Niguel Shores and the Strand, Dana Point · CRMLS Closed Sales, January 2022 to September 2026
Niguel Shores costs half again the city per foot. The Strand is a different market.
The coastal pocket west of the Lantern District holds two markets. Niguel Shores, a gated association of 1970s and 1980s homes, sells well above the city per square foot and rarely has to cut. The Strand at Headlands trades a few custom houses a year in the eight figures. Here is five years of both, beside the whole city, and the association rules to read before you offer.
The short version
Half again the city's price per foot, and it holds its asking price.
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$2.59M
Median house, outside the Strand
All of Dana Point: $2.10M. 172 house sales, Jan 2022 to Sep 2026.
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$1,482
Median price per sq ft
All of Dana Point: $1,037.
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$15.3M
Median house on the Strand
16 sales, built around 2019, median 6,851 sq ft.
This is the coastal pocket west of the Lantern District, from Stonehill Drive and Niguel Road down to the Headlands. Most of it is Niguel Shores, a gated association of 1970s and 1980s houses and townhomes, with smaller tracts beside it. At the south end is the Strand at Headlands, custom homes on lots sold from 2006 on. They are different markets, so the house charts below leave the Strand out and it gets its own section.
Houses, year by year
Well above the city per foot, and fewer price cuts.
1. A square foot here runs about half again the city's. The gap has been about $400 to $650 a foot every year since 2022.
2. Fewer sellers here had to cut. In four of the five years a smaller share of houses dropped their price than across the city, and the median house sold at 100% of its final list price over the period.
Single-family houses, CRMLS closed sales, excluding sales the MLS tags "The Strand at Headlands". *2026 runs through September 4, 2026; its jump to $1,832 a foot is on 19 sales. "All of Dana Point" includes this area.
See every number behind these charts
Houses, Strand excluded
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niguel Shores area houses sold | 30 | 44 | 43 | 36 | 19 |
| Dana Point houses sold | 157 | 245 | 243 | 263 | 171 |
| Niguel Shores area houses median price | $2.36M | $2.56M | $2.45M | $2.75M | $3.63M |
| Dana Point houses median price | $1.95M | $1.90M | $1.99M | $2.39M | $2.73M |
| Niguel Shores area houses price per sq ft | $1,336 | $1,422 | $1,561 | $1,503 | $1,832 |
| Dana Point houses price per sq ft | $887 | $983 | $984 | $1,107 | $1,190 |
| Niguel Shores area houses cut price before selling | 20% | 23% | 21% | 25% | 16% |
| Dana Point houses cut price before selling | 18% | 29% | 28% | 32% | 26% |
| Niguel Shores area houses median days on market | 8 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 15 |
| Dana Point houses median days on market | 8 | 19 | 18 | 24 | 15 |
Condos and townhomes
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niguel Shores area condos sold | 4 | 15 | 5 | 11 | 10 |
| Dana Point condos sold | 105 | 115 | 128 | 141 | 99 |
| Niguel Shores area condos median price | $968K | $1.22M | $1.05M | $1.05M | $1.10M |
| Dana Point condos median price | $1.10M | $975K | $1.05M | $1.10M | $1.39M |
| Niguel Shores area condos price per sq ft | $959 | $1,077 | $1,027 | $1,197 | $1,110 |
| Dana Point condos price per sq ft | $812 | $808 | $819 | $830 | $979 |
| Niguel Shores area condos cut price before selling | 25% | 13% | 20% | 18% | 20% |
| Dana Point condos cut price before selling | 21% | 23% | 25% | 26% | 24% |
| Niguel Shores area condos median days on market | 50 | 13 | 11 | 16 | 10 |
| Dana Point condos median days on market | 9 | 12 | 18 | 25 | 14 |
Medians from CRMLS closed sales, January 2022 through September 4, 2026. Condo and townhome sales here run 4 to 15 a year, too few to chart. Sales with flagged prices are excluded.
The Strand at Headlands
A market of its own.
The Strand at Headlands replaced the Dana Strand mobile home and tennis club community. In exchange for California Coastal Commission approval, the developer paid for more than $11 million in public improvements and turned bluff land into a nature preserve, and lots went on sale from 2006.
16 Strand houses and 8 lots sold in this period. The median house was about 6,851 square feet, sold at 94.9% of its final list price, and took a median 42 days. On that few sales, treat these as a range, not a trend.
The Strand here means sales the MLS tags "The Strand at Headlands" inside this page's boundary. That tag is only used for this split.
The part to read before you offer
What the Niguel Shores association rules say.
Niguel Shores is run by the Niguel Shores Community Association. Its Rules and Regulations, revised January 21, 2026, are public on the association's website and worth reading before an offer. A few that matter to a buyer:
- No short-term rentals. No residence may be rented or leased for less than 30 days. At least one tenant has to live in the home for the whole lease, the lease goes to the management office, and there is a tenancy fee.
- Renting means giving up the amenities. While a home is leased, the owner's use rights to the common areas, clubhouse and pool pass to the tenant.
- The beach bluff. The bluff park is a common-area amenity for residents, meant for passive use. Guests have to be accompanied by a resident.
- The gate. Entry is through the Mariner Gate, with visitor access registered through the association's online gate system.
- Tract-specific rules. The rules carry separate architectural restrictions for each tract: Sea Terrace Townhomes I and II, the Villas, Berkus Homes, Broadmoor Homes, Atlantic Garden Homes, Shores Garden Homes, Custom Homes and Breakers Isle. Check the section for the tract you are buying in before planning a remodel.
The Regatta, Cape Cove, Chelsea Pointe and Niguel Beach Terrace tracts sit inside this page's boundary but are not in that tract list. If you are buying in one of them, ask which association governs it.
Questions people ask
Niguel Shores and the Strand, answered.
How much does a house in Niguel Shores cost?
Houses in Niguel Shores and the neighboring tracts, excluding the Strand, sold for a median $2,594,500 from January 2022 to September 2026, or $1,482 a square foot. All of Dana Point: $2,100,000 and $1,037.
How much do homes on the Strand at Headlands sell for?
16 Strand at Headlands houses sold from 2022 to September 2026 for a median $15,325,000. Lots sold for a median $6,225,000.
Can you rent out a home in Niguel Shores short term?
No. The Niguel Shores Community Association Rules and Regulations say no residence may be rented or leased for less than 30 days, and at least one tenant must live in the home for the whole lease.
Does Niguel Shores have beach access?
The association's beach bluff park is a common-area amenity for residents, meant for passive use, and guests must be accompanied by a resident.
Is Niguel Shores gated?
Yes. Entry is through the Mariner Gate on Mariner Drive, and visitors are registered through the association's online gate access system.
Sources
Where these numbers come from.
- Sales: CRMLS closed sales, Dana Point, January 1, 2022 to September 4, 2026. The area is defined by a map boundary, not by the MLS subdivision field; the Strand split uses the MLS tag. Medians of individual sales.
- Niguel Shores Community Association, niguelshores.org, and its Rules and Regulations, revised January 21, 2026 (Tenancy and Property Rental; Beach Bluff Use; tract list).
- History of the Strand: Dana Point, California.
Run it on a real address
Looking at a home in Niguel Shores?
Send me the address. I will pull what that tract has actually sold for, beside the city, and go through the association documents with you before the offer, including the rules for that specific tract. I live in San Clemente. Text or email is the easiest way in.
Phone 949.541.8247
Email [email protected]
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License Adam Boehrer, Real Estate Agent, DRE #02419464, Pacific Sotheby's International Realty
Keep Reading
- Lantern Village, Dana Point, home prices and the Lantern District rules.
- Dana Point Home Prices and Market Report, the current citywide median and expected market time.
- San Clemente and Dana Point neighborhoods, every neighborhood guide in one place.
- Coastal Currents, a monthly read on the South Orange County market.