North Laguna Ocean Front Homes

The North Laguna area of Laguna Beach has many ocean front homes and neighborhoods to choose from. North Laguna has traditionally been a bid draw for residents who live here due to the large upscale homes that reside along the coastline. Some of the largest and most expensive neighborhoods are also located here which include Smithcliffs, Irvine Cove and Emerald Bay. When looking for an ocean front property it’s important to keep these things in mind.

First, do you want to live in a gated community? This is one of the first questions we ask clients when they start their real estate search in Laguna. If the answer is yes, then this narrows the search down tremendously since there are only a few gated communities that exist in Laguna Beach. In South Laguna you have Three Arch Bay and Lagunita. In North Laguna there are also three gated communities of Emerald Bay, Irvine Cove and Smithcliffs. Living in a gated neighborhood comes with many perks as all of these offer a 24 hour guard gated entrance except for Lagunita & Smithcliffs which comes with an automatic gate with no guards. The biggest difference is the ongoing monthly dues that are required by the homeowners association. If you don’t need this extra security then you can save yourself some money by buying a home without any monthly association dues.

Second, do you need to be located on the sand or have directly access to the beach? This is a great question, especially when looking in Laguna Beach since there is a very limited number of properties that offer direct access to the beach. The large majority of properties are located high on a cliff with panoramic Ocean & Catalina Island views but do not offer quick access to the beach. Buyers who want direct access will often have to pay a premium in price due to the low number of properties that offer this. Laguna Beach does offer some ocean front homes that also have a small guest cottage located on the sand like in the Thousand Steps Beach area.

Finally, do you want to live near the center of town? Living near the downtown Laguna Beach area and Main Beach does come at a premium in price. Everyone seems to want to live within walking distance to the great shopping and restaurants that exist in Laguna Beach but the reality is that there is a limited number of ocean front properties that are within walking distance. These properties often don’t offer the privacy and security as other oceanfront properties as many beach goers will be enjoying the sandy beach in front of the residences. We always recommend properties in the North Laguna area since all of them offer a quick 5 to 10 minute drive to the downtown area while still offer a quiet and secure location. To learn more about buying an oceanfront property in the Laguna Beach area please contact us at 949-355-1622 today.