The Before and After Series: Part Twelve

Pebble Beach | Carmel | Carmel Valley

December 20, 2019

Coastal Cool

by Courtney Jones, REALTOR®

What was once a two bedroom 882sf dilapidated cottage, is now a sparkling new beach house thanks to the vision of my clients who purchased this home exactly two years ago. The buyer engaged local architect Ken Turgen of WR&D in Monterey and contractor Kevin Flanders of KF Construction to expand the footprint of the small cottage. Originally built in 1932 with single wall construction, they were able to maneuver the floor plan to create a great room for the common living space and manipulate the water credits to add a second bathroom.

Perfectly beachy with clean lines and contemporary finishes, the home is an ideal weekender for their family who primarily reside in the Bay Area.

The exterior is an attractive blue-gray now with new copper gutters while the interior features gorgeous hickory hardwood floors, beautiful patterned tile accents and quartz countertops.

The owner used a shiplap treatment for the living room walls, installed natural walnut shelves and recessed the TV above the fireplace. She also choose light fixtures from Houzz and Wayfair, even painting one with an antique brass finish black. When not using the property themselves, they will have it available as a vacation rental so were mindful when choosing furniture and sourced pieces from Macy’s, HomeGoods, Ikea and Bed Bath & Beyond.

They are now setting up the property as a vacation rental for 2020. For vacation rental inquiries and more information, please click here.

Many Carmel-by-the-Sea buyers look to rent their homes while not in use. Carmel-by-the-Sea has a 30 day minimum rental restriction and summer has the highest demand, typically booking about a year in advance. During the first year, owners can expect about 40% occupancy as we see many repeat clients booking the same homes year after year. A large number of Texans or Central Californians are attracted to our foggy summer days. During the winter months we have a higher demand from couples looking to escape the cold climates of New York, Colorado or Montana for instance. While many look to be close to the beach and town, there is a growing trend toward the quieter streets, even if they’re a bit further away.

With the real estate environment shifting to a buyer’s market, now is a great time to think about purchasing a rental property.

Vacation Itinerary for a Weekend in Carmel

Carmel-by-the-Sea is a longtime favorite destination for people from all over the country for a weekend visit (or longer) and has something that will create memories for everyone. Whether it's a romantic getaway, a girls' trip, a family affair or local stay-cation, if you're looking for a place with the perfect balance of relaxation and entertainment, you'll find it in our seaside village.

Tags: 1913 Magazine A Weekend in Carmel Carmel Vacation Things to do in Carmel-by-the-Sea

NAR Settlement

What's Changing About Real-Estate Commissions?

Dear Clients & Friends,

I want to address the National Association of REALTOR®s' recent settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit that has been in the news so much this year. One of the settlement terms is that the MLS will no longer allow for listing agents to make offers of compensation to buyer’s agents, which is how it has traditionally been handled. To comply with this settlement, the MLS removed all offers of buyer’s agent compensation as of Tuesday, August 13th.

Commissions always ...

» Read More about NAR Settlement

Modern Luxury in a Carmel Jewel Box

Fourtané Jewelers Opens a Beautiful New Boutique

In late 2023 Fourtané Jewelers, owned by the Bonifas family, opened a second Carmel location just up the street on Ocean Avenue from their famous jewelry and watch salon in the historic Pine Inn. Known as a worldwide purveyor of rare vintage jewelry pieces and of the finest watch brands in the world, including Rolex, Patek Phillipe and Cartier, the new, two-story boutique focuses solely on jewelry. The Bonifas family also owns a Rolex Boutique in San Diego, which they are currently expanding.

Tags: 1913 Magazine Carmel Art Scene Carmel Jewelry Carolina Bucci Fourtane Jewelers Josh Bonifas Juan Da Silva

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Evolves

Photo: Marc Howard

The Tournament's Exciting Transformation

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Tournament Director and Monterey Peninsula Foundation CEO Steve John has played as an amateur in the legendary golf tournament nine times, and each time, his excitement never waned.

"It was truly a treasured invitation," he says. "It's impossible to play center fi eld in a professional baseball game, but you can be part of something special with the Pro-Am."

A mainstay of the Monterey Peninsula for almost 80 years, the tournament has been officially ...

Tags: 1913 Magazine ATT Pebble Beach Pro-Am Carmel Real Estate Changes to the ATT Golf Tournament Pebble Beach Golf Links Pebble Beach Real Estate

The Before and After Series | Part Seventeen: Valley Estate Perfected

It was the quintessential COVID sale.

I had been referred to potential buyers who were relocating to Carmel from Colorado. They were the type of buyers that could be successful in the crazy days of COVID. Decisive, ready and able. It was March, 2021 and a gorgeous four bedroom home on one of my favorite streets in Carmel Valley had just hit the market. I called my clients and the husband literally hoped on a flight the very next morning. He boarded a plane with only a cup of coffee in ...