All Blog Entries by Sam Smith

The historic lantern district has gone under some major transformation on the last several years as the city has spent a lot of money revitalizing the downtown historic district in Dana Point.  The biggest change is a dual set of two way streets that cut through the city of Dana Point.  Before any of the changes took place Pacific Coast Highway used to be a one way street heading north and traffic would have to go through Del Prado Avenue.  

One of the condos in the Immediate area include the Pilgrim's Bluff.  The building is located at the corner of Amber Lantern and Santa Clara Avenue and is just a little over a block to the bluff front the overlooks the Dana Point Harbor.  Many locals are not even aware of this small complex since in the last 10

One of the most expensive gated community in Dana Point is located directly on the beach and referred to as "The Strand."  The official name is "The Strand at Headlands" and is located on the beach in front of Strands Beach in Monarch Beach.  It's not uncommon to find homes listed over $20 million dollars on the front row with unobstructed ocean and white water views.  Less expensive homes can be found on the 2nd and 3rd rows back with a great selection of Contemporary and Mediterranean style homes.  A good example of this is a brand new listing at 35 Beach View that is expected to hit the market at $14,250,000.  The photos pictured below are from that house that offers one of the most elegant Contemporary homes that we have come across at the Strand.

When it comes to looking for a home in the Dana Point area that are many factors that come into play.  For those who have young children finding a location that is within close proximity to good schools is important.  One of the more popular schools in Dana Point is the Del Obispo elementary school located at the cross streets of Del Obispo and Camino Del Avion.  The Marco Forster middle school and Kinoshita elementary school are also located here making this a prime spot to live near.  There are several neighborhoods that are within walking distance to these schools are here is a quick guide.

First, right across there street is a community called Parkside Place.  This is a great family neighborhood for a variety of reasons.  First, the homes are all

There are many senior communities located throughout Orange County with a variety of amenities and services.  Located in the South Orange County are several neighborhoods that are strictly for those older than 55 years of age.  These communities often offer daily or weekly activities for those who live there with a central community pool and clubhouse.  The city of Dana Point is rather limited when it comes to senior neighborhoods.  There are several communities like Niguel Shores that is very popular with those older in age even though it is not age restricted in any way.  One of the few age restricted senior communities in Dana Point is the Sea Bluffs neighborhood.

Sea Bluffs is a senior complex that offers full service assisted living for those

Once in awhile you will see a good deal that comes on the market here by the beach that potentially would make the perfect development opportunity.  Located on the sand in the gated Beach Road community is potentially such a property.  The three bedroom, two bath home features 1,707 square feet of living space and is in originally condition.  It was built in 1948 and located on a 2,808 square foot lot that sits directly in front of the sand.  It's listed at $2,688,000 which is very close to being land value which makes it ideal for someone looking to build a brand new home on this lot or renovate the current home and rent it out for income.  The home comes with approved plans for a 2,570 square foot two story home featuring three bedrooms and designed by

The year 2016 has almost come to an end and a quick look back at what has sold this year is truly amazing.  For the most part 2016 has been a really strong year for real estate sales in Dana Point as real estate price continued to inch up while mortgage rates still remained low for a large portion of the year.  We had some very high sales this year that took place in The Strand at Headlands and Ritz Cove communities.  These always tend to have the most expensive homes for sale so it's no surprise that the highest sales occurred here.  Here is a quick recap on the highest sales in Dana Point for the 2016 calendar year.

The highest sale this year took place at 47 Strand Beach Drive in Dana Point.  This home is located in the gated community of the Strand

Dana Point is a small beach town with many homes offering various price points.  For those seeking an oceanfront home or a new construction home on the beach then there are several neighborhoods that offer luxury properties listed for over $10 million dollars.  Here is a quick guide to help you determine the right neighborhood for you.

The first luxury community is commonly known as "The Strand."  This is one of the newest neighborhoods in Dana Point that offers parcels of land directly on the beach or several streets up from the beach with stunning ocean views.  This was advertised as one of the last oceanfront communities in Southern California which is located in front of Strands Beach and south of the Ritz Carlton Hotel.  The neighborhood first

The city of Dana Point is a great place to buy a home but many want to get a good feel for living here and opt to rent a home before making a big purchase.  A large majority of the rentals on the market are for "long term rentals" as many owners want to lease their home out for a minimum of 12 months.  There are several steps to renting a home here in California that may be different than other neighboring states.  Here is a brief explanation on how the process works.

The first step is to start searching for a rental online.  Our website has the ability to search for both homes for sale and for lease.  This is a great tool as you can narrow down the search based on price, geographic area, neighborhood or any kind of special amenity that you are looking

Dana Point has five different areas to find ocean view homes with the highest concentration found in the surrounding areas of the Dana Point Harbor, Monarch Beach and the Capistrano Beach area.  Currently, single family homes in Dana Point start at around $600,000 with a large selection of these properties up to $750,000.   These will be simple starter homes that often will feature two to three bedrooms and average 1,400 square feet of living space.  Single family homes offering ocean views will add a bump in price as they currently start at $650,000 for a two bedroom home under 1,000 square feet with an ocean view from the front yard area.  For those looking for a better ocean view it's recommend to look up to one million dollars as the inventory will

Dana Point is a small harbor town that is located approximately one hour south of the city of Los Angeles.  In the early 1920's through 1950's many tiny houses where built as small second vacation residences for those living in Los Angeles who wanted a beach house.  This was a very common trend as their main residence would be in the Los Angeles and a weekend beach house would be located in Dana Point.  Tiny houses in Dana Point are normally under 1,000 square feet and feature one to two bedrooms.  The bulk of these properties are located in the oldest section of town called the "Lantern Village" district.  This is a popular area due to the close proximity to the downtown shopping in Dana Point that can easily be walked to from most locations in this