$150M San Juan Capistrano Estate Poised To Be the Most Expensive Home Ever Sold in Orange County

A 42-acre, coastal mansion in San Juan Capistrano, CA, with a $150 million price tag might soon grab the title of the priciest home ever sold in Southern California’s famed Orange County.

The landmark property known as Casa Grande will take the top spot if the sprawling spread sells for more than the county’s reported current record holder, which is a $70 million home sold in Laguna Beach.

Offering a unique opportunity to build a legacy property with an avocado farm, the land also has the potential to become a thriving agave business.

“It’s really a residential compound with an agribusiness component to it,” says John Stanaland, who is co-listing the property with Bradley Feldman and David Stoll, of Douglas Elliman. “There is no other property in San Juan Capistrano that has the ability to do all that this one does. …The sellers were going to make it into a family compound but have decided to leave that for the next buyer.”

‘One-of-a-kind spectacular location’

The property sitting on a promontory is accessed by a private drive through the exclusive Marbella Country Club. It currently has an existing building with three apartments, offices, and extra storage space.

“There is an existing 21,000-square-foot building, and permits have already been pulled for a 38,000-square-foot house to be built on the ridge line,” Stanaland says, noting that “the approved plans also include two guest homes up to 10,000 square feet each. It’s a one-of-a-kind, spectacular location.”

Offering 360-degree ocean and mountain views, the unbeatable location is certainly a standout.

“The seller is a developer who wanted it built for his family and went about obtaining the necessary approvals,” Feldman says. “Even their kids were going to move forward and build it; but now that they are older, the project has begun to lose steam.”

Distillery on the property

Fans of spirits will perk up at one amenity in particular. In addition to the approved plans for the equestrian property’s main residence, guesthouses, barn, and up to 10 horse stables, it also includes permitted plans to build a distillery.

According to the listing: “The booming agave spirits market offers substantial agricultural income with an anticipated yield of 170 tons.”

And adding an agricultural business to the land comes with tax benefits, according to Feldman.

“The seller’s son had a lot of vision,” he notes. “There is literally nothing else that exists like this property. It can’t be duplicated.”

And Stanaland believes the property offers an extraordinary opportunity for a family to have the most elite property on the West Coast.

“The end user can ultimately decide what they want to do with the property, but the climate and soil are ideal for the agribusiness,” he says. “I think someone will come in, recognize that, and yield good income as a result.”