$1,395,000 - 1304 Lewellyn Dr, Laguna Beach

One of the most common requests we get from out of state visitors is a view of the ocean.  Being connected to the ocean is something we take for granted when living here in Laguna Beach.  For those not used to seeing the ocean on a daily basis the importance of owning an ocean view property is at the top of their list.  If you are in the market to buy an ocean view condo and have a budget up to $1 Million dollars then you can either find an ocean view home or a nice condo.  Ocean View homes under $1 million will be on the smaller side and will probably need a little bit of work.  If you prefer a more turnkey living then buying a condo may make sense.  You will find a lot of ocean view condos under the $1 million dollar mark with various bedrooms and…

We love looking at historic homes, especially here in Laguna Beach, California!  Laguna Beach is home to a wide range of historic properties ranging from small cottage style homes to larger Mediterranean style homes.  Historic homes are typically built in the 1920's and 30's with great charm and personality.  We do sometimes see homes built in the 1940's and 50's that are no being considered "historic homes" as many of the mid-century modern homes are built in a classic style.  Laguna Beach is a quaint little beach town and was filled with many beautiful historic homes by the 1930's.  Now, you will find a large number of these homes offered for sale which gives buyers a wide range of choices when home shopping for a historical home.  Home will range…

Many have asked if 2012 is a good time to buy a house in Laguna Beach.  As real estate inventory in Laguna Beach is reaching record lows the supply and demand for real estate is reaching a new high.  What does this mean for real estate prices?  Our experts don't believe that we will see an increase in pricing for 2012 but a very competitive market for prime properties priced at market value and offering ocean views or located on the ocean front.  We are currently seeing multiple buyers bidding one single properties especially in the short sale arena.  Short Sales are becoming the dominant way to seize a great deal in Laguna Beach but there are good and bad points about doing a short sale.  If you are patient and you act quickly when you see a good…

The Laguna Canyon area is the best place to find the lowest price single family homes in Laguna Beach, California.  The Laguna Canyon area is located on the outskirts of town and off the Laguna Canyon Rd which is the main way in to Laguna Beach from the 5 & 73 Freeway.  Since these homes are often 5 to 10 minutes into town the price of real estate is greatly reduced.  Single family homes in the Canyon area start just under $340,000 and up and you will find a nice mixture of Laguna Beach cottages and historic homes.  You will also find larger custom homes for well under $1,000,000 that sometimes features a lot of land and square footage of the home.  A good example of this is a new bank owned home that just came on the market 3 days ago the was built…

A lot of Laguna Beach seller's are now looking to be creative when selling their beach home in Laguna Beach, California.  We have seen the trend of seller's offering lease options where the buyer rents for a temporary period and then has the "option" to buy the home at a later date.  Another creative finance technique is buying a home with assumable loans.  This allows for the buyer to assume the seller's existing mortgage at the interest rate that exists when the owner locked in the mortgage.  Buying a home with an assumable loan is a creative way to buy a house in today's real estate market.  We found two properties that have assumable loans with restrictions in the Victoria Beach and Terraces Laguna Beach community.  468 Ashton Drive is an ocean…

Have you ever looked at a map and know exactly where you would want to live?  Believe it or not, many Laguna Beach home buyers have a pretty good idea where they would like to live, especially after spending some time in the Laguna Beach area.  Some buyers will want a home in the hills over looking the ocean while other prefer to be on the sand with oceanfront & beachfront views.  No matter what you taste for buying Laguna Beach real estate there is an easy way to find the perfect home, all at your fingertips!  Using a Laguna Beach Map search is one of the easiest ways to pin point the exact location where you want to live and see the current homes for sale in that vicinity.  Most of our clients will quickly identify several properties they would…

Distressed short sale listings are on the decline in Laguna Beach as many of these short sale listings are being sold and newer homes are coming on the market as non-distressed listings.  Currently there are 51 short sale listings in Laguna Beach with a total of 10 bank owned properties on the market.  In recent months we have seen over 70 short sale listings on the market at one time which nearly represented a large percentage of distressed homes on the market.  These distressed listings offer home buyers will an excellent opportunity to buy homes at a reduced sales price.  If you are in the market to buy a home in Laguna Beach we encourage you to consider some of these short sale properties.  $359,000 is the lowest price short sale and located in…

If you have spent some time looking for homes under $1,000,000 in Laguna Beach then you have definitely come across many of the Laguna Beach Cottages that are offered for sale.  These one, two and three bedroom homes are scattered all throughout Laguna Beach in each of the four areas consisting of Laguna Canyon, South Laguna, North Laguna and the Laguna Village area.  You will find many of these cottages to be small vacation or historic homes that were used as second residences for those from Los Angeles and beyond.  If you can appreciate these smaller gems then you have a lot of options in Laguna Beach.  Be prepared to find two bedroom cottages in all price ranges starting at $550,000 and go all the way up to a $8,000,000 oceanfront cottage!  If you…

We recently have spent a lot of time describing the best places to find oceanfront homes for sale but many buyers area also looking for more of a "lock and go" lifestyle when looking for a place to call home.  If you prefer to purchase an oceanfront condo in Southern California you will be surprised to learn you many options in Laguna Beach.  As most savvy home buyers want to the very best property for the lowest price, finding a penthouse unit with unobstructed views for a great price does become difficult.  You may want to look at a newly listed oceanfront condo in the Laguna Royale gated condo building that is located on the Penthouse level with a $1 million dollar price reduction!  Laguna Royale is a wonderful condo complex with a 24 hour on…

In June 2011 we saw 25 properties close escrow from the periods of June 1, 2001 to June 30, 2011.  The lower Price homes ranged from $500,000 for a two bedroom/two bath condo located on Cliff Drive and $659,000 detached one bedroom single family home located on "Glenneyre" street.  The biggest sale we saw in June 2011 was an ocean view home located at 114 La Senda Drive in the gated community of Three Arch Bay in Laguna Beach.  The home featured four bedrooms, seven baths and over 4,200 square feet of living space according to the MLS Listing.  It was built in the Italian Villa style in 2006 and featured a large pool and great use of stone throughout the house.  Currently there are 406 homes on the market in Laguna Beach with 72 homes currently in…