Mike Shapiro, chairman of HÔM Sotheby’s International Realty in Newport Beach, advocates the use of technology as one of the best tools real estate agents can use to market their clients’ homes and share listings with potential buyers.
“Statistics show that there are more Internet searches performed on mobile devices than computers, and one in five luxury property searches is generated from a mobile device,” Shapiro said.
Luxury home buyers are increasingly turning to the Internet to search for homes. The advantages are clear: Buyers enter exactly what they want and narrow potential homes to only those that fit their criteria.
Internet searches have an advantage to sellers, as well—the potential market for their homes is global that way.
In anticipation of consumers’ ever-growing use of smartphones and tablets for their home searches, HÔM Sotheby’s has developed its own application for mobile users.
The HÔM S.I.R. app helps users research luxury properties around the world, and in particular, the coastal and desert communities of Southern California.
Mediterranean Masterpiece
Builder Mark Falcone designed and built the custom estate at 33 Skyridge in Newport Coast. The Mediterranean home is on a privately situated, half-acre lot in guard-gated Pelican Crest. The 11,100-square-foot, eight-bath, seven-bedroom home sold for $8.8 million on Sept. 27, meeting its April list price.
The estate has an oversized formal dining room with an adjacent living room.
Its wine-tasting room has an 800-bottle cellar.
Chefs will be able to create culinary masterpieces in its state-of-the-art kitchen with an antique center island.
The home’s standout features are two ornate, hand-carved fireplaces from the 16th and 18th centuries that were imported from Italy.
The master suite has Catalina Island and harbor views. Other home highlights include a home theater, maid quarters, a gym and an elevator.
Disappearing pocket doors allow seamless flow from the indoors to the backyard and the multiple outdoor entertainment areas, as well as the swimming pool and spa. The subterranean garage has space for 10 cars.
Alona Tetter of Coldwell Banker represented the seller, and Marcus-Kiwi Gualter of First Team Estates represented the buyer.
Singularly Spectacular
Single levels are a rare find in the Crystal Cove community. But the 6,300-square-foot home at 7 Currents in Newport Beach is a find for more reasons than its layout: It’s like a self-contained resort.
The Santa Barbara-style home features private interior courtyards, water features, an outdoor fireplace, a vast outdoor entertainment space and much more. The four-bedroom, 4 ½-bath home, which sits on nearly half an acre, sold on Sept. 30 for $7.2 million, landing under its June asking price of $7.9 million.
Ocean and Catalina Island views are among its other attributes.
Inside, the home has two kitchens and a media room with a built-in entertainment center and three high-definition televisions. It also has a great room with beamed ceilings and groin vault detail.
Other notable attributes of the home include garage space for four vehicles and a whole-house audio-visual system.
John Cain of HÔM Sotheby’s International represented the seller and the buyer in the transaction.
Everything On the Wish List
The traditional-style home at 916 Emerald Bay in Laguna Beach affords its new owners a swimming pool complex, a community center and a private beach, all due to its location in the guard-gated Emerald Bay community.
The home is ideal for indoor-outdoor entertaining, with an open floor plan that includes a great room with 17-foot vaulted ceilings connected to the chef-inspired kitchen.
Clear sliding-glass doors lead from the great room to a large outdoor balcony with a southwest-facing panoramic view. The two-story home features a second living room, an outfitted wet bar and an elevator. It also has a dumb waiter to the kitchen area from the garage.
The 4,801-square-foot, four-bedroom, 3½-bath home sold on Sept. 30 for $5.8 million, down from the initial June $6 million asking price. Rod Daley of Coldwell Banker P.I. represented the seller and the buyer.
