Historical Homes in South Orange County

In Laguna Beach, there are 281 pre-1940s houses considered historic based on a variety of factors, including architectural style and a connection with important historical events or significant people.

35101 Camino CapistranoThe coastal bluff house at was originally owned by the Doheny family, whose family name Doheny State Beach was derived. The property is among the elite on the Historical Society's yearly home tour and displays how Capistrano Beach appeared when it was first developed.

Castle by the Sea at 2529 S Coast Hwy

 5 bedrooms, 4 private villas and 2 attached guest rooms. Totaling 12 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms with remarkable and spectacular ocean views from every room. Private parking and a dedicated area to park 16 or more cars.

 40 N. La Senda Drive

A Laguna Beach four level house built by the family of film pioneer D.W. Griffith in 1929 has a private lighthouse overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It is located in Three Arch Bay and was listed in Sept. 2015 for $19.9 million.

Homes built pre-1900 are mainly in North Orange County cities like Anaheim, Los Alamitos. Vintage and historical homes built from 1900 - 1939 in South County are located in Laguna Beach and San Clemente.

Many styles built were of Spanish Revival, Mediterranean, Mission, Cape Cod, Colonial, Cottage, Rustic.

San Clemente

Historical homes can be found in the older parts of town located in the Southwest, Central and north neighborhoods.  The sizes of the homes ranges from 1000 to 2000 square feet with two to three bedrooms. 

San Juan Capistrano

Los Rios Historic District regarded as the oldest neighborhood in California features vintage cottages and is on the National Register of Historic Places with some properties still standing from the 1700’s.  Prices for these home styles range from $700,000 and up.

Orange County Housing Questions and Responses

#1: Value & Comparative Investments

Q: Over the past three decades, home prices in Orange County have risen by a factor of five while the rate of inflation has only gone up by two times as thirty years ago. That is a great return for homeowners, not to mention the mortgage interest deduction. Was this better than the stock market?

A: Stocks comfortably outperformed housing prices in the same 30 years ago, with the Dow Jones index increased by 11x from 2,000 to 22,000 going back to 1987. This statistic is another example of the wide-ranging economic fundamentals that support the increased home prices.

2: Is Orange County Real Estate in a Bubble?

Q:  Data from CoreLogic shows that the median selling price over the last five years increased by a 10-percent rate using average annual gains. Was the boom-time mid-2000s housing bubble similar to today?

A: Not exactly.  In the five year span that concluding in 2005, local home price appreciation in Orange County was averaging 18 percent per year! That number is still two times as much as today's appreciation.

#3: Rent Increases?
Q: Rents for residential property in southern California has risen this year at a 5.2 percent annual clip based on date from the Consumer Price Index. Is that increase high based on the last three decades?

A:   Yes, it is. The normal rate is 3.3 percent for the last thirty years.  Economists and investment property owners will argue it is based on demand which sustains the rise. Once housing becomes extremely challenging,  rent control, becomes more of a topic.