Mount Hukee Resold!

Mount Hukee Resold!

Our 2017 remodel on 4164 Mount Hukee in Clairemont just resold. I cant believe the home prices in San Diego now. The low interest rates and lack of inventory due to COVID-19 has really created a buyer frenzy this year. After the remodel in 2017 we sold this house for $780,000 which was high at the time. It just resold 3 years later for $950,000!

I am still pretty bullish on the market. I don’t see interest rates increasing in the next few years. Inventory has to come from somewhere but it seems nobody wants to move and millennials are finally buying now so that’s a contributing factor. There is certainly net negative migration in California, especially now with higher taxes. Consumer confidence is still good but we will see what happens after the election. Affordability will slow the run for sure, we have already started to see appraisals come in low from flips that are getting overbid. It’s a good thing that the appraisers are holding the prices back a bit for the market as a whole.

Mission Heights Is Done!

Mission Heights Is Done!

We finished the project and it is now on the market for sale. What a unique blend of new materials and the trendy current blue/grey color scheme. I couldn’t be happier with the way everything came together and I am sure its going to make someone very happy as their new home! The aluminum half-round gutters tied in perfectly to the mailbox and goose neck porch light. These professional realtor pics are shot in HDR, see my cel phone pics below on previous posts for the real cabinet blue color. The neighbors are also so happy:)

11th Hour Mission Heights

11th Hour Mission Heights

Trying to bring this house to the finish line. It has been a very smooth project. We ran 12 of the best sub-contractors in town through this house, each specializing in their respective trades. The tile jobs are coming out great, we stayed with the blue/grey theme but were careful not to overplay it. The kitchen cabinet color is incredible and looks fantastic next to the pure white quartz counter tops. I love the contrast we got from the Matte Black cabinet hardware too. Floors look great a little darker than I usually go. 

Landscaping, tile jobs, exterior paint and all sorts of small details are coming together. I decided on low maintenance out front but gave the new homeowner a big area of sod on irrigation out back for kids to play. 

 

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New San Marcos Purchase

New San Marcos Purchase

We just opened escrow on this San Marcos fixer upper. I originally saw this property back in October when the seller called me on a referral from another house we bought. His contractor ran off and left him with an unfinished remodel. When he found out how much it would cost to finish the job correctly and then pay a real estate agent to sell it. he opted to just sell it as-is to me. I paid cash and covered all his closing costs and the best part was this is a For Sale By Owner so there were no Realtors for him to pay.   

There were permits pulled with the city and most of the inspections completed but the contractor tried to extort more money before finishing it and everything ended up in dispute. My plan is to clean up the yard, build a fence, paint it in and out and call for Final Inspection. It already has a new kitchen and bathrooms so we will just wrap up whats already been started and not try to reinvent the wheel on this one. 

Big Progress Mission Heights

Big Progress Mission Heights

We got a great start on the project, the new driveway and retaining wall are done, brand new 30- year roof in the color Estate Grey and we redid the board and batten siding so it will look sharp when we paint the exterior.

It was really tough picking the exterior colors this time. I have been wanting to do a Navy Blue or Blue/Grey exterior since its popular now. Blue/Grey is the trend color for 2020. There was a house 1 block over that another investor painted blue, he really missed the mark and we even had neighbors telling us how much they hated it. I ended up putting 10 samples up and finally decided on a James Hardie Siding color called Evening Blue JH70-30. We got it in Behr at Home Depot, its in their computer.

The Navy Blue and Blue/Grey home design trend is really hot this year. We changed cabinet vendors to a custom supplier and they are actually made right here in San Diego and not China! I love spending money locally given the chance, additionally we got to pick the cabinet colors. I went with Benjamin Moore’s Mozart Blue BM 1665 for the lower cabinets in this kitchen to continue with the blue/grey theme. 

Mission Heights Renovation

Mission Heights Renovation

 

We purchased this house right in the peak of the COVID-19 scare. The seller was moving out of town and the house needed extensive repairs. We are doing everything new top to bottom including a new driveway so it will come out incredible. There was a bad retaining wall that had a 30,000 estimate to repair as well. The homeowner decided to sell as-is instead of making all these repairs.

This property is in Mission Heights, the neighborhood right up on the hill above Fashion Valley Mall.

 

 

The first thing we did was demo the whole house and remove the bad roof, driveway, and retaining wall. I always start with the roof and fixing all the damaged facia board. This is going to be a great house as soon as we clear the backyard and grade it flat.

We are going to do a very complete remodel on this fixer upper. There was a foundation repair about 20 years ago, I am not happy with the concrete floors so we will level them a little better as well. Stay tuned we have this scheduled for a 5 week complete transformation. 

Serra Mesa Remodel Done!

Serra Mesa Remodel Done!

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.

 

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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

Big Transformation in Serra Mesa

Big Transformation in Serra Mesa

San Diego Home Buyer

Getting started on a great house we just purchased in Serra Mesa, San Diego. It’s funny to say I am excited about this I know, the property has seen years of neglect and deferred maintenance but I have a vision and will enjoy creating this old rental house into a really nice home for a new family to enjoy for years to come!

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sell my san diego house

We are throwing a complete remodel at this home. I bought it “as-is” directly from the out-of-state owner and helped him with relocating the long time tenants.

The first thing I did was remove all these nasty juniper trees so we can replace the entire roof with all new sheeting, rafter tails and facia. I take pride in doing things right.

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We are projecting about 5 weeks to do this complete remodel. I do a really good job only using specialized sub contractors for each individual trade, no handyman tile jobs here! Stay tuned and we are always looking to buy houses in San Diego.

Homeowners sell to us and avoid the hassle, expense and uncertainty of listing with a realtor. With hundreds of F.S.B.O. (for sale by owner) transactions under our belt and 15 years experience, we are the most trusted San Diego home buyer.

Clairemont Remodel Hits the Market

Clairemont Remodel Hits the Market

We wrapped up the flip of this Clairemont house in San Diego last week and its on the market and ready for a new family! This is a really good and quiet street in Northwest Clairemont with easy freeway access to both the 52 and I-5. We completely transformed this property over the past few months after buying it from 2 siblings who inherited the property.

This was a great house but was just outdated and it needed repairs that would have prevented it from being sold to a retail buyer on a loan. Since we paid cash and bought it as-is, the sellers avoided paying real estate agent commissions. We even covered the closing costs. The whole team is really happy with the results!

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We did complete cosmetic remodel including new paint in and out, kitchen, flooring, doors, and fixtures. The kitchen came out great with 2 tone Shaker style cabinets, and we did with dark grey on the lowers and white up top. Quartz counter tops everywhere will provide years of easy maintenance. Matching grey Shaker vanities in both bathrooms. For the back splash we tried the beveled white subway for the first time and it looks clean. My favorite parts are the cool front porch and the huge bonus room with fireplace on the back. 

New Clairemont Project and 2019 San Diego Market Update

New Clairemont Project and 2019 San Diego Market Update

2019 San Diego real estate market

The 2019 San Diego Real Estate market is warming up with the weather. After a brutal holiday season and price reductions of up to $50,000 in Clairemont,  we are finally seeing an improvement. We officially shifted to a buyers market in San Diego over the holidays. November and December inventory was up to 75 houses for sale in 92117. There was a real lack of buyers and agents were dropping prices everywhere. I seem to think some of this was caused by the interest rate increases last year.

 

Things are better now, the overpriced listings are gone, sellers are realistic now for the most part and inventory is down to 34 Active homes as of today! Here is an outdated house in Clairemont we just bought directly from the beneficiaries of a Trust. They sold directly to us and did not have to repair anything or pay real estate agents $40,000! If the house needs work and is going to sell at a discount anyway, why pay agents when a cash home buyer who flips houses like me is going to be your buyer anyway? 

 

The 2019 San Diego real estate market can sustain as long as we don’t see any more interest rate hikes. I hope the Fed learned their lesson last year. Prices have reached high unaffordability levels so we cannot raise rates now without impacting the market. I predict a shorter Spring selling season this year and then conditions could move back into a buyers market this summer as sales slow back down. Real Estate investors in San Diego should take caution and realize that we are entering an extended flat period where prices will not continue to keep going up at the previous pace. Many house flippers in San Diego lost money from purchases they made in 2018 when the market slowed down. We are not predicting a big crash but rather a small pull back followed by an extended flat period. Stay tuned for more updates on our new Clairemont project!

 

Modern Farmhouse Complete!

Modern Farmhouse Complete!

Farmhouse Style remodel is complete and on the market for sale $999,000! True and authentic Modern Farm House home design with exquisite attention to detail.  Nothing was left to the imagination down to the Shed dormers, Black Grid windows, Board and Batten siding and black accent half-round gutters! We had over 200 people through the open house the first weekend on the market, someone is going to make this their very special home soon! MLS# 180056834

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farmhouse style

farmhouse kitchen

modern farmhouse style kitchen

We thoughtfully reimagined and redesigned this property into a fully permitted open concept floor plan, 9′ Island kitchen, Undercabinet lighting, Walk-In food pantry, Open shelving, 36″ Italian commercial range, Board and Batten interior and exterior feature walls, Industrial lighting fixtures, Brushed Gold hardware, High variation French Oak hardwood flooring, and Farmhouse X design custom fabricated handrail. This Farm House style is very specific and we stayed true to the theme with every material choice we made.

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modern farmhouse bathroom

The Bathrooms in this South Oceanside farmhouse are incredible and done in a White/Black/Gold theme with Big 8″ Black Matte Hexagon tile on the floor, matching 2″ Black Matte Hexagon tile on the shower pan, White Subway walls, Brushed Gold hardware and mirrors, and a custom black grid shower enclosure that was fabricated by hand right onsite by our master tradesmen.

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We reallocated the upstairs loft into a Giant private master suite with tons of light flowing in the numerous windows. The old upstairs bedroom was transformed into a new 10′ x 10′ walk-in closet. There is so much room upstairs its perfect for a office or additional sitting area.

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White and Black Farmhouse

White and Black Farmhouse

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Our Modern Farmhouse is starting to take shape, all exterior paint is done in Behr Nano White #HDC-MD-06. We installed the black grid windows and they really look bold on the white canvas.

Loving this white and black exterior color scheme with the farmhouse design style, the result is an inviting and casual atmosphere, kinda like a little dose of rural farm-living near the beach here in South Oceanside.

These pics do not do it justice, we are causing a traffic jam with all the lookie-loo’s who have been watching the transformation. We are right by South Oceanside Elementary and right off Vista Rd. so everyone cuts through and passes by this house at some point who lives in South Oceanside.

One of the neighbors has been over quite frequently and even brought our workers donuts and thanking us for bringing value to the neighborhood. She is asking “Who is the Oceanside house flipper” doing this incredible project. At this point it is way beyond a “house flip” but more of a permitted reconfigure and remodel. You wouldn’t have believed how this house looked when we bought it directly from an out-of-area seller. We made it easy for him and paid cash and took it as-is. Look back on the website for how it looked when we purchased it.

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The Industrial Gooseneck 16″ Gardena Barn Light from Steel Lighting Company Fixture seems to be the main thing that stands out, white Board and Batten Hardie siding add to the farmhouse feel.

My Barn Gate design will certainly hold the chickens and cow in the backyard. Even though the whole house is white, it works because of all the different materials and textures used. Mixed material exterior walls make a monotone house interesting to look at. I have brick, horizontal siding, vertical siding, and stucco all contrasting each other but looking uniform at the same time..

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We also got started on the landscaping with a retaining wall and new concrete patio. My finishers are the best in the business. Having new concrete flat work really adds value to a project when remodeling a home.

I often think about stuff we do staying on this planet and serving other long after i am gone. Every project has a budget but we try and spend the money where it counts on every house flip we do here in San Diego.

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Stay tuned for an interior progress report soon! This house is coming soon to the South Oceanside market, West of the 5 and 2 minutes from downtown Carlsbad Village. Cozy, Comfy and full of Southern Charm, this sophisticated farmhouse is going to make one lucky new homeowner feel warm and fuzzy soon. This South Oceanside Farmhouse is truly a one-of-a-kind!

How To Install Board And Batten Trim

How To Install Board And Batten Trim

It’s clear everyone is falling head over heels for the farmhouse style and for our Modern Farmhouse we wanted to do Board and Batten Trim in various places inside and out. This is about 500 bucks of MDF and a half days work but adds tons of character to your project. This DIY project is very easy to handle with a medium level skill set and basic tools.

Custom Board and Batten inside our Farmhouse already is making a huge impact! In our case we already had smooth textured walls so we only had to do the trim details,  if you have heavy orange peel textured walls you can use sheets of Masonite first and then build the trim on top for a smooth look.

I did 3 different versions of designs I thought would go well in this home. Other cool Farmhouse interior trim ideas would include Ship lap MDF siding which we will have to save for another project.

Board and Batten

Here is what you will need for this DIY Board and Batten project:

  • 2 1/2″ pre primed MDF strips
  • 3 1/2″  pre primed MDF strips
  • 5 1/2″ pre primed MDF strips
  • Construction Adhesive
  • Finish Nail Gun with 2 1/2″ 15 gauge nails
  • Paintable Caulk
  • Tape Measure
  • Level
  • Chop saw
  • Wood Filler
  • Table saw (optional)

Board and Batten interior wall on Modern Farmhouse

 

First we calculated what looked good with spacing, here I went with 20″ on center.  I used blue painters tape to get an idea of what it would look like before committing to the layout. Here is a tip, the battens will not land on studs so we used finish nails and Liquid nails adhesive to hold them to the wall. The nails just keep them in place until the glue dries.

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All this pre-primed MDF trim is available at your local home improvement store. It has crisp sharp edges, make sure and don’t buy the soft edge version. With a level first set your top piece in place and adhere it. Next we did the 6″ baseboard.

Cut each batten individually one at a time to get a tight fit. These battens are 3.5″ wide and the baseboard is 5.5″.  The top rail we ripped another strip at about 1.25″ for a small shelf detail. We will paint the Board and batten semi gloss with then the walls eggshell. In my case its all going to be white but will be a great detail once we are finished.

When you are done use DAP putty to carefully fill seams and nail holes. Each Batten should be caulked along both vertical sides!

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The side of the staircase was a perfect place to do a Board and Batten Feature Wall, here I went with more narrow battens at 2.5″ wide and ran them all the way up to the ceiling. In the dining room picture below I changed up the design a bit also and added the extra rail.

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The exterior board and batten was done by first removing existing siding and wrapping the house with house wrap, commonly called Tyvek. We then hung 4×8 sheets of Smooth Hardie Panel. Make sure and use Z Bar flashing where the horizontal seams of the Hardie Panel meet to prevent water from getting in.

It’s best to land the seam on the existing 16″ on center stud spacing and then use the battens to hide the vertical seams. We opted for 1 x 2.5″ Hardie Trim for the Battens and spaced them 16″ on center. Make sure and caulk everything good before you paint.

If you changed the spacing and didn’t land on existing studs you could screw and glue the battens if needed. We are really excited about the transformation, these small details are going to go a long way on the finished project.

The way this Board and Batten exterior siding plays off the new Shed Dormers we built is really making this Farmhouse look comforting and welcoming.

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Modern Farmhouse Rough In

Modern Farmhouse Rough In

 

This big fully permitted Modern Farmhouse remodel in Oceanside is now well underway. We moved a lot of walls around and are doing major structural changes to convert this dated 5 bedroom, 3 bath into an open concept floor plan 4 bedroom, 2 bath with huge 9′ island kitchen and expansive master suite upstairs.

The style is “Modern Farmhouse” where we will run an all White and Black color theme with some industrial fixtures and gold hardware. Inside paint colors will also be all white with warm wood floors to anchor the space. Extensive use of subway tile and white shaker will complete the look, wait until you see the unique industrial pendant lights we are dropping over the island.

This is Part 1 which got us through the demo, permitting, rough framing, mechanical upgrades, central air, roof, insulation and drywall. Notice the awesome Shed Dormers I designed on the roof which gives it the Agrarian look we are going for.

This style is hot right now in LA and North County San Diego so it will be exciting to leave this mark on the hip South Oceanside neighborhood for years to come. Subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don’t miss the final video to see how it comes out!

Spanish Duplex Finished

Spanish Duplex Finished

Sell your house in San Diego? That is what the old owner of this run down duplex did. She is a CPA and held this as a long term rental, it just didn’t get the maintenance it needed over the years. We made it very easy and fair with a quick cash sale. The team just wrapped up this Super Cute Spanish Style Duplex remodel yesterday near SDSU. This was a total renovation from top to bottom with all new windows, stucco, roof, electrical, plumbing, paint, flooring, kitchens, baths, fencing and concrete.

I really love the big unit with the fireplace and coved ceilings. I stayed true to the Spanish Style architecture with the white interior paint and distressed darker hardwoods and then popped the cabinets grey to contrast the walls. White stucco outside was also a classic choice. Subway tile in the kitchens completed the look, very pleased with the end result. The obvious choice would have been white shaker cabinets but my supplier was out of stock so we went with grey but it looked great and enabled us to do all white walls so its easy to touch up being a rental property.

We buy a lot of houses in San Diego and remodel them. If you want to sell your house as-is for cash please contact us. We are the most experienced cash home buyer in town and have been purchasing fixer-uppers for 15 years. We can usually pay more than other “We Buy Houses” guys because we are licensed general contractors and do the work ourselves.  Thanks for all my sub contractors and team members who worked hard to bring this to the finish line!

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