The 10,000-square-foot mansion that “burnt to a crisp” in the Coastal fire was “one signature away” from being sold, says the listing real estate agent. Now, that deal literally is up in smoke.
The unidentified owner, who has another home in Canada, watched helplessly from abroad as security cameras showed the fire’s approach and ultimately the home’s demise.
The mansion, listed for just under $10 million, was perhaps the priciest of 64 houses in the gated, ridgetop Coronado Pointe neighborhood overlooking the ocean and nearby canyons.
At least 20 of those homes were damaged or destroyed by the swift-moving wildfire that overtook the neighborhood west of Crown Valley Parkway. Another house was destroyed a block away on La Vue.
Prices for the fire-damaged homes along Coronado Pointe ranged from $2.85 million to $9.61 million, and averaged just under $4 million, according to the most recent Zillow “Zestimates” of home values. The mansion on the cul-de-sac at the north end of the block had been listed for sale at just under $9.9 million.
Most of the homes ranged from 4,000 to more than 6,000 square feet. It’s impossible to find homes of that size for those values in nearby Laguna Beach.
A firefighter sprays an adjacent house after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes, including this house on Vista Court in Laguna Niguel, CA. Crews continued mopping up on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ritz Sherman hugs his neighbor Andreas Frank as they survey the damage after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, CA. Both of their houses were saved. Crews continued mopping up on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A burned out car still sits I a driveway on Coronado Pointe after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, CA. Crews continued mopping up on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Firefighters monitor hot spots after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Neighbors Kamal Al-Faqih, Ritz Sherman and Andreas Frank, from left, survey the damage after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, CA. Their houses were saved. Crews continued mopping up on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A firefighter sprays an adjacent house after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes, including this house on Vista Court in Laguna Niguel, CA. Crews continued mopping up on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A woman walks a trail behind homes on Coronado Pointe after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, CA. Crews continued mopping up on Thursday, May 12, 2022 as the burn scar is visible in the canyon. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A firefighter sprays an adjacent house after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes, including this house on Vista Court in Laguna Niguel, CA. Crews continued mopping up on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A man takes a photo of a hose on Coronado Pointe after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, CA. Crews continued mopping up on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Firefighter drop water in Aliso Canyon during the Coastal Fire in Laguna Niguel, CA, on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An Orange County Sheriff Deputy runs from house to house as he tries to evacuate residents ahead of the oncoming Coastal Fire in Laguna Niguel, CA, on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A firefighter battles a fire in Laguna Niguel.
(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Firefighters monitor hot spots on Coronado Pointe after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, CA. Crews continued mopping up on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A house on Coronado Pointe is a burned out shell after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, CA. Crews continued mopping up on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Homes burns during the Coastal Fire in Laguna Niguel, CA, on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A home burns on Coronado Pointe during the Coastal Fire in Laguna Niguel, CA, on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Fire continues to smolder at a house on Coronado Pointe after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, CA. Crews continued mopping up on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Firefighter drop retardant in Aliso Canyon during the Coastal Fire in Laguna Niguel, CA, on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Firefighters work to put out a structure burning during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel. (Photo by Patrick Smith, Contributing Photographer)
Firefighters work to put out a structure burning during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel. (Photo by Patrick Smith, Contributing Photographer)
Firefighters work to put out a structure burning during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel. (Photo by Patrick Smith, Contributing Photographer)
The Coastal fire continues to smolder in Aliso Woods Canyon in Laguna Niguel on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. The fire was held at about 200 acres. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Firefighters put out hot spots on Thursday, May 12, 2022 at a house on Coronado Pointe after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, CA. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Homes continue to smolder on Coronado Pointe after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, CA. Crews continued mopping up on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Only a few walls of a house on Coronado Pointe are left standing after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, CA. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. The fire was held to about 200 acres on Thursday, May 12, 2022. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Crews put out hot spots on Thursday, May 12, 2022 in the canyon after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, CA. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Firefighters put out hot spots on Thursday, May 12, 2022 at a house on Coronado Pointe after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, CA. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Crews put out hot spots on Thursday, May 12, 2022 in the canyon after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes and left about a 200 burn scar in Laguna Niguel, CA. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Sassan Barian takes photos of the remains of his fathers house on Coronado Pointe after the Coastal fire destroyed about 20 homes in Laguna Niguel, CA. The fire was first reported just before 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in Aliso Woods Canyon and quickly moved up steep terrain. The fire was held to about 200 acres on Thursday, May 12, 2022. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Neighbors whose house survived the Coastal fire survey the damage of a house that burned down on Coronado Point. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register)
“It’s a very exclusive neighborhood, … very quiet,” said Leo Goldschwartz, the Newport Beach real estate agent who was selling the palatial, French-designed mansion at the north end of the neighborhood. “It’s an under-the-wire, luxury community that’s little-known.”
The original gated, one-street community of Coronado Pointe dates back to the late 1980s, when a partnership called Coronado Pointe L.P. launched construction, according to news clippings. Most of the homes were built by the original developer, but six at the north end of the street were custom homes built later.
The custom-built mansion at the north end of the block was the crown jewel of Coronado Pointe, with an elegant motor court out front, twin wings thrusting toward the canyon and a curving back wall overlooking the pool, a golf course and Aliso Beach in the distance. The home was built in 1999, designed by a French architect with Feng Shui sensibilities, Goldschwartz said.
“It’s a very special property. You cannot duplicate that home,” the agent, who works for Compas real estate, said. “The house had separate wings. The adults went one way, the kids went another way. … It was like a palace. The house was a really beautiful homes. The finishes were impressive.”
$30 million awarded to fund wildfire-monitoring planes proven in major disasters
The would-be buyers have been devastated, Goldschwartz said. They had plans to do an extensive remodel. A custom home next door, also heavily damaged by fire, had recently completed an extensive remodel.
The mansion was insured, Goldschwartz added, but fire insurance has been getting increasingly hard and more expensive to get as global warming and drought drive up risks in wildfire-prone California.
The Wall Street Journal reported recently that American International Group Inc. and Chubb Ltd. were pulling out of California’s regulated fire insurance market and offering policies in the higher-cost excess-and-surplus lines.
Goldschwartz said he had a knot in his stomach on Wednesday as he watched the home burn.
“I felt helpless. It’s pretty devastating,” he said. “Especially for my client who could only watch it from abroad.”
SCNG graphics editor Jeff Goertzen contributed to this report.
