Whether you're buying, selling, or simply exploring the San Diego market, this is your go-to resource for strategic real estate guidance, tax-smart planning tips, and a curated look at the best homes across the county. As longtime local experts with decades of experience, we share real-world strategies we use with our clients every day, plus honest opinions on property values, neighborhood insights from true locals, and smart advice for those looking to invest in coastal San Diego.
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The Goldilocks Market: Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold
Published 2 months ago • 6 min read
Real-Time Coastal Market Pulse
We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are easing into the holiday season. We snuck away to Palm Springs for a couple of days with friends, which was a nice reset before things get busy again.
On the real estate front, activity has definitely picked up. The calls, the showings, the buyer inquiries, even our website traffic has picked up momentum. We’re working with a lot of active buyers right now and have several great listings coming soon in La Jolla, Point Loma, and Cardiff.
This week, we pulled together 8 very different properties—everything from a fixer/lot opportunity to true oceanfront. You can see all of them, along with our notes, below.
And don’t shoot the messenger, but… property taxes are due December 10th. Here’s the link to the Tax Assessor site if you need it.
CURRENT INTEREST RATES
7 Year ARM — 5.125%
30 Year Fixed — 6%
10 Year ARM — 5.5%
A SMART MOVE: SET UP YOUR HELOC NOW
Do you have a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) in place? We always recommend setting one up even if you don’t think you’ll use it. With current home values, most people are sitting on a significant amount of equity, and a HELOC can be a smart tool for short-term needs, financial planning strategies, or true emergencies.
The key is not waiting until you need it. If you want a referral to get one started, just let us know. Most homeowners can secure a standard line of $350,000–$500,000 without much hassle.
THE GOLDILOCKS MARKET — NOT TOO HOT. NOT TOO COLD.
Our Take: This is a steady, grinding market. Whenever you see headlines, make sure you understand what they’re reporting on and where—because the numbers vary dramatically across the country. San Diego remains a balanced market with relatively low sales volume. We’re still down about 26% from 2019 pre-COVID sales levels. Coastal neighborhoods, however, continue to show even stronger resilience.
Del Mar
13334 Barbados WaY
4 BD | 3 BA | 1,846 SF
$2,499,000
GREAT price for this location, condition, and size on a large lot. This will be sold within a week. If you’re interested, call for a showing.
Del Mar Beach Colony
1716 Ocean Front
6 BD | 6 BA | 4,813 SF
$19,999,000
There are very few oceanfront homes available right now. This is priced well for the size and recent updates on the home. There have been recent sales nearby as high as $49 million. This is a good-sized property with direct sandy beach access, which is even more rare.
La Jolla
2223 Caminito Preciosa Sur
4 BD | 3 BA | 2,517 SF
$1,977,000
This is a brand-new remodel and priced well for 4+ bedrooms and 2,500 feet. This is about the best price per foot you can expect in La Jolla—especially under $2M. ALSO: the same investor has another slightly smaller unit they are selling for a little lower than this as well.
Montoro, La Jolla Shores
2516 Ruette Nicole
5 BD | 7 BA | 8,216 SF
$15,995,000
Private gated community just above La Jolla Shores beach with amazing views. The last two homes in this neighborhood sold quickly and this is priced very well comparatively.
La Playa, Point Loma
350 San Elijo
4 BD | 4 BA | 3,292 SF
$2,500,000
This is the diamond in the rough. Great home, location, views, and lot. Close to San Diego Bay and the Yacht Club. It is a fixer/project that needs to be fully renovated—but that is baked into the price. Even with a $1 million remodel this home would be worth well over the all-in costs.
Point Loma
4474 Niagara
5 BD | 4 BA | 3,291 SF
$2,999,900
Great family home and priced well for the size, yard, pool, condition, and views. HINT: *If you like this, we might have something very similar coming nearby for $2.65.*
Crown Point
3945 Haines
2 BD | 1 BA | 1,048 SF
$1,600,000
We won't sugarcoat this. It is a cracker box on an amazing lot and location. For this price, you can do a full rebuild and be in line with the market. Just see the house below that did exactly that. So you get to choose between the “before” or “after” option in the same neighborhood. You could also do a quick remodel and have a quaint beach home for under $2M—which is better than most condos nearby, and you own a 5,000 ft lot with more upside.
Crown Point
3616 Buena Vista
5 BD | 5 BA | 3,508 SF
$4,200,000
Brand-new 3,500 ft home with great style and design on a 5,200 ft lot. This is literally the “after” option of Haines. Turnkey home right by the bay.
Ryan’s packing for Palm Springs. Meat thermometer, whiskey and bananas.
Our friend took a photo of me and the girls. We love downtown Palm Springs. Some say that girl teenage years are rough but honestly, I’m loving it. They still grab my hand or arm in public.
When you book last minute for a busy week in Palm Springs, you get the funky. I wasn’t ecstatic about our AirBnb which was straight up old person odd. But they had a hands free wine glass. (Not my best photo but not everyone is glamorous in PS all the time)
This is a fun one. Quinn has hair that I really don't understand. I have very fine, very straight hair. Basically, I have no idea how to handle curly thick hair. I have no idea what this phase is of rolling hair and wrapping in socks at night. She has gone rogue on hair care from the advise of social media. She needed a full reset.
Welcome Tao Dao Tang Hair and Scalp Treatment. I'm sure you've seen it on social. We gave Q a gift cert for her birthday and she LOVED it. First there was a very up close magnified scalp analysis. Kind of scary. Then the spa. It is that funny rounded scalp bath contraption with a head/shoulder massage. The blow out and styling was the finishing touch. It's been 3 days and she hasn't had to scratch or wash. She's hooked on hair spa treatment. Who wouldn't be? And the technician was speaking Mandarin...Q's other language (bonus!).
Outdoor Holiday Merriment
Thanks to year-round moderate temperatures, getting outdoors during the holidays is second nature in San Diego. Enjoy ice skating by the ocean, cheer on your favorite team during a bowl game, or push yourself with a physical challenge such as running in a turkey trot or half-marathon. Or simply stroll along the beach and enjoy the warmth of the season, San Diego-style.
On the other hand, if instead you want to cozy up with a fun, festive cocktail, 'tis the season to put on your flip-flops and Santa hat before heading to these Christmas pop-up bars to celebrate the holidays with over-the-top decorations, cocktails named after your favorite Christmas characters and plenty of festive fun.
We were featured in the latest edition of SD Voyager Magazine!
The article speaks to our careers before we met (at the office in 2004), how we got started in the business together, to challenges & lessons we've learned along the way, and finally what sets us apart from others in the industry.
Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California operating under multiple entities. License Numbers 01991628, 1527235, 1527365, 1356742, 1443761, 1997075, 1935359, 1961027, 1842987, 1869607, 1866771, 1527205, 1079009, 1272467. All material is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description or measurements (including square footage). This is not intended to solicit property already listed. No financial or legal advice provided. Equal Housing Opportunity. Photos may be virtually staged or digitally enhanced and may not reflect actual property conditions.
Whether you're buying, selling, or simply exploring the San Diego market, this is your go-to resource for strategic real estate guidance, tax-smart planning tips, and a curated look at the best homes across the county. As longtime local experts with decades of experience, we share real-world strategies we use with our clients every day, plus honest opinions on property values, neighborhood insights from true locals, and smart advice for those looking to invest in coastal San Diego.
If you have worked with us, you know that Tracie is extremely efficient, organized, detail oriented, and manages escrow like a true professional. When we open a new escrow, we are under a tight timeline to perform and protect our clients. We have a current escrow with an out of town buyer. We can handle 90% of a sale for clients who are out of the area. Tracie is managing about 10 inspections, multiple vendors, phone calls, bids, and estimates. Calls with clients, escrow, title, the seller's...
With the warmer weather, the market is behaving more like mid-summer than late winter. There is real momentum right now. In conversations with agents across the coast, most are working with active buyers, but there continues to be limited new inventory coming to market. We’re not seeing prices bid up week after week, but homes are selling and good properties are moving. If interest rates were to come down, this could turn into a much faster-moving market. There is a large group of would-be...
We’ve been BUSY!! We’re incredibly grateful for the trust our clients place in us and for the referrals that continue to come our way. This has been a challenging market for some agents, but we’ve been fortunate to work with exceptional clients who value strategy, communication, and results. That connection is what drives us to fight hard for the best possible outcome every time. We have a great success story below that’s a perfect example of that. We also have some great property picks this...