Top Home Features in San Diego Real Estate | ProWest Properties

Top Home Features in San Diego Real Estate

San Diego is a hot real estate market year-round, but that doesn’t mean sellers shouldn’t put in the work to make their property highly desirable. It means the opposite; you’ve got to work that much harder to make your home stand out from the crowd.

We put together a list of four of the top home features sought out by San Diego real estate buyers. They are out there hunting down these amenities — so with a little planning and foresight, you can drive up the price of your listing and give the crowds what they really want. 

These four features are also highly specific to California homes. While fireplaces would top many “home amenity” lists, that’s not something you’re going to find too often in a San Diego residence. These features are built for sun, sand, and outdoor living 365 days a year.

Indoor-Outdoor Transitions

Windows with panoramic views. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Living rooms that open onto sun decks. This is the kind of seamless indoor-outdoor transition San Diego buyers are absolutely obsessed with.

It invites the outside in, connecting us back to nature. Here in San Diego, that’s something you want to be able to do all year long. 

If you’re looking to add a similar feature on a budget, try retractable or motorized panels. You can also go for the optical illusion, leveling any steps between indoor and outdoor spaces to create a longer line of sight.

Privacy

San Diego is a growing city. In the next decade, our population will increase by an estimated 9 percent. We also have an unusually high percentage of young people — folks flocking to startups and to the beach in equal measure.

That is a lot of buying power. In response, entire new communities are popping up every year and quickly getting snatched up. While it’s great that the real estate market is responsive to trends, many people don’t want cookie-cutter copycats all lined up in a row. They want space, privacy, and a little originality.

Plants are the easiest way to achieve this task. Line your property with fruit trees (citrus, figs, guava, pomegranate, and loquats all grow wonderfully in this climate) and place foliage in strategic spots to make your home a private oasis.

Drought-Sensitive Features

Our final two features relate to the renewed desire for sustainable living. San Diego narrowly escaped a couple of bad droughts in the last decade, along with several large wildfires. The need to create eco-friendly and responsible spaces is never far from our minds as a result.

Drought-sensitive features include sustainably-sourced furniture, good insulation, an organic local garden, and solar panels. Our buyers are always asking about solar features to drive down overall utility prices.

Energy efficiency

Energy efficiency really goes hand in hand with drought-sensitive features. Our top recommendations:

• Switching lights to LED bulbs, which also give off a softer and more natural glow

• Using a smart thermostat to automatically adjust to changing conditions

• Low-flush toilets

• Double-paned windows

Each of these recommendations adds elegance and appeal to a home on the market (to any home, for that matter!) Which one is within your budget?

We also have many more seller tips where that came from. Click here to get ready to list your home!

What to Look For In a REALTOR®

What Should Look for in a REALTOR®?

Whether you are interested in selling your home or are on the market to make a purchase, it’s smart to have a seasoned REALTOR® on your side. We’re going through the top three things any prospective client should look for in a REALTOR® before shaking hands and making things official.

At ProWest Properties, we have been making homeowner dreams come true for many years in beautiful seaside San Diego. Clients of all stripes have come through our doors. These three categories sum up much of what we’ve learned about the client-buyer relationship and how it can function optimally. 

1. Honesty

Nothing comes before honesty. It’s that simple. 

A REALTOR® must tell the truth in both good situations and the bad. Honesty and its benefits begin at the very start of the relationship; we are responsible for laying out a realistic timeline and financial strategy to meet your goals. If a REALTOR® is misleading about that process to any degree it can be very, very tough on the client. They are not going to walk away happy. So, at every opportunity, be honest and clear about the steps to come.

2. Expertise

San Diego is a unique real estate market for quite a few reasons: the geography,  climate, and the many special and distinct neighborhoods. The city (and county) are also seeing rapid growth in the following industries: science and life sciences, tech startups, non-profits, military and defense assets, international trade, and tourism. 

Any REALTOR® worth their salt should be familiar with our local communities. They should also have good working relationships and other REALTORS® or real estate agents in the area to locate the best opportunities for you. 

Ask yourself: do they know about the school districts, and can point out family amenities? Are they up to date on public transit and freeway development in the area? What about local planning regulations? All these can factor heavily into a real estate transaction.

3. Connection and Representation

Finally, your REALTOR® should know the other players in their industry well: the appraisers, home inspectors, and mortgage loan officers. They should also know both the REALTORS on their team and the ones with the competition, giving you a fighting chance when a hot property becomes available.

A vast network is great, but a REALTOR® must ultimately be supported by his own team. His staff, office, and his company should have great reviews online. He/she represents that company and vice versa. You may end up in trouble if you go with a REALTOR® you’d like to take a chance on but you lack trust in the general principles and methodology of his team.

Before you decide to work with a REALTOR®, make sure they check off these three boxes for you. We guarantee the process will be an enjoyable and rewarding one. And if you still haven’t found someone you like please send us a note here and we’ll connect you to one of our highly reputable team members.