This Sunday is the 87th Academy Awards ceremony, a time to recognize the best of the best in the film industry. We’ve caught the Oscar buzz here at First Team Real Estate and wanted to give out some awards of our own.
We don’t have a guild but we do have a wide audience on social media so we decided to turn to our fans to help us find the best of the best in Southern California real estate.
Our First Team Oscars will be going out to the most popular properties over the past year. The winners in each category received the most likes on Facebook and Instagram and stood out as the stars among the rest. We’ve also included a few runners up because the competition was just too fierce.
Best Backyard
Kicking off our list of real estate winners is this gorgeous Yorba Linda home with a backyard out of a Hawaiian resort. This home got the most likes of any other property photo on Instagram!
The bonafide backyard paradise includes a pool, spa, water slide, waterfall, outdoor fireplace, full outdoor kitchen and family room, fire pit, sport court, putting green, outdoor bathrooms, and swim up tiki bar.
It’s not hard to see why this gorgeous property won for best backyard.
3793 Quarter Horse Drive
5 Bed, 5.5 Bath
$3,350,000
Yorba Linda
Best Kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the home and our Facebook and Instagram followers found a special place in their heart for this Dana Point streamlined beauty. From the updated hardware to the sleek open concept, this kitchen looks great and has the convenient functionality every cook dreams of.
33887 Cape Cove
3 Bed, 3 Bath
$1,348,000
Dana Point
Runner up…
Our runner up in Newport Beach got quite a bit of love as well. Looks like Southern California loves big islands and an open concept for the kitchen.
SOLD
4 Rue Fontainbleau
3 Bed, 3 Bath
$1,150,000
Newport Beach
Best Location
Our winner for best location was a hit on Facebook probably because it’s an easy walk to the beach plus it’s located in a top rated school district. Take a look that the tropical paradise for yourself!
19822 Scenic Bay Lane
3 Bed, 2 Bath
$1,060,000
Huntington Beach
Runner up…
Close behind our first Huntington Beach winner is another one in downtown just up the street from the sand. Instagram followers couldn’t get enough of the awesome street view.
SOLD
225 21st Street
3 Beds, 2.5 Baths
$1,199,000
Huntington Beach
Best Design
These two homes got tons of love on social media for their very unique and gorgeous designs. From curb appeal to inner beauty, these properties are simply cool.
25491 Bootstrap Place
5 Beds, 5.5 Baths
$1,975,000
Laguna Hills
Runner up…
The design of this Corona del Mar home is ingenious, using multiple levels and tons of big windows to give nearly every room a gorgeous ocean view.
SOLD
2741 Ocean Boulevard
4 Beds, 5.5 Baths
$9,995,000
Corona del Mar
But wait, there’s more!
The film industry and real estate have a bit in common. The celebrities or the celebrity agents are the ones who get most of the spotlight however it’s all the behind the scenes work that makes them shine.
The next round of recognitions goes out to some of those behind the scenes people within our First Team family. The past year has been a particularly exciting time for our company as we continue to grow, improve and shine in our home here in Southern California. So we want to recognize the achievements of all those that are making First Team even better every day.
Best Supporting Office
Our East Orange County Regional office located in Tustin is one of our biggest supports and helped us claim the #1 slot of Best Real Estate Company in the OC Register’s Best of OC competition.
Home to 110 dedicated full-time agents, the East Orange County Regional office serves the communities of Cowan Heights, Irvine, Orange, Orange Park Acres, Tustin, North Tustin, Villa Park and more. Their reach is wide, their work is top-notch and they make First Team a better company because of it.
Best Production Design (in an office)
Our First Team Anaheim Hills Office moved this year and the final project and design is amazing! The concept for our new office was an attempt to marry the straightforward open designs of Apple and other leading retailers with the accessible warmth of Starbucks.
According to office manager Anna Bennett the office has immediately been a hit with agents and clients.
“My agents are so proud to invite new clients to our office because they’re proud of it and the sense of community it brings to everyone. And the community is loving it too! They’ll stop in for a cup of coffee just to enjoy the warm and luxurious atmosphere.”
Lifetime Achievement Award
We may be biased but we think our CEO and founder Cameron Merage deserves a Lifetime Achievement Award for his hard work and dedication. Next year marks our 40th anniversary in the real estate business and Mr. Merage has been our fearless leader through it all.
This year Merage was recognized by the Swanepoel Power 200 as one of the most powerful leaders in real estate in the nation. For over a decade he has kept us the #1 real estate company in the extremely competitive Orange County market. He has built this company and kept a close pulse on the local community by supporting and training each agent as they listen and serve the people that matter most – our clients.
The Oscars will be over this weekend but the award season at First Team has just begun. Stay tuned next month for more awards when we announce our Hall of Fame agents, honored for outstanding sales in the past year.
