Latest / Unlocking Huntington Beach / Living in SeaCliff, HB: Prices, HOAs & Downsides (Ep. 37)

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Living in SeaCliff, HB: Prices, HOAs & Downsides (Ep. 37) · Unlocking Huntington Beach

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: And we're back with another episode of Unlocking Huntington Beach.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: What's going on?
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Lane Stone, and we have another good one for you today.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're going to be talking about one of Huntington Beach's most coveted areas, Seacliff.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: So let's dive right in.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are going to drive down Golden West toward the beach and you look to your right, there's an entire neighborhood tucked behind hedges, walls, and gates.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Gates that many people in Huntington Beach have never actually been inside.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's Seacliff.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: And depending on which street you turn on or which gate you drive through, a house here costs anywhere from$1.8 million to well past$5 million, upwards to$6.5 million.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: Same neighborhood, same zip code, wildly different lives.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Lane Stone.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: I've been selling homes in Huntington Beach for more than 14 years, and this is everything you need to know about Seacliff.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: Here's what we're covering: where Seacliff actually is, what it really costs, including HOA fees and tax questions, the many communities and who each one is actually for, schools, daily life, and the newly reinvented country club and things still to come for this country club, as well as the honest part, including what this neighborhood was built on top of.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: Let's start with the map.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Seacliffe sits in the 92648 zip just northwest of downtown.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: The rough boundaries are Golden West Street on the east, Garfield and Ellis up top, Edwards and Seapoint on the west, and Pacific Coast Highway along the bottom.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: If you've ever parked at Dog Beach, you've been standing at the front door of Seacliffe.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: So two things that make this location special.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: First, the beach.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's right across the street.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: And second, the western edge backs up to Bolsa Chica wetlands.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: There's 1,200 acres of protected open space that will never be developed, guaranteeing your view will stay a view.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's talk money.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Online platforms show an average value around$1.86 million, while active listings sit closer to the median of$3 million.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Why?
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Because Seacliff isn't one market.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's three markets stacked on top of each other.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: You have Tier 1, which is the original Huntington Seacliff tract built in the 70s, that's non-gated.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: The range is between 1.7 to 2.2 million.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Tier 2, in the 80s and 90s, they gave gated communities like the Peninsula and Ocean Colony, ranging between 2 to 3.5 million.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: Tier 3, you have the Estate Seacliff Country Club.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's a 24-hour guard-gated community with custom golf course homes.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: The range here is 4.5 to 6.5 million.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: When clients ask for Seacliff, my first question is which Seacliff?
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Because the answer changes the budget by a factor of three.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Next to two questions on every showing.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: HOA dues and if there's Melaruz.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: HOAs.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Original track has little to none.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: The electronic gates run$200 to$300 a month.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: The guard gates run between$400 to$700 a month.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Now Melaruz, Huntington Beach has almost none.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Don't trust online guides.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: Pull the property tax bill for the specific house.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now for renovations, many homes are 30 to 50 years old, so factor in potential remodel costs for original kitchens and windows and various expenses such as that.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's walk through the individual tracks.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Starting with number one, the original Huntington Sea Cliff.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: 70s build, wide streets, big trees, no gates, no HOA enforcement.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, St.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Augustine and the Peninsula.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: 90s build, electronic gated, tighter lots, and then repeating floor plans.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Then you have number three, the ocean colony, guard gated off Golden West, closest to the sand, can get breezy or loud near PCH.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: And you also have number four, Seacliff on the Greens, which is a 24-hour guard-gated community, fairways, high monthly dues with strict visitor check-ins.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: And then finally, you have the estates, custom builds, continuous guard attendance security, extremely low inventory.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: And at the center of it all is the Huntington Club, formerly Seacliff Country Club.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Reinvented with an 18-hole championship golf course, 13 tennis courts, eight pickleball courts, a fitness center, resort pool, coal plunge, sauna, and restaurants.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Join it and you'll have friends in a month.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Skip it and Seacliff stays very quiet.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's talk about daily life in schools.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Most of the neighborhood feeds Huntington Seacliff Elementary, which is one of the highest-rated elementary schools in the city and is walking distance from a big chunk of these communities.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Some of the southern and eastern streets go to Smith Elementary instead, which is also my alma mater, and it's excellent, but you want to confirm the boundary on the specific address.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: From there, it's Dwyer Middle School and Huntington Beach High School.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: Both are really close.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Kids in Seacliff walk or bike to school.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: In Coastal Orange County, that's a bigger deal than it really sounds.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: I have friends that work at all of these schools, so please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about any of them.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Now for your errands, you'll be going to Seacliffe Village for groceries, coffee, some great restaurants, dry cleaning, and much more.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: You have the Peninsula Marketplace, which covers the rest.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: You're not driving to Bellaterra for milk.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: For parks, you have Discovery Well Park in the middle of the neighborhood, Bailey Park if you have a dog, and then a great park on the bluff, which I'll come back to later.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: When you're ready to go to the beach, head down Seapoint or Golden West to PCH, cross and you're at Dog Beach or the Bluffs.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: The bike path runs the entire coast there.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of Seacliff residents haven't parked at the beach in years.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: They ride.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's talk about the honest part.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Three things.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: First, the ground.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of Seacliff was built on former oil-filled land.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: This whole city was oil town before it was the surf town.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: And this neighborhood is where a lot of that history sits.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: When these tracks were developed, the city required mitigation on certain lots, and you'll still see the occasional pump jack in the area.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: What that means for you is simple.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: When you buy in Seacliff, you ask for the full disclosure package.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: You ask whether the home has any mitigation system, and you read the answer.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Most homes have been sold multiple times with zero issues, but a good agent tells you this on the first showing, not in escrow.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: Second, let's talk about gate life.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's not for everybody.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: The safety and quiet are great, but what if you need to check your mother-in-law in to the guard every Sunday?
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe that is great for you too.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: But if you're a big entertainer with a lot of foot traffic, look hard at the original tract or an electronic gate community before you sign up for a staffed one.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Third, it's quieter than the rest of Huntington Beach.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Downtown is a 15-minute walk or a five-minute bike ride, but you're not on top of it.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: There's no main street energy here.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: Some people move to Seacliff specifically for that.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Some people move here and realize they want to be closer to the noise.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: So you have to know which one you are.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: And the traffic?
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: Well, Golden West and PCH at 5 o'clock on a summer Friday is a real thing.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's not Irvine bad, but it's still something worth noting.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: So who is Seacliff for?
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's for you if you want to be across the street from the beach without being in the tourist busy crazy zone.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's for you if walkable, top-rated schools are on your list.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's for you if a country club is a lifestyle that you seek.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: And it's for you if you understand that the price tag and HOA are buying you the two things this neighborhood has that almost nowhere else on this coast does: a permanent open space border and a gate.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's not for you if you want a fixture under a million, if you want Main Street outside your door, or if the idea of a 24-7 attended guard gate makes you itch.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: Let me show you why people put up with all of it.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: Take a look at the bluff on the west edge of Seacliff.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: Behind is Bolsa Chica.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: All of it is protected.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Past that is the ocean.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: On a clear evening, you can see Catalina.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Residents walk this trail every single night.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: It's the neighborhood's front porch.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: And it's the reason that when a Seacliff family sells and moves somewhere else in Orange County, about half of them end up calling me two years later asking what's available back there.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: And that's Seacliff.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: If you want a real conversation about which tier makes sense for your budget, my contact info is in the description.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll tell you the truth, even if it means talking about a different neighborhood.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: Next episode, we're heading where I grew up, downtown.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna tell you what living above Main Street is actually like.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Subscribe so you don't miss it.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna leave you with this like I do each and every week.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: Do good.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: Hunt to Beach deserves it, and I'll see you on the next one.