We Buy Houses Archives - Page 2 of 15

Serra Mesa Remodel Video

by Tom | Sep 28, 2021 | Exterior Paint, House Flipping, Kitchens, Landscaping, San Diego Real Estate Market, Videos

It’s always fun to see the whole process after such a killer transformation. Here is a house flipping video I put together that shows what kind of love and care we put into this home over the 6-week remodel. The property is located in Serra Mesa, a San Diego centrally located neighborhood. We bought the house directly from a retiring landlord who simply wanted to cash out.

The house needed extensive repairs so we bought it “as-is” and he didn’t even have to pay realtor commissions. It is so rewarding to truly make such an impact on improving neighborhoods in the city we love. The white exterior color palette and the light wood accents are really on trend right now and our design came out just as imagined. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for future projects. Hope you enjoy!

Back in Serra Mesa

by Tom | Aug 1, 2021 | San Diego Real Estate Market

We are happy to be in a little higher priced market working this summer with our new project. Serra Mesa is on the hill right above the old Qualcomm Stadium location and for those in the know it’s home of a billion dollar SDSU satellite campus location now with Aztek Stadium, something the Chargers seemed to never be able to pull off. We have remodeled a bunch of homes in this neighborhood and Serra Mesa is seeing some big time gentrification and is a solid bet for future growth in home prices. Serra Mesa home prices range from $850,000 to the high $900’s for little 3/2’s! We get to step up the design and materials on this one so its going to be a killer transformation.

You can see here the home is mostly original, we purchased this property from a tired landlord that simply wanted to cash out and retire. Even though the house was rented out, there was deferred maintenance issues but we bought it as-is. The seller benefited from an easy and fair sale without having a bunch of people through the home disturbing the tenants and didnt have to pay any realtor commissions or closing costs. Stay tuned for the complete remodel, we will make this house the shining star of the block and make all the nieghbors very happy!

Mission Cliff Gardens

by Tom | Jan 27, 2021 | Uncategorized

Mission Cliff Gardens in University Heights is one of San Diego’s hidden treasures with a lot of history. Situated on the steep hill above Mission Valley, it was Founded in 1890 by the San Diego Cable Car Company. This was the destination for San Diegans to come to at the end of the trolley line and walk around to see the lush gardens, Ostrich Farm, Aviary and was a real botancial wonder for its time.

The neighborhood is now home to tons of walkers and joggers with its close proximity to Adams Avenue, Trolley Barn Park and the main drag of the University Heights shops and cafes. In 1904 Spreckels expanded the park and gave people view points to enjoy the overlook of what is now Mission Valley. The cobble rock original wall built by John Davidson and entrance is still here and in fact the organ in Balboa Park was donated by the Spreckels and originally planned to be in Mission Cliff Gardens. The park and nature area was closed in 1929 to make way for a 1942 subdivision for single family homes along the canyon.

We bought this small 2 bedroom, 1 bath house in 2021 from a Trustee after the owner had passed away from natural causes. The house is an incredible find, sitting right on the cliff with a million dollar view over Mission Valley. The home itself is very unique in that its only 1000 sf and has a 1 car garage. The previous owner was a bachelor so he reallocated one of the bedrooms to puiblic space used as an office off the living room. It totally makes sense so we decided to leave it knowing who our buyer will likely be.

After some serious consideration I opted to only do a quick flip with flooring and paint instead of getting into a huge reconfiguration and total remodel. Selling it now versus spending $100k and 2 – 3 months here will end up netting us the same with a tune up and fast sale at a lower price. My plan is to list this house on the market in the high 800’s. There was a non-flip sales comp one block down in the mid 900s with no view.

The demographic for this neighborhood suggests a single person or couple, no kids, and urban professional lifestyle. Having not much yard is perfect for someone busy but wanting to enjoy everything University Heights has to offer. This is going to sell really fast even with the time period kitchen we decided to leave as-is. Nothing ever comes available on this side of the street, much less in Mission Cliff Gardens so get ready for a bidding war.

Stay tuned, we are going very bold and masculine with the colors to have some fun!

Almost Done in PQ

by Tom | Jan 10, 2021 | House Design, House Flipping, San Diego Real Estate Market

This remodel in Rancho Penasquitos is really moving along smoothly like a well oiled machine. Everyone worked over the Christmas and New Year holiday and on weekends to stay on track. I got the kitchen in and we went with white shaker cabinets which have been the most popular and best choice for todays buyers. Quartz countertops are also the go-to on trend design that we usually do. Quartz provides and easy to care for surface that is also antimicrobial and helps in spreading norovirus germs like granite would. If you are looking for the best countertop to prevent COVID germs quartz might be your option. I did a nice waterfall on the peninsula island which is where the counter top returns straight down to the floor by using a mitre 45 degree seam. It’s a really nice feature to consider on your new kitchen design.

The bathroom tile jobs both came out really fun but we kept them classy. Pattern tiles can sometimes be too strong and a homeowner possibly might get sick of it after a few years. The light grey pattern I picked out is really soft and I think provides a timeless option that is easy on the eyes. I did the floors and back accent walls in this selection but kept the side walls in both bathrooms clean white large subway. Our complete bathroom remodels always get a brand new tub set, shower valves replaced inside the wall with raised shower head as well as hot mop shower pan.

At the project, out back we got all new concrete flatwork done this week. Indoor/outdoor living spaces are very important in San Diego. What was here previously just wasnt nice enough for this price range so we pulled the trigger on new flatwork and also ran a sidewalk up the garage side that leads to the driveway that wasnt there before. The exterior color is SW 7019 Gauntlet Gray body with SW 7005 Pure White trim. Gauntlet Gray is very dark and bold but really stands out on this block of all brown tone homes. Alot of sunlight hits this house so it works. It’s the finish line, all new landscape is going in complete with irrigation, rocks and new sod front and back. Stay tuned to Green Button Homes, we are almost done here in Rancho Penasquitos!

Serra Mesa Remodel Done!

by Tom | Dec 18, 2019 | House Design, House Flipping, San Diego Real Estate Market

Just wrapped up this big Serra Mesa project to finish out the year. Couldn’t really be worse timing to put a house on the market in December but with all the new jobs in University City from the new Amazon Tech Headquarters, all surrounding areas are selling.

The open concept with big island kitchen really makes the house. We did the quartz counter tops again with a waterfall on the island for a dramatic touch. Matte black hardware and plumbing trim throughout looks very sharp and gives a good contrast to the white cabinetry.

Believe it or not beige and neutral paint colors are coming back. Combined with Navy Blue accents this is the new trend for 2020 in home design. I got so sick of seeing grey walls, glad to change it up.

Interior: Walls SW 7568 Neutral Ground, Trim HDC-MD-06 Nano White

Front door: HC-143 Wythe Blue

Exterior: Body SW 7008 Alabaster White, Facia and Shutters SW 7642 Paverstone