$110 Million Emerald Bay Sale Shatters Orange County Record

A beachfront estate in Emerald Bay sold for $110 million in June, the highest residential sale ever recorded in Orange County. The all-cash, off-market deal closed June 9 and beat the county’s previous record of $70 million by $40 million.

The prior record was set in 2021 at Abalone Point in Irvine Cove, also in Laguna Beach. The new sale confirms what coastal luxury agents have argued for years: Orange County’s ultra-high-end market is closing the gap with Los Angeles.

A North Laguna cove from the air; the $110 million record sale closed off-market in June in nearby Emerald Bay.

Don Ramey Logan, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Source

Little is public about the parties. The seller was listed under Faith 5 LLC and the buyer as Delaware-registered Dlareme LLC, "Emerald" spelled backwards, according to the Orange County Register’s reporting. The Agency’s John Stanaland represented both sides, who he described as "very private and highly sophisticated."

Stanaland, who has closed about $4.5 billion in residential sales, called the home one of the highest-end properties he has ever handled. "The build itself is probably the highest end I have ever seen, and I sell a lot of high-end real estate," he said. Property records describe a multi-story mansion of four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms with 6,068 square feet, sitting at the end of a row of beach homes with floor-to-ceiling glass facing the Pacific.

The agent said the property drew several high offers while it was still under construction, some close to the $110 million mark, and that competition in Emerald Bay and Irvine Cove remains fierce. He expects more homes in the area to trade in the $100 million range soon, with lots closing in on the $70 million mark.

Realtor.com’s account describes a multi-story mansion where each floor carries large glass windows with sweeping Pacific views, sitting at the end of a row of beachfront homes. Pictures of the property are scarce, consistent with a deal both sides kept private from start to finish.

Blufftop estates and resorts in South Laguna Beach, in the corridor where the record $110 million sale reset pricing.

Don Ramey Logan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Source

Local luxury agents say the sale signals a structural shift. One analysis published after the deal argued that wildfires, taxes and lifestyle are driving high-net-worth buyers south from Los Angeles, and that Orange County’s ultra-high-end market, especially Emerald Bay, Irvine Cove and Newport Coast, is closing the gap with LA. The guard-gated communities, in this reading, are not just amenities but the product.

"Orange County offers a different lifestyle, away from big city noise and traffic," Stanaland told the Register, adding that "the abundance of high-end, guard-gated communities is also a huge selling factor for those who value privacy."

Note: one agent-written account described the home as 10,000 square feet at about $11,000 per square foot; the property-record figures cited by the New York Post (6,068 square feet) were used here. The price, date, parties and record status are consistent across reports.