Everything else on this blog is data. Loan limits, medians, days on market, insurance rates. Useful, and also — let's be honest — not the stuff you argue about at dinner.
This one is the stuff you argue about at dinner.
Six questions about how people actually think about houses in Orange County. No right answers, no email required, nothing to qualify for. I am genuinely curious how these land, because after nine years of showing homes here I have opinions about what people will say and I would like to find out if I'm wrong.
Vote below. When you submit, you'll see how everyone else answered.
My predictions, so you can hold me to them
Since I'm asking you to go on record, I will too. Here is what I think wins, based on nothing but showing a lot of houses:
Ocean view vs. square footage. I think "depends on the view" runs away with this, because it is the honest answer and everyone knows it. Between the two real options, I think square footage wins by more than people expect. Buyers say view. Buyers write offers on space.
Best beach town to live in. I think Dana Point wins and it isn't close. Laguna Beach wins the "where would you vacation" version of this question. Living somewhere is a different question, and Dana Point's typical home value was $1,754,054 as of July 31, 2026 versus a $3,198,260 median sale price in Laguna Beach for the three months ending June 2026. That gap moves votes.
Pool vs. big yard vs. bigger kitchen. Kitchen. Every time. I have watched more deals turn on a kitchen than on any other room in the house, and a pool is a maintenance contract that occasionally holds water.
Fixer vs. turnkey. This is the one I'm least sure about, and it's the one I most want the answer to. Everyone tells me they want the equity. Almost nobody buys the fixer. I think "something in between" takes it, which is its own kind of answer.
The dealbreaker. I think busy street wins, with no garage second. Popcorn ceilings will get more votes than they deserve, because popcorn ceilings are funny and a busy street is not.
How long you've been "just looking." I think "I look every single night and I'm not sorry" wins outright, and I think it wins by a mile. Zillow at 11pm is a genuine American hobby and there is no shame in it.
Why I actually care about the answers
Partly because it's fun. But also because the fixer-versus-turnkey question is a real strategic decision in this market, and I'd like to know how people are actually thinking about it right now.
Here's the context. Irvine's median sale price was down 1.8% year over year for the three months ending June 2026, while sales volume rose 7.1%. Laguna Beach homes averaged 97.9% of list price and sat 60 days. Those are two different markets with two different amounts of room to negotiate — and the right play in each depends heavily on whether you're the kind of buyer who will take on a project.
If it turns out most people want turnkey, that tells me the fixers are where the value is hiding. Which is useful, and which I'd tell you.
One housekeeping note
There's an optional email field at the bottom. It is genuinely optional — the poll works without it. If you do leave it, you'll get a monthly note on what's actually happening in South Orange County. One email a month. Unsubscribe any time, no hard feelings.
Now go vote. And if you think I'm wrong about the kitchen, I want to hear about it.
Carly Zamani is the Founder and Broker/Owner of zRE Group in Laguna Niguel, California. CA DRE #02030224 | NMLS #1840970.
This poll is for entertainment. Results are not a survey, not statistically representative, and not market analysis — they reflect only the people who chose to answer. Market figures cited: Redfin median sale price data for the three months ending June 2026; Zillow Home Value Index as of July 31, 2026. Equal Housing Opportunity.
