Why we recommend Alcove Collective for Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach rewards agents who know the difference between a bluff lot in North Laguna, a walk-street cottage in the Village and a view home on the hillsides, because the whole city shares one ZIP code and one citywide median hides those gaps. Alcove Collective's office at 540 South Coast Highway sits a short walk from Main Beach, and Laguna Beach heads the list of areas on its website, ahead of Newport Beach, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano and other coastal Orange County cities.
The team was previously known as the Mike Johnson Group, and its website still carries that name in places. Its partners describe more than 85 years of combined coastal Orange County experience. That depth in one town is the main reason it is featured here. It is our recommendation, not a ranking of every agent in Laguna Beach; you can compare it with our other featured team on best real estate agents in Laguna Beach.
About Alcove Collective
The Alcove Collective team in Laguna Beach
The team page lists six licensed agents: Mike Johnson, Andrew Graff, Tara Bunker, Paulo Prietto, Sylvia Ames and Kristine Flynn. Paulo Prietto and Kristine Flynn are listed as partners, Andrew Graff as an associate partner and Tara Bunker as managing director of operations. Emily Tomlin is the team's marketing manager. The site says every client has access to the whole team, whichever member they start with.
Brokerage and DRE licenses for Alcove Collective
The California Department of Real Estate (DRE) lookup lists Michael Andrew Johnson, license 01429647, as a licensed salesperson since April 22, 2004, expiring April 21, 2028, with no disciplinary action. His responsible broker is Compass California, Inc. (broker license 01991628), and the team uses his number as its DRE reference. The other agents' licenses are also active under Compass: Tara Bunker 01827846 (since 2007), Paulo Prietto 01878796 (since 2010), Sylvia Ames 02021418 and Andrew Graff 02024856 (both since 2017), and Kristine Flynn 02063127 (since 2018).
What Alcove Collective offers sellers and buyers
Through Compass, the team offers Compass Concierge, which fronts the cost of pre-sale work such as painting or staging, and bridge loan services for owners buying before they sell. Ask for the current terms of both in writing, since they are set by Compass and its lending partners, not by the team.
Alcove Collective's record: sales and reviews
RealTrends, which verifies production with brokerages, lists Alcove Collective's 2025 results as 43 transaction sides and $129.31 million in volume, at an average price of $3.01 million. That ranked the team second in Laguna Beach by both volume and sides, 52nd in California by volume and 155th nationally by volume.
The team reports 26 sides and $126 million in the most recent 12 months, more than $2.5 billion in career sales, a top 1.5% ranking among U.S. teams from RealTrends, and more than 150 five-star reviews. The 12-month and RealTrends figures cover different periods. The team's home page also cites more than $2.5 billion in local transactions, but we could not confirm the 12-month figures, the top 1.5% ranking or the review count on a public page, so treat those as the team's own figures. Its site credits Andrew Graff with helping close nearly $700 million in sales since 2017, and Tara Bunker with more than $2.3 billion in transactions.
One Google review from Robert B. reads in part: "Working with Tara on selling our home was the best decision my wife and I could have ever made. Tara takes the time to understand you as a person and the property she is dealing with." Another, from Jacqualynn G., who bought a home for her mother, says: "She was extremely responsive, and knowledgeable. I completely trusted her when I asked her a question about anything with the contracts and or the process."
How Alcove Collective works with Laguna Beach buyers and sellers
Selling a Laguna Beach home with Alcove Collective
Redfin's figures for the three months to September 2026 show Laguna Beach homes selling at 96.1% of list price on average after a median of 71 days. Ask the team how their own listings compare on both measures, what pre-sale work they would recommend through Compass Concierge, and which three recent sales they would use to price your home.
Buying in Laguna Beach with Alcove Collective
With 158 homes for sale and 5.4 months of supply in the same period, buyers have more room to negotiate than in most of Orange County. Ask which listings have sat longest, whether a bridge loan would let you buy before selling, and how the team handles purchases in gated associations. Our California real estate commission guide explains buyer agreements after 2024.
Local knowledge: Laguna Beach prices by home type
Zillow's typical home value for Laguna Beach was $3,043,251 in September 2026, up 6.8% in a year and the highest on record. Redfin's ZIP 92651 figures for the three months to September 2026 split it by type:
| Home type in ZIP 92651 | Redfin median sale price | Sales (3 months) | Median days on market |
|---|---|---|---|
| All homes | $3,348,016 | 94 | 80 |
| Single-family | $3,699,067 | 79 | 71 |
| Condo | $1,394,959 | 8 | 124 |
| Two to four units | $2,650,000 | 7 | 69 |
Small samples, especially condos, move a lot from month to month. See the Laguna Beach guide, the Laguna Beach condos page and the ZIP 92651 data page.
How we chose Alcove Collective
We matched every team member's license number on the DRE lookup, confirmed Compass as the responsible broker, checked the team's 2025 production on RealTrends, opened its website and read its public reviews. Every featured agent passes the same checks. Our method is on how we choose agents.
How to contact Alcove Collective
Call the team at (949) 207-3735 or visit the Compass office at 540 South Coast Highway, Suite 202, Laguna Beach, CA 92651. The website is alcove-collective.com. Before the first call, note whether you are buying, selling or both, your rough budget or timeline, and the part of Laguna Beach you have in mind.