All Blog Entries by Sam Smith

We receive a lot of calls for clients looking for rentals in the San Clemente area.   One of the more popular areas to find rentals in the Downtown area.  This area is covers homes located on the west side of the 5 freeway and located between the T-Street and the North San Clemente neighborhood.  If you are new to San Clemente then it's important to know that there are a lot of income property buildings which comprise of duplex, triplex and four unit places.  I have lived here for 25 years and there has always been a strong demand and a short supply in this area.  In today's age of short term vacation rentals owners can get good money during the high seasons summer months so many owners have elected to do short term rentals.  These are typically rented

One of the best places to find ocean view homes in the San Clemente area is the Harbor Estates community.  This area is often confused as being in the city of Dana Point due to its close proximity to Capistrano Beach area of Dana Point.  Rental properties in this area don't come on the market that often but often lease out after a short period of time. In 2023, we saw a total of 5 homes come on the market that ranged from $6,000 to $7,500 a month in rent. Prices will typically vary depending on the size and the view of the property. Most of the rentals located here are 12 month leases to start and then can often be re-negotiated for a longer term lease.  Below is a chart of what has leased in Harbor Estates since the early months of 2020.  For the most

San Clemente has several manufactured home neighborhoods to choose from which typically offer a tremendous value when compared with other communities nearby.  One of the most popular manufactured communities is the Shorecliff Terrace neighborhood.  The is a very popular 55+ senior community since you own the land which is not always the case when buying in a manufactured neighborhood.  Many neighborhoods offer homes on lease land so initially the price be much lower but after you figure in the monthly lease cost it sometimes makes more sense to buy a home where you own the land.  What I love about Shorecliff Terrace is that it's located next to the Shorecliff golf course with some homes offering great golf course views.  Sellers can be creative here and

One of the latest marketing pieces for real estate agents is advertising that the home they are selling comes with an EV charger.  Driving around San Clemente you will see a good number of EV cars as this trend is really starting to pick up speed.  During my morning walks to the beach I see a number of EV cars being charged in driveways and in their garages so many people here have embraced this new technology.  One of the benefits of having an EV charger at home is that you can get faster recharging that just using a traditional electrical plug.  What local real estate agents have done is appeal to these type of home buyers and does seem to make a difference.

The Real Estate market in San Clemente is still remaining strong but has slowed down due to

Rising Interest Rates has become a problem for those looking to get a mortgage when buying a home in today's real estate market.  These higher rates were intended to slow down pries and inflation but the actual opposite as happened.  Due to low inventory, we have what they call shelter inflation which is reaction to the Federal government raising interest rates.  It's basically explained as the higher the interest rates go, less and less people who currently have a 3 or 4 percent mortgages on their home would not want to put their home on the market and buy another property at interest rates in the 6 to 7 percent range due to the higher costs involved.  So the higher interest rates have created a very limited number of homes coming on the market which is

It's that time again for the annual San Clemente historic home tour that will take place this year on Saturday October 14, 2023 from 12:00 to 4:00pm.  As you know San Clemente has a very limited number of historic homes so any chance you can get a chance to view these homes it's well worth it.  This year they will be touring 12 homes which will be self-guided so similar to an open house.  The tickets have already gone on sale and they are currently $35.00 until September 1st and then it goes to $40 until October 13th and then $45 the day of the tour.  They don't announce what homes will be on the tour so it is a total surprise for everyone involved.  Once you purchase the tickets then you will get notices before the day of the event.  To get tickets email

One of the most affordable places to find condo rentals in the Talega area is the Alassio tract.  For the most part, rental prices have consistently been under the $4,000 a month range for 2 and 3 bedroom condos that start just over 1,200 square feet of living space. The most recent rentals that have been leased out are feature below in this rental history chart and give you a good idea on what things rent for here. I love this location as it's a short walking distance to the Ralph's shopping center filled with some great restaurants and retail stores.  One thing to keep in mind is that these condos are located multiple levels that often comes with attached garages that offer direct access into the condo.  Some of the features that are really popular here

Colony Cove is mostly a senior 55+ community with some sections that has no age restrictions.  What I love about this neighborhood is that they are like small little bungalow homes that located close together to create a real sense of community.  The location is situated high on a hill is most sections which you think it would lend itself to offering a lot of ocean view properties but the top of the bluff is pretty flat so a large majority of the homes not offering any kind of views unless you are located on the front row which has true ocean front views.  Finding an ocean view home here takes a lot of patience and typically commands a good premium in price compared to other homes in this community.  A perfect example of this is a new listing in Colony

I have a client that is coming into town and is looking to buy a home or condo for under $1.5 million.  When doing a search this morning it was evident that there were not a lot of quality properties on the market even with this healthy price range.  Properties listed between $1 to $1.5 million were predominately single family detached homes spread throughout the Talega, Forster Ranch, Rancho San Clemente and the San Clemente North neighborhoods.  There was no one property that really stood out as a great deal in a great neighborhood but more like average to good homes in neighborhoods my client was not interested in living.  The Talega area was automatically out due to the conformity of tract style homes that look to similar to neighboring homes combined

We had a client call us last week that was looking for a condo near the San Clemente Pier.  I explained to him this area is called the Pier Bowl area and is a very popular place to live since it offers quick access to the beach while also being within walking distance to the many boutique retail stores and restaurants that can be found on the famous "Avenue Del Mar" street which starts from El Camino Real street and leads directly down to the San Clemente Pier.

Real Estate prices for this area have gone up in recent years with some of the lowest price condos found in the mid $600,000 range.  In fact, the condo that the client was calling on was 420 Monterey Lane #R2 which was a very small condo with 300 square feet that was listed at $649,000.  It is

Capistrano Shores is well known for having some wonderful beach front properties that are located right next to the sandy beach.  These homes are typically offered for sale and rarely come on the market for lease.  When looking at the stretch of homes between the north side of San Clemente between the Ole Hanson Beach Club and Doheny Beach in Dana Point you will see two different communities that are located next to the sand.  Capistrano Shores is located in the city of San Clemente and originally was a manufactured home community on lease land.  This all changed with the owners had the opportunity to buy the land which caused many to develop larger two story homes.  The other community located in the city of Dana Point is a community called "Beach Road."

One of the hottest neighborhoods right now is the Shorecliff's San Clemente community.  Over the last several months that have been record sales in this community that have topped over $2 million dollars and this trend continues into the first months of 2023.  One reason for these high prices is the new community of Socorro Shores which features brand new construction homes that some were finished in 2022.  These are larger homes that can span over 4,000 square feet of living space with larger and attractive lot sizes.  One of the huge selling points for these homes is that they advertise low homeowners association dues with no Mello-Roos tax.  If you are buying a new home and can avoid paying an annual Mello Roos tax which can span over 30 years then

In the last several years we have seen a big increase real estate prices in San Clemente, California.  It's very hard to find any decent detached single family home in a nice area for under $1 million dollars.  Last year we saw a shifting market where properties were on the market a lot longer than what we had experienced in recent years so there was the anticipation that real estate prices may go down.  This was the case in some of the properties sold last year but the overall pricing of homes still remains high and has not seen a huge dip as some were expecting.  There are still some great values for homes if you know where to look, especially in trying to find a detached single family home for under $1.5 million.

One of the better values that we

The San Clemente real estate market has still seen monumental sales even with the shifting real estate market this year.  The majority of the highest sales took place earlier this year in March and April was well as the summer months June through August, all of them located in the desirable Southwest San Clemente area.  Often times, the highest sales are dealing with cash buyers who are not effected by the higher interest mortgage rates that we have seen this year.  For the most part many properties in the San Clemente area did see a slow down with some price reductions necessary in order to get a home sold while other well positioned properties still saw multiple offers.  Even with the shifting market the number of homes on the market is still very low

When occasionally see ocean view listings come up in the newer Sea Summit Aqua community in San Clemente which has seen an increase in real estate prices since they were first built.in 2016.  The neighborhood is one of the first communities located in Sea Summit that is also located next to the community pool and clubhouse for all for neighborhoods to use in Sea Summit.  The homes located in the Aqua neighborhood are different than those located in the other three neighborhoods as they share a common wall with a neighboring home unlike the other neighborhoods that offer fully detached single family homes.  When you first drive into the Sea Summit Aqua neighborhood you will notice that the homes along the perimeter on the west side of the street will have

If you are in the market for an ocean view home at attractive price points in San Clemente then is a community in the Rancho San Clemente area that is worth a look.  The community is called Villagio which offers many two story Mediterranean style homes that are located within a short 5 to 7 minuted drive down to the Ole Hanson State Beach area depending on traffic.  What I love about this community is that is has historically offered some of the best real estate values for single family homes throughout all of San Clemente. It's important to note that there are only a few select properties in this community that will offer nice ocean views and they typically will command a premium in price.  A perfect example of this is a new listing that just came on the

One of the hidden gems for finding good quality rental homes in the San Clemente area is the Vilamoura community.  Over the last couple of years this has been one of the go to places when looking for a quality rental in the mid $3,000 to low $4,000 a month range. What I love about these townhomes are the very well thought out floor plans with soaring ceilings for properties that can have square footages of 1,400 to 1,800 square feet.  We recently just saw a very nice ocean view rental in Vilamoura come on the market that was only on the market for 2 days and offered stunning views as pictured below.  It was priced at $4,500 a month which is expected when you have a premier ocean view in this community.  Non-ocean view homes here will come in at a lower

I have lived in San Clemente for several decades now and never get tired of the amazing views that can be seen all throughout San Clemente.  If you are new to the area or have never visited San Clemente then let me tell you a little bit about what kind of views you can expect.  Of course, many of the hillside homes have wonderful ocean views as well as Catalina Island on clear days.  One of the best views you can get in my option is the Dana Point Harbor Views which is the next beach town north of San Clemente.  There are only a few locations where you can get this kind of view and there a couple spots that are my favorite places.

First, there is a small community called "Ocean Hills" in San Clemente.  These are split level townhomes that are located

The Southwest San Clemente area is often considered one of the best neighborhoods in San Clemente near the beach due it's unique collection of various types of single family homes.  In the last several years we have seen a lot of construction in this area due to the rising real estate prices and the need for more housing inventory.  In the last week 2 new brand new construction listings have come on the market in. Southwest San Clemente for a total of 3 homes on the market that were built in 2022.  We have actually been waiting for these homes to come on the market since they have both been under construction for some time now.  The unique part about these 2 new listings is that they are located right next to each other on the street called "Avenida

San Clemente is well known for having some amazing ocean front homes but which location is considered the best?  When buying a home in San Clemente we like to break the down the city into the different areas.  A quick drive through these areas is probably the quickest way to decide where you would like to like.  When is comes to living on the ocean front and want a single family home there is no better area than the Southwest San Clemente neighborhood.  In this area is a street called "Calle De Los Alamos" is where you will find some stunning ocean front properties that overlook the beach.  

This is not the only street in the SW San Clemente community that offers ocean front views so make sure to also consider streets like Paseo De Cristobal, Boca Del