San Diego Homes 1979

San Diego Homes 1979: A look back at what some home prices were back then. If you like history as much as I do, you’ll find these short videos from CBS 8 San Diego (below) very interesting! Besides what homes used to cost in San Diego, it’s also fun to see in the videos what they considered “highly upgraded” at the time. So relax and enjoy a little time travel back to 1979!

University City

San Diego Homes 1979: University City (photo taken in 2011)
University City Home (photo taken in 2011)

I’ve lived over 50 years in San Diego, and have seen the housing costs steadily increase over time. The photo from 2011 above shows the home my parents bought (it was nicely upgraded from the original after we moved out) in University City back in the mid 1960’s. What did it cost in the 1960’s? It was $30,000 brand new! It is a 2659 Sq Ft, two story, 4 Bedroom plus Den (or you could say 5 bedrooms), 3 baths, family and living rooms with a 2 car attached garage and a good size back yard, all on a 6600 Sq Ft lot. This home in University City was a great place to live, and I was very fortunate to grow up there.

By 1979, it was just me and my mom in the house, so she “downsized” to a brand new 1719 Sq Ft, 2 BR, 2.5 Ba condo/townhouse nearby on La Jolla Village Drive. She sold our University City home for $165,000, which was a great increase in value back then. So just to show you how much more it’s appreciated over the last 60 years, when I took the photo in 2011 it had an estimated value of $800,000. Today, depending on which real estate sites you look at, the estimates range from $1.6 million to $1.98 million!

As a side note, my Mom bought the condo for $107,000 in 1979. Today, the estimated. value is $800-$900,000+ dollars. So, even condos and townhouses in San Diego continue to greatly increase in value!

San Diego Homes Still A Great Investment Today

San Diego is such a great place to live. Between the near perfect weather year-round, the beaches, mountains, desert, etc., there’s pretty much something for everyone. So this is why owning a home in San Diego still is and always will be a great investment. In my opinion, San Diego real estate values will keep trending up for the foreseeable future. Because of this, why would you want to keep renting and paying your Landlords mortgage and gaining nothing? Instead, you could own your own home and start building equity!

What’s Your Home Worth Today?

Are you already a homeowner in San Diego and want to know what your home is currently worth? It’s easy, ask Amy! She will be happy to provide you with a professional estimate. It will most likely be more accurate than the estimates you find on many real estate websites that use computer algorithms to “guess” what your home might be worth. Those algorithms are only as good as the programmer that wrote the algorithm.

CBS 8 San Diego Videos

CBS 8 News Video – San Diego Homes 1979: Affordable Homes Series Part 1 and 2

The 4 minute video above explores what was considered “affordable” in 1979. The reporter visits a home and a condo in Mira Mesa and talks selling points, amenities and inflation. They also give you a brief look at the low-tech Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in 1979, long before the internet, websites and apps on your phones. Back in 1979, the MLS consisted of printed books about the size of phone books, and had to be updated frequently. It makes you appreciate how easy it is to search for a home today!

CBS 8 News Video – San Diego Homes 1979: Affordable Homes Series Parts 3, 4 and 5

The 5 minute video above visits homes and home buyers in Clairemont, Hillcrest and La Jolla. Incredibly, there were still affordable housing options in La Jolla back then!

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