All Blog Entries by Sam Smith Team

The Harbour Vista community in Huntington Beach has been offering some of the lowest priced condos for sale in the past years.  One bedroom condos are now selling in the $190,000 range and two bedroom units start at $289,000. Sometimes when things are too good to be true there always seems to be a catch.  One of the important things to understand when buying in this community is that the homes are located on leased land.  There is also a homeowners association dues that are paid on a monthly basis and average around $421.00 a month.  What you get for the monthly due is a large community pool area, spa and outdoor barbecue area.

The land lease is a little tricky to understand.  There is a website for the Harbor Vista News that gives a breakdown of how

The Boardwalk Lighthouse community is one of the best neighborhoods that is located very close to the beach and within a safe guard gated entrance.  The unique beach close location offers a very easy walk to the ocean that is approximately one block away.  The homes were built approximately 14 years ago and considered one of the top tracts near the downtown Huntington Beach area.  What you can expect to find here is quality construction homes that are built in the Cape Cod architectural style that often feature a covered driveway that leads to the back two car garage.  It's not uncommon to find spiral staircases, gourmet kitchens, Master baths with soaking jacuzzi tub and large outdoor entertainment backyards.  What's more is that some of these homes will

The Crystal Island gated community In Huntington Beach is an exclusive neighborhood that offers the ultimate in privacy and security.  Situated on the very south section of the upscale Seacliff community is a gated community that is home to 7 luxury homes that were built between 2000 to 2001.  These are grand estate homes that can range over 4,000 square feet and built in the Spanish and Mediterranean architectural style.  These newer construction homes have a lot to offer that can include gourmet kitchens with granite counter tops, custom cabinetry, butlers pantry and wine cooler.  Select floor plans will include a downstairs bedroom that could be used as an office, large master suite with large walk-in closets and attached three car garages.  

Lots

The Huntington Harbor is well know for it's man made islands that wrap around the bay with some of the most exclusive water front homes.  Within the Harbor there are several gated communities that offer an extra layer of security and are perfect for those who travel extensively or need to live in a secure and safe location.  Here is our guide to the gated communities found in the Huntington Harbor.

The most expensive gated neighborhood in the Harbour include the Faire Marin, Harbour Coves and Coral Cay communities.  The Coral Cay neighborhood is on the very south end of the Harbor and offers a 24 hour guard gate, private beach with some of the expensive homes in Huntington Beach.  These homes rarely come on the market for sale.  The Faire Marin and

Huntington Beach is home to some of the most popular senior housing communities which normally comprise of homes located in the Huntington Landmark neighborhood. There is also a very popular senior condo community located at 18900 Delaware Street in South Huntington Beach.  The complex is located between Main and Beach Blvd and reserved for those who are older than 55 years of age.  Most of the time you need to be at least this age to purchase a property but in this community you can be of any age except the occupants who live here, whether it be owner-occupied or a tenant must be at least 55 years old.  This is a 3 story building with a private elevator, guest parking, recreational room and community laundry.

One of the unique parts of this community

As we come to an end of the year it's good to look back to see what the most expensive homes were sold in Huntington Beach, California.  Two of the top three houses were located in the same community and on the same street.  Over the past 12 months over 1,950 homes have sold in the Huntington Beach with a few select properties selling over the $4 million dollar price point.  Here are the most expensive homes sold in 2015.

The most expensive home was located at 18305 Evening Circle located in the 24 hour guard gated community of The Bluffs.  Located on a very large lot that spanning an approximate 3/4 of an acre of land, the 7,484 square feet home sold for a record $6,300,000 on 4/30/2015.  The home was originally listed for $6,995,000 and was on the

The Huntington Harbor is the main hub for all bay front properties in the Huntington Beach area.  The harbor channels through many different islands that all lead out to the Pacific Ocean.  Some of the original homes that were built here date back to the early 1920's and offer spectacular canal views with it's own charm and character of an older home.  Situated near Gilbert Island is a small collection of homes located on the water on Bayview Drive.  This street is well known for have some of the oldest homes in the Northwest area of Huntington Beach.  Since the properties are located in front of the bay they often include private boat docks for a small duffy or ideal for kayak storage.  

Remarkably, these homes can be currently purchased for under

Huntington Beach is a very large beach town with over 200,000 people who live here.  There are several newer communities that have been built in recent years like Brightwater and Pacific Shores that offer a wide range of architectural style homes located near the beach.  One similar community to these in commonly known as "The Waterfront" and features two individual neighborhoods that share the same common amenities and location.  The homes were built a little over a decade ago and situated just one block away from the sandy beach.  At the time they were built there was a huge demand for them due to their prime location and resort style amenities like the large pool and clubhouse area.

Real Estate prices over the years have remained under the one

The Cape Ann Huntington Beach community is a great place to live with stunning Cape Cod style architecture and beautiful community grounds with private association pool and clubhouse area as pictured below.  One of the added benefits of living here is the Huntington Beach Affordable Housing Program which helps low income residents afford housing in certain designated neighborhoods.  One of the communities that has been chosen in the Cape Ann neighborhood.

The Affordable housing program is very specific and must meet certain guidelines in order to qualify to purchase.  Online application forms are easy to find as long as you meet the income requirements.  The income is calculated based on how many people live at your residence.  If you have a child or a

Sunset Island is a small remote island located off Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach that is home to approximately 200 homes.  The location is just west of Admiralty Island and is one of the best kept secrets for finding waterfront homes.  Sunset Island occupies two small streets known as Bayview Drive and and Intrepid Lane as has some of the oldest homes located in the Huntington Harbour area.  There is a combination of single family homes that sit on the water's edge to two story townhouses located near the water.  Many of these homes will have roof top decks that overlook the views of the Sunset Beach area.

The biggest selling point for this community is the location and the ability to have a boat slip in front of your home.  The location is

The Seacliff On The Green Gated Community is home to some of the best neighborhoods in Huntington Beach, California.  There are a total of two guard gated entrances into this community that offers a variety of luxury townhouses to large single family homes.  The three communities consist of Seacliff Club Series, Seacliff Masters and Seacliff Estates.  Each of these have their own unique style and features and a brief description of what you can find here is located here.

Seacliff Estates homes will be some of the most expensive homes located here with upscale single family homes that normally will be price between $1,400,000 to $1,700,000.  The sister community to Seacliff Estates is known as The Estates at Seacliff Country Club which is located just

The Waterfront gated community offers one of the closest beach locations in all of Huntington Beach.  Situated directly behind the oceanfront Hyatt Regency hotel is a newer community called "The Waterfront."  This is a large parcel of land that was developed into two neighborhoods that have access to a central community pool, spa and clubhouse.  The two communities are known as Sea Cove and Sea Colony at the Waterfront and were first developed over 11 years ago.  The neighborhood has been a huge success with home values selling in the $1.7 to $2 million dollar range just one year after the homes were built.  Since then the real estate market has gone through several cycles with those same homes selling in the $800,000 to $1,285,000 range.  This a great

The Pacific Ranch community in Huntington Beach, California is home to two different neighborhoods located within the 24 hour guard gate.  The two communities consist of Pacific Ranch Villas and Pacific Ranch Townhomes and share some of the same neighborhood amenities in the West Huntington Beach area.  Here is a detailed explanation on these two community tracts.

First, The Pacific Ranch Townhomes were built in the mid 1980's between 1984 to 1990.  These are three story townhouses that come with attached two car garages and located near the south gated entrance and the community pool and clubhouse area. The first level of these townhouses will typically contain one bedroom and bath as well as the garage entrance and laundry room.  The second level of

Buying a home at an auction can be a great alternative to the traditional route, especially for those looking for a bargain deal.  Similar to auction houses that sell antiques, the process includes bidding against other buyers who may be interested in the subject property.  The key thing to remember is to have your financing in place before the day of bidding.  Most buyers are all cash so if you plan to get a loan make sure you have talked with the auction company's preferred lender to make sure you are pre-qualified up to a price range you are comfortable in bidding up to.  It's also important to remember that some properties may have a minimum that they will not sell below.  The auction house may start it at a lower number to get the number of

One of the best places to find townhouses in the Huntington Beach area is the Huntington Continental community.  Back in the early 1960's, these two story townhouses were built in a European style where the buildings were attached to each other.  Similar to a condo building except each townhouse offers it's own unique architectural style and distinct color palate which is commonly found in European cities like Italy and Spain.  The interiors offer open floor plans that coming living room and dining spaces with a galley style kitchen and outdoor patio area.  Many have upgraded the original 1960's finishes to include granite counters and modern appliances in the kitchen with recessed lighting and newer cabinetry.  The staircase is located adjacent to the

The Huntington Harbour area is one of the most sought after and desirable areas to live in all of Huntington Beach, California.  Many of the properties in this area will be luxury waterfront estate homes that are situated on many of the islands that connect with the Huntington Harbour.  Homes located within a short distance to the water are known as Mainland homes and are typically some of the best priced homes for non-waterfront properties.  Real Estate prices currently start at $899,000 for a 3 bedroom, 2,482 square foot home that is located approximatley four blocks to the water.  The majority of homes in this area have been developed and are large two story properties with a select one story homes.  A few homes located on the mainland will be located

The Wesley Park Historic District is ideally located in downtown Huntington Beach in an area called "Old Town."  This is a very unique neighborhood with older historic homes that date back to the early 1900's.  Many of the homes in this area are located on large over-sized lots and have lots of charm and personality to them.  Interiors often feature hardwood flooring, beamed ceilings and large backyards.  This section of Huntington Beach is the best place to shop for older homes but don't be surprised when these homes can also command a premium in price, well above other similar type properties in the neighborhood.

The location is perfectly appointed within near main street that offers a multitude of shopping and restaurants and just minutes to the

Talbert Plaza is a very small community in the central part of Huntington Beach, California.  Situated off the main thorough street of Talbert Avenue, the plaza is a neighborhood that comprises of 5 cul-de-sac streets.  All the homes in this area have a lot of history and date back to 1960 and 1961 when all these homes were built.  This is an ideal location with many local parks like Fulton Park, Courreges Park and Lambert Park location within a several block radius.  The Huntington Beach Hospital is also located within a couple blocks as well off Beach Boulevard.  The homes located here are single level homes that offer a simple floor plan of three to four bedrooms.  These tend to be small homes that will average between 1,300 to 1,500 square feet of

The Sunkist Plaza is a unique community that offers wonderful ranch style one story homes between the Meadowlark and Goldenwest communities in Huntington Beach.  The neighborhood has many selling points that make this early very attractive.  First, the community is located approximately within close proximity to the 405 freeway which is a huge advantage for those commuting to other parts of Orange and Los Angeles county for work.  Huntington Beach is a very large city and those who live close to the beach can take up to 25 minutes to travel through the city to get to the freeway.  Second, real estate prices are very attractive for this community as most single family homes that will average 1,300 square feet will often sell in the high $500,000 to low

The Coastal Walk is a brand new condo community in the Northwest Huntington Beach area near the cross streets of Bolsa Chica Street and Warner Avenue.  The builder, The Olsen Company is building brand new construction condos that offer 6 floor plans that range in size from a two bedroom 1,544 square foot unit to a three bedroom 1,970 square foot condo.  Some of the features found in these homes can include granite counters, stainless steel appliances, large master suites with walk-in closets and pre-wired for cable TV and Internet services.  These are open floor plans that offer the best flow between rooms with exterior decks and attached garages.

The architecture is class Spanish style with red tile roofs and smooth stucco walls.  The location is