Prepare a note about what you are weighing

Questions to answer before you write

These are prompts for your own note. Answer the ones that fit the property type you are weighing, and keep the answers with the date you wrote them.

Harbor retail or restaurant

Who is the landlord entity? Is the space leased or owned? Which phase of the commercial core does the building belong to, and is the space new or relocated? How long will construction continue around it, and what happens to access and rent if access changes? Which County or City office approves changes to the premises?

Lantern District mixed use

Which street boundary does the seller use, and does it match the one the City gives? Are the customers residents, walk-by traffic or harbor visitors? What do the lease hours, signage and parking provisions say? Which date does each rent or occupancy statement refer to?

Doheny Village or Capistrano Beach

Which of the three districts is the parcel in? Which uses does that district permit by right? Did the 2021 update change the use you intend? What is the permit history, and was any older permit never finaled?

Hotel or short-term rental

Which permit applies to the use? Does the coastal zone change the answer? Is a cap on short-term rentals in force for the parcel? If a projection assumes the planned harbor hotels, what does it assume if their leases are not approved, and what date is the status it relies on?

Office or industrial

Which geography and quarter does a vacancy figure cover? Is the asking rent full-service or triple-net? Where are the building's own vacancy, rent and condition documented? Who will confirm use and zoning with the City?

Planned harbor hotels and nearby property

Does the property depend on guests from hotels that have not been approved to build? What does the analysis assume if the Marina Inn is renovated instead? Which County Board agenda or news report is the latest status you are relying on, and what is its date? Ask the County where the next lease vote will be posted.

Visitor uses near the waterfront

Can the current operator give sales by month rather than an annual average? How have sales moved around scheduled events such as the Festival of Whales? Has any nearby construction changed foot traffic, and for how long is it expected to continue? Who can confirm the answers in writing?

Buying or selling

What is being sold: the building, a lease position or a sublease interest? Which documents are the seller's own statements, and which are third-party reports? Which comparison figures cover the same geography and period as the property? Which professional will review the lease or purchase documents before you sign?

Lodging and conversions

If you are considering a small lodging property or a conversion, which City office will confirm the permit that applies? Does the parcel sit in the coastal zone? Which rules on short-term rentals apply today, and when were they last changed? Ask the City to confirm each answer in writing.

Your timing and your professional

By what date do you need an answer? Will you work with a California-licensed professional, and have you checked the license? Ask for every answer in writing, and ask which date each answer applies to. The form above prepares a note for you to save and does not send anything.

Questions about the sources you hold

Who published each figure you have, and what date or period does it cover? Does it describe Dana Point citywide, the County, Orange County or a combined three-city submarket? Has anything changed since the date on the document? Ask the seller or landlord to put the answers in writing before you compare one space with another.