It's that time of the year again!!! (Really?) And we wanted to already share the activities that we know of that are happenning in the gorgeous city of Dana Point as part of the Holiday Season, with an early start this November 2012. 

Quick commercial: if you are interested in moving to this wonderful city, and are curious about what's currently listed for sale, visit our Dana Point Real Estate section for information. 

Back to the fun!

During November, we have:

  • Saturday, November 17, 2012 : Surfing Santa Competition (starts at 7:30am)

surfing_santa_dana_point_2012Dress up like Santa, surf Salt Creek and raise money for Surfers Healing and children with Autism. The Third Annual Surfing Santa Competition includes divisions for Santa’s Helpers (15 and under), Santa’s…

6752 Views, 0 Comments

orange_county_holidays_and_the_real_estate_market_2012The Holidays are a time of family, love, and fun — busy times. With the many events that come up with them, we also say a common pattern in the Orange County Real Estate market: less homes for sale, or homes put on hold for the holiday season. We always guess that home sellers don't like the hustle and bustle of keeping the house ready for showings, or just want to close the year in the place they currently call home, are rather wait until January to move.

Now... if you are a home seller, and don't mind the showings during the Holiday season, this might just be your perfect opportunity to get your home sold quickly and at top price as there is less competition. Your home might be the right now for someone who has been looking this past year and having…

1730 Views, 0 Comments

halloween_events_in_dana_point_san_juan_capistrano_2012Looking for something to do this Halloween season? There's some South OC Happening that might get you off that couch! 

In San Juan Capistrano: first the little ones. How about going to Zoomar's? They are hosting their annual Pumpkinpalooza. Perfect for younger children as it is not scary and it's all about the maze, crafts and picking a pumpking, not forgetting they have their cute petting zoo and ponies or train rides. 

For adults, head over to the San Juan Capistrano Society's Ghost Walk Tours. On a stroll down Los Rios Street, your guide will have some scary stories of monks, dogs, etc. Meet at the O'Neill Museum  for the 6:30, 7 or 7:30 start on Sat Oct 27th. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids 12 and under. Must make reservations.

In Dana…

3220 Views, 0 Comments

Here's yet another reason to make sure you are working with the right team of Orange County realtors. Real estate fraud. It was just reported by the California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office that Orange County law enforcement agencies investigated the most real estate fraud cases (among the state’s most-populated counties) for the fiscal year 2011-2012. Orange County was the Orange County was the second most investigated county for real estate fraud cases in 08-09. 

These figures come from a regular report produced by the analyst’s office about California counties that participate in something called the Real Estate Fraud Prosecution Trust Fund Program. Enacted by the Legislature in 1995, the program allows counties to charge a small fee for the filing…

1653 Views, 0 Comments

dana_point_halloween_events_2012Looking for something spooky and fun to do this Halloween in Dana Point?

Here's some events that are going around the city!

Halloween Spooktacular & Moonlight Movie

When: 10/26/2012 5:00PM - 8:30 PM Cost: Free Location: Lantern Bay Park ( by the Marriott), Dana Point

Bring the family and join the fun on Friday, October 26th at Lantern Bay Park.  At 5:00pm the City of Dana Point will be hosting spooky fun to include Halloween Cupcake Decorating, Best Carved or Decorated Pumpkin Contest (ages 3-10 years) bring your already carved or decorated pumpkin!  We will also have a children's costume parade with a free treat for each child.

At 6:15pm Join us for the Moonlight Movie featuring "Monster House" rated PG.  Free popcorn during the movie and…

11070 Views, 0 Comments

covenant_hills_neighborhoodsSince Covenant Hills is a gated community with restricted access, quite often we get the following question when potential home buyers are looking in the different neighborhoods in Ladera Ranch : What are the homes like in Covenant Hills?

This is a broad question, so we wanted to share a little information over here in our blog. To check out the currently listed homes for sale in Covenant Hills of Ladera Ranch, follow the link that will take you to our specific page where you can search all homes in the community, and narrow by price, size and other characteristics.

First lets start by saying there's 15 neighborhoods: 13 of tract homes, one is a condo complex and one if of custom homes. All of the homes in Covenant Hills are larger - with that…

7194 Views, 0 Comments

orange_county_ocean_view_homes_for_saleFall brings the cool breezes, the beautiful sunny and still long days and something else: magnificent ocean views from the homes or properties lucky enough to have them in Orange County.

Today, for example, a sunny day in October after a well waited for rain, driving around Pacific Coast Highway in Orange County is something our of a movie. We often say this but it is fall, not summer, the perfect season for those gorgeous ocean views.

If you are interested in looking at homes with Ocean Views, now is when to best be able to know exactly what you will be getting in  these terms. Many times we have taken clients to see homes with 'ocean views' in different seasons, and to their surprise, the so call 'ocean view' is a mystery one. In the beach cities,…

1867 Views, 0 Comments

dana_point_octoberwood_woody_car_show_2012_eventsAre you looking for something to do this next Sunday in Dana Point?

Well. We are always encouraging clients interested in beach close homes in Orange County, to check out Dana Point and what the city has to offer. Every beach city in Orange County is wonderful, but somehow we feel Dana Point doesn't get enough attention ( maybe is because it is in fact smaller than the others). The city is always hosting some event, and if you are looking for homes in Dana Point with the idea of getting busy socially or be active within the community, this might be the right town for you.

This next Sunday, The Southern California Woodie Club will present Octoberwood, a display of classic wood-paneled cars, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday October 14th at Lantern Bay Park,…

3230 Views, 0 Comments

orange_county_real_estate_curb_appealIn any market, in any season, real estate agents often make it a point when explaining how to show cast your Orange County home for sale. And the first thing we always go on and on is on that 'curb appeal'. It got so important during the 'boom' years, that even TV shows came out with the name. 

What is Curb Appeal? Is the first impression, everyone -- including potential home buyers -- will get from your home without seeing the inside. Curb appeal is extremely important when selling a home. It will make the buyers want to see what's inside...or 'skip it'.  Buyers will make assumptions on what your home is like on the inside from the exterior appearance. It happens for sure in the Orange County real estate market.

Sometimes, home owners will forget…

1801 Views, 0 Comments

orange_county_cul_de_sac_homesWhen looking at homes in Orange County, many of our clients have in their list of things needed in a home 'cul-de-sac'. Interestingly homes located in a cul-de-sac area seem to sell faster, and some times for more than their matching comps in different places of the street. When planning neighborhoods, culs-de-sac are created to limit through-traffic in residential areas. While some cul-de-sac streets provide no possible passage except in and out of their road entry, others allow cyclists, pedestrians or other non-automotive traffic to pass through connecting easements or paths.

But what is the real value in terms of money of a cul-de-sac? We can't pin point it like that, but can definitely give you the advantages that one might forget when searching…

6683 Views, 0 Comments