South Laguna Comp Check - 2 South Portola - 37% off Orginal List

South Laguna is far off the beaten path.  It is thankfully free of tourists compared to the rest of Laguna Beach, but for those of us who work, the drive takes almost as long as traveling from the office to San Clemente via the toll road.  

Historically, real estate in South Laguna has been much cheaper than the rest of the town.  Come the bubble, that difference more or less disappeared, and the asking price of most homes in South Laguna still reflect this bubble valuation. 

Anyway, enough of the history, how about a comp in South Laguna's 3 Arch Bay? Let's get down to it and talk about 2 South Portola.

I think the takeaway here is that an older family home on the primo beach side of 3 Arch Bay sold for about $750 per square foot and that list prices should be viewed with healthy skepticism by buyers.  2 South Portola ended up selling for about 37% less than its original asking price of $3,250,000.

2 South Portola is a rather nice 5 bedroom/3 bath.  Per the listing:  "Traditional Three Arch Bay home with ocean and sunset views. Vaulted ceilings, fireplace, view deck, open floor plan and enclosed sun porch. The most wonderful and charming Lower Three Arch Bay home. Close to beautiful beach."  You can view the MLS listing at here.

Original List price: $3,250,000
Listed: September, 2008 (yeah, about 1000 days or so on the market!)
Sold: May, 2011
Selling Price: $2,050,000
Selling Price/List: 63%

So, what kind of a rollback does this represent?  2 South Portola sold in May, 2005, for $2,500,000, so this most recent sale price represents, say, a mid or late 2003 price.  If you are trying to value a property in Laguna Beach to determine how much to offer, try to figure out what it was worth in 2003 and you should be on the right track.

Buyers be careful out there. Lots of homes have wildly overpriced asking prices.