To Have Your Cake and Eat it Too

When looking to buy on the coast, the big dilemma for many buyers is deciding whether they want a home where they can be happy just looking at the water or do they really want to walk to the beach every day. Finding a home with a panoramic ocean view that is close to the beach is like having your cake and eating it too. This is sometimes tough to do in Cayucos and Morro Bay, unless you can afford to purchase an oceanfront property, because of the layout of the areas and the restrictions of the neighborhoods.

In the Beachtract neighborhood of Morro Bay, which is located West of Highway 1 down by the sandy beach, the homes are within a block of the water, but the city does not allow second stories so most of the homes do not have ocean views. It is rare to find these single level homes positioned so you can look down the street toward the water or built in a manner where the windows are angled toward the ocean. There are, however, several higher priced homes in this neighborhood, either on the ocean at over $2 million or across the street from the beach with ocean views; so you have to pay to get the cake. By the way, there's a great buy right now on a darling one bedroom in that neighborhood listed for $600,000....No view, but close to the beach.

Across Highway 1 from the Beachtract neighborhood is where you find the homes with the best views, but then you sacrifice having the close proximity, although you can still walk to the beach by crossing the highway at one of two stop lights with crosswalks. The higher up the hill you go in this North Morro Bay neighborhood, the better chance you have of getting a more spectacular, panoramic whitewater view and keeping your view from being blocked by other homes that may build up some day. The homes that are higher on the hill are often more expensive because of these views, along with the cost to build reinforced foundations. They usually have two or even three levels and stairs are often a drawback for some buyers, especially those seeking to purchase for future retirement. An elevator is usually a plus. Alternatively, if the home is built on the downslope side of the hill, the living level is at the street and the rest of the home, i.e. additional bedrooms, is downstairs. This is an optimum floor plan because you can drive into the garage, walk directly into the living level, enjoy the panoramic views without stairs and everything else goes down instead of up.

The Harbor tract is also built on a hill with views of the harbor. The Cloisters has newer homes, some are two-story with views, and it is a flat neighborhood on the West side of Hwy. 1 with dunes separating the neighborhood from the ocean. And the Heights, which is sort of a deceiving name, is the downtown area of Morro Bay near the golf course, state park and Embarcadero. Homes in the Heights are also very desirable because of the proximity to all of the activities in town, i.e. shopping, restaurants, the festivals etc. and many have views of the water and harbor. These neighborhoods, except for the Cloisters, are not very close to the sandy beach.

The layout of Cayucos is somewhat similar to Morro Bay in that the numbered streets are closest to the beach and although two story homes are allowed, there are restrictions as to height. The numbered streets area is flat and you cannot build above your neighbor and get a panoramic view of the ocean. All of the homes in the numbered streets are within a block and 1/2 to the beach and are West of Hwy 1 and some do have views of the water, but unless you are oceanfront, they are not panoramic. The best views, however are those up on the hill in Cayucos, either in town or in South Cayucos on the East side of Hwy. 1. Because Cayucos is primarily a "beach town" anywhere you are in Cayucos is a fairly easy walk to the beach.

So, when thinking about what is important, a panoramic ocean view or being really close to the sand, unless you plan to buy an oceanfront you may have to consider choosing one criteria over the other. However, if you can compromise a little bit on each, there is a way, by finding the right spot and the right house in the right neighborhood, you can have your cake and eat it too.