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

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

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.