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A View From Gavilan Hill: Where the Cerritos Story Begins
From the top of Gavilan Hill, you can see everything. Cerritos Beach stretches south in a long curve, its surf breaks framed by a patchwork of rooftops and construction sites. To the north, the land flattens along San Pedrito and the green rows of Pescadero’s farmland.
In every direction, the view is open and uninterrupted. The wind is stronger up here than you’d expect: cool, crisp, sharp. Cabo San Lucas is under an hour away, yet it seems like a different world.
Below, pockets of development break the landscape: a row of homes, a crane, a half-paved road. But for every sign of construction, there’s still raw desert. Still silence and space. From this vantage point, the idea that Cerritos is overbuilt doesn’t hold. The story here isn’t about what’s been lost. It’s about what’s just beginning.
Karina Christensen, a real estate professional with Ronival Real Estate who lives and works in Cerritos, put it simply: “Cerritos is growing up.”
That change is visible now from almost any hilltop, but it didn’t happen overnight. Over the last four years, this quiet surf town has undergone a shift toward design, higher price points, and more intentional development. Buyers and projects are different. The town still feels small, but the stakes are getting bigger.
The question is no longer if Cerritos is growing. The question is how, and what kind of place it’s becoming.
How Cerritos, Baja Sur, Became a Real Estate Hotspot
From Surf Camp to Luxury Destination
Not long ago, Cerritos was little more than a surf break with a few dirt roads and scattered homes. Prices reflected that. “Up to four years ago,” Karina says, “you could buy a condo here for less than USD 200,000.” That’s no longer the case.
COVID accelerated everything. Travelers discovered Cerritos when international travel came to a halt. Some stayed. Others came back with plans to build. At the same time, a quieter shift was underway: buyers who had once purchased in Cabo were looking for something new. Not because Cabo had failed them, but because Cerritos reminded them of what Cabo used to be. Open. Low-key. More space, less noise.
“They still want Baja, but they want a different kind of experience now.” Many already own property in Los Cabos. Some are selling and relocating entirely. Others are buying second or third homes, drawn not just by the price, but also by the atmosphere.
The buyer profile has changed. So has their taste. “People now are looking for design. They want views, walkability, light. They want homes that feel unique, not just another unit in a building.” Developers have taken note. The projects coming online in Cerritos are not only more expensive but also more refined.
The story isn’t merely about rapid growth. It’s a story about deliberate repositioning. Cerritos isn’t trying to be the next Cabo. It’s becoming something else: a boutique alternative for those who still want Baja, but with a quieter rhythm.
High-End Homes, Low-Density Projects: Cerritos’ Boutique Evolution
The shift in Cerritos isn’t being driven by a single developer or master plan. It’s happening one project at a time. Small-scale, distinct in character, and shaped by people who have a point of view about what this town should become.
Moon Over Cerritos: Architecture That Honors the Land
At the top of Gavilan Hill, Moon Over Cerritos is strongly signaling a different direction. Developer Erick Sanchez and his family found the site three years ago. At the time, there was no road to reach the summit. The land was bare. His daughter, then just learning to walk, picked up a rock encrusted with crystals from the ground and held it out. That moment stuck. They decided to build here.
Two out of three projected homes now sit quietly on the slope. Each one is designed with care, not scale. “For us, luxury isn’t extravagance,” Erick says. “We didn’t want to build something that overwhelmed the land. The mountain is bigger than us. It deserves respect.” The homes — Casa Luna, Casa Celeste, and a third still in progress — are oriented to preserve sightlines in every direction. The views are permanent. No one can build above or in front of it.
Oasis del Mar: A New Kind of Community Living
A few minutes away, another approach is taking shape. At Oasis del Mar, developer Lorenzo Messina began by building the pool. Before the homes, before the sales. He wanted the place to feel like it was already a community. “We’re not just selling property,” he says. “We’re building something people can thrive in.”
Messina, who grew up near the ocean in Southern California, sees the same arc playing out here. “This feels like Malibu in the sixties,” he says. “You’re watching a beach town form, one house at a time.” His project includes ten single-family homes and four townhouses, all centered around shared space and set on the only paved road in Cerritos. It’s quiet, walkable, and four minutes from the beach.
Cerritos Surf Town: A Legacy Development Turns the Page
Not every project is new. Cerritos Surf Town has been a fixture in the area for nearly two decades. With its palapa roofs and beachfront layout, it defined the early Cerritos’ look. Today, the owner is selling it individually as titled condos, with in-house property management and strong rental appeal. “It’s the heritage of Cerritos,” Karina says. “You wake up under a palapa, hear the waves, and you’re on the sand.”
Serenity at Cerritos: Low-Density Living Near the Beach
Other developments are also emerging in the area. A case in point is Serenity at Cerritos, a low-density project located just a short walk from the beach. This development features 15 three-bedroom condos spread across five separate buildings, each with private terraces and ocean views. Shared amenities, such as a heated pool, fire pit, and shaded BBQ terrace, are designed to provide comfort without overcrowding.
Maria Jose Ayala, a broker at Emeya Group who represents this project, stated, “We designed Serenity to fill a gap in the market between entry-level properties and the ultra-luxury segment. These are high-quality, exclusive condos starting at around USD 640,000. We are seeing strong demand from buyers. Serenity has quickly become a topic of conversation in Cerritos. Locals and agents are monitoring it closely because they see that it is actually being built — and being built well.”
Inside Cerritos’ Two-Speed Market: Oversupply vs. High-End Demand
Why USD 500K Condos Are Sitting, but USD 1M+ Homes Are Selling
If the top end of the Cerritos market feels lean and competitive, the lower end tells a different story.
“We ran some numbers recently,” Karina says. “At the current pace of sales, there’s enough condo inventory under USD 500,000 to last six years.” The oversupply isn’t just in pre-construction. Even finished units are sitting. It’s a segment flooded with similar offerings, many of which were built in the rush of the last few years: compact layouts, limited views, and basic finishes.
At the same time, homes priced above USD 700,000 are selling. In fact, according to Karina, the strongest segment right now is between USD 1 million and USD 3 million. These aren’t speculative builds. They’re well-designed, ready-to-move-in properties with views, privacy, and walkability. What they lack is a massive volume. Inventory in this segment is thin.
The split is clear. Price alone isn’t driving demand. Design, layout, and location matter more. So does credibility. Projects that are funded, permitted, and physically underway get attention. Buyers today are cautious. Many have seen delays. Some have been burned. They’re willing to pay more for homes that are already standing.
Developers like Erick see the stakes. “The problem isn’t growth. It’s bad growth. A 200-unit development here doesn’t just stretch infrastructure. It changes the town for the worse.”
There’s tension in that. Cerritos is still early in its curve, but the speed and shape of that curve aren’t guaranteed. For now, the strongest momentum is in small projects with a clear point of view, and in buyers who aren’t looking for a deal, but a place that feels right.
What Makes Cerritos, Baja Sur, Different from Cabo or Todos Santos?
Cerritos doesn’t borrow its identity from anywhere else. It’s not Cabo, though it shares the same sun and sea. It’s not Todos Santos, though it’s only twenty minutes away. And it’s not Pescadero, even if they share a coastline and a ZIP code.
What Cerritos offers is more physical. The surf is right there. The beach is swimmable. The restaurants are walkable. There’s no plaza, no gallery circuit, no cobblestone charm. What you get instead is rhythm. An outdoor, barefoot rhythm built around the waves, the light, and a growing mix of people who come here to reset.
Karina sees this every week. “There’s not much crossover. People who fall in love with Cerritos tend to remain focused on this area. It has a different energy.” She describes Pescadero as quieter and more rural, while Todos Santos is more historical. In contrast, Cerritos is still rough around the edges in some areas, but it has an energy that continues to grow.
The restaurant scene is evolving. There are discussions about improving infrastructure and adding more amenities. However, the pace of these changes remains inconsistent. On any given afternoon, you might surf in the morning, enjoy fresh seafood for lunch, and then head home on a bumpy dirt road that tests your vehicle’s suspension. This combination is part of the area’s appeal, at least for the time being. While it’s tempting to label this as charm, it’s essential to recognize that this charm is delicate.
Cerritos Real Estate Is Still Evolving, and the Story Isn’t Over
From the top of Gavilan Hill, the story becomes clearer. You can see the shape of the town and where the houses stop and the desert begins. Despite all the movement, Cerritos is still in its early stages. The rising prices and the emergence of new types of buyers are all real, but the development is still small, uneven, and open to interpretation.
That’s part of what makes this moment important. The decisions being made now by developers, local officials, buyers, and the local community will shape what Cerritos becomes. The outcome isn’t guaranteed; the dynamics can change. The balance between growth and restraint is delicate, and everyone is aware of it.
There’s something unique about this town. It has a sense of possibility, still visible in the gaps between buildings. The luxury isn’t only in the homes; it’s in the space, the light, and the silence that still exists between waves of change.
Erick put it this way: “We’re not just building homes. We’re building a future people will want to live in.”