All Blog Entries by Sam Smith

The Pointe Monarch community is a luxury community in Dana Point that has a very nice ocean view homes.  The community is one of the newer communities in the Monarch Beach area of Dana Point with homes built 10 years ago.  The homes have a really unique beach close location that has direct beach access by going through the tunnel that runs from the St Regis Hotel to the beach.  The best ocean view homes are those located on the front row and on the street "Via Corsica."  All of these homes will have great golf course views of the Monarch Beach golf links that sits in front of the St Regis hotel.  The lower number homes on this street tend to have the best ocean views.

The community itself is very small and only has three residential streets that end in

Finding a single level home in a gated community can be difficult depending on what price range one is looking.  There are many one story homes throughout Dana Point but very few are on the market for sale located in a gated neighborhood.  The number gets even more limited if a buyer is looking for an ocean view as well.  There are two gated communities that we recommend that have a large number of one story homes which will be explained here.

First, the Monarch Bay oceanfront neighborhood is the number one location for finding one story homes in Dana Point located in a gated community. The large majority of properties located here are single level in order to maximize the views.  The community sits next to the Laguna Beach community Three Arch Bay to

It really feels like summer already with the heat wave that we have experienced in the last week in Dana Point.  As with every summer many flock to the beach for the annual vacations, especially in the Dana Point area where one will find an abundance of properties located on the sand that offer homes as vacation rentals.  There is a wide variety of properties available from small two bedroom houses to large compounds on the beach.  Rental prices will really vary but typically will be much higher in the summer time that renting during the winter months.

We strongly recommend booking early as the summer months are the busiest time in Dana Point.  One thing to note about the Southern California weather is the June gloom we experience for the entire month

The Ritz Pointe community is one of the top communities in the Monarch Beach area of Dana Point and features stunning golf course views homes.  There are several individual tracts within Ritz Pointe that sit next to the Monarch Beach golf links course that include the California Cortina neighborhood.  There are two streets that run parallel and front the golf course which consist of Via Monarca Street and Cassis Street.  Via Monarca street is located in the Ritz Pointe neighborhood and sits directly next to the golf course.  The below photo shows exactly who close the homes sit next to the golf course with the St. Regis hotel in the background.  Many times these homes will have panoramic ocean views as well.

The other street known as "Cassis" is

The Portofino condo building is located near the Del Prado Lantern District in Dana Point, California between 24421 and 24435 Santa Clara Avenue.  This is a small condo complex of 7 luxury townhouses that sit on the ocean side of Pacific Coast Hwy and one block to the bluff front with tremendous views of the Dana Point Harbor as pictured below.  The condos were originally built in 1991 in the Mediterranean style with two levels of living space.  The condos here are more like a luxury townhouse with attached 2 car garages and a secure gated entrance.  Units here don't have views of the ocean but offer a very unique location that is within walking distance to the newly renovated Lantern District with great shopping and restaurants.  

There is a great

The Gardens Dana Point neighborhood is located in the Niguel Shores gated community and offers detached single family homes.  Niguel Shores has many different neighborhoods located within the gated entrance with the gardens neighborhood being situated on both the ocean and island side of Pacific Coast Highway.  The homes were built in the early 1970's and can offer a variety of floor plans that range from two to five bedroom homes.  These are highly sought after since they are often priced in the low one million dollar price point and offer a walk to the beach location within the community.

The Niguel Shores community is a resort style neighborhood with a 24 hour guard gate, direct access to the beach with a variety of amenities for it's residents.

The Meridian homeowners association offers condos located in the heart of the downtown Dana Point area and within walking distance to many of the best restaurants and shopping.  Often referred to as the Harbor Cove condominiums, the Meridian is a small complex comprising of 30 individual two bedroom units that offer one of the best locations in Dana Point for those who want to be able to walk to many amenities without the need of a car.  This complex is a mix residential and commercial building with condos located on the upper floors and retails shops on the street level.  Some of the retail stores include the Luxe Restaurant and Martini Bar, Kardia Life Fitness Center, White Lotus Day Spa and a emergency doctor's office.  

The Dana Point post office

We just got a call into our office today for a client looking to buy a condo in the Dana Point area for $600,000.  They wanted to know the best options when for condos under this price point and if any of these were located in the town center area.  Condos located in the downtown area in this price point is very difficult and typically will be smaller one or two bedrooms units located in buildings like the Pacific Terrace and the Bluffside Villas condo complex.  Currently there is no inventory in these complex's and here is what is currently available for sale.

The Niguel Beach Terrace is a condo building located in the Monarch Beach area of Dana Point.  This complex is not located in the downtown area but offers a very beach close location with quick

Del Obispo is a great place to find ocean view properties in the Dana Point area.  The Del Obispo area is located approximately one mile to the beach and runs parallel with the 5 freeway and the San Juan Creek.  Many of the homes that do offer a view will have coastline views looking towards San Clemente.  The two best communities to view ocean view properties is the Bal Harbour and Village at Dana Point communities.

Bal Harbour is a premier gated neighborhood with large scale homes that are pictured below.  The community sits high on a hill side just north of the San Juan Creek and can offer sensational views.  Not all homes in this neighborhood will offer views of the Pacific Ocean with a select few offer peek and panoramic views.  Real Estate prices

The Ritz Pointe neighborhood is located in the very upscale Monarch Beach area is located next to the St. Regis hotel.  Within this guard gated community are several individual neighborhoods that include residential condos and single family homes.  The condos located here are some of the most affordable units in the Monarch Beach area and offer one to two bedroom units that can offer views of the ocean.  The condos are approximately 25 years old and are located three different levels with a nice community clubhouse, pool and spa area.  

Real Estate prices in the last year ranged from a one bedroom, one bath condo that sold for $275,000 to $485,000 for a two bedroom, two bath ocean view unit.  The majority of condos here will fall in the mid $300,000 to