Dover Shores Real Estate
Dover Shores is a small community on the Back Bay in Newport Beach bounded by Costa Mesa via Irvine Avenue to the west, and 17th street and Mariners Drive to the south, and bounded to the east by the beautiful back bay. Dover Shores is one of two choices for owners that wish to reside on or near the Newport Beach Back Bay – with the other choice being Eastbluff. (For our compare and contrast between the two back bay communities, please see Homes in Back Bay, Newport Beach: Dover Shores vs. East Bluff).
Dover Shores is removed from some of the trendier parts of Newport, and is more family oriented than much of the area, and residents often cite a more “laid back” or “down to earth” feel than the rest of Newport Beach as one of their biggest reasons for choosing the area, along with the natural amenities such as the ample walking paths snaking throughout the back bay region. While the area is on the back bay, it is further from the Pacific Ocean than most Newport Beach homes, though the beaches are still just a 5-10 minute drive.
Dover Shores Community Amenities
Dover Shores residents have access to 3 private beaches (all of which are fenced and have locked gates):
Fisherman’s Beach, dedicated to storage and launching of small sailing vessels with fees of just $100 per boat per year. North Star Beach, which has volleyball and basketball facilities along with outdoor barbeque and picnic facilities. Larry’s Beach, with barbeque amenities, also includes a large playground with slides, swings and climbing equipment. Dover Shores homeowners may also reserve these areas for private beach parties. The beaches also feature lifeguards and outdoor movies in the summertime.
Castaways Park, which is also just a short walk for any Dover Shores resident, holds beautiful daytime views of the pacific ocean, with similarly gorgeous nighttime views of the lights of Balboa and Fashion Islands, PCH and the rest of the area.
The
Newport Aquatic Center, also just a short walk for any Dover Shores Homeowner, offers kayak rental and rowing classes for both adults and kids.
What do Homes for Sale in Dover Shores Cost?
Homes in Dover Shores tend to be larger, and on larger lots, than the vast majority of Newport Beach real estate. The typical Dover Shores home ranges from 2,500 to 6,000 square feet, with 4-6 bedrooms, on lots with sizes from 10,000 to 15,000 square feet. With a good percentage of the homes right on the Bay, many (about 70) have boat docks as well.
As you might expect, large homes on large lots near water in Newport Beach will run between $2 and $3 million. For homeowners looking for homes near water with large lots, however, Dover Shores represents an attractive value proposition: with average costs per square foot running around $625 there are not a lot of choices in Newport Beach that provide a stronger bang for the buck. At this price point, Dover Shores homes cost slightly more than Newport Beach as a whole, but certainly don’t represent the most expensive homes in the area.
Dover Shores Homes Pros and Cons
Dover Shores residents don’t tend to have a lot of complaints, but those that do may mention airplane noise – the biggest occupational hazard of living in Newport Beach is that you lie in the flight path of John Wayne Airport. The only other “con” might be that services aren’t free: you’ll have to pay association fees in for maintenance of the greenbelt and beaches and dredging of the waterways. These fees range from $50 to $125 per month depending on which part of Dover Shores you reside in.
Also, if you are single, Dover Shores may not be the most ideal place for your lifestyle: roughly 88% of households in the neighborhood consist of married couples, with 42% of households also having children at home.
Plusses of living in Dover Shores (beyond the amenities already mentioned) include:
- Crime in Dover Shores is low, even when compared to the rest of Newport Beach, with crime indexes well below average in all areas.
- Dover Shores Schools are fantastic, including Mariner’s Elementary School, which is considered one of the finest elementary schools in the general area.
- Another factor playing into the Dover Shores buying decision for many residents is that it is one of the most “walk-friendly” of all Newport Beach Neighborhoods, with local Westcliff shopping center and Costa Mesa businesses and restaurants within a short walk.
- Also to be noted, as compared to most other neighborhoods in Newport Beach, parking tends to be much less of a problem in Dover Shores, especially when compared to homes on or near the peninsula or Balboa Island.
Dover Shores is often best for homeowners in the 40+ age range, as the area has a disproportionately large percentage (over 50%) of residents that are 45 years or older.
Buying a Home for Sale in Dover Shores
One important thing to consider if you are considering buying a home in the area: there is rarely a lot of inventory to choose from. This is because of two main factors: first, there are only 312 homes within Dover Shores itself, so there just aren’t that many to choose from. Secondly, people that buy homes in Dover Shores don’t tend to move a lot: 49% of homeowners in Dover Shores have resided there for 5 or more years, compared to 33% for Newport Beach and 38% for California as a whole.
For these two reasons, there are typically no more than 3-6 Dover Shores homes for sale at any given time. Since inventory tends to be low, if your heart is set on living in Dover Shores, it may take a while to find the “perfect” residence to meet your criteria. On the plus side, if and when you ever choose to sell your home in Dover Shores, there will almost never be a lot of inventory to compete against.
For more information on buying or selling a home in Dover Shores contact one of our
Dover Shores REALTORS® today!
