A review of the county\u2019s 25 most expensive residential transactions in 2025, ranging from about $17.15 million to $42 million, shows the top deals clustered along the coastlines of Newport Coast, Corona del Mar, Dana Point and Laguna Beach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The trend highlights the enduring value of ocean views, waterfront access and scarce coastal land. In short, buyers will pay top dollar to live closest to the water.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s exclusivity, it\u2019s lifestyle,\u201d Paul Daftarian of the Daftarian Group and Luxe Real Estate told the Business Journal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2025, \u00adDaftarian represented parties for the top three most expensive homes on this year\u2019s Top 25 Orange County Home Sales list. (See page 24)\u00a0<\/p>\n
The list is based on data from Land Advisors, First American Realty, Zillow, Homes.com and Redfin. It only includes public deed records and excludes off-market, pocket listings and private transfers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The list also comprises only 24 homes, since one of the luxury estates, 38 Linda Isle in Newport Beach, sold twice within a week in April, once for $27 million and then again for $29 million. Robert Giem of Plus Real Estate handled both transactions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The High End Market\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reports on the housing market show that 2025 was a strong year for luxury home sales in Orange County. A total of 109 homes sold for at least $10 million each, compared with 103 in 2024 and 79 in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The county\u2019s highest sale was 1 Pelican Crest Drive, a $42 million estate in Newport Coast. This helped bring the total for the top 25 sales to nearly $600 million. That\u2019s more than the $575 million fetched in 2024, but less than 2023\u2019s $624.7 million and the 2021 peak of $668 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the ultra-high end, Daftarian and his team handled the top three residential sales of 2025, all in Newport Coast and Crystal Cove.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said affluent buyers were driven to pay a premium and more because of scarcity and a preference for a turnkey estate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re getting a mansion with an ocean view, close to the best schools, the best restaurants and you\u2019ve got that ocean air,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Move-in Ready Appeal\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 2025 sales also showed that buyers prefer newer or extensively remodeled homes. Daftarian explained that rising construction costs and longer timelines are pushing buyers to choose move-in-ready properties, while homes that need major work tend to sell more slowly and for less.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just costlier,\u201d he said. He gave an example of a seller who was importing marble from Italy. The cost is much higher now than it was a couple of years ago, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said that higher material prices, labor constraints and tariffs can quickly add six figures to high-end projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jon Flagg, a Pacific Sotheby\u2019s International Realty agent specializing Lido Isle, said wealthy buyers also look for neighborhoods with a good mix of shops, restaurants, safety, and everyday convenience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Newport, it\u2019s all about access to everything,\u201d he said. Flagg represented a buyer who bought an $18.1 million home on Lido Isle, ranked No. 23 on our list.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Flagg said Lido Isle residents walk to beaches and Lido Marina Village\u2019s dining and shopping just off the island, keeping things nearby but not overwhelming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Flagg described Lido Isle as a rare coastal community with a close-knit neighborhood feel. It\u2019s an island with only one way in and out, plus an HOA and amenities like a clubhouse, private beach, tennis courts and social clubs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are always activities on Lido,\u201d he said, adding that the limited access adds a sense of security.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He described the buyers as \u201ca lot of very quiet money,\u201d noting that many residents are successful but low-key and down-to-earth. This creates a community that mixes long-time owners with newcomers eager to fit in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2026 Outlook\u00a0<\/p>\n
Market fundamentals remain straightforward, Flagg said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere aren\u2019t a lot of people that really want to sell and move out of the community,\u201d keeping supply tight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere do many people go from here?\u201d he asked. \u201cThere\u2019s a shortage of land, so new units aren\u2019t being built.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, Flagg said he expects steady appreciation \u2014 \u201c3 to 7% depending on the community\u201d \u2014 with the best, turnkey homes in Orange County continuing to command top dollar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said in Orange County\u2019s luxury market, \u201cthe nice, sexy homes will keep getting top dollar.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Buyers want a coastal lifestyle and are ready to pay for it, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A review of the county\u2019s 25 most expensive residential transactions in 2025, ranging from about $17.15 million to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":211835,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164],"class_list":{"0":"post-211834","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-anaheim","8":"tag-anaheim","9":"tag-anaheim-headlines","10":"tag-anaheim-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211834\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}