All Blog Entries by Sam Smith

Homes For Sale in San Clemente with Ocean Views is one of the most requested items when out of state home buyers come to San Clemente to buy a home.  Having an ocean view makes you connected with the ocean and the beach and makes you feel like you are living the California lifestyle.  Recent years have seen ocean view properties come down in price with many single family homes selling in the $500,000 with ocean views!  Where is the best place to look for an ocean view property?  Well that depends what kind of home you want.  Homes located by the beach will be more expensive do to it's location so the amount of ocean view you will have will be very limited unless you get closer to the beach and have a higher budget.  If you are looking to maximize your

Sea Pointe Estates San Clemente Homes currently start at $500,000 which currently 5 homes for sale under the $1 Million dollar mark!  Where is Sea Pointe Estates?  The community is featured on the northeast side of San Clemente near the San Clemente Hospital and San Clemente Krikorian movie theaters just east of the 5 freeway.  The community is a 24 hour guard gated community with a collection of one and two story homes that range up to $2.5 million.  It was only a couple of years ago when finding a home in this neighborhood under $1 million was unheard of as many of the luxury homes you will find in San Clemente area are located in Sea Pointe Estates community.  Even with the drop in prices we have seen 7 homes selling over the $1 million dollar price

If you are in the market to find San Clemente gated community homes for sale under $800,000 then we recommend the following three locations.  The first location is the Vittoria community located in Talega.  This gated community shares the common gated area with the upscale "Catania" area and features large two story Mediterranean style homes for sale (see picture below).  A recent home just came on the market there for $750,000 that features over 3,000 square feet with peek views of the ocean.  The home has the main living quarters on the ground level with living, dining and family rooms.  There is even a downstairs den/office that could be used as a bedroom.  Upstairs features 3 additional bedrooms with a large master suite with it's own private view

The downtown San Clemente market has always been desirable do to it's prime location near the San Clemente Pier, Pacific Ocean and all the shops and restaurants that line "Avenida Del Mar" street.  The downtown area is very much alive and living the hub of things doesn't get much better than the location of the townhome that has just been listed by San Clemente Real Estate agent Sam Smith.  407 W Monterey #A is a luxury craftsman style townhome with three levels of living space.  The main level features a master suite and bath, elevator and private gated entrance to the unit.  There is even direct access to the 2 car garage on this level.  On the 2nd level you will find two additional master suites on each wing of the townhome complete with it's own

The Coast District is one of the most overlooked areas when home buyers are looking for ocean view properties in San Clemente.  The Coast District is located just east of the freeway between the "Vista Hermosa" and "Camino Del Los Mares" freeway exits.  The Coast basically adjoins Forster Ranch which is located just inland of the Coast and is a great place to find ocean view single & two story homes.  The homes in this area were built throughout the 1970's and early 1980's and feature a majority of single family one and two story homes.  The homes that line the ocean side of Calle Frontera do back to the freeway so make sure you keep that in mind if you are sensitive to noise.  One of the more popular communities in the Coast is the Sea Coast Estates area

For those looking to live by the beach there is no better place to live in Orange County than San Clemente.  San Clemente embodies all good things about living by the beach.   One of the most common requests we get here at our office is for those who would like to live on the ocean side of the freeway.  There are three main areas that are located on the ocean side of the freeway:  San Clemente Central, San Clemente North & Southwest San Clemente.  Each of these areas has it's own unique signature and style of homes.  The San Clemente north area is an up and comming area with a mixture of multi dwelling units, namely duplex, triplex and fourplex's next to single family homes.  The homes are typically single level in size and date back to the early 1950's

One of the best spots to find ocean view homes in San Clemente under $1 million dollars is the Reserve West community.  It was only a couple of years ago where the thought of buying an ocean view property in this gated community was only a dream.  Now with the recent downturn in real estate prices ocean view homes have been coming on the market in this price point.  What is "The Reserves?"  The Reserves is a gated community that was master planned to feature four luxury gated communities in the Forster Ranch area of San Clemente.  The communities are located just 3/4 of a mile to the beach and feature direct ocean views down the Marblehead valley.   The homes are newer construction which is the main draw in comparison to the Talega area homes.  In

A San Clemente Ocean Fairways condo has just been sold by San Clemente Real Estate agent Sam Smith who represented the seller in this real estate transaction.  The one bedroom one bath condo featured newly renovated finishes which included new carpet, paint and kitchen flooring.  Ocean Fairways is a great condo building located in the Southeast section of San Clemente with three levels of condos.  The building features a wonderful greeting room with an association pool and tennis courts.  One of the best benefits of living here is the close proximity to the San Clemente municipal golf course as well as the underground parking and a location that's just minutes to the beach.  This one bedroom condo sold after being on the market for a little over 30 days

One of the better places to find ocean view condos in San Clemente is the Ocean Hills community. The Ocean Hills community is conveniently located near Trader Joe's and the Ralph's supermarket on the north side of San Clemente. The community features several association pools and a putt putt golf course.  If you're looking for a condo under the $400,000 price point this is the community for you. Ocean Hills is also home to one of the most stunning panoramic ocean view street in San Clemente. The street "Calle Pluma" features panoramic views of the Ocean, Dana Point Harbor and Catalina Island view. The condos are split levels with your main entertainment are located upstairs and all bedrooms located downstairs.  This is really convenient as most of the

The Faire Harbour community in San Clemente is one of the best places to find ocean view condos in the San Clemente Real Estate marketplace for under $400,000.  The current inventory of properties in San Clemente is currently very low and this is especially true for properties under the $400,000 range.  The Faire Harbour community is located in the Marblehead area and perched high on a hill where ocean views are maximized.  The condos are split level so you typically have living quarters on the main level with bedrooms located upstairs.  The community has recently gone under a total renovation with a whole new exterior.  We believe these are one of the best values when looking for ocean view condos in the 300 to 400 thousand dollar range.  Recent sales

The El Encanto San Clemente community has always been known to have large two story homes located on over sized lots here in San Clemente, California.  When buyers come into town looking for a home in the $700,000 to $800,000 range we love to show them this neighborhood.  When compared to other beach homes in this same price range, El Encanto homes will almost be double in size when comparing square footage of the interior of the home.  For this reason, home buyers looking for large homes for their families will consider homes in the El Encanto neighborhood.  A good example of this is a new El Encanto home that just came on the market for $849,000 that features 3,000 square feet of living space.  Some of the homes will have swimming pools in the backyard

A Southwest San Clemente Home has just been sold by San Clemente Real Estate agent Sam Smith who represented the seller in this real estate transaction.  173 W Avenida Alessando, pictured below, was a cute two bedroom two bath home located in the desirable south west area of San Clemente situated between the San Clemente Pier and Trestles surf break and sold for $650,000.  This area is one of the most requested areas to live since all the homes have been custom built over the years and each and every home has it's own unique style and personality!  This bungalow style home a featured large front and back yard which is ideal for entertaining.  The home even had an peek view of the ocean from the inside living room.  The kitchen was also done in the

A Southwest San Clemente home has just gone into escrow by San Clemente Real Estate agent Sam Smith of Beach Cities Real Estate where he represents the seller in this real estate transaction.  133 Avenida Santiago is a cute 3 bedroom home located at the end of the 100 block in the Southwest area with a nice ocean view deck on top of the home.  The homes kitchen has been recently renovated with white subway title and french doors that opened to the outside.  The home also featured nice hardwood flooring, two fireplaces and a large backyard.  If you are looking for a home in the Southwest San Clemente area be prepared to compete against other buyer.  The current inventory of San Clemente homes is at an all time low as the shortage of homes has not been seen

A Dana Point short sale home just been sold by San Clemente Real Estate agent Sam Smith who represented the seller in this real estate transaction.  24941 Seagate, Dana Point CA is located in the beautiful gated community of Waterford Point area and is considered one of the best values when looking for a home in a secure community and sold for $450,000.  The homes around the front perimeter of the community have wonderful ocean views while homes on the interior have great canyon and mountain views.  This short sale successfully closed by the short sale specialists at the Sam Smith Team.  Upstairs featured a wonderful open space with a large living & family room.  In addition, a separate dining and breakfast nook added to the upstairs living space. 

A South West San Clemente house has just gone into escrow by San Clemente Real Estate agent Sam Smith where he represents the seller in this real estate transaction.  173 W Avenida Alessandro is located on the South Side of Pacific Coast Highway and just a couple blocks to the beach!  The home features two bedrooms, two baths and a wonderful bungalow architectural style to the home.  You will find a large back yard which ideal for pets and children as well as a front patio area ideal for house entertaining.  If you are looking for walk to the beach house in San Clemente then this immediate area is where you should be looking.  Homes in the South West area will range from luxury gated communities found in Cyprus Shore, Cyrpus Cove, The Breakers and Cotton

A San Clemente Short Sale has just been sold by San Clemente Short Sale agent Sam Smith of Beach Cities Real Estate where he represented both the buyer and the seller in this real estate transaction. 124 Avenida Santa Margarita a traditional short sale where the owners owed more to the bank and were no longer able to afford the monthly bank mortgage payments. The property featured two large bedrooms and two additional non-permitted rooms located in the back part of the house. The location was ideal as the beach was just several blocks away. The home back to Camp Pendleton and located in the Southeast area of San Clemente. The home was negotiated successfully and sold for $400,000. Sam Smith specializes in helping sellers short sell their homes and offers

Relocating can always be challenging when considering moving from your current home location.  Moving to an area that you are not familiar with can be scary and not understanding the nuances and price factors that contribute to the different areas can be challenging if you are not working with a skilled San Clemente Realtor.  A good San Clemente Real Estate agent can give you a brief rundown of the city and help you find the perfect San Clemente community for you.  There are so many great areas in the San Clemente area but local knowledge of factors that may effect home prices need to told to any prospective buyers.  These factors can include land shifting, freeway proximity and noise as well as residential and mixed use areas.  Also, make sure to ask for

As with most home buyers in today's market, everyone seems to be looking for a deal.  San Clemente is a great place to find ocean view condos under $200,000!  The inventory of condos at the current moment is extremly low as most sellers don't put their home on the market until the spring and summer times.  If you are in the market to buy a condo with a budget of under $200,000 you may be interested in this ocean view condo located at 2501 S El Camino 215, San Clemente that was listed by Sam Smith of Beach Cities Real Estate for $184,500!  The condo has been newly renovated with textured ceilings, new carpet, paint and laminate flooring.  One of the great features of this condo is the ocean & golf course views.  If you are in the market to buy a condo in

The housing market has really started off quickly here in 2012 and we are seeing a record number of buyers out in the marketplace looking for homes.  With the current low inventory of homes finding a home that fits your needs may be tough until we get into the spring and summer months.  If you are looking ahead and wanting to find a home near the San Clemente high school we recommend a couple of areas.  The homes located directly above the high school is called the Broadmoor area.  Here you will find single level homes that are situated to maximize the ocean views.  If you find one high enough on the hill then the views of the ocean can be amazing.  Just east of the high school is the Rancho San Clemente area which has a large number of communities

If you are looking for tax shelters in today's economy many are turning away from the stock market and heading towards the real estate arena. With record low prices and rock bottom interest rates buying homes has never been cheaper. This is especially true for real estate investors that are buying homes with interest rates in the 4% range! This is something I thought I would never see happen. Buyers are now realizing that their monthly mortgage payment may be less then the amount of rent they can bring in on lower end properties. This can be achieved with putting as little as 20% down for homes under $300,000. We have several clients looking to buy multiple properties in this price range due to the affordability factor and monthly cash flow they will