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!
