WOW factor until I reached the last two homes on the list. There were some pretty awesome homes.....but my favorite were the last two.....one on Canyon Creek and the other one was on Echo Glen. The fireplaces in the Canyon Creek home were really neat. I think the highlight of the tour for me was at Echo Glen.....remember....it was hot....and felt like Palm Springs on a really hot day.........was the swim up bar in the swimming pool. Back in my 20's I would go to Cancun, Mexico for spring vacations. Generally where ever you stayed there was a swim up bar. To see that at a house was pretty cool. I really wanted to be sitting in the pool drinking a margarita. There was one house that my partner and I viewed that was not on the tour. It is a house on Cactus, built by a friend of mine, Rob Glass. This house is $8.695 mil. It has to be one of the most amazing homes I have ever been in. I would describe it as artwork. Every room had such unique detail that you would never find in any other house. My partner and I were blown away by this house. I am posting a couple of pictures.......if you want more.....I will send them to you. There are so many details in this house that you couldn't possibly see them all in one viewing. Absolutely amazing......it has more than the WOW factor. Ok, I can't take much more work tonight. I will post todays activities tomorrow. I can only post 5 pictures per post. I did see an amazing house in Crystal Cove today that I will talk about tomorrow.

http://www.propertiesintheoc.com/

Sunday

2008-10-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a little slow for me as I had plans to show homes in Corona del Mar, and we decided to look at homes today. This is off the subject of real estate, but I have to say I was very impressed with some new construction......at Mariners Church yesterday. If you read my profile on my website.....www.PropertiesInTheOC.com.....you will know I mentor foster children. I don't have any of my own so I find this fills the void of children in my life. I was very honored this past week to have both kids request to be baptized. I was very honored that they wanted to do this on their own. I talked about it at bible school....but didn't realize I was making an impact. I met the kids at church this past weekend for the class for baptism. Their grandma brought them to church with their 16 year old uncle.....who also wants to be baptized. If you are familiar with Mariners, you know it is like a compound. There is a new student center for Jr and Sr High students. I hadn't been over since it just opened a couple of weeks ago. Usually the kids sit with me in church or the cafe to watch the sermon. We went to the student center and I was very impressed. There was a basketball court......foosball tables....and various other sports kids that age like. What was really neat is that they have sermons that mirror the "adult" sermons. We sat in on the Jr high sermon upstairs and then went downstairs to listed to the Sr high sermon. I wish they would have had something like that when I was growing up. There is also a new chapel being built. Mariners church has service in a big auditorium.....so it makes it hard to host a wedding or a funeral there and to have that intimate feeling. The new chapel will be perfect for both occasions, or if you feel like you want to sit in on an "old school" kind of sermon. They are building a little pond around the chapel to give it a serene feeling. I am pretty excited to see the whole campus complete. It was a busy day. I am ready to watch something mindless on TV. Tomorrow is a big day......showing homes again in Quail Hill and Oak Creek.....and still trying to work on my new marketing piece and website.

www.PropertiesInTheOC.com

What does a $12 million house look like?

2008-10-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

It was another beautiful day in Newport Beach today. I started off my day by showing home in Quail Hill. This is an area over by the Irvine Spectrum.....off of the 405 and Sand Canyon. This area is very similiar to Turtle Ridge. Turtle Ridge is over by Newport Coast....on the East side of Newport Coast Drive. There is a mix of detached homes and condos. Both areas started building I believe around 2003.

After showing homes, I was excited to see what a $12 million house looks like on Kings Road. If you are not familiar with the area, Kings Road runs parallel with PCH.....right before you cross Newport Blvd as you drive North. This area is up the hill from PCH. Most of these homes have great ocean views with Balboa Island and Balboa Peninsula. This home definitely has the WOW factor. It is almost 11,000 square feet, sits on two lots....one is behind the other. There are 5 bedrooms, 7 baths, 12 seat theatre, gym, spa, pool, wine room, 6 car garage.....what else do you need? They thought of everything. I really liked the crystal door knobs. They remind me of my grandmas home in South Bend, Indiana.

I then went to Dover Shores. This area is just north on PCH as you cross the bridge to the back bay. Many of these homes are on the water on the back bay. The home I went to needed a little love. The patio on the water was really nice. It reminded me of being back home in Minnesota sitting on the deck overlooking the water. Very calming. This home is priced at $3.649.....5 bedrooms, 5 baths.

I went to a couple of places over off of 16th Street. They were both relatively newly remodeled or built. If you are looking that area....let me know, I will let you know more about them. I am rushing on this blog as I need to head over to Turtle Ridge for another showing around 6. I also need to do some additional paperwork so I will sign off for today.

Crystal Cove and Irvine Terrace

2008-10-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day to view homes. It was warm and clear. The ocean looked like glass. I started my tour with a home in south Corona del Mar. This home is on the 200 block of Poppy. I walked in and was surprised how much room this house has. There is a view from the back of the house....which included the family room and the master bedroom upstairs. Nice looking house....but needs upgrades. It is priced at $3,895,000......3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and a 3 car garage. This home is one block from Little Corona Cove and Ocean Blvd.

My next stop was Crystal Cove. There is a new listing on Wharfside. This home has a large yard with great views of the ocean. Great home inside. I stopped by The Tides again as I wanted to take a couple of great pictures to possibly use for marketing pieces. I also stopped by 28 Cruisers Bluff. This is one of my favorite homes on the market. This home doesn't have the rooftops in front of your view. You also have white water view. The owner/agent decorated this place herself......very elegant. My favorite is the back yard. This is a great home for entertaining. I loved the barbeque area.

My last stop was to Irvine Terrace to see a new listing on Santanella Terrace. This home looked very shabby chic.....very girly.....white with little chandeliers. Well priced at $1.595 for something on the ocean side of PCH. I would put new carpet in this house. Otherwise it showed fairly well.

Tomorrow I will be showing homes in Quail Hill and Turtle Ridge and then previewing homes in the Newport Heights area. I am really tired tonight....it was a busy day. Survivor is on so I need to wrap up here and log off for the night.

2008-10-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I still have this cold after 19 days. It is very frustrating as I try to go to the gym 3 times a week. I haven't been to the gym in almost 3 weeks. Oh well.
Today was very exciting as I met with one of the ladies from our marketing department. I believe she really understands what I want with the new piece. I want the piece to have the feeling of a Newport Coast home.......rich taupes, black, greys. I look forward to seeing the mock up in the next week. That is only the start as we will need to creat business cards, signs, and mulitple marketing pieces with this look and feel. I am hoping this piece will be the best one Prudential has ever created. This will be difficult as they have created some really neat pieces. I don't think I mentioned the name of the new website......www.CoveandCanyonHomes.com. Don't look it up yet....as we are in the very early stages. This is a combination of Crystal Cove and Shady Canyon homes names. I thought it up.....it is kind of cool. Tomorrow I am showing rentals in Laguna Beach. I will try and take some cool ocean shot pictures.

Crystal Cove and Cannery Lofts

2008-10-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

Who else was cold this morning? Time to bring out the extra blankets for fall and winter. I miss the warm air, but also welcome the change of seasons.....as long as it doesn't include snow! :)
I have been so busy the last couple of days, I need to finally catch up today. Thursday I attended preview in Crystal Cove. I visited a new listing on Shorwalk. This home is 5 bedrooms with 6 bathrooms, around 7500 square feet, listed at $9,838,000. I would say this home has the wow factor.....amazing architecture....decore and ocean view. I looked at a home a couple of doors down on the same street and it didn't have the warm fuzzy feeling this home has. I also viewed a home in Corona del Mar on Waterfront Drive.....selling price is $2.5 for the front unit and $1.5 for the back unit. There is a front and a back home. Both of them on the market so you could buy the whole thing and have your own little compound. I was surprised to find such a large shower in the main house. I quickly figured it out that a surfer lived there as they used this large shower for surfboards. Trust me when I say it would only be used for surfboards......not warm and fuzzy bathroom. This house had many stairs.....and a very peculiar floor plan. At the end of preview we stopped by a new listing in One Ford Road. This home was very elegant. I felt like I was at a hotel. In fact they had the guest room set up as a hotel......bottled water, napkins.....I was looking for the chocolate on the pillow! :)
Friday I went to the Cannery Lofts.....over by one of my favorite restaurants, The Cannery. I have never viewed them before. They are very modern with a lot of use of raw concrete as flooring. Tjese are very unique homes as they have an office on their main floor. This would be great.....you could go to your office.....and it is down the stairs. This home is right on the water. I forgot the price but will update this blog when I load the pictures. I also visited another home in Newport Heights......absolutely gorgeous. This home was featured in Coastal Living Magazine. The architect is Mark Becker. The agent said the remodel was from 8 years ago. It looks like they just remodeled it last week. The use of white walls with dark floor. They used the casita as a pool/entertainment room. I was really impressed by the black and white surfing pictures. This house definitely has the WOW factor. I almost forgot, it has a view of the ocean and has its own in ground swimming pool. This home is listed at $4.495.
I don't want to forget my realtor friends new listing on 214 Walnut in Newport Shores. This is a cute home a block off of PCH.....east side. You are only a little over 2 blocks from the ocean. This home has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths. They have done some upgrades to the home.....still need a couple more in my book. But, if you want a place close to the ocean....heck, you won't spend much time at home....so skip the additional upgrades.
I am looking forward to a busy week.

Broker Preview Shady Canyon

2008-10-08T14:31:00.001-07:00

It was another hot day in Shady Canyon today. I went to a couple of listings. I went to a new listing on Vernal Springs. It is a great place......with an awesome view and patio area. See pictures above. I love a good area to grill. In Minnesota we call it "grilling out", in California it is referred to "barbequeing." Random facts I will post. I was also trying to chase down my friend Rob Glass. He is a builder in the Pelican Crest and Shady Canyon area. He has new construction on Needle Grass......as well as two completed projects that are close to Needle Grass. I was looking to get in to one of his houses to take pictures for new marketing pieces. Needless to say, I couldn't find him. I know he is busy so I will try him next week. His homes are truley works of art. I am looking forward to Broker Preview in Crystal Cove tomorrow. Today, I need to go to the vet, my dog Sam has had fleas all summer and I can't get rid of them. Fortunately, the vet said there is some pill he can take and then he will be fine within an hour. I feel bad for him......he doesn't look like he has fleas...but keeps on itching.

The Tides, Crystal Cove

2008-10-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

It is official this week that I am back with Prudential in Newport Beach. I will be teaming with James Gray. He is a Newport Beach native and has been in real estate for over 20 years. We will be targeting high end homes in Crystal Cove and Shady Canyon area. Since I haven't seen anything really neat lately on the market. I was looking through some old pictures for marketing ideas. I came across my pictures from The Tides. These homes are toward the top of Crystal Cove. They had 3 model homes......my favorite one was the Tuscan feeling home. I LOVE this home. See pictures above. These homes started in the $7 million range.

2008-10-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

Wednesday and Thursday Broker Preview. First I have to apologize, I have been trying to get over a bad head cold for the last 7 days. I am finally feeling half way normal. Yesterday I went to Shady Canyon, Irvine for broker preview. It had to be around 100 degrees. I couldn't tell if I was not feeling well and still had a fever.....or it if was really that hot. I was glad to go back to Newport to cool off. Anyway, I went to a new listing on Golden Eagle. For those of you not familiar with Shady Canyon, it is a guard gated community behind the hill of Crystal Cove. Shady Canyon has a few pro athletes living in there. Shady Canyon has its own private golf course. It is a beautiful area....when it is not so hot. :) Back to Golden Eagle. This home is $12,995,000. It is about 11,000 sq ft, 6 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms......9 car garage. I was impressed with the infinity pool....and the great view of Shady Canyon. As far as the interior.....I wasn't as impressed. I really like the Tuscan look.....and they were trying to get away from the Tuscan look. They used color tiles in many of the bathrooms. If you like color....you will like this house. I also noticed they didn't use baseboards. I guess I can be a little picky. Last week I visited a home on Grey Owl. This home is currently owned by a professional baseball player. For $18,995,000, you could buy a 13,500 square foot house with 5 bedrooms and 9 baths. This house has the WOW factor. The master bedroom is amazing and I was very impressed with the 2 girls rooms......very girly. They had a separate entertaining building that was by the pool. It housed a theatre. This was connected underground to the main house. Sometimes I wonder why someone would spend almost $19 million to be in Shady Canyon, Irvine.....maybe for the great schools? For $19 million, you could be in Newport Coast with an amazing ocean view. The big difference other than the view is that it is much cooler in Newport Coast. I might complain about how hot it was....but it usually isn't that hot. If you like to use the swimming pool......Shady Canyon is probably a better pick.

Today for Broker Preview I visited a couple new listing in Crystal Cove (area between Laguna Beach and Newport Beach).....one on Sidney Bay and one on Sidra Cove. The home on Sidra Cove was interesting as the master bedroom was on the lower level. The bedroom still has a view, but where I come from......Minnesota...it felt like a walk out basement. The agent told me that the builder originally sold the floor plan this way until many people complained so he switched the 2 bedrooms on the upper level with the lower level master bedroom. It makes much more sense to me to have the master bedroom on the upper level with the better view. I viewed a couple of other homes in Corona del Mar. The two that stand out was one on Marguerite and another one on Heliotrope. The home on Marguerite was new construction ($4.9 million)....on the 200 block. You are really close to the ocean.....but there is a lot in front of you that is under construction. This home was neat as it has a mother-in-law quaters in the back of the unit. I love my mom, but after 3 days.....it would be nice if she had her own area. Maybe that is why I really like this other home on Heliotrope. This home also has a mother-in-law quarters. In-between the two areas there is a really cute garden area. I have a picture of it posted above. This home is a little older, but it was very charming and had character. It is a 5 bedroom/5 bathroom home and is priced at $2,490,000.

The big news that I thought I would announce on Monday actually happened today. I am going back to work for Prudential in Newport Beach. I left Prudential a year ago. I am going back to Prudential to work with James Gray. He is a Newport Beach native.....and has been in real estate for over 20 years. I am looking forward to the partnership. We met today to discuss what our marketing pieces will look like. I am excited to see my ideas in print. More later.

Wedding Weekend

2008-09-28T15:05:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I did something I normally don't do......take a Saturday off. A client of mine...now a friend....was married at a church in Corona del Mar. The reception was held at the bride's parents house in Newport Coast. It was beautiful. I was surprised at how warm/hot it was. Corona del Mar still had the marine layer....and Newport Coast was completely clear. You could see Catalina Island over the marine layer. You couldn't ask for a better day....though I was glad to go home to the back bay to cool off a bit.

Having all that fun yesterday, I came down with a cold. So, I am actually taking the whole weekend off from open houses or showing homes. I don't want anyone to catch this cold. I heard it is going around. A friend of mine went to Nights in Rodanthe last night and she said many were sneezing and coughing. I know how they feel. She said it was an excellent movie. She compared it to the Notebook. I am able to catch up on paperwork and work around the house. It is going to be a busy week. I will be announcing a big change for me tomorrow.

Broker Preview Today

2008-09-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

I am going to try a 3rd party company for my comments. I had been posting them to my front page.....but that is starting to clutter the front page too much. I guess I need to get with the times and start a blog. :)

Let's start with yesterday as I was showing homes in Huntington Beach and then I went to broker preview. Broker preview is generally from 11-2 on Wednesdays in Irvine, Thursdays in Newport Beach and Newport Coast, and Fridays are Costa Mesa and the Balboa Peninsula and Island. Yesterday I started the day in Huntington Beach/Sunset Beach area. I haven't been in that area so it was fun to see what the Huntington Beach Harbour area is all about. I have to say I was really impressed. The couple I am helping are looking for a second home by the water. The great thing about this area, is you can be right on the water, with a boat slip for under a million.....and you are still close to the ocean. One of the homes was a shrine to Elvis....that was kind of funny as I have never seen anything like that in my years of real estate. This area reminded me of living on the lake in MN. Or if you have ever been to Florida....some of the retirement communities are like this....minus the alligators! Anyway, very nice area if you want to be right on the water....even if it isn't ocean front. I guess during the Christmas holiday they have a boat parade that is pretty neat. I am showing homes there again on Thursday so check back for pictures.

Anyway, on to preview. There is a great new listing in Crystal Cove on Cruisers Bluff. This home is listed for $5,995,000. It has 4 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, pool, great entertaining area....and some of the best views I have ever seen in Crystal Cove. This home is on the south end of Crystal Cove. On the patio, there are no rooftops......big deal for Crystal Cove as the ones with no roof tops, generally overlook noisy PCH. This house really impressed me. The master bedroom is on the main level. Another feature I hear the baby boomers really want. This house has the WOW factor that I look for when viewing homes.

Speaking of WOW factor......I saw a home on Kings Rd today. If you aren't familiar with Kings Road, it is the road that runs parallel with PCH just before you hit Newport Blvd. This house is very modern with a great pool area. The down side is that it is on the corner of Dover and PCH. The water fall in the pool covers the noise from the traffic. This home has great views of the peninsula/ocean. The master bedroom closet was huge. At 7000 sq feet, this home has 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. Pictures are above.

What does $23 million buy? A half acre on the Balboa Peninsula......bay front. You could easily build 3 homes on this property. I am guessing the person who buys this home may tear it down and build a big home. Currently, there is a home on the beach, a guest home on the other side of the alley and then a grassy/park area. Pictures are above.