San Clemente Ocean View Condos

San Clemente has many visitors coming from various parts of the country looking to buy a small home by the beach.  Real Estate prices here in Southern California has much higher than other areas as the demand for housing is very high here.  Most newcomers to San Clemente prefer to have some kind of a view when purchasing a new home but sometimes forget that there is a huge premium put on for ocean view properties.  A price tag of $450,000 will get you a large house in other parts of the country but here in San Clemente you will most likely be able to afford a condo or townhouse style home.  It's not impossible to view an ocean view condo under this price point if you know where to look.  Here is our quick guide for the best places to find ocean view

The Sunset Shores oceanfront complex is located at 410 Corto Lane in San Clemente.  The building is located in the area surrounding the San Clemente Pier with white water ocean, pier and coastline views as pictured below.  The building has a rich history and was first built in the late 1970's.  At that time the Villa Pacifica complex located to the south was not built and offered more of an open space and panoramic views.  All of the 18 units in Sunset Shores are situated on the ocean front and have direct water views.  This is a secure gated complex that offers underground parking for it's residents with a nice community pool, spa and clubhouse. 

There are a total of four floors in this building with elevator access to all levels including the garage

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 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 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 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

The Parkview Manor is located in the Southwest San Clemente area near the Calafia Beach Park area.  This is a prime location for a condo complex that looks directly down into the ocean.  The area is well known as the "Lobiero Loop" as the street does a circular one way loop starting on the street "Avenida Montalvo" which then turns into "Avenida Lobiero."  Just as you make your turn at the bottom of the loop, which is the very tip of the bluff front, the Parkview Manor condos will be on your right hand side.  The large majority of condos here are two bedroom, two bath units with a few three bedroom condos as well.  The building was built in the mid 1970's and has really maintained itself very well.

The large majority of condos are located in an "L"

The homes and condos around the San Clemente Pier area is commonly referred to as the "Pier Bowl."  The reason for this name is the streets surrounding the Pier form a circular shape that very much resembles a bowl shape.  This areas has approximately 8-10 small streets that make up this bowl area.  For the most part the properties found in this area are residential condos with a few single family homes mixed in.  This is also a very popular spot for vacation renters looking to spend a short week or so on vacation.

Condo prices can vary a lot depending on the view and size of the condo.  A one bedroom condo near the pier with no view will typically start in the $500,000 range.  Condos with views of the San Clemente Pier will often start in the $800,000

One of my favorite places to find ocean view condos is definitely the Ocean Hills complex.  When I first started selling real estate in San Clemente I was mesmerized but the incredible views that can be found in this community.  By far, the best view to be found in San Clemente is at the top of the hill on "Calle Pluma" street.  From this location you have panoramic views of the ocean as well as a clear view of the Dana Point Harbor and beyond.

The condos in this community are often well priced and can be purchased in the mid $500,000 range for a nice ocean view property.  The location is really ideal with super easy freeway access and located next to the San Clemente movie theater and a huge shopping area.  The San Clemente hospital is also located

Downtown San Clemente condos are for those who want to live near the center of town and ocean side of the 5 freeway.  The downtown area starts on the famous "Avenida Del Mar" street that is pictured below during a wonderful sunset.  The area is best known for condos that are located near the San Clemente Pier going several blocks both south and north of the Pier.  This is considered a walking area where you can easily walk to the beach and downtown area within minutes.

If you are looking for ocean front homes in this area you have a lot to choose from.  Located just several blocks to the north is the ocean front street known as "Buena Vista."  Condos with odd ending house numbers are those that are located on the bluff front and have incredible views of

Vista Pacifica Villas is an oceanfront condo building located on the north side of town.  The condos were buiit in 2001 and offers direct oceanfront and side ocean views looking down the Orange County coastline.  The condos offer a unique subterranean parking with elevators to each of the levels of the condos.  Many of the units in this building have private patios with endless views.  Not all condos will have direct ocean front views so being closer to the front of the building will increase the amount of view you will get.  This is a great location as you can be down to the San Clemente Pier with an easy 5 to 10 minute walk.

The condos offer a small walkway thag goes in front of the complex as pictured below that has amazing views of the San Clemente

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. 

Mid-Century Modern homes are very popular throughout the country but finding these unique architectural styles homes in the beach communities in Southern California is more difficult than other parts of the United States.  Mid-Century homes usually reflect homes that were built in the 1950's and gained popularity by Eichler who created entire communities based on this single level design.  The city of Orange in the north part of Orange County, California has an entire neighborhood that was built by Eichler as the area has now been designated as an historic area of the city.  In San Clemente, you won't find any Eichler homes but you will find Eichler inspired Mid-Century homes in the Vista Pacific Del Gado community.

A lot of local residents are not

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

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

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

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