laguna beach

Large Jewelry Store Robbery In Laguna Beach

The small seaside town of Laguna Beach, California has been the setting for a reality television show and boasts plenty of multi-million dollar homes. What it doesn't have is a lot of crime which makes the news of a big jewelry robbery in the small town quite surprising. The OC Register reports that three armed men robbed a local jewelry store and got away with more than a half-million dollars worth of jewelry. The three men showed up at the Joshi and Baca jewelry at closing time on Tuesday and held up an employee at gunpoint. Locals who passed by the store reported the crime and the police showed up and caught up with the robbers on a local road. The robbers ditched their car in a shopping plaza and ran away. Some of the jewels were recovered from the car. The police are following several leads.

Does it seem like there have been more robberies this year? The statistics from Jeweler's Security Alliance show that this year they have seen a total of $45.9 million stolen with 682 cases. Compare this to last year's total of $48.4 million with 713 cases and it looks like this year is trending to beat last year's numbers.

John Kennedy of Jeweler's Security Alliance says that while robberies are up, the total dollar losses from jewelry crime is steady to down. He says there may be a few more of what he calls the "most crude jewelry crimes, such as a grab and run or a window smashing" but that the big dollar and violent crimes are not subject to the ups and downs of the economy. According to Kennedy none of the studies indicate that the economy has a significant influence and that crime can rise in prosperous years. Because jewelry stores have stronger security measures than many other businesses they are always not targets of the suddenly desperate. One less thing to blame on the economy.

Tags: crime, jewelry, laguna beach, LagunaBeach, robbery

St. Regis Monarch Beach Turned Over To Citigroup

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Last month I mentioned that the owners of the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point, California had defaulted on a $70-million loan. The Orange County resort, infamous for being the site of the $443,000 AIG retreat after the federal bailout, was scheduled for a foreclosure auction. The auction didn't take place and the resort was officially turned over to the lender of its $70 million mezzanine loan, Citigroup. The Wall Street Journal reports that deal took place after weeks of negotiations between Citigroup and the owners of the hotel, Farallon Capital Management LLC and Makar Properties LLC. A Citigroup spokesperson has said that the foreclosure acquisition will have no impact on the daily operations of the resort which will carry on as usual.

The St. Regis has a 400-room hotel, a golf course, a private beach club and several restaurants including Michael Mina's Stonehill Tavern. The property is current on two other mortgages totaling $230 million and was refinanced in 2007 resulting in the $300 million in debt. The five-star hotel is located near Laguna Beach, California which is also home to Ritz-Carlton and Montage luxury resorts. Occupancy rates were down in the first quarter of the year but if this weekend's traffic in the area was any indication, those numbers should be on the rise once again.

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Tags: dana point, DanaPoint, laguna beach, LagunaBeach, st regis monarch beach, StRegisMonarchBeach

Villa Rockledge, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

We don't have many pictures of this one but Villa Rockledge is a beautiful older home in the expensive seaside town of Laguna Beach in Orange County, California. Unlike many of the town's expensive cliffside homes this one has a long history. The Press-Enterprise reports that it was built over a four year period from 1918 to 1922 for Frank Miller, former owner of the Mission Inn in Riverside, who built the home as a gift for his second wife Marion and called it Mariona, a name which is still shown on a brick arch in one of the home's entry points. The residence was added to the National Registry of Historic Places by the State of California and the U.S. National Park Service in 1984.

The 8,065 square foot compound includes a main house, six guest houses which are rentals and a secluded beach. The current owner, Roger W. Jones, bought the home in 1973 for $420,000 and has researched the history of Villa Rockledge even writing a book "The History of Villa Rockledge," published in 1991. Celebrities from the grand ages of moviemaking including Errol Flynn, Clifton Webb and Bette Davis visited the home which was designed so that even the bathrooms have ocean views. Jones has said that he he restored Villa Rockledge closer to its original condition exposing beams and brick.

The fact that the home is on the National Registry of Historic Places means it can't be torn down but it does seem to be in need of some major renovation. It is listed with Susan Weir for $34.9 million but an MLS listing shows a couple more pictures that reveal a very dated kitchen. It's likely that any new owners would want to spend a significant amount of money on renovation. Because of its idyllic location and charm Laguna Beach hasn't been hit as hard by the real estate market slump as other parts of Southern California but prices in this town have fallen off in the past year. This home seems to combine the best parts of Laguna Beach, the stunning ocean views clear to Catalina as well as the quirky rustic style that graces some of the older homes in the area.

Gallery: Villa Rockledge

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Tags: estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, laguna beach, LagunaBeach, ornage county, OrnageCounty, southern california real estate, SouthernCaliforniaRealEstate, villa rockledge, VillaRockledge

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Big Foreclosure Hits Laguna Beach

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The foreclosures are getting bigger and bigger. As Luxist tipster Delta Sierra let us know, the multimillion dollar foreclosures have come to the seaside town of Laguna Beach, California. The Laguna Beach Independent reports that Villa Mar Vista, a home once listed for $28 million was set to be auctioned off at the Santa Ana courthouse on March 11. A listing of the sale revealed that $15,137,411.73 was owed on the home, which appears to be unfinished.

No word yet on if this one sold but there may be more multimillion dollar auctions in the pipeline ahead for this community. I've been spending some time in Laguna Beach recently and I've observed that a lot of homes that are on the market have had for sale signs out for months. With spring buying season ramping up it will be interesting to see how things shake out.

UPDATE: This home is now back on the market for $22.95 million.

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Tags: california real estate, CaliforniaRealEstate, laguna beach, LagunaBeach, real estate, RealEstate

Anthony Clark in Laguna Beach, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

This week The Real Estalker turned up not only the listing for actor Anthony Clark's Los Angeles home but his Laguna Beach one as well. I've been spending a lot of time in Laguna Beach recently and can certainly speak to its charms as one of the more charming beachside communities in California's Orange Country. The artsy town features many mansions tucked into the hills, perfectly placed for ocean views. Clark's home is a beautiful modern three bedroom which he bought in 2004 for $2.2 million The recently remodeled home has sharp lines, giant windows and a terrace perfect for catching Laguna's legendary sunsets. The home is listed at $2.795 million. Laguna Beach's home values have fallen in the last year and while ocean views always have their price, I suspect Clark may have to knock the price down a little further before he sells.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Gallery: Anthony Clark in Laguna Beach

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Tags: anthony clark, AnthonyClark, celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, laguna beach, LagunaBeach

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The Quarterback in Laguna, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

I spent some time last week in the oceanside town of Laguna Beach, California so I was particularly interested to see this property for sale. Laguna Beach is a town full of hills and canyons which lends itself to homes with truly amazing vistas of the sea. The LA Times Hot Property column reports that today's estate belongs to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer. Palmer's home is a four-bedroom Mediterranean perched on a hilltop with beautiful views out over the ocean, the town and an open canyon. Like many hillside homes, this one has a bunch of levels. The top level has an entry deck, oceanview front office and a two-car garage. The home also includes a gourmet kitchen, formal dining room, living room, a full-floor master bedroom suite which has a cedar-lined walk-in closet, an office, sitting area and master bath. The lowest level has two two bedrooms with a large balcony. Big Time Listings reports that Palmer also owns a home in Del Mar, California and a five-bedroom home in Cincinnati. This home is listed at $2.949 million.

For more prime properties and lush locations, see Luxury Homes and Mansions.

Gallery: The Quarterback in Laguna

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Tags: carson palmer, CarsonPalmer, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, laguna beach, LagunaBeach, nfl

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Mossimo's Beach House, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

This week in the LA Times Hot Property, Ann Brenoff digs up a small yet lovely home with a rather astounding price. The home in question in the Emerald Bay area of Laguna Beach, California and belongs to Mossimo Giannulli and his wife actress Lori Laughlin who is set to star on the new 90210 show this fall. Mossimo is best known by his first name as a popular designer for Target. This small three-bedroom home (it's around 2,000 square feet) home is decorated in a bright beachy style. No pool, just a small year courtyard but you are a short walk from the beach. It's cute, really cute, but is it $12.995 million worth of cute? Only if you are very smitten with lovely Emerald Bay.

Gallery: Mossimo's Beach House

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Tags: california real estate, CaliforniaRealEstate, estate of the day, laguna beach, lori loughlin, mossimo

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Laguna Beach Home, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

One of the great things about playing around on the Realtor.com website is the handy dandy estimated mortgage payments feature. Your monthly on the beauty shown here would be an astounding $148,556. This castle-like home is in the Orange County, California enclave of Laguna Beach. This castle-like home is approximately 10,000 square feet with six bedrooms. It looks older but it is actually new construction and sits on 2.2 acres. The Craftsman style home has direct access to a private beach. Other details include three kitchens, a movie theater, wine cellar, pool, guest quarters and a cabana area. The listing only has one interior listing but it's enough to give a sense of the scale of this home. At $31.5 million it is currently the most expensive home listed in the area.

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Tags: california real esate, california real estate, estate of the day, laguna beach, LagunaBeach, luxury real estate

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Montage Resort Epicurean Package

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine

Just because Valentine's Day is over, that doesn't mean the exotic trips and fancy hotel packages have to end. The Montage Resort and Spa in Laguna Beach is offering a luxury package that includes food, wine and a brief tour through some of California's loveliest spots. Their epicurean adventure includes three nights in an oceanfront suite, a private wine tasting with a featured winemaker and Montage’s wine director Christopher Coon, a private yacht tour to Catalina Island complete with lunch and wine tastings and a day jaunt to Napa that includes a wine country luncheon and winds up with a multi-course farewell dinner. The package, which is available until April 30, starts at $25,000 for a one bedroom ocean front suite.

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Tags: holiday, laguna beach, montage, resort package, vacation