South Orange County Real Estate Blog

Looking for a great place to call home in Capistrano Beach? Need views of the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island on a clear day? What about getting all this, under a million dollars, in an about 3000 sq ft home that just got a price reduction to $939,000?

We have a listing at 26832 Calle Maria, in the Capistrano Beach area of Dana Point. This is a beautiful custom home has been remodeled top to bottom with many upgrades. It features wood and slate floors throughout the home, with granite counters in the kitchen and bathrooms, stainless steel appliances, custom window treatments and window casings, custom lighting and decorator finishes.

Need a downstairs bedroom? No problem. The downstairs suite has it's own full bathroom, with lots of privacy from…

Dana Point Harbor is one of the most spectacular marinas along the California coast, from San Francisco to the Mexican border. Always full with the highest-quality of boats, Dana Point Harbor is home to thousands of watercraft and enthusiasts who enjoy all types of water sport activities throughout the year.

For all those boat lovers and water enthusiasts, here's a nice event coming up: the Dana Point Harbor Boat Show at the end of this month.  New and Used Boats and Products will be on display both in and out of the water at the Boat Show. A great selection of power and sail vessels will be featured, including Albemarle, Baja, Cenczi, East Bay, Egg Harbor, Formula, Grand Banks, Island Packet, Mediterranean, Mikelson, Mustang, Nordhavn, Ocean,Pacific…

We usually share facts about the Orange County Market and the different communities in OC. Today we would like to share some numbers recently published by the Dana Point City about the Dana Point community, as many if not all of these facts, can affect your point of view when making the decision to invest in Dana Point Real Estate.

So yeah, we all have heard Dana Point's name is inspired by Richard Dana and his 1835's visit that became the novel ' Two Years Before the Mast', that became a bestseller upon publication in 1840 and still be found in bookstores.

Here's some newer numbers about Dana Point:

• Dana Point has over 1900 hotel rooms in 14 hotels, more than any other coastal Orange County city.
• 50% of the revenues to Dana Point come from…

And just around the corner... another wonderful coming to the city of Dana Point.

Blues and music lovers: The annual Doheny Blues Festival will be held at Doheny Beach this upcoming Saturday and Sunday May 19th and 20th. Attendees will enjoy this inviting festival layout, highlighted by three stages of alternating music, an international Food Court, an eclectic Vendor Village with 50+ unique booths, Microbrew Tasting, and our Kidz EcoFest with educational exhibits for the younger music fans.

From Grammy winners to music legends, Doheny has been host to many of the top names in rock, soul & blues music, including B.B. King, The Black Crowes, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby, Stills & Nash, John Fogerty, Brian Setzer, Al Green, Etta James, Keb’ Mo’, Jonny…

Did you feel it? All you buyers out there?

Yeah, that crazy shift in the Orange County homes that is causing multiple offers and over bidding on properties? No matter what the price range is?? I did too. We’ll have to see if it’s a blip on the radar or if it lasts through the summer, but for now, its reality. So, if you find a property you want, chances are likely that so have 20 other people. How do you win? It’s tough. You have to be ready to step up and probably pay more than the comparable sales. That’s a hard one to swallow, I know. But if it has everything (or at least close to everything) that you want, get it and hold onto it for a few years. With the way things are going, you’ll be just fine and you have the place you want to live in…

We always get the question: how's the Orange County Real Estate market doing? For the past years we have been saying that we had not seen bottom yet. Well... we truly believe that we have turned the corner and we are in what we can call a recovered market.

In the past months, almost every single offer on a house our agents have written, has gone in escrow over asking price and in many cases with multiple offers bidding the price up. Another phenomenon we are experiencing is the lack of inventory. Usually this time of the year, the market gets full of inventory ready to those spring buyers and is usually the best season in terms of number of transactions. So with little inventory, buyers feeling that the worse is over, and incredible low rates ( the 30…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage has dipped to near its record low, keeping home-buying and refinancing affordable.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on the 30-year loan dropped to 3.88 percent this week, down from 3.9 percent. In February, the rate hit 3.87 percent, the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s.

The 30-year loan is the most common financing option for home buyers.

The average on the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage, popular with homeowners who are refinancing, dipped to 3.12 percent, down from 3.13 percent last week. The national average hit an all-time low of 3.11 percent two weeks ago.

Cheaper mortgages have so far done little to boost home sales. Sales of both…

Foreclosures, bankrupcies, and house sales. All part of the show, but also a reality for the ex- home owners from the cast of The Real Housewives of Orange County.

The latest one selling her home: after 5 seasons on The Real Housewives of Orange County, Jeana Keough departed the Bravo series, now she's hoping to leave behind her mansion that was often seen on the show. 

The home has been listed as a standard sale - which is rare for these days specially in the neighborhood, where some homes have lost about almost half their 2007 peak value. 

Per the description: Custom Estate, with guest house, panoramic view of Saddleback Mtn, and Coto, single loaded cul de sac, gated court yard parking, set back 6 car finished garages. Stamped concrete…

As of earlier this week, the Federal Housing Finance Agency laid out new rules that will help speed up the short sale process, a move that could keep many homes from falling into foreclosure, and less hiccups for those involved in a real estate transaction that includes a short sale. 

Those are great news for buyers and realtors, as short sale homes transactions in in Orange County account for a large number of the overall transactions and according to the National Association of Realtors, 60% of them didn't close last year and ended up in a foreclosure.

Short sales are homes that are sold for less than is owed to the lender, and the lenders involved have to approve the sales prices and other conditions involved in the sale, making the process very…

Earth Day 2012 is coming up and there's a list of events in Orange County. Here's our favorites.

SATURDAY APRIL 21st:

Fair & Arts Festival at Modjeska Canyon: Kids face painting, wildlife sanctuary, live music, BBQ, guided hikes, birding classes, hands on ceramic pottery, Earth Day activities and more. Saturday, April 21 at 10 a.m. at Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, 29322 Modjeska Canyon Rd., Silverado. Price: Adults $5; Children under 12 free. 

Earth Day at Chino Hills State Park: join Hills for Everyone, State Parks and Sempra Energy for an Earth Day event on Saturday, April 21 at 8:30 a.m. at Chino Hills State Parks, 4500 Carbon Canyon Rd., Brea. Free. 

Ritz Carlton - Dana Point: 10 a.m. to noon: Explorer, environmentalist, educator and film…