About San Diego's South Park

The state of the San Diego housing market is a mixed bag as it is in many markets across the country. Are the national statistics daunting and depressing? Yes! But what I can say is that they don’t tell the true story of what is happening in the local markets in San Diego, CA. As a realtor here in San Diego, I have a front row seat to what is really happening here on the ground. Let’s take the 92102 and 92103 zip codes which encompass Golden Hill, South Park, Mission Hills, Bankers Hill, Hillcrest as well as a few other neighborhoods. You can check back to my profiles on each of these neighborhoods, but they are each desirable locations to live within the central urban corridor.

Mission Hills

Hillcrest

South Park

Golden Hill

Bankers Hill

As with most markets, each neighborhood is being defined by distressed properties, investors and first-time homebuyers. Everyone wants to talk about how the market is declining, but when a local look is taken here in these two zip codes in San Diego a different trend emerges.

Let’s take a quick look at what we see year to date (January – April) versus the same period in 2010.

92102: Number of units sold is down 3.4%. Median Price is up 17.1%

92103: Number of units sold is up 18.4%. Median Price is up 14.2%

Now, this is obviously not a scorching market by any stretch of the imagination, but what it illustrates is that national statistics are doing a disservice to neighborhoods around the country. They paint these terrible pictures with broad strokes that just don’t stand up on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis. Some neighborhoods are doing much better than last year and others are doing worse and some haven’t changed at all. It is paramount that you look to your local real estate professionals to truly understand what is happening in our neighborhoods.

Information is power and it is up to us to spread localized information, because it pertains to us much more than vague national statistics.

Whay Are Historic Districts Important?

A historic district is an area that has a "significant concentration of buildings, homes and structures that have a special character, historical interest, cultural or aesthetic value, or that represent one or more architectural periods in the history and development of San Diego"* a city.

Historic districts are important because they help preserve important architectural periods in San Diego's history. Protecting these areas from demolition helps to preserve the character and charm that makes these communities so desireable.

Some of the benefits of living in a historic district are:

• Higher property values- According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation homes in these districts are 10-25% more valuable than similar homes not in historic districts
• Protections from mega-mansions being built next door- These mega-mansions often do not reflect the character of the historic period. The mega-sized homes overpower the community and erode the cultural and architectural heritage that makes these areas so desirable.
• Possible Property Tax Saving- Through the Mills Act**.

**only contributing homes are eligible for the Mills Act. The Mills Act has its own set of requirements that differ somewhat from the requirements of historic designation.

There are 3 categories of homes in a historic district:

1. Contributing Home- These homes must "meet the significance characteristics of a district and must be specifically designated" as historic.
2. Potential Contributing Home- These homes, if restored to the original character of the design of the home, may be able to apply to be a contributing home, and thus gain historic designation
3. Non Contributing Homes- These homes no longer reflect the character of the district either because they are new homes or have been modified so much that they "no longer contribute to the historical integrity of the district"*. The only benefit these homes receive is the fact that they reside in a historic district.

*information derived from SaveOurHeritageFoundation.

One of the Best Burgers in San Diego can be had at Alchemy in South Park. The burger here is made with Estancia Farms grass fed beef and it’s served with parmesan fries and garlic aioli. All I can say is… Yum!

Alchemy is a hip eatery and bar in the heart of South Park. There motto is to “please the palates of their guests with cultural fare from around the world”. Menu items include:

• Street Food: Stuffed Squash Blossoms (that’s zucchini flowers for all you Italians out there) and Tostones (a Puerto Rican fried plantain).

• Tapas: Thai Oyster Shooters, Gazpacho (that yummy cold Spanish soup), Calamari, and Piquillo Rellenos.

• Entrees: have meat or can be vegetarian. If you want a light refreshing treat try the watermelon salad.

Alchemy touts a full bar, amazing espresso and happy hour specials.

Two special nights are:

Farmers Market Vegetarian Night- on Wednesdays. For $25 you can get a 3 course vegetarian meal. And trust me you do not have to be a vegetarian to enjoy it.

Silent Sunday’s- Every 1^st Sunday of the month. On Silent Sundays a black and white silent film is projected on the back wall and there is live music.

If you are in South Park you really don’t want to miss Alchemy!

1503 30th st

South Park is a charming community with quaint café's and pubs in walking distance from most homes. Homes here were built primarily between the early 1900's to the 1930"s with the Craftsman style dominating the area.

*Homes are Not listed for sale

Don't miss the pink lined streets of Burlingame, a smaller community within South Park.