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/

WOW Factor Camel Point Drive in South Laguna Beach

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

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

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

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Society in Corona del Mar

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

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/