They Loved Their Clairemont Home. They Had Simply Outgrown It.
When my clients came to me, they weren't looking for a typical bigger-house move.
They were preparing for early retirement in their 50s, and they wanted their next home to support the life they planned to live once work wasn't the center of their schedule.
One was a musician who needed space for a dedicated, soundproof music studio.
The other was an artist who wanted a proper painting studio.
In their Clairemont home, both of those passions were squeezed into bedrooms.
The music equipment was practically on top of itself. The art supplies and projects had taken over another small bedroom.
They wanted room to create.
They also wanted more peace and privacy. Their Clairemont home was within walking distance of an elementary school, which can be an incredible location for the right buyer, but it meant busy mornings and afternoons during school drop-off and pickup.
For a couple approaching retirement without children at home, it wasn't the lifestyle they were looking for anymore.
They were ready for something different.
The Problem Was Their Wish List Didn't Match Their Preferred Neighborhoods
Their budget was approximately $1.2 million to $1.4 million.
They needed either enough existing interior space for two large studios or a property with enough land to build two separate structures.
And they wanted this to be their forever home.
Initially, they wanted to stay relatively close to Clairemont.
Bay Park and Mission Hills were appealing.
Mount Helix was not.
One of my clients worked in La Mesa and was particularly resistant to the idea of living farther east. They liked being closer to the coast and assumed that's where they wanted to stay.
But once we started looking at actual properties, the numbers told a different story.
What $1.2M to $1.4M Bought Them in Different Parts of San Diego
Clairemont homes generally weren't giving them the combination of large bedrooms, interior space and lot size they needed.
Bay Park pushed the price higher while still making the amount of land they wanted difficult to find.
Mission Hills and similar central San Diego neighborhoods often meant older homes, smaller lots or a much higher purchase price for the amount of space they needed.
To get the property they were describing in those preferred areas, we could easily have been looking at homes approaching or exceeding $2 million.
So I suggested something they initially didn't want to hear:
Let's look at Mount Helix.
Mount Helix offered something their preferred neighborhoods couldn't easily deliver within their budget: larger homes and substantially larger lots.
They didn't have to take my word for it.
We started looking.
And through their own process of elimination, they began seeing the tradeoff differently.
Instead of asking, “How far east do we have to move?”
The question became:
“What kind of life could we have here that we can't create in our current neighborhood?”
Then a Property Came Along That Seemed Almost Made for Them
Eventually, a Mount Helix property hit the market that changed the entire conversation.
It sat on approximately one acre.
The main house was about 2,500 square feet, roughly twice the size of their Clairemont home.
It had a flat driveway and easy access without steep steps, something they had specifically wanted when thinking about this as a home where they could comfortably age in place.
There were mature trees, green space, a creek behind the property and room to potentially add a pool someday.
But the wildest part was sitting in the backyard.
There were already two separate studio structures on the property.
The previous longtime owner had used one as a gardening hobby room and the other as a pottery studio.
My clients needed one art studio and one music studio.
We couldn't have written the wish list much better ourselves.
A 1970s Time Capsule Was Exactly What They Needed
The longtime owner had lived on the property for approximately 50 years, and the home was being sold as part of a trust sale.
It looked like a time capsule.
The finishes were dated, but the property had been meticulously cared for. Even the older appliances were clean and functioning.
My clients weren't looking for a trendy flip.
They were willing to renovate over time.
What they couldn't easily create later was an acre of land, a large house, a flat usable property and two existing detached spaces for their creative work.
That distinction mattered.
Sometimes buyers get caught up in countertops, flooring and paint because those are the things they can immediately see.
But those are also some of the easiest things to change.
You can't renovate a small lot into an acre.
And you can't easily manufacture the setting, privacy and space this property already had.
For my clients, the house itself could evolve.
The property was the irreplaceable part.
Winning the Mount Helix Home
The home was listed at $1,075,000.
We ultimately offered $1,125,000 and secured the property in a competitive situation.
Inspections didn't uncover anything that caused us to rethink the value or require a major repair negotiation.
For the price, size, lot and overall condition, the property delivered exactly what my clients had hoped to find.
We closed in 21 days.
They moved into their Mount Helix home.
Then they handed me the keys to Clairemont.
And we switched from buyer strategy to seller strategy.
Why We Didn't List Their Clairemont Home at the Price They Wanted
When I first talked with my clients about selling their Clairemont property, their dream number was around $1.2 million.
Rather than simply listing at the number they hoped to receive, I recommended positioning the home to create competition.
We ultimately listed at $1,150,000.
The strategy was to make the home compelling enough at launch to drive substantial attention, rather than starting too high and waiting for buyers to negotiate us downward.
But pricing was only one part of the plan.
First, we had to make the house show its absolute best.
They Moved Out. Then We Transformed the House for Market.
Once my clients were comfortably living in Mount Helix, they handed me the keys to their empty Clairemont home.
My team went to work.
We brought in a painter to freshen the property.
We professionally deep cleaned it.
We staged it.
We created the photography and media.
And then we launched.
Because my clients had already moved, we weren't trying to prepare a home around two people working and living there.
The property could be completely staged and ready for buyers.
Then I added a very local piece to the launch.
The Friday the property hit the market, I knocked on doors in the neighborhood and invited neighbors to the open house.
More than 50 people came through that Friday.
Saturday and Sunday were busy too.
By the following week, we had multiple offers, including several above asking.
Listed at $1.15M. Sold at $1.25M.
One buyer came in extremely motivated and made a very strong offer.
The home ultimately sold for:
$1,250,000.
That's $100,000 over the $1.15 million asking price.
And it was $50,000 more than the $1.2 million number my sellers originally hoped to achieve.
We closed in another 21-day escrow.
The pricing strategy hadn't been about convincing my clients their house was worth less.
It was about using the asking price as part of the marketing strategy to create competition and allow the market to push the final price upward.
The House They Didn't Want to Consider Became Their Forever Home
Today, both studios are completely built out.
They have room to entertain friends.
They garden.
They enjoy local farmers markets.
Their main house is roughly twice the size of their former Clairemont home, and the property gives them the privacy and creative space they couldn't find closer to the coast within their budget.
Most importantly, they're happy they made the move to Mount Helix.
That's what I love about this particular client story.
The answer wasn't convincing them to compromise on what mattered.
It was helping them identify what actually mattered most.
They originally thought location was the non-negotiable.
But once we dug deeper, their real non-negotiables were space, creative studios, privacy, accessibility and a home where they could build the life they wanted in retirement.
Once we separated those priorities from the neighborhood name, the answer became much clearer.
What I'd Tell a San Diego Homeowner Who Feels Stuck in Their Current House
Don't start with:
“Where should I move?”
Start with:
“What can't my current home give me anymore?”
Maybe it's a backyard.
Maybe it's another bedroom.
Maybe it's a home office.
Maybe it's privacy, quieter streets, a pool, a view or room for aging parents.
Or maybe, like these clients, it's enough space to finally lean into the hobbies you've been squeezing into spare bedrooms for years.
Once we understand what you're really trying to change, we can look at where in San Diego your budget can realistically deliver it.
Sometimes the answer is the neighborhood you already had in mind.
Sometimes it's a neighborhood you hadn't seriously considered.
And occasionally, the house that makes you change your mind ends up being the one that feels like it was made for you.
What My Client Said After the Move
After buying their Mount Helix home and selling in Clairemont, my client wrote:
“Emily took the time to learn and understand our needs, and knew which neighborhoods would be the best match for us in San Diego.”
He also described what happened when it was time to sell:
“When it came time to sell our old home, we followed her advice and got multiple offers over asking in a single weekend!”
That's really the entire story in two sentences.
Understand the life you're trying to create.
Find the property that can deliver it.
Then build the right strategy to sell the home you're leaving behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mount Helix part of San Diego?
Mount Helix is an unincorporated community in San Diego County adjacent to La Mesa, rather than a neighborhood within the City of San Diego. For buyers searching the broader San Diego area, it can offer a very different housing option from many central San Diego neighborhoods, particularly for buyers prioritizing larger lots and more space.
Why would a buyer consider Mount Helix instead of Clairemont or Bay Park?
It depends entirely on priorities. Buyers who value proximity to the coast or certain central San Diego locations may prefer Clairemont or Bay Park. Buyers prioritizing larger homes, acreage, privacy or space for features such as studios, pools or gardens may find that their budget stretches differently in Mount Helix.
Should I renovate my current home or move to a larger one?
Start by determining whether the things you want can realistically be created in your existing property. Paint, kitchens and flooring can be changed. Lot size, location and certain structural limitations are much harder to solve. For these clients, their Clairemont property simply couldn't provide the amount of land and dedicated studio space they wanted.
Is it better to buy a new home before selling my current San Diego home?
It can be, if your finances allow it and the strategy makes sense for your situation. Buying first can remove the pressure of finding a replacement home immediately after selling and can allow your previous property to be prepared and marketed vacant. A lender should help determine whether carrying both properties temporarily is financially appropriate.
Does listing a San Diego home below the seller's desired price always create multiple offers?
No. Pricing below a seller's desired final price doesn't guarantee competition or a higher sale price. The strategy has to consider comparable sales, current inventory, property condition, buyer demand and overall market conditions. In this transaction, we combined strategic pricing with painting, deep cleaning, staging, professional media and a concentrated launch, ultimately selling for $100,000 over asking.
Feeling like your current San Diego home no longer fits the life you want? Let's look at what your home could sell for, what your budget could buy in different neighborhoods, and whether buying first or selling first makes the most sense. Book a 30-minute consultation.
