here’s plenty of action in Crystal Cove, where three recent sales combined for nearly $16 million and featured decidedly different circumstances.
One thing they had in common: All got close to their asking price, reflecting an upward trend in the luxury market.
Start with the $7 million sale of the 6,741-square-footer at 31 Offshore, which was built in 2009 but never lived in.
It had been listed for $7.2 million.
Jon Cain of HÔM Sotheby’s International listed the property and also represented the buyer.
The six-bedroom, six-bath place includes a chef’s kitchen, executive library, game room and wine cellar.
It also came with about $1 million in upgrades, including Versailles-patterned travertine flooring, suede-finish venetian plaster, custom cabinetry and beam work.
The upgrades extend to the subterranean eight-car garage, which has custom built-in cabinetry.
The 5,400-square-foot home at 4 Cruisers Bluff had been lived in before it sold for about $4.6 million, only about $75,000 below its listing price.
Rick Langevin of Surterre Properties Inc. represented the seller of the five-bedroom, six-bath place, which has a library/office and inlaid hardwood floors by custom-flooring specialist Richard Marshall. Its grounds include a built-in barbecue, pool and spa, and an outdoor fireplace.
A 26,713-square-foot lot—more than half an acre—at 32 Deep Sea in Crystal Cove sold for $4.3 million, down from a listing for $4.7 million in December.
Jacqueline Thompson of Surterre Properties represented the seller. Lynn Collins of Chalet Properties & Investment represented the buyers, who are consulting with an architect.
Elsewhere in Newport Beach
The home at 6 Royal Saint George Road in Big Canyon sold for $5.7 million, down from $6.8 million in June.
The 7,000-square-foot home fronts the Big Canyon Golf Course. It has four bedrooms and seven bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, formal dining area, butler’s pantry and wine cellar.
The living room has 24-foot ceilings and a fireplace with an 18-foot stone mantle. The outdoor area features an infinity pool and spa, outdoor fireplaces, and a nine-hole putting green.
Inge Goericke-Bunn of HÔM Sotheby’s International represented the seller, and Jocelynn Vitar of Prudential California Realty represented the buyer.
On the Ranch
A ranch-style oceanfront home at 3826 Calle Ariana sold in San Clemente for $4 million.
It had been listed at $4.9 million.
The 5,077-square-foot Cyprus Shore home includes four bedrooms, four baths, a private office, four bathrooms, and a formal dining room, and is located in a cul-de-sac. It also has private stairs leading from its glass-and-wood deck to the sand.
Scott Kidd of Prudential California Realty represented the buyer and seller.
2012 Sets Record for $5M+
Last year saw a big jump in the number of homes that sold for $5 million or more in Orange County, according to San Diego-based market tracker DataQuick Information Systems Inc. The economic recovery helped push prices up in the luxury segment, and a crop of cash buyers also gave an assist.
Here is a sampling of results by zip code for sales of $5 million or more, with data covering the 12 months through November 2012:
• 92660, which includes the Back Bay in Newport Beach: 362 sales compared with 249 homes the year prior. The most expensive property of 2012 sold for $10 million.
• 92657 in Newport Newport Coast: 228 versus 163 a year earlier. Priciest deal: $20 million.
n 92651 in Emerald Bay: 307 versus 195 a year earlier. Top deal also pegged at $20 million.
• 92625 in Corona del Mar: 256 compared with 183 homes a year earlier. Top deal: $15 million.
To Be Continued
Zillow.com projects a 13.8% increase in the prices of luxury homes along Orange County’s coastline this year.
Fueling the gains, according to Zillow, will be continued low interest rates, a tightening supply, and more improvements in the general economy.
Kim Haman can be reached at luxury@ocbj.com
