San Clemente Homes

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

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

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

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

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

When shopping for homes there are a lot of luxury items that a home can come with.  Some of these items would include an outdoor pool, large primary suite with a huge walk-in closet, fitness room and even an dedicated wine room.  When it comes to cooking in the home it's very common place in a lot of San Clemente homes to have a kitchen that comes with stainless steel appliances and a center kitchen island.  What is unusual and hard to find is a bonus butlers pantry that is located off the kitchen area.  A butlers pantry as pictured below is a bonus working space area that is an ideal place to keep extra wine and champagne drinking glasses and a working counter that is often used to prepare additional items that you don't want to do in front of guests.

The San Clemente real estate market has seen a huge increase in listing prices in the last several years with some amazing homes getting top dollar for them.  One of our most requested items when people are looking for homes here is having a nice ocean view.  San Clemente is unique when it comes to ocean view properties as the 5 freeway basically splits the town into two halves.  The homes that are located on the ocean side of the freeway are very desirable since you easily walk to the beach but often times will have limited ocean views unless you are very close to the beach.  Properties on the east side of the freeway are located in the hills of San Clemente and can have amazing panoramic ocean views.  The only drawback with a lot of these properties is

It's nice to see a new listing come on the market that has been completely remolded where the buyer has little work to be done on the home.  This is true for 1205 Cerca in San Clemente that is located in the very much sought after area of Forster Ranch.  The home features a total of four bedrooms, three baths with an approximate square feet of 2,065 square feet that is located on a huge 10,150 square foot lot.  The two level home comes with an attached two car garage and is a popular detached single family home that was built in 1987.  The home just came on the market 4 days ago on Saturday 2/24/22 with a current list price of $1,500,000.  

One of the biggest selling features of the home is the stunning gourmet kitchen with a large center island that

San Clemente has 9 different areas that are filled with a large variety of neighborhoods with different perks and amenities.  For those looking for homes located on large lots it's important to understand that not all communities will have the same features.  Homes located in Southern California in general are located on much smaller lots sizes than would you would find in other states like Texas, etc.  This is especially true as you get closer to the beach and lot sizes are at a premium.  In San Clemente, homes typically located on the ocean side of the 5 freeway are much smaller than those located on the east side of the freeway.  There are exceptions to this that include the new Sea Summit community in San Clemente that does offer some large scale

San Clemente has seen a very limited inventory of homes for the year 2021 with a small number of new homes being built for re-sale. There are still some great opportunities out there if you know where to look.  One of these opportunities is a new construction listing located at 1205 Via La Mesa which is scheduled to become between a 4,200 to 4,500 square foot home with a total of 5 bedrooms and 5 baths.  If you are family with the street Via La Mesa then you know it's located on the east side of the 5 freeway and is being advertised as offering ocean and coastline views.  It's reported that a prominent builder will be in charge of building this modern architectural style home with quality craftsmanship.  The nice thing about this project is that the buyer

One of the more popular places to look for rental homes in San Clemente is the Marblehead area.  The community has expanded greatly in the last several years with the additional of the newer Sea Summit community.  Originally the Marblehead community consisted of homes located on the east side of the 5 freeway located in a secure gated community with a number of neighborhoods to choose from.  There were also a couple condo tracts that were located just outside this gated community which formed the Marblehead area.  Then back in 2015 everything changed with the construction of brand new homes in four different neighborhoods located on the west (ocean) side of the 5 freeway.  This community is commonly known as Sea Summit and has become on the hottest

We always get excited when new listings come on the market in the San Clemente that offer a unique opportunity to find a home that is not necessarily the same as other homes that are on the market.  A perfect example of this is a new historic home that was built in 1929 and offers a unique position on a hilltop location.  San Clemente has a very limited number of historic homes from the 1920's and 1930's that still exist today.  The large majority of them are located near the downtown area with a few of them located on unique locations like 165 Calle Redondel.  

The home is currently listed at $1,050,00 and has been on the market for 3 days ago and sure to see a lot of activity.  It features a total of 2 bedrooms with an approximate 934 square feet

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

The San Clemente historic home tour is set to take place next month on October 12, 2019. This year will feature a tour of 9 historic properties here in San Clemente.  San Clemente has a very small number of historic properties still in existence so a chance to visit nine different properties is a rare opportunity.  The San Clemente historical society is now offering advance tickets for those who would like to attend.  Currently tickets are being sold at $30.00 per person or $100 for 4 tickets.  This changes on the day of the event which increases to $40 per person.

The tour details of which properties will be on the tour have not been released yet but will be sent via email once tickets have been purchased.  It's important to note that the tour will

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