When selling your house, work with your realtor to create a complete marketing package, in both print material and online.  Virtual tours are popular with potential home buyers. An eye catching virtual tour, can give a potential buyer a positive first impression prior to them actually viewing the physical property. Both old school and new school marketing techniques should be included to appeal to largest number of potential buyers.

The Balboa Bay Resort is having Brunch and Football every Sunday through football season. The resort is offering two different brunch options; at A&O there is football and a la carte brunch and a Girls get Together Brunch at the Waterline restaurant. The Waterline Brunch includes bottomless champagne and mimosas, a cold buffet and a choice of a hot brunch entrée. The football brunch at the A&O offers a breakfast taco bar, Bloody Mary bar and Direct TV NFL games. Brunch begins at 10am and ends at 2pm. For more information about either of these events, see their website at: http://balboabayresort.com/newport-beach-ca-hotels/southern-california-events/?NCK=8554213381&ContactID=13640669002#event|i-love-sundays-football-for-the-boys-and-brunch-for-girls|658.

Pelican Hill is a group of five luxury developments in the Newport Coast section of Newport Beach. Pelican Hill offers unprecedented views, golf, luxury amenities and gorgeous estate style homes. Located at 5 Sea Shell, this 10,400 square foot home is part of the Pelican Hill development. This four bedroom, seven bathroom home has an Art Deco style. This custom built estate features a wine cellar, elevator to all levels and in home gym. The home has near panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, white water, Catalina Island, Palos Verdes, the Los Angeles skyline and awe-inspiring sunsets. Outdoors, homeowners will enjoy a swimming pool, outdoor kitchen and outdoor sitting areas. Pelican Hill is a 24 hour guard gated development. Residents are near a wide arrange of shopping and dining at the Fashion Island mall.

With wonderful year round weather in Southern California, keep annual flowers blooming throughout the year in your gardens. Potential buyers will be able to easily see themselves enjoying the property and the house. Remove summer plants that are looking worn out and replace them with mums, pansies, verbena, kale and ornamental cabbage. Place a container of flowers or an un-carved pumpkin by the front door to complete the look.

On November 7^th and November 8^th, The Orange County Chrysanthemum Society is having a mum show and artisan fair at Sherman Library and Gardens. There will be hundreds of mums on display with examples of single stem mums, container grown mums, basket mums, bonsai style mums, mum trees and cascade mums. Part of the show will be judged event. Both single stem mums and container mums will be on sale. The artisan fair will feature local artists from Orange County. The mum show and fair will open at 10:30am and close at 4pm, each day. For more information about this show, or other events at the garden, see their website at: http://www.slgardens.org/bookingretrieve.aspx?id=10907.

Pelican Hill is a wonderful combination of natural beauty mixed with unsurpassed luxury amenities, world class golf and estate style living. The five developments that make-up Pelican Hill are; Pelican Crest, Pelican Point, Pelican Hill, Pelican Ridge and Pelican Ridge Estates. Located at 10 Premiere, this 7,000 square foot home is part of the Pelican Hill development. This four bedroom, five bathroom home is perched between the fairway and the green. The estate has recently been completely remodeled.  The views from this estate include the Pacific Ocean, white water, Catalina Island, golf course views and beautiful evening sunsets. Outdoors, homeowners will enjoy a saline pebble tech pool, barbeque area and outdoor bar. Pelican Hill is a 24 hour guard gated development of 140 custom built estates. Pelican Hill is positioned above the Crystal Cove State Park with miles of beach and trails for visitors to enjoy.

Before putting your home up for sale, consider getting a pre-sale home inspection. This gives the current homeowner a chance to fix any problems and present their home in the best possible light to potential home buyers.  A well maintained home will instill confidence in potential home buyers and it will also make the sales process run smoother and quicker. 

Sherman Library and Gardens will be hosting a Yarn Bombing exhibit from September 18^th to November 22^nd, 2015. This worldwide phenomenon is a form of street art and is known as “knit graffiti.” This art form uses both crochet and knitting techniques. A local group known as the Corona del Mar Yarn Bombing Bandits has done its magic at Sherman Gardens.  Yarn bombing is a non-permanent form of graffiti that is inexpensive and about personalizing public spaces. The Corona del Mar Yarn Bombing Bandits goals are to bridge the generational divide and support local community art. The exhibit is free with the price of admission. For more information about this exhibit or the many others events at the garden, see their website at: http://www.slgardens.org/BookingRetrieve.aspx?ID=52747.

Pelican Hill is part of Newport Coast. There are five distinctive developments that make-up Pelican Hill: Pelican Crest, Pelican Ridge, Pelican Ridge Estates, Pelican Hill and Pelican Point. Located at 26 Shoreline, this 8,700 square foot custom built estate is part of the Pelican Point development. This five bedroom, eight bathroom home has a Spanish Colonial architectural style. Set on an oversized lot of 15,000 square feet, this home features interiors designed by Concept Studio. There is elevator access to all levels including the 2,000 square foot subterranean garage. This estate has outstanding views of the Pacific Ocean, an adjacent fairway, white water, Catalina Island and beautiful evening sunsets. On clear days, views stretch to Palos Verdes and Laguna Beach. Outdoors, homeowners’ will enjoy a swimming pool, view terraces and beautiful landscaping. Pelican Point is 24 hour guard gated community, as are all the Pelican Hill developments.

Make potential home buyers feel welcome to your home, right from the minute they enter by creating a warm and inviting front entry. Regardless of the time of year, creating a warm and welcoming entry way is a great way to capture potential buyers interest.  For the fall season, add a wreath with fall foliage on the front door, add a container garden with deep colored mums and un-carved pumpkin. If necessary, re-paint your front door, red is a great color for the door if it complements the rest of the house.

The Newport Beach Library Foundation is offering a new series of gardening workshops for kids, this fall. This first workshop will take place on Sunday, September 27^th. Erin Aguiar, the Horticulture Manager at Sherman Library and Gardens will present a workshop on backyard composting. Kids will learn about composting and how scraps and leftovers can help a garden grow. There will a planting activity during the workshop, which will be taken home with the kids. The workshops cost $10 per child per session or $25 for the series of three. Space is limited, so reserve your spot early. For more information about this program or other library programs, see their website at: http://nbplfoundation.org/content/Making-Memories-for-Children.html.

Other up-coming kids gardening workshops:

October 4^th: Good Bugs, Bad Bugs

October 25^th: Art Inspired by Nature

Pelican Hill is a distinctive group of luxury developments in Newport Coast. These luxury homes are among the most sought after properties in the Orange County. Located at 3 Canyon Point, this 9,200 square foot estate is part of the Pelican Hill development. This five bedroom, eight bathroom home has an attached five car garage. The chef’s kitchen has fantastic views, white oak parquet floors and a great open floor plan. In addition, there are multiple powder rooms, a formal living room and dining room and an exterior courtyard. The estate has gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean, Newport Bay, white water, Catalina Island, city night lights and vivid sunsets. Views stretch to Palos Verdes. Outdoors homeowners’ will enjoy an infinity pool, spa and terraced gardens. Pelican Hill is a 24 hour guard gated community. There are just 140 custom built estates in Pelican Hill.

Regardless of the season, you choose to sell your home, curb appeal is important. Fall can be a tricky time for curb appeal, as gardens are not in bloom and summer annuals are fading. Be proactive; replace summer annuals with fall blooming plants, such as mums, in rich red and orange hues. Keep sidewalks and the driveway free of yard debris and fallen leaves.

The 2015 Newport Beach 1/1 Marine Foundation Golf Tournament will be played on Monday, September 14^th. The golf tournament will be held at the Marine Memorial Golf Course at Camp Pendleton. Play a round of golf with fellow Marine supporters and active duty 1^st Battalion, 1^st Marines. There will be a Shot Gun Start, Best Ball Scramble to get the tournament underway. Registration begins at 10am, followed at 11am by a Flak Jacket Putting Contest. The Shot Gun Start begins at 12:30pm. The day ends with an awards dinner at 5:30pm.  For more information, see either of these websites at:  https://www.newportbeach.com/events/newport-beach-11-marine-foundation-golf-tournament/ or www.oneonemarines.com.

Pelican Hill is a group of five luxury developments, in the Newport Coast section of Newport Beach. The five distinctive developments of Pelican Hill are: Pelican Crest, Pelican Hill, Pelican Ridge, Pelican Ridge Estates and Pelican Point. Located at 31 Masters Circle, this 11,000 square foot estate is part of the Pelican Hill development. This seven bedroom, nine bathroom estate, has a contemporary architectural style. The home has a gourmet kitchen, theater, wine room, game room and subterranean garage.  An elevator reaches all levels of the home. The home sits on a pie shaped property, with excellent views of the Pacific Ocean, white water, Catalina Island, Newport Harbor, the 7^th Fairway and gorgeous evening sunsets. On clear days, views stretch to Palos Verdes. This is a 24 hour guard gated neighborhood. Pelican Hill has just 140 custom built estates.

Congratulations to Michael Franco of Keller Williams, Newport Beach who recently sold a Watermark, Crystal Cove luxury home, as the realtor representing the buyer. The property at 6 Timor Sea, Newport Coast, closed today, 9/10/15, for 7.3 million dollars. Watermark, as part of the Crystal Cove development, is a 24 hour guard gated neighborhood. This 5,800 square foot home sits on an oversized 11,570 square foot lot. Built in 2001, this home is one of just 33 built by Taylor Woodrow Homes in Watermark. This luxury home has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms and a separate guest casita. The master suite, formal living room, dining room and kitchen all have views of the Pacific Ocean. The estate has panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, golf course views, surrounding canyon views, Catalina Island, and vibrant evening sunsets. Outdoors, homeowners will enjoy relaxing by the in-ground pool and spa, and in the private courtyard with a Spanish tile fountain. The three and a half car garage has extra storage and an attached workshop. Watermark students attend schools in the distinguished Laguna Beach Unified School District.

Michael Franco specializes in luxury real estate in the Newport Beach, Newport Coast and Laguna Beach areas. Newport Coast real estate includes the exclusive communities of Crystal Cove and Pelican Hill. Watermark is just one of several distinctive developments in Crystal Cove. Watermark residents, like all Crystal Cove residents, are invited to partake in all the resort style amenities of the Canyon Club Recreation Center. The Canyon Club acts as social hub of Crystal Cove. The Watermark homeowner’s association provides a pool, spa, tennis courts and a clubhouse for residents to use. The Crystal Cove Promenade is nearby with many shopping and dining choices. For more information about purchasing or selling a home in Newport Coast, Crystal Cove or Pelican Hill, please call Michael at 949-200-2383 today.

Prior to selling your home, consider renting a storage unit, to store some larger furniture items from your home. Many homes show better to potential buyers with less furniture in them, this helps take away clutter, opens up the rooms and leaves pathways clear for easy walking. Remove extra leaves from the dining room table, this will make the room look larger. Leave enough furniture in each room, so that prospective buyers can easily tell the purpose of each room.

The Newport Beach Marriott Hotel will host the last few evening of the 2015 Sunset Jazz at Newport in the month of September. Each Wednesday night through September 16^th, the Newport Beach Marriott will welcome a different jazz artist, many from the Newport Beach Jazz Party and The Jazz Cruise. The concerts take place in the Rose Garden. The first set of music will begin at 6pm; the second set will begin at 7:30pm. Both sets are included in the ticket price. Doors open at 5pm, at which time food service will be available. The final concerts will feature:

September 2^nd: Bryon Stripling and Bobby Floyd Quartet, featuring Graham Dechter and Joe LaBarbera

September 9th: Barbara Morrison and Rickey Woodard Quintet featuring Stu Elster, Richard Simon and Lee Spath

September 16^th: Ken Peplowski and Chuck Redd Quintet featuring Tom Ranier, Katie Thiroux and Matt Witek

For more information or to purchase tickets to any of the remaining concerts, see their website at:
http://www.sunsetjazzatnewport.com/.

Pelican Hill is made-up of five luxury developments and is situated in the Newport Coast area of Newport Beach. The five distinctive areas of Pelican Hill include: Pelican Crest, Pelican Hill, Pelican Point, Pelican Ridge and Pelican Ridge Estates. Located at 23 Pelican Vista Drive, the 14,000 square foot custom built estate is part of the Pelican Crest development. This seven bedroom, eleven bathroom estate is southward facing with fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean, white water, city night lights and vibrant evening sunsets. This estate features a private theater, a game room with a bar and an exercise room. This home has a six car subterranean garage. Pelican Crest is home to 166 custom built estates. This is a 24 hour guard gated community. Residents are in close proximity to the Fashion Island Shopping Center with world class shopping and dining.

Congratulations to Michael Franco of Keller Williams Newport Beach who recently sold an Ocean Heights, Newport Coast home as the realtor representing the buyer. The property located at 6 Overlook Drive closed yesterday, 8/20/15, for 2.5 million dollars. This Tuscan Villa style home is in the guard gated development of Ocean Heights. This three bedroom, 3.5 bathroom home is situated on an oversized 12,000 square foot lot. With separate guest quarters, this private home is perfect for entertaining. Outdoors homeowner’s are sure to love the fireplace and waterfall. Ocean Heights residents have many high-end shopping and dining options available nearby at the Crystal Cove Promenade. Newport Coast students attend schools in the award winning Newport Mesa Unified School District.

Michael Franco specializes in Newport Coast real estate, including the communities of Ocean Heights, Crystal Cove and Pelican Hill. Ocean Heights is made-up of the developments of Cassis, Perazul and Strada. Homes in this community have Mediterranean, Tuscan, Spanish and Santa Barbara architectural styles. Among the many amenities offered through the homeowners association are swimming pools, spas, a clubhouse and tennis courts. For more information about buying and selling a home in the Newport Coast area, please call Michael at 949-200-2383 today.

When selling your home during summer months, keep your home comfortably cool on hot summer days. This will make potential buyers feel comfortable and welcome and they will be inclined to stay and spend extra time checking your home out. Turn on ceiling fans, to keep the air moving. Potential buyers will sure to notice how well maintained appliances are and how comfortable the house can be during hot days.

“The Tempest” is being performed on Tuesday, August 18^th at 7pm. This is a special “Rain Check” performance due to a rain out a couple of weeks ago.  The Shakespeare by the Sea group will put on the performance at the Civic Center Green at 100 Civic Center Drive. Bring a picnic dinner, beach chairs and blankets and sit back, relax and enjoy this performance.  The Newport Beach City Arts Commission is sponsoring this event. This event is free for the public to attend. Free parking is available at the Civic Center Parking lot or at the library parking lot. For more information about Shakespeare by the Sea, see their website at: http://www.newportbeachca.gov/home.

Pelican Hill is situated in the Newport Coast section of Newport Beach. In addition to Pelican Hill, Crystal Cove is also part of Newport Coast. Pelican Hill is made up of five luxury developments: Pelican Crest, Pelican Hill, Pelican Ridge, Pelican Ridge Estates and Pelican Point. Located at 11 Pelican Vista, this 7,600 square foot home is part of the Pelican Crest neighborhood.  This five bedroom, nine bathroom estate has a contemporary architectural style. The home has abundant natural light. Attention to detail can be seen in the Bang and Olufsen multimedia equipment, Miele appliances and Dorn Bacht fixtures. The home has amazing views of the Pacific Ocean, white water, Newport Harbor and stunning evening sunsets. There are just 166 homes in Pelican Crest, which are all custom designed and built. This is a 24 hour guard gated community.

After you find the right home, the next step is making the right offer. Work with your professional real estate agent and make an offer that is fair to all parties involved.  An offer that is very low tends to result in loss of the house or putting the seller on the defensive. A too high of an offer, costs the buyer more money and leaves the seller being less negotiable on other items. Work with you realtor to create an offer that is win-win for both the seller and the buyer.

On August 5^th, from 7pm to 8pm join Dana Conley to learn summer meditation practices.  Take a little time out to slow down and learn to be more present in your own life. The class will include lessons on enjoying the moment more and learning to take in all the beauty around you. This is just one class in a series, each class will focus on a different theme, using simple meditation practices. The classes take place at Spa Gregorie’s in Newport Beach.  Bring a yoga mat or blanket. Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot early.  Classes are $15 each. For more information, see their website at: http://spagregories.com/promotions/.

Pelican Hill is part of the Newport Coast area, along with Crystal Cove.  Pelican Hill is made-up of five exclusive neighborhoods: Pelican Crest, Pelican Point, Pelican Hill, Pelican Ridge and Pelican Ridge Estates. Located 6 Skycrest, this 12,000 square foot home is part of the Pelican Crest development. This estate has five bedrooms and nine bathrooms. Attention to detail can be seen in the distressed walnut floors, antique fireplace and heated floors. An elevator services all three levels of the estate. Entertaining is a pleasure with the home theater, game room and bar. The views from this luxury home include the Pacific Ocean, white water, Catalina Island, Newport Harbor, surrounding mountains, city night lights and evening sunsets. There are just 166 custom built homes in Pelican Crest. This is a 24 hour guard gated community.