A foreign investor has paid $17 million for a nearly 7,700-square-foot luxury estate in Ritz Cove not just for its oceanfront location but also for its upside potential, agents said.
The five-bedroom, seven-bathroom house sits on about a 10,000 square foot lot at 18 Ritz Cove Drive in Dana Point’s gated Ritz Cove neighborhood near Monarch Beach and The Ritz Carlton, Laguna Niguel hotel. Residents pay a $990 monthly association fee.
The property initially listed for $22.5 million in September 2025 and sat on the market for six months before the sale. The seller bought the home in 2019 for $14.7 million, according to Redfin records.
Roderic Stadelmann and Sam Orozco of Compass represented the seller.
The buyer’s agents, Ricki Wares and Dani Piercy of Piercy Wares Group at Coldwell Banker Realty, told the Business Journal that the property represented an attractive formula in today’s luxury market: strong fundamentals with room to create additional value.
“18 Ritz represented the perfect alignment of structural integrity, substantial square footage and immense value-add potential,” Wares said.
Oceanfront Estate
Built in 2009, the three-story, elevator-equipped luxury estate is situated at the edge of Ritz Cove Drive and features an underground six-car garage, a glass wall overlooking the backyard pool and Pacific Ocean, a gym, steam room and direct access to Salt Creek Beach.
The buyer viewed the home not just as a turnkey trophy estate but more as an opportunity to modernize an already high-end asset.
“While the property boasts exceptional construction and rock-solid bones, it requires a thoughtful cosmetic modernization to meet the exacting standards of a 2026 ultra-luxury buyer,” Piercy said.
Ritz Cove and Dana Point’s Revitalization
Agents said the sale highlights Dana Point’s growing appeal among affluent buyers seeking alternatives to Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.
Ritz Cove is a gated neighborhood within the Monarch Beach area, comprising about 100 custom luxury homes.
“What truly resonated with our buyers was the effortless, resort-centric lifestyle inherent to the Monarch Beach community,” Wares said.
Piercy said Dana Point’s luxury resorts, private beach access and the $600 million revitalization of the harbor are contributing to the growth of the area.
“Buyers are looking at traditional strongholds like Newport Beach and finding increasingly narrow margins,” Piercy said. “They’re realizing Dana Point offers that same world-class coastal lifestyle, but at a more attractive entry point for oceanfront land.”
Discerning Buyers
The sale also reflects a broader evolution in the behavior of high-net-worth buyers, who remain active but are more price-disciplined, according to Wares and Piercy.
“They expect a product that matches their investment,” Piercy said.
