Arch Beach Heights is one of the lower priced neighborhoods in Laguna Beach. THis is due to the fact that lots are smaller (approx 2500 sq/ft) resulting in more density. As well, the area is high on the hill BUT that allows for some fantastic ocean views.

Mr. Blue. Again, explain to me what any of that has to do with soil conditions in Laguna Beach?

Focus, Sir. It wasn't a trick question. Stick to the topic.

What do any of your facts have to do with Laguna Beach? That high end market in Laguna is overflowing with inventory. The number of houses listed is way up. Median prices down a lot. REO's activity is way up. Quoting actiivity levels from somewhere else doesn't do much for me - I care about Laguna, not Laguna Hills or Santa Ana.

As I mentioned to someone else in an adjoining thread, Mr. Blue, Dr. Adibi is only one of 40 or 50 "experts" who have given their take on what has happened, what is now happening, and what THEY think will happen, regarding the real estate market in Orange County.

The market itself, however, is speaking more emphatically, and more correctly, than any of them.

The amount of sales are up - substantially.

The number of houses available is down - substantially.

The number of REOs and short sale opportunities is down - substantially.

MOST people would conclude that the combination of all those factors, in concert, represents a significant change from the market of the past couple of years.

Now, explain to me what any of that has to do with soil conditions in Laguna Beach?

Let me try again with the link. See below.
I don't need to go back in history to prove my point.
Why not go with the most informed, most educated, most recent professional opinion?
That would be from Dr. Adibi. LOL Bob.

To the infinitely condescending Mr. Blue, The link you provide does not go to Dr. Adibi's forecast, unless someone wants to scroll through one and a half years old your tiresome rant, so I'll just do likewise to link MY blog: http://southorangecounty.wordpress.com/2009/05/27/on-a-month…
( Cue the dueling banjo music.)

We can each haul out two or three, or even five or ten year's worth of Chapman, UCLA, Gary Watts, Case- Shiller, and various other predictions and arrive at not one pair of matching "opinions" for a meaningful period of time.

Here's a fact, Mr. Blue. You chose to sneak your negative rant into a conversation about soil stability, and I have called you on it. As I have previously stated, the market in Orange County is stabilizing if not already stabilized. We suffered a downturn, for a couple of years - just like most of our country. That downturn, however has not, nor will not, come even close to matching the upturn that preceeded it. Even adjusting for inflation, we are still ahead of where we were a decade ago - by a substantial margin.

It is time to stop spreading your warnings of impending doom, and to go out any buy a house.

Pragmatist, you are most likely right - home prices in Laguna and Dana Point are in the upper half of the market so if this person bought, the down payment has likely vaporized. Drawing conclusions from the behavior of the OC median price over the last 6 months is fine if you are studying the same type of market. But Laguna and Dana POint are a high price market and the trends are different and delayed in high end markets. Many agents don't understand this or just won't admit it because such talk discourages buyers.

I had the pleasure of attending a meeting with Dr. Adibi of the Chapman forecast. See http://bluemove.blogspot.com/search/label/Chapman%20forecast.
He had in January 2009 many charts based on the upper end of the OC market showing that it had just started to move downward. Sellers in this area had more resources and were less desperate to sell. So the price declines didn't show up right away. But they have now, just as he predicted.

Now, let's sit back and wait for some real estate agent with a high school degree tell us all that Dr. Adibi "doesn't understand what is really happening out there." Right.............. And he correctly forecasted the high end collapse.....

You don't know that, Pragmatist. Most areas of Orange County have been virtually flat for the past 6 months.

I hope you didn't buy last year because your down payment vaporized between then and now.

Home buyer - hopefully, among all the good answers provided by everyone, you were able to get good answers to your question over a year ago.

My family has been looking for a while and I've monitored many listings and the few sales that are happening.
I see that you didn't really get much helpful information from the people already answering, but that is not surprising - I've been almost uniformly disappointed by every real estate agent I've run into in Laguna Beach.

That said, here's my take on soil problems.
Only PART of Bluebird canyon has been rebuilt. The rest of it (and the majority of it) has not been stabilized and I would be worried about houses in Bluebird Canyon.
Same goes for Temple Hills Drive and the streets that branch off in this area, including Cerritos (at least one home wiped out by landslide) and Rim Rock. Drive to the end of Cerritos Drive and you will see a GIGANTIC void where a house once was before it slid down into the canyon. You cant miss it - on the downhill side.

Look for a home with a foundation in the bedrock and no dirt above it, and above all, get a geological expert to inspect any home of interest. Good luck and you can see my web site at http://www.bluemove.blogspot.com

I tend to focus more on pricing issues, but I try to fill the information void for buyers like us.

There have been geological and soil erosion issues with some properties and neighborhoods near Bluebird Canyon, Laguna Beach. However, public agencies and private owners have hired good engineers and spent a lot of time and money to get that corrected. Many of the properties in that area are quite beautiful and in great condition from a geo standpoint.

We recommend that you use a qualified Realtor agent for your home and property search at South OC, California, and that person should have contractors or engineers to recommend for your due diligence on any property.

Harrison K. Long, Realtor agent and broker, Coldwell Banker Previews

For the best home and property search web site check out

Bluebird canyon has some small issues with homes falling off the side of the hill.
But there are great homes in many places in Laguna (Larson the Greeter used to babysit me)
Soil and the leaning tower of piza effect contributue to this. You can get a soil report no worries. Acidic soil and deciduous soil is a problem
Search all laguna home homes below

http://www.homebuyershope.com/custom1.shtml

Laguna page also that's real neat

http://www.homebuyershope.com/Laguna_Beach_Real_Estate.shtml

These are all good answers many factor effect the price of the home but in these area's it usually is how close you are and how accessable the beach is to your home. Views also carry a high premium.

I have been selling in the area for over 22 yrs would love to assist you.

You can search on my website if you like.

Hi Colette,
I am a Laguna Beach realtor and know all of the neighborhoods and streets in Laguna Beach. There is such a wide range of home prices in the Laguna Beach area. The way that I like to introduce Laguna Beach/Dana Point and the different neighborhoods (and price ranges) is in short tour of the area. I like to drive my clients through the different areas and show them a house in each area so they can get a feel for the pricing. I usually provide a map for my clients for them to keep and mark the different neighborhoods.
Yes, Arch Beach Heights generally has lower prices than other areas and that is due to lot size, distance to the beach and the general feel of the neighborhood instead of soil stability. A few streets in the Bluebird Canyon area slid a few years back and have now been repaired. There are other areas off of Temple HIlls that had some problems in the past. An owner that knows about these problems is supposed to disclose these problems to the buyer and a geological report is a good indicator of the stability of the lot.
Dana Point is a good neighborhood to look at as well because the prices are generally less than Laguna Beach. There are many great areas that are beach-close where you wil get more home for the money. I especially like the area called Niguel Shores and Emerald Ridge in Dana Point. They are both gated communities and Niguel Shores has beach access, swimming pool, tennis courts and Emerald Ridge has tennis courts and a fabulous green space area right in the middle. The homes and lots are larger and the streets are wide. Emerald Ridge is right next to Laguna Beach on the south side of town and Niguel Shores is a couple of miles south of Laguna Beach.
South Laguna also has homes that start in the 800's and go up from there. The area has an "old Laguna" feel.
I would love to give you a tour of these areas, no pressure, just a chance to become educated with a professional who lives and works in the area.
Best Wishes,
Ellen
p.s. Feel free to email me and I will send you a sampling of listings of homes in each of the neighborhoods in Laguna Beach as well as parts of Dana Point that might be of interest. Just let me know what your price range might be, bedroom count and any other important criteria for your dream beach house.

Check out Capo Beach too.

You would be out of your mind to buy in California right now. Prices will drop 30-50% by end of 2009. If you think this is a joke, do your research. Don't listen to realtors, their job is to tell you this is a great time to buy, remember they said that also at the high in 2006. Good luck!

Hi Colette,
There are many areas that have not had soil issues and as most comments state a soils engineer is the best person to get this information from. We use them in our construction business all the time and I can refer you a couple if you like. Of course it's best to designate a property first and then speak to the geologist on that specific property because each is different. Please call me if you have not hired an agent to show you these areas. I've been in Real Estate for many years and live in Laguna Niguel which borders Dana Point and Laguna Beach so I know these areas well.
Thank You, Laura Baron 949-289-9894

Hi Colette, I didn't hear back from you and wanted to follow up. Are you already working with an agent?
You mentioned soil stability issues, probably in the wake of the Bluebird Canyon Slide of a few years ago. They have re-engineered the lots in that area and several of the lots have recently come on the market for sale. I showed two of the lots last weekend, one particular lot is a bank owned lot on Flamingo Road. At anyrate, I do know that when they re-engineered these lots, they incorporated a drainage system with the intent to make it more stable than a natural hillside would be, allowing for water runoff when needed. They actually covered this reconstruction on a Discovery television show! I am personally planning on listing a property in Arch Beach Heights next week. I would like to send you the information on it when it's available. You can call me at: 603-216-7906 or email me: cfleming@coldwellbanker.com. Looking forward to hearing from you. Cynthia

Hi Colette,
I live up in Arch Beach Heights and am very familiar with the area. Most of the pricing differential in this area is due to the size of the property, the type of ocean view, the quality of the home (i.e. upgraded or rebuilt vs. original condition). Also, some of the homes have 2 levels of living area and some are 3 levels and some are single lots, some are double. You can compare the pricing by looking at the cost per square foot, although this doesn't take into account the oceanview. There are some homes without any ocean view and some that view Moulton Meadows Park. This is a great park with a playground, tennis courts, a basketball court and a wonderful trail system which leads you through the Aliso Wood Canyon Wilderness Park. You can walk, bike, run for as many miles as you'd like. My husband regularly goes out on 10 milers. For an affordable location in Laguna Beach, I feel it is a great place to live. If you'd like me to send you some of the listings available in Arch Beach Heights, let me know. I viewed all the new listings today on broker preview and there are several really nice properties available. You can view all current listings available on my website: http://www.camoves.com/cynthia.fleming
or you can call me at 603-216-7906 or email me: cfleming@coldwellbanker.com. I would be happy to show you around the area. Take Care, Cynthia

Collette,

It is true that there are many areas in Laguna Beach that have a history of geological instability. Some, such as the Bluebird Canyon area, have had more slides than others. As a Laguna Beach Realtor, I always encourage buyers to get a geological report if they are buying in an area that is known to have geological issues. I also strongly encourage buyers to visit the city of Laguna Beach planning department to see the file for the property they are considering purchasing. While not all property files have complete geological information, they sometimes do.

There are many homes in the hills of Laguna Beach that are priced quite expensively, so just being located in the hills, where you often get the best ocean views, does not in itself make a Laguna Beach home less desirable or more affordable. A home in Temple Hills sold last fall for $6 million. There is a home on Moorea Way, in Mystic Hills, that is currently listed at $9,995,000. The reason why Arch Beach Heights homes are priced lower as compared to other areas of Laguna Beach is because the typical lot size in Arch Beach Heights is only 2500 feet. While there are some homes with slightly larger or even double lots (5000 feet), the overall look of the neighborhood is that of boxy homes with large footprints on small lots. The homes are very close together and have very small backyards. Many of the homes have good ocean views and have been nicely remodeled. For buyers who want a single family home in Laguna Beach but cannot afford a more expensive home, Arch Beach Heights is the entry level market. Many people make the choice to have less home in Laguna Beach than they could in other areas because of the unique amenities Laguna Beach affords, including excellent schools.

There are some very nice areas in Dana Point where homes are more attractively priced. Please feel free to call me. I am happy to share information with you about Laguna Beach or Dana Point, even if you are not ready to buy yet.

Best regards,

Judy Field
Coldwell Banker
Laguna Beach South
949-246-4090

There are some areas with highly publicized soil stability issues in Laguna Beach....you may have heard about Blue Bird Canyon. There are also pockets of issues within most of the coastal towns in SoCal, the key as noted by the other agents who have responded, is to do your due diligence while searching for your home and then getting the necessary inspections once you get into escrow.

There are currently 32 homes for sale in Arch Beach Heights....ranging from $860k to $4.9M. 3 are short sales, 1 is bank-owned. List prices are generally driven by size, view, condition, location and motivation of the owner.

Laguna Beach is definitely a SoCal beach city icon, Dana Point and San Clemente offer similar beach city charm at a more reasonable price point.

Let me know if you need help with your search - 949-244-4534

Hi there Colette, Welcome to OC.
There are some differences in the soil bases in these areas. I have several Geological Soil Anaysis experts that test and provide a full report on the soil in the particular are that you are looking at.
The differences in prices is unlikely to be the soil as most buyers are unaware of this.Usually diffeent factors involved here. I educate my clients all about this.
If you would like to get more information on this subject or the the absolute best homes in these areas Please let me know.

Kind Regards
Michael Barron
First Team Estates
(714) 552-6817

Colette,

The geological issues occur when homes are built on silt or unstable soil...generally up in the hills. The homes that are built on bedrock don't have the stability issues.

With regard to price differentials, there are many factors involved including but not limited to location, view, upgrades, proximity to the ocean, etc. A good realtor will help you understand the fair market value of each home so that you can make an informed decision.

If you would like to speak about this more in-depth, feel free to contact our office at 888-622-8439 or you can email me directly at garry@theoccoastalgroup.com

Regards,

Garry Loss
The OC Coastal Group

Hello Colette,

I recently sold a home in Three Arch Bay. When my clients buy a property in Laguna Beach, I encourage them to consult with a geologic expert. There are many in our area familiar with the soils issues that have occurred in Laguna Beach. Getting a soils report is much like getting a home inspection. By getting the report you know of any current possible issues with the soil and how to possibly prevent any futt ure issues.

Would you be interested in seeing properties in Laguna Beach or Dana Point?

Give me a call and I'll put you in touch with my geologic expert.

- Rory
949-351-3541