All Blog Entries by Sam Smith

Cape Cod homes are a popular style here in San Clemente and often is a refreshing break from the Mediterranean and Spanish style homes that can often be seen here.  San Clemente is a quaint beach town and the Cape Cod style blends in beautifully with the cool coastal and sunny weather.  A home has just come on the market in the Southwest San Clemente area built in the Cape Cod style.  The home was remolded about 10 years ago where the owner added great details that bring out the unique east coast flare. 

The home itself is supringsly rather large for the area and features 4,500 square feet of living space.  In addition, the home backs to the preserved canyon area which creates a small backyard and lush and matrue landscaping.  The home is currently

San Lucar is a great place to find craftsman style homes in the Talega area of San Clemente, California.  For those not familiar with the Talega neighborhood then you are for a treat.  In Talega, you have over 40 different communities that offer a wide range of architectural style homes and sizes for both homes and condos.  A large majority of the residential communities offer Spanish & Mediterranean style homes but the San Lucar neighborhood is one area where you will find beautiful craftsman and Arts & Crafts inspired homes as pictured below.

The homes in this community were built in 2004 and feature four to five bedroom homes in the 2,500 to 3,000 square feet.  Select homes in this community will have wonderful canyon views with close proximity to

San Clemente has many ocean view streets but there is no comparison of the views you get from the street known as "Avenida Salvador."  Avenida Salvador is located at the top of the hill side ridge that overlooks the city of San Clemente and has panoramic and direct views of the Pacific Ocean and the San Clemente Pier.  Many of the homes also have coastline views which truly are spectacular to view.  The area is sometimes referred to as "Salvador Hill" based on it's hill side location.

One quick tip when looking for a home on this street.  Homes with an "even" house number will be located on the ocean front side of the street.  Homes with an "odd" house number will be on the non-ocean side of the street.  This is the quick and easy way to determine the

Cyprus Shores San Clemente Home Tour commenced yesterday with several properties being opened to real estate brokers and agents.  Cyprus Shore is a luxury beach front gated community in the South west area of San Clemente.  The homes are some of the most expensive real estate by the beach in San Clemente. The first home located at 305 Calle Francesca is a true contemporary masterpiece with wrap around ocean views.  The home was designed by the famous local architect Mark Singer who is well known for his ultra contemporary design.  Beautiful clean lines with clear floor to ceiling glass that really take in the views.  The master bedroom is located on the main level with views with the remainder of the bedrooms located on the lower level.  If you are

We get many requests from out of state buyers looking to relocate to Southern California. One of the most common requests from buyers from the mid west part of the United States is for properties listed for sale in the mid $100,000 range. Properties in the rest of the country, especially in the mid west where you can buy a large home in this price range.

When looking at properties by the beach it's often hard to find any properties in this price point. This is especially true of the beach town of San Clemente. Condos do occasionally come on the market under $200,000 price point and single family homes typically start in the $400,000 range. A new listing has just come on the market today and is listed for $160,000. The condo is a one bedroom, one bath

There is a a huge construction boom happening in the ocean front community called "Capistrano Shores."  The community was well established as a mobile home park for many years.  The homes were on lease land with the average monthly cost to lease that land was around $2,500 a month.  In 2008, all of this changed.  The 90 residents within the Capistrano Shores community bought the land for an estimated $100 million dollars which instantly caused the real estate values to jump from an average $750,000 mobile home to now nearly $2 million dollars.

What is happening in the community is a construction boom where old existing mobile homes are being torn down and replaced with large two story residences.  The homes are keeping their original foot print of the

The Marblehead Coastal construction continues on as evidence to an agreement was signed off by the San Clemente city council on the 19th of February, 2013.  Driving by the site today it's evident that things are moving forward with construction workers and machines in production.  The city council approve Lehman Bros to complete the work needed for the infrastructure of the site which includes adding streets, utilities, grading, etc.  Residents of San Clemente will soon see the large vacant parcel become more developed in the upcoming months.

It has been reported that by the end of March that the community park construction will begin and work to the off ramp of the 5 freeway will complete by the end of this summer.  The original plans to the 248 acre

A new Mark Singer designed home has come on the market in the Cypress Shores community in San Clemente, California.  Mark Singer is one of the most influential architects for contemporary design here in Southern California.  His work can often be found in the Laguna Beach area where many of his designed homes come on the market.  The design is very contemporary with an open floor plan that complements the natural setting and views of the home. 

The home located in the gated community of the Cyprus Cove community is located one street back from the ocean front in the popular Southwest San Clemente area.  The home is a true master piece and has sensational views of the ocean and is currently on the market for $4,950,000.  The home features 60 feet of

Faire Harbor ocean view condos in San Clemente have been slow to come on the market in recent months due to the low inventory of housing in the San Clemente real estate market.  Faire Harbor is located in the Marbelhead area of San Clemente just east of the 5 freeway.  The town homes in the Faire Harbor community offer two levels of condo living with a detached 2 car garage.  Many of the town homes do have views of the ocean.

A new Faire Harbor condo just came on the market this week and offers nice views of the ocean and offered for sale for $419,000.  The condo is nicely updated with rich hardwood flooring and upgraded kitchen area.  Downstairs features the main living area with a family room, kitchen and breakfast nook area.  Upstairs features three

The Cazadero community in the Talega area of San Clemente is one of the unexpected places to find ocean view properties for sale.  The community is a favorite for Talega home buyers due to it's large floor-plans and square footage's that reach over 4,000 square feet.   Homes located on the front row have nice views of the valley and ocean and typically are priced well above the $1 million dollar price point.  The homes also are located on large lots and often feature outdoor entertainment area with private pools, spa's and BBQ areas.  Most of the homes in the community will feature four bedrooms with unique features like hardwood floors and gourmet kitchens.  The community is included in all of the Talega amenities which include several community pools

Bella Vista is one of Talega's newer communities in San Clemente, California that is home to just 14 residences.  Located in the heart of Talega the homes are situated on one cul-de-sac street that offers two story Mediterranean style homes as pictured below.  Amongst these three homes you have three different floor plans to choose from.  The homes were built in 2008 and have all been sold but newer construction re-sale homes do come on the market from time to time. 

Currently there is one Bella Vista home for sale that is currently listed for $985,000.  The home features four bedrooms, two baths with 3,556 square feet.  The home features volume ceilings with stone and granite counter tops.  You will also find top of the line Thermador stainless steel

Living by the San Clemente Pier is a great place to call home especially if you have views of the Pacific Ocean and the San Clemente Pier.  Buying a condo by the Pier does not come cheap though as these condos are located on prime pieces of land.  As the economy as slowed down in the past 5 years so have real estate prices come down for these view condos.  It wasn't too long ago that ocean and pier view condos were selling for well above the million dollar price point.  Now the real estate prices adjusted, it's possible to find pier view condos for under $800,000!

There are three main buildings you should look for in San Clemente if you are looking for a Pier view.  Three buildings are the Villa Granada, Villa Grande and Reef Gate West buildings.  All

Presidential Heights is one of the older communities in San Clemente and located near the Orange and San Diego county border lines.  Built in the 1970's, these one and two story condos feature some of the best ocean views you will find for condos under the $500,000 range in San Clemente.  There are actually two communities within Presidential Heights and commonly known as Presidential Heights I and Presidential Heights II.  One of the benefits the condos offer is a great location just minutes to the Riviera & Trestles surf beach and located directly above the San Clemente municipal golf course.  Another benefit to living in Presidential Heights are the views.  Not all condos will have views but select condos in both Presidential Heights I & II will have

For those looking for a senior community in the San Clemente you will find multiple places throughout the city.  If you are in the market to find upscale living then we recommend the Talega Gallery community.  The Talega Gallery is the name of the general area where you will find 4 different and unique communities that co-exist with each other behind the gated entrance. 

One of the these communities is called "Sandridge."  Sandbridge homes are elegant homes that enjoy all the benefits that the Talega Gallery has to offer.  One of homes featured below is a perfect example of what you can expect to find in this community.  Some of the unique features of the home include 22 foot ceilings with a formal dining, living and family room.  The home features 3

We get a lot of requests for buyers looking for ocean view condos here in San Clemente.  In San Clemente, you will find a high concentration of condos located in the immediate area right around the San Clemente Pier with condos starting around the $800,000 range.  For those not familiar with San Clemente should note that you will find some great ocean view condo buildings located just north of the Pier.  Prices will vary a lot depending on the size and the view of the condo so here are some quick tips on where to look.

One of my favorite view streets in San Clemente is the street called "Buena Vista."  One of my first real estate sales over a decade ago was an oceanfront condo located on this street.  The views are really incredible and depending where

In case you missed tonight's wonderful sunset then here is a picture of what you missed.  After weeks of rain the sky has finally cleared up and today was a sensational ocean view today.  The picture below was taken from T Street Beach in the Southwest San Clemente area that is located just south of the San Clemente Pier.  On the right you can see Catalina Island and to the left a rare view of San Clemente island.  As we head into the winter months more of these kind of sensational sunset will be seen on a regular basis.

If you are thinking about moving to the San Clemente area this is what you can look forward to.  The air is clean and a cool 72 degree's all year around.  We have had our share of rain this winter so the landscaping is very green and

The Catania gated community in Talega is not one of the well known neighborhoods in San Clemente.  The community is located at the very end of Talega tucked away in a quiet area that has restricted access to non-residents due to it's gated entrance.  I truly believe this is one of Talega's best kept secret since the floor plans are some of the best to be found in the Talega. 

The community is split into two different sections, one located on the west side of the street "Avenida Talega" and have incredible ocean views.  I would venture to say these are the best ocean views you can find in Talega for under $1 million dollars.  The homes on the west side will have less of a view are are located on three quiet streets.  The model homes were actually located

A Southwest San Clemente home is now being offered for lease located at 224 Calle Primavera for $4,250 a month.  Rental homes in the area have been very scarce as the rental inventory is at all time lows.  The home is located just a couple houses from the ocean front with easy walk to the sandy beach.  You will notice as you arrive to the home the great curb appeal with lush tropical landscaping.

Inside you will find large vaulted ceilings that go from floor to ceiling that over look the private and large backyard.  One of the great things about the home is the natural light that flows into the home.  The carpet is plush and neutral paint tones really show up the open spaces that this home features.

Adjacent to the living room is the large

For those who have been following the market in San Clemente for the last year you are well aware of the shortage of inventory in the last year.  Starting in mid-summer the San Clemente Real Estate market saw a drastic decrease in the number of homes coming on the market.  One of the areas most hit was the Southwest San Clemente area for homes under $1,000,000.  As a lot of buyers quickly realized that the bottom of the market has been passed and homes were starting to increase in price was the time these buyers wanted to get back into the market.  The sweet spot for a lot of buyers is under the $1,000,000 price point.  Early in the year we saw several homes sell in the low $500,000 range which gave encouragement for those who have been wanting to live in

San Clemente oceanfront condos are what a lot of people dream of when looking for a home by the beach.  Capturing the nightly sunsets with the cool ocean breezes is what a true oceanfront condo will bring you.  If you are looking for a condo with ocean front views we recommend the following places.  

First, the best place to look for an oceanfront condo is around the San Clemente Pier.  There are dozens of condos that face the ocean in this area and is a great place to start.  Condo buildings like Reefgate West, Villa Granada, Villa Grande and Sunset Shores are all around the pier area.  One the south side of the pier their is a building called "Driftwood Bluffs" where condos rarely come on the market for sale.  If you are lucky to see one of these