A custom estate in Irvine’s Shady Canyon community has sold for $13 million in the priciest deal for the city’s most exclusive neighborhood since the end of last year.
The 13,000-square-foot home at 20 Black Falcon was built in 2010 on a half-acre lot.
Jacqueline Thompson of Surterre Properties had the listing; Rob Smith of Compass’ McKown Weinstein Associates represented the undisclosed buyer.
Shady Canyon is the only community in Irvine that offers an inventory of custom homes for sale, with land lots that are far larger than average and with more space in between homes than other communities in the county.
That, coupled with the exclusive nature of the 300-home, 1,070-acre gated community, provides a sense of privacy that has prompted athletes, executives and others to call Shady Canyon home, including best-selling author Dean Koontz and Alteryx Executive Chairman Dean Stoecker.
Koontz counts two homes in the community, including a 13,400-square-foot estate he bought at the end of 2019 and a 12,000-square-foot home he bought the following year.
Amenity Rich
The area’s golf course and country club are well known throughout the county, though prospective members need two referrals from existing members to join. Membership rates can cost up to $150,000.
Pro athletes, in particular baseball players, are drawn to Shady Canyon because of its proximity to John Wayne Airport, brokers say.
Other perks include its proximity to University High School, widely considered to be Irvine’s best public high school. It is used by children who live in Shady Canyon.
$50M Listing
About a dozen homes have sold above $10 million in Shady Canyon; the sale of 20 Black Falcon is the third priciest on record for the city, trailing the $13.9 million sale of 26 Grey Owl in November and the $15 million sale of 11 Needle Grass in July 2020.
The latter deal was for a 12,524-square-foot home with six bedrooms and nine bathrooms, built in 2013 on a nearly 1.1-acre lot.
Compass’ Smith had the listing for the property; John Ginn of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices represented the undisclosed buyer.
Three homes have sold in Shady Canyon year-to-date; today, there are three active listings, down from about 18 two years ago.
The active listings count high prices, and include a $15.5 million home at 31 Blue Heron; a $22 million listing at 60 Golden Eagle; and a nearly $50 million listing at 76 Golden Eagle.
The latter home, listed by Tim Smith of Coldwell Banker Realty, spans 12,978 square feet on a 0.9-acre lot. It’s being sold by Ben Kante and Joni Rogers-Kante, the latter of whom is the founder, CEO and chair of Foothill Ranch’s cosmetics firm Senegence. The home was listed for sale about a year ago.
