Mar
5
284 Views, 0 Comments.
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…
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Dec
17
271 Views, 0 Comments.
There are always seems to be a limited number of historic homes for sale in San Clemente at any given time but this is often not the case when looking to rent one of these older homes. The main concentration of these historic homes can be found near the city center which is commonly referred to as downtown San Clemente. This is the main area that leads down to the San Clemente Pier where many great restaurants and shopping can be found. The downtown area offers a good mixture of apartments, condos and residential homes with a huge number of rentals available at any given time.
What to expect for rental prices for historic properties? The most affordable rentals with be studio apartments located in a historic property. These…
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Nov
5
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One of the best attractions in San Clemente is visiting the historic Casa Romantica home in San Clemente that sits majestically above the San Clemente Pier. In recent weeks there has been a huge television campaign letting people know that the historic home built in 1927 is now open to the public. The home belonged to the founder of San Clemente, Ole Hanson, who kept this home as his personal residence when building many of the homes built in the 1920's and 30's in San Clemente. It's best well known for it's "key hole" entrance as pictured below and it's large interior courtyards.
The actual living quarters are modest but still large for it's time with large bathrooms and walk-in closets. The biggest attraction is the main…
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Apr
11
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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…
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Jul
1
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San Clemente is well known for being a small beach town that had it's origins of being a vacation destination for those who lived in the greater Los Angeles area. Back in the 1920's many rich owners would build small residences in San Clemente to use part time vacation properties. Because of these factors it's not uncommon to find smaller beach cottages that are often under 1,000 square feet of living space and feature one to two bedrooms. The Spanish style homes dating back to the 1920's and 30's are called "Ole Hanson" named after the founder of the city. These cottages often feature two to three bedrooms and located on the ocean side of the 5 freeway in the Southwest San Clemente, North San Clemente and Downtown San Clemente…
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Sep
26
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Ole Hanson was the founder of San Clemente and was the person who had the vision of many of the older Spanish homes from the early 1920's and 30's that you see today in San Clemente. During the 1960 and 70's many of these homes were torn down in pursuit of building larger homes and condo buildings. Luckily, many of these homes were preserved and have become the rich heritage that San Clemente is proud to be associated with. These homes can be found in the older sections of town which are the Southwest San Clemente, San Clemente Central and San Clemente north neighborhoods.
The homes tend to be on the smaller side with two to three bedrooms and range anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 square feet of living space. Many of these properties rarely come…
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Jun
6
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The Mills Act is a federal organization located in the Western part of the United States that specifically helps protect historic homes from being improperly renovated or destroyed. Mainly found in California and Arizona, the Mills Act works with the individual states in lowering the yearly tax base paid on these historic homes. The savings can be significant and I have personally seen the taxes as low as 50% lower than what the normal tax rate should be.
Things to look for when looking for a historic home. First, not all historic homes will be covered by the Mills Act. Just because the home was built in the 1920's or 30's doesn't automatically qualify the home to be covered under the Mills Act. It's worth asking the real estate agent and/or…
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May
31
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One of the main attractions of being a resident here in San Clemente is the joy of living by the beach. Many love the carefree lifestyle and warm attitude you will find here in San Clemente. If you are thinking about buying a home in 2012 then you many want to consider the 3 main areas where you will find San Clemente Real Estate listings by the beach. The first area is the downtown San Clemente area that has recently become a popular place to live. Surrounded by the San Clemente Pier and to the north and the south you will find luxury homes and condos in the downtown area. Those who are not familiar with the city will quickly learn that this is where you will find all of the downtown shopping and restaurants in San Clemente. In recent years many…
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May
24
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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…
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Apr
26
1855 Views, 0 Comments.
For those looking to live by the beach there is no better place to live in Orange County than San Clemente. San Clemente embodies all good things about living by the beach. One of the most common requests we get here at our office is for those who would like to live on the ocean side of the freeway. There are three main areas that are located on the ocean side of the freeway: San Clemente Central, San Clemente North & Southwest San Clemente. Each of these areas has it's own unique signature and style of homes. The San Clemente north area is an up and comming area with a mixture of multi dwelling units, namely duplex, triplex and fourplex's next to single family homes. The homes are typically single level in size and date back to the early…
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Mar
9
1965 Views, 0 Comments.
A Southwest San Clemente home has just gone into escrow by San Clemente Real Estate agent Sam Smith of Beach Cities Real Estate where he represents the seller in this real estate transaction. 133 Avenida Santiago is a cute 3 bedroom home located at the end of the 100 block in the Southwest area with a nice ocean view deck on top of the home. The homes kitchen has been recently renovated with white subway title and french doors that opened to the outside. The home also featured nice hardwood flooring, two fireplaces and a large backyard. If you are looking for a home in the Southwest San Clemente area be prepared to compete against other buyer. The current inventory of San Clemente homes is at an all time low as the shortage of homes has not been…
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Feb
9
2853 Views, 0 Comments.
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…
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Jan
19
2652 Views, 0 Comments.
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…
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Jan
12
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San Clemente is a hot destination for those who love to surf and there is no better place to catch some waves then the famous Trestles surf break located in San Clemente on the Orange and San Diego county boarder. Many surfers are now relocating to the San Clemente area and looking for homes near this famous surf break.
#lowers-video#
If your budget allows then you will want to buy in the three gated communities located near Trestles. These three gated communities consist of "The Breakers," "Cyprus Cove," and "Cyprus Shore." Homes don't come cheap in these communities so plan to spend at least $1 million dollars to find a home here with ocean front homes starting around $5 million. The flip side is that you will reside in a gated community…
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Aug
11
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If you are familiar with the San Clemente Central Area then you may have driven by "Sea Cliffs," a historic ocean front property located just south of the San Clemente Pier. Built in 1927, this historic landmark is actually considered a triplex, with three individual units. The home is one of the original oceanfront homes built here in San Clemente with similar type views that you would see a the historic "Casa Romantica" here in San Clemente, California. If you love historic structures and want an ocean front estate this may be the perfect estate property for you. The property is currently being offered for sale for $6,200 and buyers are asked to check the city of San Clemente for potential uses. If you…
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Jun
29
3241 Views, 0 Comments.
Real Estate in San Clemente is all about location, location, location. One of the unique things about San Clemente is the historic homes there were built in the early 1920's that give San Clemente, CA the rich history that many have come to love. A unique property is now being offer for sale for $4,975,000. Three Historic Homes on one large ocean view lot have come on the market making this one of the most expensive historic property to come on the market in years. One visit and you understand why. The property has been used in recent years for special events and weddings due to it's large lot and open spaces. It's ideal for use as a vacation rental or those looking to buy a home with guest houses for extended…
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Mar
9
3279 Views, 0 Comments.
A San Clemente Pier area Triplex has just been sold by Sam Smith, a local San Clemente Realtor for $659,000. The property was located in the San Clemente Pier Bowl area with a very short walking distance to the San Clemente Pier and beaches. This San Clemente Ocean View triplex consisted of a front two bedroom one bath home with two additional one bedroom units in the back. The multi-unit complex had huge upside potential and was one of the lowest priced triplex's on the market. For more information about the San Clemente Real Estate market please contact local San Clemente Realtor Sam Smith at 949-291-0424. Sam specializes in selling local San Clemente Homes For Sale.
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Feb
15
1353 Views, 0 Comments.
San Clemente Ocean View homes for sale are one of our most requested searches when visitors come into our San Clemente Real Estate office located on Avenida Del Mar street in San Clemente, California. If you have been thinking about moving to the warm climate that San Clemente has to offer then finding an ocean view home will make you feel like you are living in paradise every day. Home prices for ocean view homes here in San Clemente have come down in recent years and it's not uncommon to find a panoramic ocean view home in the $500,000 to $600,000 range. Many San Clemente Short Sale and Foreclosure homes will offer great pricing on ocean view homes located in the Southwest San Clemente, Talega, Rancho San Clemente,…
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Feb
14
2797 Views, 0 Comments.
A Southwest San Clemente Historic Cottage has Just Sold and Sold by Sam Smith of Beach Cities Real Estate. Sam Smith specializes in Southwest San Clemente Real Estate and San Clemente historical homes. This Southwest San Clemente beach cottage featured two bedrooms and one bath with a cute guest house in the back. The home was built in 1927 and featured original woodwork, hardwood flooring, wood beam ceilings and a 2 car garage. The was sold New Years Eve night and closed escrow on Valentine's Day. If you are thinking about selling your San Clemente home then please contact Sam Smith today at 949-291-0424. Sam specializes in San Clemente Real Estate and representing sellers in the sale of their San Clemente homes.
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Jan
31
5112 Views, 0 Comments.
One of the main draws for San Clemente is it's rich heritage and historical homes that date back to the early 1920's when Ole Hanson first developed the concept of "Spanish Village by the Sea." Many of our Vintage Spanish homes in San Clemente were destroyed due to builders wanting to build large luxury condo buildings. If you are in the market for Vintage Spanish homes for sale here in San Clemente, California you are not alone. Many San Clemente home buyers love these older historic homes filled with lots of charm and personality. Sam Smith has recently sold one historical home listed for sale in the Southwest San Clemente area. The home really shows the great care and attention when these vintage San Clemente…
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