Alcove Collective

Anything short of EPIC for service and professionalism is not enough. Tara always goes above and beyond what is needed. Her level of proactiveness in a realtor really sets the bar high. I've done a number of transactions, and this is by far the best experience I have ever had. We will definitely use her again in the coming future.

Are there any other realtors than Mike Johnson? Not in our world! Mike’s knowledge, availability and and advice were invaluable. He was realistic, which is a rarity in the OC and got are home sold quickly. His even keeled and lovely . personality were a huge asset and never had any doubts along the way.

Paulo is an excellent realtor—honestly the best we have ever worked with. After we had been searching for a home in Laguna on our own for a couple of years, we began working with Paulo. We came into town for only two weeks and, due to his preparation, patience, and deep knowledge of the market, we found our dream home among a set of impressive options. He was spot on with his data-driven pricing analysis and led negotiations with total confidence. Once the escrow process started, he provided full concierge-level service—scheduling every inspector, pulling in contractors, and recommending legal and insurance experts. He handled all the heavy lifting, and it was clear we were in the hands of a pro who was looking out for our best interests. Beyond his professionalism, Paulo is a great person and fun to work with. He gave us total peace of mind in making a huge financial decision.

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. She asked all the right questions and was never afraid to go above and beyond for us. She turned what can be a stressful and daunting experience into one I would do a thousand times over with her at the helm. I highly recommend Tara for the buying or selling of your home. You will thank me later.

Working with Tara was such a blessing. She is an incredible realtor. She guided us through every step of selling our home with confidence, knowledge, and so much care. Her attention to detail and dedication made the entire process smooth and stress-free. We always felt like we were in the best hands. We’re so grateful for her and would recommend her to anyone in a heartbeat!

Mike helped us sell our Father’s house after we inherited it. I couldn’t imagine a better realtor for this difficult experience. Michael was immediate in his responses to my texts and emails and calls, although I knew he had other clients, I felt like his only one. His whole team helped us sell our dad’s house, even though I didn’t live in the area. They provided for every need I had, to get the house ready to sell and through the whole process of inspections and escrow. I only had to visit the house twice. Now that the house is sold, I will miss having Michael in my life. I felt like I was in safe hands and that there was nothing too big for Michael to handle and nothing he hadn’t seen before. You would be lucky to have Michael and his team sell your home.

The very best real estate experience I have ever had. Mike, Sylvia, Tara, and Andrew, each individually and as a team, embody the true essence and somewhat lost art of luxury real estate. In a place like Laguna, there is so much that goes into the purchase of a home, from location-specific knowledge to significant logistical support during the transaction, and they expertly navigated every aspect for our family. Their attention to detail and full scope of service exceeded my high expectations, as throughout the process they were swift to tackle literally anything that came up. I have tremendous respect for them as individuals and professionals, and I look forward to having them as friends as well. A huge thank you and a sincere endorsement from our family for Alcove Collective/ the Mike Johnson Group.

Working with Tara was an absolute pleasure from start to finish. Her enthusiasm, honesty, and energy were evident in every interaction, and she consistently demonstrated exceptional capability and competence. Tara was highly responsive, communicated clearly, and took the time to truly understand my needs. She carried herself with the utmost professionalism throughout the process, and made what could have been stressful much more seamless and easy. Her dedication, attention to detail, and ability to navigate challenges with ease set her apart from others in the field. I would highly recommend Tara without hesitation and would gladly work with her again in the future. She is not only an extremely skilled real estate professional but also a joy to work with.

Paulo is a total ace and anyone would be lucky to have him on their team. I’m a first time homebuyer, and what could have been an overwhelming and confusing process was easy, enjoyable, and incredibly low stress. One of the things I valued most about Paulo was his patience. It took over a year and dozens of showings, but for each home that wasn’t the right ‘fit’, he took notes and tuned in on exactly what I was looking for. The end result; a house that checks every single box, my absolute dream home. I cannot thank Paulo enough and look forward to having him over for coffee to celebrate my new home!

Tara was a huge help to us when buying our first home. She immediately built a relationship with the seller's agent, which helped us throughout the negotiation process. Tara was generous with her time, answered all of our questions thoroughly, and did not pressure us in moments of indecision. My husband and I highly recommend working with her!

Paulo is a pro all around. He made the process of selling my mom’s home so darn easy- he arranged the clear out- sprucing up, staging and his expertise in pricing and marketing was exceptional. He didn’t miss a beat, even in this topsy turvy economy. Once I hired Paulo, he truly did all the rest. Save yourself stress, grief and time- hire Paulo.

We had the absolute pleasure of working with Paulo Prietto as our buyer’s agent, and I can confidently say he is the best real estate professional I’ve ever worked with. From day one, he was nothing short of amazing—patient, knowledgeable, and incredibly supportive throughout the entire process. It took us over a year to finally find the right home, and during that time, he never once made us feel rushed or pressured. Instead, he consistently took the time to carefully walk us through the pros and cons of each property, helping us make informed decisions every step of the way. We spent countless hours touring homes together, and he always remained positive, patient, and committed to helping us find the right fit. What stood out the most was his deep expertise in the Laguna Beach areas. His insights into the local market were invaluable and really helped me understand the neighborhoods, pricing trends, and long-term value of different homes. I’ve worked with several realtors in the past, but none have come close to the level of professionalism, integrity, and genuine care that Paulo brings. He truly went above and beyond, and I’m so grateful for everything he did to help us find our home. My wife and I would highly recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell—it doesn’t get better than this!

The Mike Johnson Group is an amazing group of caring and helpful experts that made a hard event easy and stress free. When our mother suddenly passed away and we needed to sell her house, their guidance and attention to detail let our family focus on coping with personal issues instead of the stress involved in selling property.

Nick Hooper at Mike Johnson's Realty Group in Laguna Beach was incredible. Responsive, knowledgeable, smart, trustworthy, and went above and beyond to walk us through every step of the looking and purchasing, and even after the purchase was done, he was at our service with anything we needed. I'd 100% recommend him to my closest friends and family. Truly a pleasure to work with him.

We really appreciated the team at the Mike Johnson Group as they helped us navigate through a sale with multiple offers.  Mike and Andrew kept us apprised of all the issues day by day, and were great about strategizing with us on approaches and options. That service has continued even after the sale.  This is the second time we've sold or bought a home with Mike and team and we couldn't be more pleased with their service.  

Mr Paulo Prietto sold my house just within one week. I don't believe any agents can do that. His strategy, planning, knowledge, and connections regarding the real estate market is so professional and amazing. In addition, his response to my questions or concerns, is very prompt with cleared and detailed manner. I was very happy to work with him and satisfied more than 100% with the results. If any body needs agent to sell house, Mr Paulo is the one I strongly recommend.

I had the absolute pleasure of working with Tara on my recent purchase in Costa Mesa, and I can't recommend her enough! From start to finish, she was incredibly thorough and always available to address our needs. Her attention to detail and commitment made the entire process seamless. Not only did we find the perfect home, but we also built a wonderful friendship along the way. Tara truly makes real estate fun and enjoyable! -Amelia Reyes

Tara is the best Realtor I have ever met, let alone worked with. Her care for her clients is obvious and her professionalism is unmatched! Tara made us feel comfortable and confident throughout the tumultuous process of finding a house in this crazy market. Her communication was incredible as she walked us through every twist and turn. Somehow she was the first realtor to know about every listing and gave us the best shot to get every house we saw... that is so important in this market. We just had to leave her a review to thank her and her team for all their hard work to make our dream house come true! If you need a realtor we cannot recommend Tara and her Compass team enough!

Tara made my experience of locating a house that checked all the boxes a lot less stressful than I had expected. She was always quick to respond to my questions with answers and solutions to my concerns. She is the best realtor I have ever worked with. I would recommend her to anyone in need of a realtor in Orange County. 5 STARS!

Well, after working with Tara it is impossible to ever deal with anyone else. We are spoiled now knowing the kind of love, attention and knowledgeable care and impeccable detail that she provides to her customer. OMGosh, Tara does it all. Everything I have done in the past when I bought or sold a house was taken care of. It was always…”I will take care of that for you”. Her personality allows you to just embrace the buy or sell transition like you were sitting and enjoying a slice of cake. lol. Honestly there is not enough space to tell you the level of competence you will experience and how happy you will be that you found her.

Paulo Prietto was an absolute pleasure to work with! His exceptional attention to detail, deep knowledge of the local market, and constant communication made the selling process seamless. His professionalism and dedication to achieving the best possible outcome were evident throughout. I highly recommend Paulo to anyone looking to sell their home.

A realtor in a different market told us that Mike Johnson is the best realtor in Laguna Beach. He was right! Mike and his wonderful team (Nick Hooper and Andrew Graff) are more than just realtors. They are committed and caring partners through the journey of buying and selling property in Laguna Beach. Their guidance started with very sensible recommendations for improvements to make our house more appealing to potential buyers. They then sourced the people to do this work and project managed it. They hosted multiple open houses, negotiated skillfully, closed the deal, and guided us through escrow. Mike and his team exceeded the high expectations set by the original referral.

Tara is amazing! We started the buying process with a good knowledge of the local market but Tara’s depth of knowledge on the Oceanfront was extraordinary. She didn’t just know recent transactions but the history of almost every house in the area and story behind each transaction. She was invaluable during the negotiations with the seller, providing advice and perspective but never pushing us. Once we had a deal, and despite the fact we were thousands of miles away, the closing process was the smoothest we’ve ever done. Tara was on top of every detail, making sure agreed upon repairs were made and closing conditions were met. We would never do a real estate transaction in SoCal with anyone else! - Ted & Laurel O'Connor

I'm a lender and Nick represented the buyer. He did an excellent job negotiating the purchase terms and was engaged throughout the entire process. He's very knowledgeable and a great communicator. I would highly recommend considering Nick for your real estate transaction.

Paulo proved to be an invaluable guide on our journey to purchasing our wonderful home. As first-time homebuyers, we were initially anxious but the worries were quickly put to rest as we realized we were in excellent hands with Paulo. His unparalleled attentiveness, genuine care, and expert knowledge resulted in a remarkably low-stress experience for us. Paulo's years of experience truly shined through as he skillfully navigated us through every step with ease and patience, always giving great advice. We are beyond thrilled with our new home, and our gratitude towards Paulo knows no bounds. Without hesitation, we wholeheartedly recommend Paulo and his team to anyone seeking a top-notch realtor. Our experience was nothing short of exceptional!

My husband and I had a great experience with our real estate agent, Paulo. From the moment we contacted him, the process was smooth. We had just purchased a home out of state and we were looking to sell quick. Paulo’s team moved quickly, with the photographer and marketing agent on-site within a week, leading to our home being listed promptly. Every member of the team that we interacted with was so friendly, professional, and a perfect example of outstanding customer service. We are so fortunate that our house sold within one month! Paulo's expertise, patient demeanor and attention to detail made what could have been a stressful process incredibly manageable. His thorough explanations of all documents put us at ease, and we felt entirely supported throughout the experience. Thank you Paulo and team - we are so grateful your support during such a huge life change for our family.

We purchased a home that had numerous, above asking offers. Without Nick Hooper we would not have been successful. He is straight forward, puts you in the best position to succeed and is transparent. As with any home, our experience before, during and after the purchase was not problem free, however, Nick was there for us every step of the way. I highly recommend him.

Kristine provided excellent service from day one. Her knowledge in the Real Estate Market was outstanding, she kept me updated through the entire process and was admired by the buyers agent. I would highly recommend her to both buyers and sellers.

Paulo did an amazing job in helping us find our new home in Laguna Beach. We looked for over a year and he was very patient in the process in wanting us to find the right home for our family. His customer service and follow up by his team during the transaction was incredible. We highly recommend using Paulo Prietto for your real estate needs in Laguna Beach.

Mike managed all aspects of the sale of my rental house in south Laguna Beach. His extensive experience helped me decide on repairs, pricing, timing, presentation and overall strategy. With over 20 real estate transactions in my past, and my first with Mike, I can tell you I could not be more pleased. So pleased that a month after escrow closed, I asked Mike to help me with another purchase. And that was another highly successful transaction. Mike advised on repairs, obtained estimates, oversaw the work, arranged for presentation- stress free for me and quality work at a terrific price. Offers came in over asking. Mike organized offers giving important background information based on his knowledge of real estate transactions. He continued to stay on top of the transaction which closed on time without a hitch. I particularly appreciated Mike's availability. My calls, emails and texts were responded to immediately. Working with Mike is an extraordinary experience. I value good business, ethics, decency, kindness and intelligence. My values were supported through all stages of negotiation with Mike.

We were so happy to work with Paulo from the Mike Johnson Group. He was there and patient with us throughout the whole process of finding and purchasing our new home in a tough market. Thanks for walking us through every step! Loving our new home.

Michael and Andrew are truly exceptional. We were so impressed with their level of knowledge and the insight they have on the Laguna Beach market. They are not only incredibly responsive, but treat every transaction as if they are purchasing the property. At every step of the sales process, they look out for you and genuinely have your best interests in mind. A big thanks to the entire team who recently helped us sell our home. Their promptness, knowledge of the market, strategic mindset, kindness, and overall good energy made for a smooth sales process. We couldn’t be any happier with the level of service we received and ALWAYS recommend them to everyone we know!

It was an absolute pleasure working with Paulo, he really invested a lot of time in working with us to find our dream home. My fiancé and I couldn't have been happier, thanks to Paulo for all of his patience, hard work, and dedication to finding us the perfect place that checked all of the boxes for us. We honestly can't speak more highly of him!

I found the Mike Johnson Group after an exhaustive search for an honest, experienced and reliable real estate agent. From my first contact, I was confident that Mike and his team would help me through the process of selling my home. Even with the market changes, making selling more difficult, Mike and his team were able to sell my property at an excellent price. I particular like their team approach, so answers to questions and any issues are handled timely and efficiently. Moreover, more tasks can be completed sooner. I will certainly use the Mike Johnson Group for my future real estate endeavors--selling and buying.

We worked closely with Kristine for 5 months, finding her very friendly, upbeat and enthusiastic. She is a great communicator, being able to effectively connect with potential buyers without being pushy. It always felt like she had our best interests in mind, coming up with effective strategies to help us secure our dream home and helped us navigate a difficult market. Always respectful of us, our requests and our time, she was very easy and delightful to work with. We would highly recommend Kristine Flynn to anyone looking for a great realtor!

We greatly appreciate Paulo for helping us buy our dream house and making the sale of our home as painless as possible. He is as professional and ethical a realtor as you can find, and has a very calm demeanor which helped us through many stressful months of ups and downs. Using various forms of marketing, some unconventional but ultimately effective, we were able to sell in a very difficult market. He was always just a call away, very receptive to any requests, suggestions and comments, and courteous and respectful of us and our time. We would not hesitate to recommend Paulo to our friends and family, and to anyone looking for a great realtor.

We are fortunate to have Paulo Prietto as our realtor. He has gone above and beyond to help us find our first family home. We started looking for a home over the summer of last year and Paulo has always kept in touch with us and kept us posted on new homes coming into the market. His kindness, patience, and professionalism has made our purchase a fairly easy process. He assisted us every step of the way and the whole process from beginning to end has been a very un-stressful experience. I would highly recommend Paulo as a realtor. He is more than just a realtor to us. You will truly feel at ease having Paulo by your side when you purchase your home. He will not disappoint!

My family had the best experience working with Kristine Flynn to find our new home in Laguna Beach. We were relocating to the area and had limited time to fly in to look at homes. She was always accommodating with our schedule and would line up a full day of appointments so we could get the most out of our time. The best part was that she was so incredibly knowledgeable and helpful in educating us on the town, pros and cons of various neighborhoods, the schools, kids’ activities, and even sports options for our kids. She really went above and beyond – even ultimately introducing us to other parents/kids in our new neighborhood! Kristine is also the warmest, nicest person. She was so patient with us and yet persistent with sellers – which really helps in a tight market with few houses available. She was able to find us our perfect home in our ideal neighborhood. We feel so lucky have met her and know any buyer would be in great hands with her.

My husband and I moved from our 6500 square foot, 180-degree ocean view home in Dana Point to Laguna Beach, for the amazing school district. When we arrived in Laguna Beach, we were astonished by what we could afford, in comparison to Dana Point. Not only did we learn that Laguna Beach house hunting came with much compromise, but every area in Laguna Beach is so different. When I met Kristine Flynn, we were content in our current rental property, but discussed our long-term plans of owning. Kristine was not only familiar with all the streets in Laguna, but the different lifestyle of each area. I must have sent her different properties to look at every other week for close to a year; Kristine never made me feel like I was imposing. She would actually encourage me to look at the properties, stating it would help her determine what I truly liked. We would visit each property, reviewing what I liked, what I did not care for and which amenities I was ambiguous on. One day, Kristine called and said there is a property that she loved that just went back on the market, she was right. We made an offer that evening, only to be confused if this was our forever property. My husband called Kristine and withdrew the offer the following morning; Kristine was so supportive, stating she just wanted us to be happy and this obviously was not our property. Two weeks later, there was another property that she insisted we look at. This property was on a 10,000 flat square foot lot, walking distance to the village with ocean views. This particular property was on and off the market for the last six years, in multiple escrows, with title issues and tenant issues. Kristine knew how much this property exceeded all of our wild dreams; she worked tirelessly on every email, every question concerning financing, title, and somehow closed a property that no one could close. Kristine is an extremely genuine person, with the added benefit of her design expertise. During one of the most stressful months in my life, she remained positive and professional. I have worked with many agents over the years, Kristine will be my last.

Andrew was incredible. He helped us with so many things that more than we anticipated. It was very stressful and Andrew was with the whole way. We highly recommend him and his team.

Paulo Prietto has been our realtor for several years now, going through a lengthy process of helping us find our forever home during uncertain markets and even a pandemic. He provided incredibly professional, thorough, and consistently thoughtful information, as well as always knowing just what we needed throughout the process. Paulo knew that he would find us "the one", even when there was zero inventory. He is a great guy, very knowledgeable, incredibly genuine and well-rounded, with a real sense of humor, and the focus and determination it takes to even become a three-time international skimboard champion! We have known many realtors over the years; but Paulo is in a class of his own, of the highest distinction in every regard. We recommend Paulo with our deepest gratitude for helping us find our forever home. We are truly honored to have an opportunity to shout a thank you to Paulo from the rooftops!!!

We needed someone to represent us who is extremely knowledgeable concerning Laguna Beach Real Estate as well as undeveloped land and what it takes to achieve City approval. Mike Johnson and his group were the team we sought. Selling an undeveloped lot requires a lot of expertise. You need to know how much it costs to build a custom home and contrast that against existing properties. Laguna Beach Design Review can be extremely challenging, making the building of a custom home almost impossible. Mike understood what it would take to successfully package our property. We purchased just prior to the Great Recession and therefore were at the high end of the market. Mike was able differentiate our property from other lots helping us to successfully sell at a reasonable price. We are grateful to his support and consultation during this period of time. Having moved out of the area required that he represent us in every way necessary to produce a great outcome. Thank you Mike Johnson and the members of your team. We are forever grateful.

Top notch real estate team. Excellent job representing us and advising us during the sell of a real estate asset. Highly recommended. Mike listed the property and provided us excellent advice on what improvements would increase the sell price and attract buyers. All paperwork was processed efficiently and in a time sensitive manner. Mike promptly returns phone calls and is always available to answer questions and provide expert advice on all aspects of the transaction. Mike is supported by an incredible team of real estate professionals that are courteous and knowledgeable. I will continue to use Mike in future transactions.

Mike Johnson, Andrew Graff, Paulo Prietto and Lilly Tabrizi are far and away the very best real estate team we have worked with in our years of buying and selling homes. With Mike and his capable, knowledgable colleagues, our search for a home in Laguna was painless and stress free. Over and over again we heard from other agents in the community that Mike was the best agent in Laguna- impressive given it was coming from other agents. We couldn't agree more. He is, indeed, the best and we are fortunate to have found him and subsequently our new home. Thanks to the whole team for helping us manage the deal from afar. Andrew Graff in particular went above and beyond with logistical planning and his willingness to accommodate our schedules. We wholeheartedly recommend Mike and his colleagues to anyone who is looking to buy or sell in Laguna Beach.

We are very thankful to have connected with Paulo. He truly has his finger on the pulse of the local market. Paulo's calm and friendly demeanor helped us when things were stressful. We always knew he was out there with our best interests in mind. We are so happy with the home that Paulo found for us!

Nick helped us buy our home in an extremely competitive market. He is highly knowledgeable about the area and local market. As first time home buyers, Nick's guidance was crucial and he helped us every step of the way.

Mike Johnson was masterful in telling me what repairs to make prior to selling, how to effectively market the home, how to price it, how to smoothly work through the escrow process and how to make the move out and closing a piece of cake. My home had 7 offers, all above list price after 3 days on the market! He was always responsive to my questions and an extremely easy person with whom to work. I highly recommend him.

I have had over six transactions with Michael Johnson’s group and I keep going back because of the caring and professional manner they conduct themselves. Michael Johnson sets the standard for his group and they are all wonderful.

Mike and his team have supported us over the years with purchases, rentals and sales. He and his team are incredibly professional and responsive whether or not there is an immediate transaction involved. Mike knows his profession intimately and takes a long-term relationship oriented perspective with his clients. He is also extremely well connected. Most recently he helped us with a multi-year search for the perfect long-term home for us and fortuitously sold our previous home off-market in a single day. We would highly recommend Mike for any real estate brokerage assignment.

The consummate professional with an extraordinary understanding of the local market and overall industry. He and his team provided every service to prep the property, manage the staging, address the inspection and close the deal. He strategically priced the property to secure multiple offers, selling within 12 days of listing & over asking price and closing within 14 days.