All Blog Entries by Sam Smith

Mark Singer is a gifted architect who's name is well known in the real estate industry.  His work is easily recognized in the local real estate marketplace for high quality and cutting edge construction and design.  One perfect example of this is a new listing that just came on the market in the Monarch Bay Terrace community and is pictured below.  The 5,152 square foot Ultra Contemporary designed home features a perfect blend of modern glass edged into smooth stucco exterior walls and softened with extensive use of hardwood and stone.  The three story homes features panoramic views which include ocean, golf course and city light views.  I've had the pleasure of going through this home and it truly has an open floor plan that combines the outdoor

The Spinnaker Run gated community in Dana Point has a lot of history to it as they date back to the early 1980's when they were first built.  At the time this was one of the closest condo buildings near the beach as a total of 120 units were built.  It's a quiet setting with small one and two bedroom units nestled against the San Juan Creek area which leads directly down to Doheny Beach.  The complex typically offers some of the best deals and lowest prices for condos this close to the beach in Dana Point. 

Real Estate prices typically start in the mid $250,000 range and can go as high as $400,000 for a two bedroom unit.  Monthly association dues include a nice community pool, spa, sauna, water, trash and exterior building maintenance.  Since these

Unlike other surrounding beach towns, there is not a lot of 55+ Communities in Dana Point, California. Dana Point originally started a vacation destination spot in the early 1920’s and the infrastructure of the city grew with small beach cottages and then developed into individual gated communities found throughout the city. One of the newest additions to the city that was built in 1993 specifically caters to those who are older than 62 years old and offers condos that often have a view of the Pacific Ocean. The Fountains at Sea Bluffs in Dana Point is a full service retirement community that offers a wide range of services. First, the location is located off the ocean view street of Del Obispo and is a quick 5 minute drive to the beach. There is a very

When talking about historic homes in the Dana Point area it's very natural to bring up the names "Doheny" and "Woodruff" who were the early developers of the Dana Point area.  This dates back to the early 1920's during the same time that the neighboring San Clemente was building the "Spanish Village by the Sea."  In the same spirit, many of the homes built by Doheny and Woodruff were designed in the Spanish architectural style with great attention to details.  The city of Dana Point has gone to great efforts to identify these historic properties who's owners take great pride in keeping these vintage homes true to their original design.

Doheny homes have been built throughout the city and tend to be smaller one story homes located on the ocean side of

The Dana Point Broker Preview is held every Wednesday from 9:30am to 1:00pm except during certain holidays. What is a broker preview?  The preview is an opportunity for all real estate agents in the Dana Point area to view new listings that have just come on the market without the need of making an appointment.  These are open houses specifically targeted for real estate agents who may have interested parties in that specific home.  Most agents will preview all the houses so they can become familiar with new listings that are on the market so they can better educate their clients to what is currently is on the market and make the best match for them.

It's important to keep in mind that not all listings will be on broker preview during any given week.

The Corniche Sur Mer community offers one of the best locations in Dana Point and is prominently located in the 24 hour guard gated community known as Ritz Pointe which sits next to the St. Regis hotel.  Ritz Pointe is a collection of many different neighborhoods that all share the same gated security and entrance.  The Corniche Sur Mer neighborhood was first built in the early 1990's with large Spanish style homes that sit on the northwest section of Ritz Pointe.  At the time these were some of the most sought after homes as only 180 homes were built in this location.  

There are two neighborhoods that are located here and commonly known as Corniche Sur Mer Phase I and Corniche Sur Mer Phase II.  Basically, Phase I homes were built first and located

The Grand Monarch has just released one of the first homes currently offered for sale in the exclusive Monarch Beach area of Dana Point.  The Grand Monarch is a brand new gated community located on the south end of the St Regis Resort & Spa with a total of 37 homes that are currently being built.  Technically considered luxury townhouses or condos, 78 Monarch Beach Resort South is one of the first homes to come on the market and is currently listed at $3,099,999.  The home features three large bedrooms with a total of 3,797 square feet of living space and schedule to complete construction in October of this year.  A main floor master bedroom, wine cellar, high ceilings and an elevator are just some of the features that will be included in this home.  The

The ocean view street in Dana Point, California known as "Golden Lantern" is one of the most picturesque locations in all of Dana Point.  The location is really ideal as it sits at one of the highest points on the Dana Headlands mountain and looks directly down over the Dana Point Harbor and Pacific Ocean.  The views are simply breathtaking as one can see the many boats and yachts in the harbor as well as the coastline looking towards San Diego.  The street of Golden Lantern mainly has homes located on the north side of the street with the best views located on the upper levels.  There are a few select properties located on the south side of the street that literally look like that are sitting on the cliff's edge overlooking the water.

A new ocean view

We had a client who called us today looking for a one story property that would be wheelchair accessible with no steps.  This was quite the challenge since his price range only went up to $600,000 which pretty much excludes all single family homes in Dana Point since most houses start at around $600,000 and up.  Upon sifting through the many listings currently on the market we came across a condo located in the Monarch Hills condo complex that was located on the first level with no steps into the unit.  The Monarch Hills Condo complex is located in the upscale Ritz Pointe gated community in the Monarch Beach area of Dana Point.  This is a large community with condos located on the first, second and third level of multiple buildings.  Obviously, the second

The Golden Lantern Villas is a small condo complex near the Dana Point Harbor with a total of 18 units.  Built in 1978 on the famous Santa Clara street which is just a little over one block to the bluff front that overlooks the Dana Point Harbor.  Here you will find two and three bedroom condos that rarely come on the market, normally one unit will come on the market every 15 months.  These are nice homes with interior fireplaces, large kitchens with lots of cabinetry, interior laundry room and good size Master bedrooms.  

This is a secure building with underground parking that comes with large storage spaces.  The community has a very nice pool and spa area for its residents which is included in the monthly association dues of $474.00 a month that