Laguna Niguel Real Estate Blog

 




6 Cameray Heights

• Catalina Island, Ocean and White Water View Home


• Located on the Ocean Side of the PCH


• Perfect Beach House with Upside Potential for Expansion


• Enjoy 3 Bedrooms, Plus Office, and 3 Baths


• Single Level Home with Wrap-around Patio/Deck


• Featuring Oversized Windows, Ocean Views, and Crown Moulding in Main Living Areas


• Light and Bright Kitchen with Dinign Nook


• Inviting Formal Living Room with Private Slider to View Deck


• 2 Car Garage


• Low Association Dues


• No Mello Roos


• Private Community Pathway to The Sand


• Steps away from 5-start Montage Resort


• Close to Other Pristine Beaches, Parks, Shops, Restaurants, Entertainment, and Downtown Laguna Beach


• 24-Hour Gated Community

Labels: flipping real estate, Laguna Niguel, Open House

Posted by Rory at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

The manroom is a concept built on the idea of extending the living space of the home into the garage. It is typical to see an early manroom as just a carpeted garage, with a tv, and fridge. A manroom can vary in form and function, but the concept is that anything that doesn't belong in the house, and is connected with the man's interests goes into the manroom. Sports memorabilia, for example, would be great for the manroom. Manrooms usually end up being just a great place to hang out for men and women alike. It is otherwise a room that doesn't fit with the theme of the rest of the house.

HGTV has even dedicated a show to setting up manrooms. It's called "Garage Takeover"

Here are some examples of other manrooms I found:

Electronics Cigar Room Surfer Room Home Built Bars

Posted by Rory at 9:54 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

The news that Zillow doesn't work has finally made it to the mainstream media. This time, the Wall Street Journal sheds light on the fact that people who have trusted Zillow's estimates still need the advice of a local expert.

Zillow will not to tell us things like, how good/bad the view is, or the degree of taste with the property exudes. These are things that I have been telling my clients that they actually need their feet to touch the ground at the property to judge.

The business model of supplying online home valuations is still growing, and it may get better, but within that model lies the paradox that a computer is not as good as a human at explaining the details that you need to see.

Why do I care? Am I losing business because of Zillow? No. Are people coming into the market misinformed, and making bad decisions because of Zillow? YES.

It doesn't matter that Zillow can find every house on a map, because when it comes to miscalculating real estate prices to the tune of Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars, that is a disservice.

Posted by Rory at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

It seems that lately, I'm being contacted on just about a weekly basis from various companies trying to sell me information on the public at large. I despise the practice of turning your personal information into a commodity, especially with the recent wave of ID Theft heading around.

Let's take a look at who is trying to sell me your information, shall we?
Websites that offer some sort of bait, such as "The Free Value of Your Home", or "Get updates of Just Listed Homes in Your Area." are taking the sign-in information that they require you to provide to get the bait, and then they turn around and sell it to Real Estate Agents.

I'm guessing that there are 2 main reasons for using these sites,

1. To avoid using a Real Estate Agent because you're just not that far along in your buying/selling process, and you're still just curious.

2. Because most of these sites run nationwide advertising on the major cable news channels right beside reports of the Real Estate Market.

If you are using these sites for any reason, don't be surprised to get a slew of calls from Real Estate Agents and Mortgage Lenders alike. You can expect your phone to ring within hours, if not minutes of you signing up.

Let's take a look at who is doing this.

Recently, I have been contacted by the following companies:

HouseValues.com
JustListed.com
HouseHunt.com
RealEstate.com

Not to mention, I have also been contacted by a bunch of non-memorable companies that aren't as high profile. They all have the same goal, to profit from selling details about you.

Here is what you can/should do to avoid it:
Don't visit those websites, if someone asks you to provide data about yourself in exchange for information, remember that information is most likely free somewhere else.

Consider contacting a REALTOR® directly, because in the end, all the information filters through to us anyway.

Would you rather support a big-business whose business model may be less than honest, or a small-business? Small businesses, that's exactly what REALTORS® are.

Posted by Rory at 7:32 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Laguna Hills is home to the community of Nellie Gail, Moulton Ranch, Falcon Hill, and a handful of other enclaves such as Stratford Ridge. I had no idea that since January this area was so interesting to folks looking to buy homes in Orange County.

There are several advantages to living in Laguna Hills, among them are close access to the 73 Toll road & 5 Freeway, fantastic schools.

What I also didn't anticipate is the availability of homes in this area. I would currently put them into the "feast or famine" categories. Under the feast: properties that have been meticulously upgraded by their owners over some number of years. Including properties where you would expect the upgrades to begin with. Nellie Gail prices typically reach from 1.4 Million to 5+ Million, and the major theme of the community is centered on equestrian activities. They have a full equestrian center there. The equestrian amenities are so well executed in Nellie Gail that there are actually horse crossings built into the pedestrian crosswalks in nearby Rancho Niguel. This means that you can press the crosswalk button while you're in the saddle.

The moving pattern of Laguna Hills goes something like this, people from Laguna Niguel, Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto De Caza, and out of the area are typically interested in places like Nellie Gail. Families that like the amenities are also interested in Moulton Ranch because of the size, age, and quality of the homes.

Nearby Aliso Viejo has been the host of a miniature technology boom, hosting several software companies. Aliso Viejo is either an aggressive bike ride away from Laguna Hills or a very short car drive.

The whole summary, is that Laguna Hills offers quality communities without much of the overhead of Mello Roos found elsewhere. It is the choice if you are looking for an established community with great access for a commute.

Labels: Laguna Hills, Moulton Ranch, Nellie Gail, Stratford Ridge

Posted by Rory at 6:59 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post