Canyon to Coast

Unique Homes Magazine Interviews Jacqueline Thompson - Top Producing Agent Specializing in Coastal Orange County’s Exclusive Enclaves

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (January 28, 2015) – Mickey Mouse still may be Orange County’s most famous resident but the county’s ocean views and world-class resorts attract celebrities from the worlds of entertainment, sports and business. Less flashy but every bit as luxurious as coastal markets in neighboring Los Angeles, oceanfront communities like Newport Coast, Laguna Beach and Corona del Mar have earned a global reputation.

At time of publication, 72 properties were priced at $10 million or higher. More than half of those exceeded $15 million, topping out at $59.9 million for a 24,000 square foot Mediterranean perched above the Pacific in Laguna Beach.

Jacqueline Thompson of Surterre Properties reports the market for luxury estates priced at $10 million to $15 million saw an increase of 26.5 percent through October 2014 (compared to the same period in 2013), but a 45.8 percent drop in sales of $15 million-plus properties. “Foreign investors — buyers from Asia continue to keep our market healthy — have positively impacted our market since 2012,” she explains. Thompson asserts, “I believe a continued influx of foreign interest in coastal Orange County will continue to positively change the landscape in luxury communities in 2015.”

Thompson, however, insists domestic buyers are equally active, particularly in resale home and lot purchases. “In the high-end sector, these buyers are paying higher prices, involved in multiple offer scenarios, and paying all-cash for quick closes,” she says. “As we approach the last of available luxury vacant land for sale — there is very limited supply left — I believe high-end real estate will continue to appreciate.”