All Blog Entries by Sam Smith

Driftwood Bluffs is a very small oceanfront complex located in the San Clemente Pier bowl area in San Clemente, California.  The condos offers amazing views of the Pier and T-street beach as pictured below.  This is a very small complex of only 15 units with very few residents living here full time.  As you enter through the private remote controlled gated you see a section of three separate buildings that all have views of the ocean.  The pool side area is located on the bluff that overlooks the ocean and is simply breathtaking.  We have taken a photo below that shows the wonderful views from this resort style pool area. There is even a small jacuzzi tub that overlooks the San Clemente Pier!

Currently there is one condo for sale here that is listed for

The Vista Pacific Del Gado community is ideally located near the Shorecliff's Beach in north section of San Clemente. These are smaller homes that offer an indoor/outdoor feel to it with a large private patio area that is often filled with mature landscaping and foliage.  These are some of the best priced properties in the San Clemente area and are often priced under $500,000.  The complex has a lot of history to it when it was first designed by architects who were inspired by mid century modern architect Joseph Eichler.   Some of the features found in Eichler homes include wood beam ceilings, floor to ceiling glass as pictured below. These are simple homes that are often feature less than 1,000 square feet of living space with 2 bedroom floor plans. The

The residential real estate market has seen a lot of changes in the last couple months as the market is starting to shift back into a seller's market.  When this happens real estate prices tend to go up as inventory of available homes is very limited.  Finding a single family home under $500,000 is almost a thing of the past unless you know were to look.  Here is a quick guide to the best communities to find these great deals!

First, the Tocayo Canyon community has always been well known for offering some of the lowest priced single family homes in the San Clemente.  Located in the Forster Ranch area of San Clemente which is situated on east side of the 5 freeway off the "Camino De Los Mares" exit.  Head inland about one mile and the community is

Anticipation is growing as ground has been recently broken for the new Sea Summit at Marblehead community in San Clemente, California.  After years of being on hold the mega retail shopping center of Vista Hermosa is in full swing with many of the structures being currently built as well as new homes that will be built by Taylor Morrison home builder.  What buyers can expect is for new model homes to become available later this summer and 309 homes being offered for sale to the general public. 

The Sea Summit at Marblehead will be split into four different neighborhoods and offer homes starting at just under $1 million dollars.  As a local San Clemente Realtor I know local residents are seriously considering a move to the new homes being built here as

The Southwest San Clemente area is predominately known for it's single family homes and townhouses but very few people know that prime mulit-unit complex's also exist in this area.  When the area was first built the homes were divided into three sections and thus you have the 100, 200 and 300 blocks.  At the top of the 100 blocks it's not uncommon to find duplex and triplex properties located next to single family homes.  Many are attracted to this area since a huge majority of the homes are detached houses that all have been custom built and offer an easy walk to the beach.  Residential income properties located in Southwest San Clemente tend to command a premium in price due to the prime location.

Real Estate prices in Southwest San Clemente currently

The Mariners Point community is a hidden gem when looking for large scale homes that offer views of the Pacific Ocean.  Located at the top of the ridge in the Southeast section of San Clemente is a premier neighborhood that offers wonderful views.  Since the 5 freeway runs through the middle of San Clemente it's very hard to find an ocean view home that doesn't have some kind of freeway noise.  The Mariner's Point community seems to be the exception to this rule with wonderful ocean and coastline views looking down towards San Diego with the street "Avenida Salvador" which acts as a sound buffer.

The homes in this area are typically two story and built in the Traditional, Spanish, Tudor and Mediterranean architectural styles.  Real Estate prices are

The Harbor View community is one of my favorite communities for finding great ocean and harbor view homes in the Rancho San Clemente area of San Clemente.  These are large estate homes that can reach up to 3,000 square feet of living space and offer a variety of one and two story detached homes.  The location is really ideal as it's located at one of the highest ridges in the Rancho San Clemente area that can offer sensational views.  Not all homes in this community will have views as these are limited to homes located on the perimeter of the neighborhood.

Real Estate prices are surprisingly affordable for ocean view properties in this size of a home and currently run under $1 million dollars.  The homeowners association dues is very reasonable at

The Villa Grande building in San Clemente, California is ideally located on a hill that overlooks the ocean and the San Clemente Pier in the downtown area.  There are a total of 4 floors in this building that are situated adjacent to a historic building that was built in the early 1920's named "Casa Romantica."  This was the home of the former founder of San Clemente and he choose that location for it's superior views.  Villa Grande views are equally as nice with high floors located on the north side of the building offering the best views of the ocean.

The majority of units located here are 2 bedroom units with a few 3 bedrooms condos.  The basic floor plan is similar to a row house with the bedrooms located in the back of the condo and living room,

The San Clemente area rarely offers a community that features multiple new construction homes for sale.  There is one exception to that and is located in the Talega area of San Clemente.   Alora is one of the newest communities in San Clemente and offers many homes that built from 2014.   These are beautiful two story Spanish style homes that offer lots of interior amenities.  Many of the homes are larger than 3,800 square feet and situated on lots that can average over 10,000 square feet.  Some of the best features of these homes include vaulted ceilings, 3 car tandem garage, large size rooms with gourmet kitchens and a great room. 

Alora is located off Avenida Talega and near the Talega golf club.  This is a great location near the new Talega shopping

San Clemente is a seasonal beach town with a wide variety of vacation rental homes throughout the city.  The key to success with a vacation rental home is having a great location.  Most renters who will be visiting for a short time want to stay in a spot that is close to the beach and local attractions.  In San Clemente, this means being close to the beach and the downtown shopping area.  One of the popular spots for these vacation homes is at the top of the bluff front street known as "Buena Vista."  Homes located on the ocean side of the street have oceanfront views and is considered a great location here in San Clemente. 

Of course the San Clemente Pier area is the most sought after locations due to it's prime location near the beach and the

San Clemente ocean view townhouses rarely come on the market as many of the residential properties in San Clemente tend to be either traditional single family homes or one story condos.  The large majority of townhouses that offer views of the ocean can be found in the central downtown area of San Clemente.  A large majority of these properties are concentrated near the San Clemente Pier area as pictured below.

Townhouses in San Clemente currently start at $449,000 for a two bedroom, two bath condo that offers 1,550 square feet of living space.  Popular places to find these lower priced townhouses will be the Rancho San Clemente area, Presidential Heights and the Talega area.  Talega has a high concentration of townhouses but will be very limited on the

The Southeast San Clemente area is a great place to find ocean view homes in San Clemente, California.  Most San Clemente buyers typically want to live near the beach but soon learn that real estate prices are normally very high and have limited ocean views.  They soon find that the best value for the money is often found in the hills of San Clemente where you will find panoramic views and large square footage houses for the same prices that you would find a small beach cottage by the beach.  This area in the hills in commonly referred to as the "Southeast San Clemente" area and is a popular choice for those looking for panoramic ocean views.

The below photo was taken from a home in this area and is a good sample of the kind of ocean view that you can

The Vista Pacifica condo complex is one of the most affordable places to find ocean view condos in the San Clemente, California area.  The condos located here often start in the low $200,000 and typically go as high as the mid $300,000 range.  Not all units in this complex will have views of the Pacific Ocean as those are reserved for the condos located on the front and second row buildings. 

Currently, there are four condos for sale in Vista Pacifica which range from $224,000 for a one bedroom, one bath unit to $334,000 for a two bedroom, two bath unit.  Only one of the four condos for sale here has an ocean view as that condo is listed for sale at $232,900 and features one bedroom and one bath with 500 square feet of living space.  The condo is

The 1960's were a popular time when a lot of homes were built in the San Clemente area.   Popular neighborhoods like Shorecliffs and the Broadmoor area where predominately built during this time frame.  Even senior housing communities like Bay Cliff Village and Colony Cove were established in the 1960's and featured bluff front cottages that have stunning ocean front views.  Many have coined the phrase for mid-century homes that were built in the 1950's but this architectural style has continued into the early 1960's homes that offer their own unique style and personality.

One great example is the Shorecliffs San Clemente community.  The photos showcased here were taken from a home in the Shorecliffs area.  The home was built in 1960 and has been

Ole Hanson was the founder of San Clemente and was the person who had the vision of many of the older Spanish homes from the early 1920's and 30's that you see today in San Clemente.  During the 1960 and 70's many of these homes were torn down in pursuit of building larger homes and condo buildings.  Luckily, many of these homes were preserved and have become the rich heritage that San Clemente is proud to be associated with.  These homes can be found in the older sections of town which are the Southwest San Clemente, San Clemente Central and San Clemente north neighborhoods.

The homes tend to be on the smaller side with two to three bedrooms and range anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 square feet of living space.  Many of these properties rarely come onto

The Southwest San Clemente area is well known for being a quality neighborhood with beautiful custom homes located within walking distance to the beach.  Some of the best ocean front homes can also be found in this community and are located on the steep cliffs that overlook the Pacific Ocean.   There are several places to look in SW San Clemente area and here is your guide to find them.

Look for the street named "Calle De Los Alamos" which is located on the bluff front.  This is not a big street in the Southwest area but has beautiful ocean front streets that often overlook the San Clemente Pier and Pacific Ocean.  Many investors and developers in recent years have bought homes on this street that are located on large lots and subdivided the land with

The Coast District is one of the few communities that most home buyers moving to San Clemente are unaware about.  The neighborhood is located just east of the 5 freeway which is the non ocean side away from the beach.  Here is a combination of 9 communities that offer a wide variety of single family homes with a large number of them offering some kind of a view.  Some of the best deals can be found in this community as ocean view homes are often priced slightly lower than other neighboring areas of San Clemente.  It's not uncommon to find an ocean view home for under $1 million that offers over 3,500 square feet of living space with four plus bedrooms and a three car garage!

Many of the homes are also located on quiet cul-de-sac streets which makes it a

The Driftwood Bluffs condo building is located across the valley from the SW San Clemente area and just down the street from the San Clemente Pier.  The complex is extremely popular with owners rarely putting their condos up for sale.  The last time we saw a condo come up in here was well over 3 years ago and the 3 bedroom ocean view condo quickly sold for $1,655,000.  The building has a very unique and ideal location with unobstructed views down the valley and overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  A new ocean view condo just came on the market for $1,795,000 and features three bedrooms, three baths with a total of 2,011 square feet.

These ocean view condos often feature large view balconies and gated parking.  Association dues currently run $750.00 a month

Pacifica Summit is a luxury community located in the Talega area of San Clemente.  This was one of the first luxury neighborhoods built in the Talega area between 2001 - 2002 with large scale homes that range in size from 2,673 to 4,372 square feet.  The community is not located directly on the Talega golf course but is positioned high enough to enjoy very nice golf course views.  Many of the floor plans in this community will feature a main floor bedroom and full bath with the remainder of bedrooms located upstairs.

Even though the homes were built over 10 years ago the modern finishes still appear fresh and up to date with granite kitchen counters, center islands, custom niches and a combination of wood and stone flooring that was often used when

The San Clemente North area is a mixture of homes located on both the east and ocean side of the 5 freeway.  Some of the best ocean view properties on the west side of the freeway can be found in the Shorecliffs area.  This is one of the older communities in San Clemente which often have a view of the golf course or the Pacific Ocean.  One thing to keep in mind about this neighborhood is that some real estate prices may be too good to be true.  Sometimes these low priced ocean view homes are priced low because this area is pronned to land shifting.  Not all homes have been effected by this but it's always best to do your due diligence when looking at ocean view homes in this area.

Another popular spot for ocean view homes in the San Clemente north area