The five-portion sequence on “significant charges” from 40 many years ago seems pretty common to San Diegans in 2021.
SAN DIEGO — In the past yr, San Diego housing price ranges have hit numerous all-time record highs. In this Zevely Zone, I revisited the 12 months of 1979, which was another file-breaking chapter in San Diego’s actual estate heritage. I in comparison what potential buyers were being spending additional than 40 yrs in the past.
In get to appear back again in time we dug into the KFMB Stations’ archives and found a 5-portion sequence on San Diego serious estate that Information 8’s Janet Zappala aired in 1979. Janet’s sequence begun with text that might audio acquainted in 2021.
“House hunting, currently it truly is a discouraging, time consuming and often times depressing method,” explained Janet. “Legitimate, San Diego is the most costly put to acquire a household in all of the Continental United States, but that isn’t going to suggest only the affluent can get right here.”


In 1979, News 8 profiled a 3-bedroom, two-bathtub Mira Mesa house that now would offer for, “$750,000,” explained latest home owner Lan Wu. She instructed us she bought her home for $430,000 and has done well, but it is really nothing at all when compared to her neighbor Charles Wilbun who acquired his home 45 several years back.
“December 31, 1976,” said Charles with a large smile. He compensated $40,000 for his residence then and if he marketed it currently? “I would go on the outlandish facet of factors and desire five million bucks,” mentioned Charles.
He’d probably get it and joked about that listing price tag since the median selling price for a San Diego home has soared to $650,000.


“They are exorbitant. It is really a good deal of funds, I guess you are having to pay for the sunshine tax,” mentioned La Jolla resident Lorri Sabban.
In our 1979 archives, we found a home in Hillcrest that had two residences on a single good deal that bought for $86,000. That same home today would offer for hundreds of thousands. We asked house owner Dennis Agajanian what he believed he would have paid for the average residence in 1979. Dennis informed us, “$240,000.” When informed it really offered for only $98,000, he gasped “No kidding?”


So again to News 8’s Janet Zappala who did a equivalent tale to this in 1979. On digital camera, she mentioned, “When most of us believe of La Jolla we believe of substantial, high housing charges.” In 1979, some individuals considered it was outrageous to shell out $69,000 for a 1-bed room condominium a block from the beach.
“We were being looking into just recently and we noticed that a home right here went for $25 million. I don’t even want to know which a single it is because I don’t want to know what 25 million looks like,” said La Jolla resident Russell Tan.
We requested Russell what he thought he could have acquired a property in La Jolla for in 1979?
He mentioned, “I would say in the thousands and thousands still. It’s possible 2 million [or] 3 million?”
The precise total was $120,000.
“Wow,” explained Russell who instructed us he was seeking for the keys to his time device.
The residence that Russell mentioned is a 6,000 square foot masterpiece that sits ideal on the ocean at 8466 El Paseo Grande. It lately sold for an all-time La Jolla report of $24.7 million.
As Janet Zappala noted in 1979, even the plenty were being expensive, or so men and women thought at the time. “It truly is really what desires are built of but when you are having to pay 100’s of thousands of pounds for a large amount like this you would feel you would get a household to go alongside with it,” mentioned Janet. “If money is no item or even if it is, these tons selling for far more than $300,000 in La Jolla Mesa may fascination you.”
In 1979, lots at the top of La Jolla Mesa were being advertising rapid. Realtor Greg Cummings says a related ton today would value $2.5 million if any have been out there.
“You do not see land really a lot,” mentioned Cummings. The Greg Cummings Team with Compass Real Estate is observing a razor-skinny stock, small-curiosity fees, and inspired customers from Los Angeles and San Francisco. “When compared to all those marketplaces San Diego is on sale, it can be a lower price, which is astonishing, but it is. You get considerably more for your funds in this article than you do in LA and the Bay Area,” said Cummings.
In 1979, we profiled a married pair who bought a 3-bedroom home in Clairemont for $68,000. “Each individual month you have money in the lender,” they explained to us at the time.
A person decade right before that, in 1969, Ray and Yvonne Benton acquired a single of the initial properties in Clairemont. What did they pay back?
“Initially the house was $14,250 and $99 a thirty day period,” mentioned Ray and Yvonne.
In 2021, they reported they would provide their home for $800,000. “Our children are going to inherit some thing nice simply because we have 3 of them,” explained Yvonne. That’s proper, they own a few houses on their block. The Bentons’ information, purchase, hold on tight and wait as so numerous San Diegans have with a household sweet property.
Look at: San Diego Residences 1979: Cost-effective Properties Collection Aspect 1 and 2
Look at: San Diego Households 1979: Very affordable Residences Sequence Component 3, 4, 5