This is an excerpt from an article titled Feather Acres’ Inviting Ambience May Have You Staying For A Year… or 40 was originally published in the November 16, 2015 edition of the San Diego Business Journal by Luxury Real Estate columnist, Stephanie R. Glidden
When you pull up a map of the 92014 zip code for Del Mar, there are a couple of non-contiguous parts of the city. One of them is above the Flower Hill Promenade north of Via de la Valle and just west of interstate 5. It seems as if it should be part of Solana Beach, given its geography
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I have often wondered why this was so and have contacted several people and city authorities for an answer.
Finally, Janet Lawless Christ, the broker owner of Janet Lawless Christ & Co. of Coldwell Banker Previews International, who has been in the area since 1975, gave me the answer.
“It might be urban legend but when Rancho Del Mar was being developed, which is a little bit farther east, the developers wanted to differentiate themselves with a more rural feeling from the more impacted Del Mar” Christ said. “They felt that the Del Mar ZIP and moniker was more prominent and were able to annex the 92014 ZIP for this and other areas.”
Christ, who is among Coldwell Banker’s top 1 percent of agents, said that this was long before Del Mar Heights, an area directly east of I-5 from Del Mar, was developed.”
“They also wanted that Del Mar buzz and more acreage for each property,” Christ said. “After that is when Solana Beach started building up so much and filled in the gaps.”
Christ has a recently sold listing in this area at 1153 Solana Drive. The two-story, 3,810-square-foot home was put on the market in late June of 2015 for just under $2.3 million and closed escrow in mid-October for $2.04 million. Gwyn Carter Rice of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Inc. was the listing agent.
This is a quick sale for homes in this price range and Christ attributes it to the sellers’ attention to a first-class renovation. This included wide plank French oak flooring, excellent high-quality fireplace and bathroom upgrades and finishes on the interior.
“It’s not just about square footage,” Christ said. “ Buyers will ask ‘well, what is the price per square foot,’ and what it’s about is how the buyers fell in love with the house, especially the courtyard, which is hugely unique for properties in that area.”
One of the strategies Christ and Rice employed to highlight the ambience and feel of the home was to have the buyers come back at dusk to sit in the courtyard and on the deck to experience the special feeling of the home.
“The buyers were looking at a number of properties and when we invited them back they looked at us like we were insane,” Christ said. ‘We told them ‘come back, have a little wine, relax… you need to see it during this time and you will just fall in love with it,’ and lo and behold they did.”
Click below for a downloadable PDF of the original article in San Diego Business Journal
San Diego Business Journal – Janet Christ Del Mar Real Estate