Rancho San Clemente

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

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

Richmond Pointe is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the area of Rancho San Clemente for a variety of reasons.  First, the location is really prime and can offer some really views that include ocean and hill views.  Second, the neighborhood often offers some of the most affordable real estate prices when compared with other communities throughout San Clemente making it a good value for the money. This is also true for rental homes in this area which are very much soft after.  For the most part, the large majority of rentals found in this community will be long term which is normally a 12 month period to start.  The most common time for rental properties to come on the market will be in the spring and summer months as these are the easiest months to rent

San Clemente is an older beach town down that dates back to the 1920's when the homes were first built here.   Since many of the neighborhoods in San Clemente have been around for a long time you won't typically find any Mello Roos in these neighborhoods.  Mello Roos is a bond that is associated with brand new communities as a way of passing on the costs to the homeowners associated with building a new neighborhood.  Builders are always looking for ways to minimize the costs when building homes and creating a Mello Roos bond which typically goes for 25 to 30 years and is smart way for them to avoid the costs associated with building streets, sidewalks, etc in a new community.  Most buyers don't like this added extra cost when buying a home but since most

The San Clemente Real Estate market in the last three to four months has been really crazy as buyers are bidding against each other when new listings that are priced well come on the market.  Many thought COVID would bring the real estate market down but it has actually had a reverse effect and the market has never been stronger.  One of the biggest issues is limited inventory which has been a problem for the last two to three years in San Clemente and has become even more limited due to COVID.  What many buyers are doing is looking for homes that are not on the market yet but will be coming on the market soon.  These listings that were once only limited to real estate agents are now available to the general public.

One of the best things you can do

We recently were working with a client who was excited to hear that there was a Life Time Fitness center in San Clemente.  He wanted to look for homes in close proximity to this chain fitness company.  We never realized that there was a huge following up this gym and quickly realized they had other locations in Southern California including Laguna Niguel and La Jolla.  The best place to look for homes within close proximity to the San Clemente location is the Rancho San Clemente area.  In fact, Lime Time Fitness is located at the base of Rancho San Clemente and used to be the old Swim & Tennis Club if you have been here long enough to remember that.  There is even a 24 Hour Fitness Located Near the very end of Rancho San Clemente which is a less

San Clemente has many different neighborhoods that can offer private backyards if you know where to look.  It seems like the latest trend in real estate is to build new homes close to each other which sometimes seems to come in the lieu of offering privacy between properties.  For the most part it's always best to look in older and more established neighborhoods as these were often built on larger lots.  This is especially true for some sections of the Forster Ranch and neighborhoods by the beach in San Clemente.

The first place we recommend looking is the Forster Ranch of San Clemente.  While this area isn't the oldest community in San Clemente, homes in this area are well known for having large over-sized lots.  This is especially true for the large

San Clemente has a large number of properties on the market for sale right now that are being marketed as fully furnished.  This is becoming a big trend in selling a home  How exactly does it work?  For starters, there are various degrees in which an owner can decide to sell a home.  We see some sellers offering select pieces of furniture to be included in the sale while others will offer completely everything including kitchen plates and silverware.  One of the first things you should do it make a quick estimate on how much the furniture would cost if you were to buy it.  

It's important to also factor in the selling price of the home as well.  If the home is priced correctly and listed at a price point of where other similar type homes in the

One of the benefits of living in the Southern California is the sunny weather we get to enjoy pretty much all year around, except for the June gloom that that occurs every year.  Many residents have used this benefit to aide in going green and using solar panels as an alternative to electricity.  The technology in this field has drastically changed over the years and as a result has become more affordable.  Many homes in San Clemente are installing solar panels on their roofs which has become a huge selling point when it comes time to sell.  Markeing a home with solar panels really does appeal to those who want to live a more green focused living and for those who are also cost conciecous who want to save money.

There are typically two different ways

When I first got into real estate over 20 years ago I always heard the word "turnkey" and had no idea what people were talking about.  It seems like its a favorite word among real estate agents for describing a home that is in excellent condition.  it wasn't later that it was explained to me that it literally meant turn the key in the door and leave without any concern about something falling apart or not working correctly.  Once I got this explanation it started to make sense but I still feel like it's a word that is over used by the real estate community.

Nevertheless, it's a short way to describe a home that needs little to no work done on the home.  Basically, bring your touthbrush and move right in.  This is especially true to describe condos in

Real Estate agents have a special day when they get to preview brand new listings that come on the market in the San Clemente real estate market place.  This is called "broker preview" since real estate agents and brokers have the ability to view a large number of listings in a short four period.  Often times, agents will spend just a couple minutes looking at a property and then drive on to the next property.  This allows them to be able to see a large number of properties so they are better able to identify properties that may work for their clients.

The dates for properties located in San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano is every Wednesday from 9:30am to 1:30pm. Buyers are also welcome to attend these open houses and can quickly view a

The Villagio community is nestled in the Rancho San Clemente subdivision and is supringsly one of the few places to find single family homes in the $500,000 and $600,000 range in San Clemente, California.  The area has a lot of history to it as the Rancho San Clemente was first developed back in the early 1980's when the first community Vista Pacifica condos were built.  These condos offer amazing views of the ocean and enjoy the coastal breezes that come up through the valley.  Soon after that in 1985, the Villagio homes were built.  The neighborhoods were split into two sections with Villagio I homes located directly below Vista Pacifica and Villagio II built just above Vista Pacifica.  It still surprises me that these two communities were not built

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 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

Rancho San Clemente is one of my favorite area for showing clients who are looking for Ocean View homes.  When homes were first built in the mid 1980's this area was prime for hundreds of ocean view properties.  Once complete, the Rancho San Clemente area is a wonderful combination of single family home communities mixed in with condo and townhome style residences, many of them offering incredible views of the ocean as pictured below.  San Clemente is known for it's many rolling hills and Rancho San Clemente is one of the highest points in the area.  Home communities gradually go up the hill maximizing the views for all the homes.  Properties located at the top of the ridge have some of the best ocean views to be found in the San Clemente area.  Clear

If you bought a condo in the Vista Pacifica condo complex in the last 6 years then you have seen a lot of ups and downs with real estate prices.  At one time these one bedroom condos were selling for over $300,000 and then took a dip down to $150,000 during the downturn of the real estate market.  This is also true for condos located on the front row that offers great ocean views.  At the height of the market these were easily selling in the mid $400,000 range and came down to the low $200,000 range just several years ago.

The good news is that the San Clemente condo market is coming back and so are the prices at Vista Pacifica!  Vista Pacific is located in the Rancho San Clemente area and is known for an ideal place to find affordable condos for sale. 

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

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

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