All Blog Entries by Sam Smith

Dana Point has a limited number of historic properties that are located all throughout the city limits with a high concentration in the downtown area called the Lantern District.  For the most part many of these homes will not offer any kind of a view but there a few select historic properties that will offer nice ocean views.  Depending on your budget there are a couple great places to start your search.  First, on the high end two of the best places to look would be on either the street Beach Road or along the cliffside overlooking the Dana Point Harbor on Santa Clara Avenue.  

Beach Road is a 24 hour guard gated community that features homes that located directly on the sand.  For anywhere in Orange County this is very hard to find and this

Dana Point real estate prices have always commanded a premium in price due to being a beach town and located next to the Dana Point Harbor.  Gated communities have always been considered an extra luxury that is reserved for some of the most expensive homes.  There are still some really great values for homes and condos located inside a gated community.  The large majority of these are located in the upscale Monarch Beach area that is just south of the city of Laguna Berach.  There is where the upscale Ritz Carlton and Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort hotels are located as well as some of the most desirable beach front communities like the Strand at Headlands, Ritz Cove, Niguel Shores and Monarch Bay.

Some of the best values located inside a gated

One of the newest additions to the Lantern Village District is the Prado West complex in Dana Point, California.  Over the last several years there has been a huge development for the Downtown area of Dana Point commonly known as the Lantern District that has been a large construction site with a lot of new buildings being built.  Clients have called into our office inquiring about what will be put in these buildings and this is one of the first to being close to final construction so residents can move into the buildings.  The complex is called Prado West and is dedicated apartments for those looking to lease in the heart of the downtown area of Dana Point.  One of the huge advantages of living here is being able to walk to some really great restaurants

One of my favorite condo communities in Dana Point is the Tennis Villas neighborhood.  One of the main reasons why I like this area as it has a little bit of everything.  First, if you are looking for a beach and golf course close community then Tennis Villas is hard to beat.  It sits next to the Monarch Beach golf links so if you are an avid golfer you are going to love this location.  The golf links do take a separate membership and they are not affiliated with the Tennis Villas but are within walking distance to the golf links clubhouse which is really convenient. Second, it's all about the views at the Tennis Villas which range from panoramic golf course views as pictured below to some ocean views as well.  Finally, it doesn't hurt being located

One of the best places to find some of the most affordable rentals in the Dana Point area is at the Harbor Creek community.  In fact, if you are looking for a long term lease for under $2,000 this is a really great place to look.  Of course, there are more expensive rentals in this community but currently one bedroom condos currently start at $1,995 a month.  This is approximately a 650 square foot condo that features nice vaulted ceilings so it gives the illusion of having more space.  2 bedroom units are typically more expensive and currently start at $3,000 and $3,150 a month.  These condos are slightly larger and range from 870 to 913 square feet.  The best part about renting a home here is that the landlord typically pays for the association fees

The year 2020 is in the review mirror now and we are all looking optimistically for the year 2021.  The Dana Point real estate market was very active in the last spring, summer and winter months as low inventory and reduced mortgage interest rates really drove the demand for buyers looking to make a purchase.  So far in January 2021 the record activity continues as homes are not staying on the market for very long if they are priced correctly.  There are many buyers in the market right now that are looking for new construction homes that will be built and completed this year in 2021.   These are typically individual property owners selling homes as spec homes and not homes located in a brand new community.

With this being said, the best community to

The Real Estate market in Dana Point, California saw a number of properties selling over the $10 million dollar price point in 2020 thanks in part to lower inventory and a higher demand for homes from local buyers.  It's no surprise that 2 of the 3 highest sales this year occurred in the beach front community known as "The Strand at Headlands" which seems to have some of the most expensive home sales year after year.

The third highest sale took place at 15 Coral Cove Way which sold for $12,050,000 and closed escrow on 10/09/20.  The five bedroom home featured a reported 7,915 according to our multiple listing service with three levels of living spaces.  It was newly built in 2020 and featured wonderful ocean views in the South Strand neighborhood that

One of my favorite gated neighborhoods in Dana Point is the Regatta tract.  One of the reasons why this is such a great community is the prime Monarch Beach location that is just minutes to the bluff that overlooks the Pacific Ocean and the Dana Point Harbor and a short driving distance to the beach.  If you are lucky enough to find a property that has an ocean view then that is a big selling point.  Over the last several years there has been several rentals that have come on the market each year.  On average, there are 6 to 10 rentals that come up for lease that have a wide variety of a range.  In 2020, we have seen rentals from $3,200 for a three bedroom, two bath home to $6,000 a month for a newly renovated ocean view home.  For the most part these are

Dana Point is a beach town that has a wide range of views and most well known for it's ocean views that sometimes can over look the Dana Point Harbor.  One of the other surprisingly nice views are those mountain views that can be seen from a few select neighborhoods and locations. The highest concentration of these homes can be found in the central part of Dana Point and typically found in homes that are located on a high point that offers them a variety of views.  One of the neighborhoods I really love for Mountain views is the Dana Knolls neighborhood which is a great community for a variety of reasons.  For starters, It's an area that is predominantly filled with single family homes that are often cute bungalow style one story homes.  The community

One of our most requested communities for finding rentals in the Dana Point area is the Ritz Pointe community.  There are a number of reasons why so many are drawn to the community that sits adjacent to the Monarch Beach Resort which was formerly the St. Regis Hotel.  First, the community is guard gated which means there is a full time attendant there 24 hours a day.  In fact, there are actually 2 gates that go into this community which makes it's very convenient.  A lot of people ask us why there is 2 gates for a community that offers affordable condos for sale and for lease and there is a great reason why.  

When these condos were first built they were put next to larger single family home neighborhoods that are much more expensive with some