Marketing a luxury home in coastal Orange County is a science.
Buyers are savvy and know what they want in a high-end property. Agents who work with the clientele are experts in creating listing descriptions that help buyers narrow their options.
Certain phrases in home descriptions are trending upward, according to Forbes’ recent Real Estate Lab report. Luxury listings are 78% more likely than a year ago to mention a “marble bath,” meaning a bathroom outfitted in marble, according to the report.
Mention of a wine room also is on the rise, jumping 30% on the luxury amenities list. A roof deck and terrace were cited 63% and 42% more often, respectively, compared to a year ago.
Luxury listings also were more likely to mention floor-to-ceiling windows—56% more than the previous year. Gyms are more common, too, by 28%.
Other amenities are listed less often than they were last year. Plantation shutters were down by 13%, stainless appliances by 7%, and custom cabinets were off by 9%. Granite countertops are mentioned 5% less than they were a year ago.
The numbers, while inconclusive, suggest luxury buyers’ tastes are shifting from amenities that can be found in homes of all price ranges to exclusive features mostly limited to top-dollar homes.
Stunner By the Sea
The newly completed home at 4633 Fairfield Drive in Corona del Mar melds contemporary style with Polynesian-inspired flair. The 6,500-square-foot, ocean-view home was designed and constructed by builder Scott Cross of SC Homes to showcase the location’s water views, which include Newport Harbor and Catalina Island.
It sold on June 29 for $7.2 million, over its February asking price of $7 million. Summer Perry of Surterre Properties Inc. managed both sides of the transaction.
The two-level home’s open floor plan boasts Smart Home technology. It has five bedrooms, seven baths, a movie theater, a wine-tasting room, a gym, and a gourmet kitchen with professional-grade appliances, granite-slab countertops and solid mahogany custom cabinetry. The home has a six-car garage and sits on a ¼-acre lot.
From a Magazine’s Pages
The Big Canyon home at 4 Torrey Pines Lane in Newport Beach was profiled in Veranda Magazine for its unique take on traditional Georgian-style architecture and its expansive English gardens.
The six-bedroom, eight-bath, 7,900-square-foot home changed owners on June 26 for $7.2 million, the highest sold price for Big Canyon on the Multiple Listing Service this year, according to listing agent Nicole Donovan of Surterre Properties. It sold in April at just under its $7.7 million asking price, in less than three weeks of its listing. Brian Thomas, also of Surterre, represented the buyer.
The home is on a 17,424-square-foot lot. It has light oak and travertine floors, French doors throughout, textured walls, and floor-to-ceiling windows in many of its main rooms. In addition to the English gardens, the outdoor area includes patios, a swimming pool, and a 900-square-foot guest house with one bedroom, a full bath, a fireplace, and refrigerated drawers in place of a full kitchen.
Nautical in Newport
The home at 21 Bay Island in Newport Beach pays homage to the history of the sea with its Hampton Shingle-style design and vintage nautical character. The 4,395-square-foot, four-bedroom, five-bath bayfront home was designed by architect Kurt Donat and built by Neil Longman Construction. It sold on June 11 for $6 million, under its October asking price of $6.3 million.
The home features hardwood floors, white paneled walls, mahogany cabinets, chef-quality appliances, a wine room, and an elevator. It has direct beach access and its own private pier and slip for a large boat and side-tie.
Bay Island originally began as a gun club in 1903. Today, it’s one of Newport Beach’s most exclusive addresses, with 24 waterfront homes that commonly own a tennis court, wide sandy beaches, and lush botanical cutting gardens.
Steve High of Villa Real Estate represented the seller, and Steve Sutherlen of Coldwell Banker Previews International represented the buyer.
