Elegance and charm are the highlights of this 5 bedroom home in Painted Trails complete with a bonus room and second level loft. A nicely landscaped front lawn complements the stately exterior. Rich plank hardwood flooring, plantation shutters, and a neutral color palate can be found throughout this move-in ready home. Host large or intimate gatherings in the spacious living room and adjacent formal dining room. Home chefs will delight in the open concept gourmet kitchen featuring granite countertops and a convenient center island with seating. Prepare your favorite meals using upgraded appliances, double ovens, and a built-in 5 burner gas cooktop. High quality cabinetry and a walk-in pantry keep all of your cooking essentials organized. Enjoy family meals at home in the sun-filled breakfast area featuring sliding glass doors to the patio. Unwind in the inviting family room complete with a cozy fireplace and a built-in entertainment center. Designed to accommodate a large screen TV, this custom unit also features cabinets for storage and shelving for displaying books, pottery or artwork. A serene guest bedroom and a full bathroom offer comfort and privacy for overnight guests.

Follow the classic wooden staircase to the second level loft area for extra entertaining space. End the day in the luxurious master suite featuring a full walk-in closet with access to the attic for storing all of the extras. The designer master bathroom offers his and hers vanities, an oval soaking tub, and a large separate shower surrounded by custom tile. Three additional generous sized bedrooms share a nicely appointed full bathroom with a double vanity. A convenient laundry room completes this level. The third floor bonus room is full of possibilities! This open and inviting space features a vaulted ceiling and can easily be an additional guest room, media room, or exercise room. Outdoor entertaining is easy on the spacious patio! A free-standing pergola with river rock pillars offers plenty of shade while dining or grilling. Relax and take in the manicured backyard complete with stone faced planters. Accent lighting allows you to enjoy the view any time of day while the sprinkler system keeps your yard looking great year-round. The attached three-car garage will store all of your vehicles and toys! Stay comfortable all year with dual heat and AC systems, ceiling fans in many rooms, and a whole house water treatment system. Painted Trails residents enjoy a unique living experience with access to a pool, spa, barbeque and picnic areas, a playground, sports court and hiking trails. Located minutes from Lake Mission Viejo where outdoor activities include swimming and picnicking, boating, fishing and live entertainment. Don’t miss your opportunity to own this exceptional home!

Are you ready to sell your Orange County home? Part of the home-selling process is staging your home to sell. This means setting up your home to look clean, neutral and appealing to as many buyers as possible. It should strike a balance between lived-in and never-owned. According to RISMedia, properly staging a home can raise the value of a home and can boost a sale price by as much as 10 percent!

Here at Hakola & Associates, we offer free staging consultations from a professional stager, because we understand the importance of a properly staged home! We also offer professional photography and video, to make your listing look as visually appealing as possible.

To help you prepare for the staging process, here are six staging secrets to steal from model homes, according to RISMedia:

• Set intentions for the space – Remove items that don’t fit the intended purpose of the space. For example, take televisions and computer desks out of a bedroom, so that it only appears as a bedroom. Remove clutter from your kitchen eating area, so it only appears as a table ready to be served with food.

• Open up accessibility – Make sure your rooms properly flow from one to another by pulling furniture away from walls and setting up social seating areas. Add area rugs to better separate the space. Allow for at least three feet of walk-through space around the furniture. This makes the room seem larger.

• Convey spaciousness – A great way of doing this in the home is to group solid furnishings, such as bookcases and sectionals, with lighter pieces, such as a glass side table or raised bench.

• Add light fixtures – As a rule of thumb, you want to have at least one light fixture for every 100 square feet of space. Use pure white lamp shades on all light fixtures. Replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs. Open window blinds and curtains to allow as much natural light in as possible during the day.

• Mix table and task lighting – You want a little of each in high-traffic areas. For example, you could install lighting underneath cabinetry in the kitchen, and you could place a small lamp on a desk.

• Accessorize sparingly – You want the home to look lived in, but also clean and decluttered, like a model. This means displaying only a handful of books on bookshelves, one healthy house plant on a side table, or one statement piece of art over a bed or fireplace. Create focal points.

For more professional staging tips, contact us, your Orange County real estate agents! We will help price your home properly so you can net the most amount of money. We will offer you a free staging consultation from a professional stager. We will take professional photographs and video for your home listing. We will help negotiate a home sale with the right buyer. We will help you out in every step of the home-selling process. Contact us today!

Can you believe the month of May is already half over? Have you gotten out and enjoyed all that Orange County has to offer? As we head into the second half of the month, and Memorial Day weekend, there is plenty to do around the area. As your Orange County real estate agents, we want to fill you in on some upcoming events and activities! Pick your favorite from the list and enjoy.

1. On Friday, May 20, head to San Gorgonio Park in San Clemente for a Student Concert and Movie Night in the Park! First, you can enjoy the musical talents of the San Clemente High School and Shorecliffs Middle School jazz bands, and then, enjoy a free showing of “Finding Nemo.” 

2. On Saturday, May 21, visit Doheny State Beach at Dana Point for the Doheny Blues Festival! This annual fest is known as the kickoff to summer by blues enthusiasts in OC. The weekend features live blues music, vendors and food from around the world. 

3. On Sunday, May 22, head to Balboa Island from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the Balboa Island Artwalk! This is the premier showcase for artists that want to exhibit paintings, fine jewelry, blown glass, sculpture and photography. You might find a new piece of artwork to hang in your Orange County home! 

4. On Friday, May 27, kick off your holiday weekend at the Crown Valley Park Amphitheater in Laguna Niguel for the Music & Arts Festival! From 6 to 10 p.m., you can support local middle and high school bands as they showcase their talents in 30-minute sets. It’s free! 

5. On Sunday, May 29, stop by Oso Viejo Park for the KSBR Birthday Bash Jazz Festival and Taste of the Bash! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to catch more than 30 jazz headliners playing with each other in this jazz jam. You’ll have lots of delicious food items to choose from as well.

6. On Monday, May 30, celebrate Memorial Day bright and early at the Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half Marathon, 5k and 10k! Get there bright and early at 7 a.m. Participants will run through the beautiful streets of Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods and more. If you’re not running, cheer on those who are! 

Enjoy this list of events in Orange County in the coming weeks! These are great opportunities to get out of the house and enjoy all the beauty and fun that the OC area has to offer. If you’re new to the area, it’s also a great way to meet new people!

When ready to accomplish your Orange County real estate market goals this spring and summer, contact us, your OC real estate agents. We are here to help!

16099 Mount Prieto Circle, Fountain Valley, CA

3 BEDROOMS | 2 (2 FULL ) BATHROOMS | 1930 SQUARE FEET

This fantastic Fountain Valley three bedroom home features a great open floor plan and thoughtful upgrades throughout. Situated at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, the property includes an inviting swimming pool and spa surrounded by block walls and privacy landscaping. The heated inground pool and large concrete patio are perfect for entertaining guests in your very own backyard playground. Tastefully landscaped in the front and rear, and including automatic sprinklers, this lot comes in at almost 10,000 square feet of nicely planned space. Inside, you will find cooling ceramic tile flooring throughout, in addition to fresh paint, recessed lighting, and classy crown molding. The spacious kitchen offers updated lighting over the breakfast bar, plenty of cabinetry for storage, stainless steel appliances, and corian countertops. The adjacent family room is provides a great gathering space and is highlighted by a gas fireplace with gas logs. Plantation shutters on the large dual-pane Milgard windows and doors to access the patio offer shade from the sun. The formal dining room features gorgeous chandeliers and a wonderful open space. The lovely master suite provides private access to the patio, mirrored closet doors, and closet organizers. There are two additional bedrooms and two updated full bathrooms. A two car attached garage rounds out this fantastic single family home.

As your Orange County real estate agents, we want you to think back to high school for a moment, when you first learned about supply and demand. When supply of an item is low, and demand is high, that is the best time to sell! This is why we believe that this is an ideal time to sell your Orange County home.

Inventory of homes for sale is well below historic norms, but buyer demand is still skyrocketing. Buyers don’t want to miss out on low mortgage rates, and spring and summer are the busiest seasons for home-buying activity. This means that if you act now, and list your home on the Orange County real estate market, you are in the driver’s seat!

According to housing experts quoted in this KCM Crew article, “We are entering the busiest season of home buying with the lowest amount of inventory in three years.” What does this mean for you as the seller? It means that your house will likely sell fast, and for a great price!

In a seller’s market, you hold a major negotiating advantage over buyers, because you could find yourself with numerous interested buyers in a short time. Those buyers might end up in a bidding war, meaning you’ll receive more money for your home when all is said and done, and you also have negotiating power in subjects such as the inspection, appraisal and financing contingencies.

Another reason to gear up for a home sale in Orange County, CA right now is because this time of year is the ideal time to sell! Specifically, homes sold between May 1 and May 15 sell around 18.5 days faster and for 1 percent more than the average listing, according to Zillow. These dates fluctuate a bit, depending on location, but basically, it comes down to spring being the best season to sell your Orange County home!

When you’re ready to sell, contact Hakola & Associates! We’ve been in the real estate business since 1979, with numerous repeat clients! We don’t work other jobs, so our sole focus is to help you sell your Orange County home. We help you price your home right, we offer free staging consultations from a professional stager, we provide professional photography and video, and we use active marketing techniques to ensure that your listing is seen by buyers!

If you’re ready to sell, or you have questions, contact us anytime! As Orange County real estate agents, we are here to serve you.