By Pat Sherman

Photography By Brevin Blach (unless otherwise noted); model: Nicole Noonan, No Ties Management; stylist: Kelsey Luce; hair & makeup: Christina Mansi, The Factory

From energy efficiency to earthy color palettes to man caves, it’s hard to say which home trend came first. Was it the egg chair or the chicken coops?

Either way, whether it’s an East County estate or a beachfront condo, home is where you hang your hat—or at least where you sleep and recharge your iPad.

Local real estate brokers, a green thumb from Walter A ndersen Nursery and a prominent interior designer helped construct this view of modern home life in America’s Finest. Please enjoy the tour. The expert advice is on the house.

Sautéing is a scenic affair in the kitchen of Al and Janet Johnstone's rotating home.

Luxe Outlook
Expanding residential horizons in San Diego

San Diego County started the year off with a median home price of about $304,000—a decrease of nearly nine percent from December.

But in America’s Finest (and perhaps most scenic) City, the abundant coastal and mountain terrain gives home buyers a chance to elevate their options, choosing from a vast inventory of stunning views.

According to Realtor Seth O’Byrne of Troop Real Estate, a view can increase the value of a home or condo by as much
as 20 to 30 percent, depending on its “wow factor” and scarcity. In La Jolla, appraisers estimate that a view can add $100,000 to $150,000 to a home’s value, he says.

“If you can see breaking waves, sand and rocks, the view could be worth $500K,” O’Byrne says. “Peek-a-boo views on condos or townhomes could be worth as little as $10k, in some cases.

“At a high-rise downtown, if every unit in a stack is identical from the second floor to the 20th floor (and) has the same view, the value to each unit is dramatically decreased.”

Residential mortgage banker Craig Sewing, host of the KCBQ radio show REAL Talk, offers a more moderate estimate. He says a view will historically add about 10 percent to a home’s value, though many variables are involved.

“It’s all about the comps,” Sewing says, meaning that the price one neighbor’s house sells for can have a direct and sometimes significant impact on the sales price of other homes in the vicinity.

While jaw-dropping views come at a cost, average home values in neighborhoods with prime views have decreased considerably, making the time ripe to give these domestic overlooks a second glance.

Rotating Mt. Helix home

Taking Turns
Rotating home a labor of love for retired phone company exec and wife

Things have been looking up—and around—since Al Johnstone and wife, Janet, completed their rotating home atop Mt. Helix in 2004.

The East County home, perhaps the only in the world that can make continuous 360-degree rotations, cost the couple about $1 million, though they received many material donations generated by the initial interest in their project.

It took the couple three years to finish the home, with Al serving as architect and Janet as interior designer.

“You can see the Coronado Bridge all the way around to Steel Canyon Golf Course (in Jamul),” Al says. “We can see the ocean, Point Loma, Downtown San Diego, Mt. Soledad, Catalina and San Clemente Island. So, yeah, it’s a great view.”

Though most rotating bars and restaurants, such as S eattle’s S pace Needle, have plumbing and electrical in a stationary, central core, the Johnstone’s rotating second story uses patented flexible plumbing and wiring.

“In a house, you need to have plumbing and gas, Internet and HDTV in the rotating portion, so I had to go in and invent what I call the swivels that would allow that to take place,” Al says.

He has patented 45 items related to his home technology and says he has an investor interested in building a high-rise in which each floor would rotate independently.

“We have formed a company, 360 Technology,” Johnstone says. “If the economy ever turns around, hopefully somebody will build one.”

Mt. Helix Stats: 4 bedrooms, 5,100 square feet
Elevation: about 1,280 feet
Rotation cycle: fastest, 33 minutes; slowest, 24 hours
Year completed: 2004
Listing price: Not for sale
Investment: About $1 million
Average. Neighborhood home value: $425,000 (up from $390,500 last year)

Dress with belt , $ 248, HH earring, $40, Bloomingdale’s, Bloomingdales.com; Jimmy Choo flat s, jimmychoo.com

Sunset Cliffs Estate
For those wanting to see how the other half views the world, there is no shortage of homeowners willing to rent their vistas for the right price.

Rent on the three-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath Sunset Cliffs estate featured on the cover of this magazine and in the fashion photos of this feature ranges from $1,500 to $2,000 a night, depending on the season and duration of the stay.

The Spanish Colonial-Mediterranean home offers inspiring ocean views from just about every room, and is just steps from one of San Diego’s favorite surfing beaches. It can be rented for a weekend respite, wedding or corporate event.

SUNSET CLIFFS
Average neighborhood home value: $588,500 (down from $897,500 a year ago)
Contact: 619.393.0399, sunsetcliffsestate.com

Northwest Carlsbad coastal home

NORTH WEST CARLSBAD
Stats: 6 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, 5,294 square feet
Year built: 1988
Listing price: $7.8 million
Average Neighborhood home value: $490,000 (down from $605,000 last year)
Agent: Patricia Lou Martin, ranchandcoastproperty.com

Plucky 19
Real estate broker Jim Abbott says of the vividly-decorated unit he’s christened, “Comic-Condo,” located on the 19th story of San Diego’s 19th-tallest building, the Meridian, “You can’t help but smile when you walk in.”

The condo was remodeled by Sweig General Contracting with “whimsy” as its theme. Its doting grandparent owners designed the condo as a way to keep their visiting grandchildren visually stimulated, Abbott says.

Downtown San Diego
Stats: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2,500 square feet
Year built: 1985
Listing price: $1.8 million
Average Downtown condo
Value: $305,000 (down from $312,000 last year)
Agent: Jim Abbott, argsd.com

Normal Heights

Normal Heights
Stats: 3 bedrooms, 4 baths, 4,739 square feet
Year built: 1980
Listing price: $1.2-$2.2 million
Average neighborhood home value: $445,000 (up from $339,500 last year)
Agent: Alan Schmitt, alan@alanschmitt.com

This sea cliff La Jolla home is the ultimate in Southern California indoor-outdoor living, mixing modern and organic design. The structure is supported in part by the natural form of tree trunks. (Courtesy Bast/Wright Interiors)

By Pat Sherman

During the subprime real estate boom, while investors were fixing up and flipping houses, design choices tended toward the predictable and staid: elegant yet safe options with massmarket appeal, such as granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

Robert Wright, a past national president of the American Society of Interior Designers, says homeowners these days are making bolder, more personal choices that reflect a desire to stay in their homes for the long haul.

“I think people are really looking at their homes more as a home and not an investment,” says Wright, a principal and co-founder of San Diego-based Bast/Wright Interiors. “People are kind of reclaiming their homes, so now the interior design solutions are a little bit more customized and personalized.”

Counters and flat surfaces made of composite stone are replacing natural stones, such as granite.

“It’s a more of a clean, contemporary feel—more straightforward,” Wright says.

Though stainless steel is holding steady in the market, Wright says homeowners are leaning toward tinted and painted stainless in kitchen appliances, window frames and furniture trim.

“We’re beginning to see a big redirection towards gray, mauve and purple— everywhere in the house, in upholstery and paint colors,” Wright says. “Stain colors tend to be leaning more toward the grays. I’ve seen it before; it’s coming back.”

Like fashion, interior design is cyclical. H owever, a home is more of an investment than a new suit, so the cycle moves slower. The colors and prints used in today’s fashion typically appear in home furnishings four years down the road, Wright says.

“Basically, whatever you see on the cover of a fashion magazine, you’ll see it in your home three or four years later—the fabrics, prints, designs, colors,” he says. “Typically, more fashion-forward colors end up in accents or easy elements to replace, such as
upholsteries and paint.”

While Oriental rugs would seem to have run their course, Wright says people are more emboldened to match design schemes these days. That ostentatious Oriental number might still work when contrasted with a woven, contemporary rug in an adjacent room.

“They bounce and play off each other,” Wright says. “Some of the wonderful, classic furniture looks beautiful on Oriental rugs.”

For this La Jolla ranch remodel, interior designer Robert Wright used a variety of hard surfaces, employing concrete for the fireplace and granite and composite material on counters. The rooms are interconnected and open. (Courtesy Bast/Wright Interiors)

Less is more, again
Though San Diegans aren’t ready to jump on Japan’s capsule hotel trend (in which people rent coffin-sized, stackable lodging for the night), they’re definitely downsizing, preferring aesthetics over cavernous square footage, Wright says.

“People want to live smaller and better,” he says. “Proportionally, contemporary interiors are working better, because these homes are smaller and contemporary furnishings tend to be lighter in scale. They’re open and more airy. They’re not big and heavy and cumbersome, so they fit better in these smaller, clean-line, contemporary spaces.”

Chic and sustainable
As the demand for organic and eco-conscious building materials increases, the supply and variety of fabrics, cabinetry and countertops made from these materials have increased and become more tasteful. There’s no excuse not to build or design green, Wright says.

“I think, within the next 10 years, it’s going to be expected and just woven into every one of our design solutions.”
bastwright.com

Design trends for 2011
Pantone color: honeysuckle (last year’s color, turquoise)
Other trending colors: Muted hues and neutrals such as white, chocolate browns and icy grays; bright reds, sapphire blues, fuchsia purples
Vintage: Reused and restored furniture
Ruralist/eco-chic: Cabinets, countertops and fabrics made from recycled, organic or sustainable materials Indoor-outdoor blending: Bringing elements of the outside indoors, and vice versa; use of rattan deep chairs, bamboo coffee tables and large plants indoors
Scandinavian chill: Minimalism is still going strong with white furniture, romantic lines and white walls; colorful acc essories are used as accents
Belgian: Gray-washed, distressed oak tables and linen-upholstered sofas

Peder Norby’s über-green Carlsbad home and BMW Mini-E electric car, powered by rooftop solar panels. (Photo by Brevin Blach)

By Pat Sherman

Peder Norby is a homeowner with an amazing view—and vision.

His 4,600-square-foot, Prairiestyle estate in Carlsbad, which overlooks Agua Hedionda Lagoon, generates enough solar electricity to power his home and a BMW Mini-E electric car. The San Diego County planning commissioner averages about 17,000 miles per year.

Norby recently drove to H ollywood for the premiere of BMW’s new social media documentary series, in which he and his car are featured. The trek, at speeds of up to 80 miles per, was made purely on sunshine.

Peder Norby's Carlsbad home takes advantage of the cool breezes blowing off the Agua Hedionda Lagoon during warm summer months. (Photo by Brevin Blach)

Each day at about 8 a.m., the electric meter on Norby’s home begins to spin backwards, meaning he is generating more power than he is consuming—making the structure what he considers one of the few “net zero homes” in the country.

“We’re actually giving the grid the energy when it needs it, during peak hours,” he says. “If more people do that, less power plants will be built.”

After rebates and federal tax credits, Norby spent about $30,000 on solar panels, an amount that will be paid off in less than three years through the energy he is saving.

Though his home was built before singlefamily residential homes qualified for Leadership in E nergy and E nvironmental D esign (LEED ) certification, he received an award through the California Center for Sustainable Energy, which administers the state’s solar rebate program.

Unlike fossil fuel, which requires energy to extract, refine and transport, the sun beats directly down on Norby’s home, and is not subject to inflation or market manipulation.

“You’re self-reliant and providing your own energy from a renewable source,” he says. “It’s just much more efficient all the way down the supply chain—and there are no emissions at the tailpipe. It’s just a beautiful thing.”
heronshouse.com

The view from the kitchen of Peder Norby's "Heron's House" (Photo by Brevin Blach)

Herons’ House
Solar panels: 35
Average kilowatts generated per day: 33 (50 in summer, 24 in winter)
Annual utility bills: $450 ($250 electric, $200 gas)
Miles driven on sunshine per year: 17,000
Annual gasoline savings: $2,200
Combined annual energy savings: $6,000-$7,000
Bottles of wine produced per year: 400

Ways to make your home more energy efficient
• Sc hedule an energy audit
• fill-in gaps in the home’s insulation
•Replace energy inefficient appliances (newer models consume 30 to 40 percent less energy)
• Seal leaks around windows, doors and electrical outlets
• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps
• Solar on the cheap: Lease solar panels at solarcity.com; The fixed monthly amount paid to rent the panels is less than a typical energy bill.

Patching the Money Pit
For those who can’t afford to install solar panels but want to get in on the green home movement (and stop padding the portfolios of utility company execs), companies such as Evolv Efficiency Solutions offer a three- to five-hour home energy audit.

Evolv’s John Schuller says people would be surprised, if not horrified, at the way energy is sucked from their homes, and their pocketbooks.

“Every house, even an absolutely brand new house, leaks air,” Schuller says. “We basically want to create a house that is completely sealed and insulated well. Therefore you don’t need to use your furnace or your air conditioning as much.”

Evolv technicians use infrared photography and a device known as a blower door to determine where air is leaking from doors, the attic and between walls.

“When you turn on your air conditioning or your heater, you’d be amazed at the air that gets sucked right out and into the attic from your recessed lighting, light switches and power outlets,” Schuller says.

Simple energy retrofits can save 20 to 30 percent on utility bills, he says.

“For the people that want to do solar it’s still a first step. Why not reduce the consumption, because that’s less solar panels that you need to buy?”
evolvyourhome.com

Interior designer Tracy Lynn gave this 4S Ranch garage a NASCAR-themed makeover. (Paul Burlingame Photo)

By Christy Scannell

There were a lot of plusses that drew Russ Havens to the Kensington house he purchased with wife Judit a few years ago. But one quality far surpassed the others: its remodeled garage, the designated site for his long-awaited man cave.

“I got really lucky,” he says of the space he selected for his guy-friendly hideaway. “It was a perfect shell. It already had the epoxy floors and deep cabinets.”

Havens plastered the walls with his collection of surf movie posters from the ’50s and ’60s, unboxed his extensive set of slot cars for display, hooked up the stereo and hauled in an old computer the family wasn’t using. A dorm fridge provides cold drinks, while a shabby sofa and an IKEA rug add a touch of warmth.

“It’s all stuff you would never be able to put in the actual house,” Havens says. “I think it’s a solution for happy couples—and an even better solution for non-happy couples.”

As Havens realized how much he was enjoying his man cave (he calls it his “decompression chamber”), he figured other guys probably were, too. In 2009 he launched checkoutmygarage.net, a social networking site where like-minded men can upload photos of their at-home getaways. Cavers from as far away as Europe have participated, showing off everything from banner collections to rare cars and vintage art.

“It’s as unique to the space as it is to the person,” Havens says of the man caves on his site. “Sometimes it’s almost like a little boy’s room—everything you had then somehow reappears in your cave, like those autographed hockey pucks.”

Havens’ philosophy is decidedly organic when it comes to outfitting his cave. He says everything in it he either collected or received free or at low cost. And he is still waiting for a good deal on a TV, a must-have for a fully functional man cave.

“If they’re too slick, they lose their point,” he says. “You’ve got to be able to not worry so much about spilling and creating a mess. If not, why not just stay in your house and let the family room be the ‘man cave.’ ”

Not everyone agrees. When interior designer Tracy Lynn of S tyle on a Shoestring was working on a 4S Ranch home recently, she was asked to create a NAS CAR-themed man cave in the house’s garage.

Interior designer Kristy Kropat converted this four-car garage in Rancho Santa Fe into a plush game room and nuptial cave. (Paul Burlingame Photo)

“[The homeowner] loves to rebuild old cars and he wanted a space where he could have all his guy friends and his sons over to watch a sporting event, crack open a beer and work on the cars,” Lynn says.

Lynn wouldn’t divulge the room’s cost, but she said similar cabinetry, lighting and flooring can cost upwards of $20,000, depending on the room’s size and scope.

“It’s worth it because it’s a space where they can really have their say about what represents them and what they want,” she says.

But compromise goes a long way, too. When Kristy Kropat of Kropat Interior Design was working on Richard and Jennifer Kim’s Rancho Santa Fe home, the homeowners chose to convert their four-car garage into a game room. The couple—who met playing pool—agreed on a dark lounge theme with mood lighting, shag rugs, animal print sofas and chrome accents. The effect, Kropat says, is similar to a nightclub.

“You go into that room, and it doesn’t match the house. It feels like you are getting away from the normal space,” she says.

“I guess that makes it kind of like a man cave, except that in this case it’s a man and woman’s cave,” Kropat says with a laugh.

Man cave trappings
• Disco ball and lava lamps
• Autographed photos from athletes or musicians
• Pool and/or foosball table
• Kegerator or other beer refrigeration
• Music system—from an iPod to surround sound
• Theater seating
• Bar, from stacked crates to custom carved wood
• Pinball or machine vintage arcade game
• Train set
• Woodworking bench
• Auto shop
• Stripper pole
Source: Russ Havens

A variety of vegetables are available for planting at Walter Andersen Nurseries in San Diego.

By Pat Sherman

Health-minded and socially conscious San Diegans are following the lead of First Lady Michelle Obama, who in 2009 started an organic vegetable garden on the White House lawn, the first since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden during World War II.

Kathleen Probus, who teaches vegetable and tomato gardening classes at Walter A ndersen Nursery, says there is substantial
interest in home gardening these days. The reasons she hears include concern about chemical pesticides, fertilizers and genetically-modified produce, food allergies and recent E. coli and salmonella scares.

“People want to know where their plants came from and make sure they’re not feeding their family something harmful,” she says.

Getting started: sun and soil
Longtime San Diego weatherman and environmentalist Loren Nancarrow (a Fox 5 San Diego news anchor) has authored several books on the subject of organic gardening, branding himself as a local expert on the subject.

Excited to start his onions this season, Nancarrow suggests first-time vegetable gardeners start small, choosing the sunniest spot on their property.

“How you start will determine whether you continue,” he says.

He suggests digging out existing soil and replacing it with nutrient-rich compost, which is available for about $12 a truckload at the Miramar Landfill.

“The added benefit is you really don’t need to add any fertilizer on top of that, because the compost itself will feed the plants,” he says. “With chemical fertilizers, those chemicals go straight to the plant and they grow beautifully, but the soil becomes completely worthless—and that’s what’s happening across America right now.”

Nancarrow suggests purchasing or constructing a raised bed, and adding drip irrigation or a recycled soaker hose, so that water permeates the soil and reaches the root system.

Probus advises first-time gardeners to plant vegetables appropriate to the season.

“March is right on the cusp between the cool season and the hot season,” she says. “Start with more of the beans and bell peppers. You can grow some of the earlyseason tomatoes like Early Girl, San Diego, Celebrity and Champion, though it’s still a little early for the larger varieties.”

Condo owners and renters might consider windowsill gardening.

“If you don’t want to have to bend over to pick your vegetables, you can just pick them out of a small box that sits on top of a sill or
hangs off a wall,” Probus says. “It’s just easier.”

Joie tee, $168, bracelets, $58, Aqua necklace, $48, Bloomingdale’s, bloomingdales.com. (Photo by Brevin Blach)

Though windowsill gardens are good for smaller vegetation, Probus says people should realize their tomatoes and peppers may not reach the same size as they might outdoors.
walterandersen.com, victorygardenssandiego.com

Tips for starting a vegetable garden
• Plant in the sunniest portion of the yard
• Replace or enrich existing soil with compost
• Choose plants appropriate for the season
• Purchase or construct a raised vegetable container garden
• Add a drip irrigation system

Vegetables to plant in March: cabbage, carrots, beans, zucc hini, pumpkins, melons, some tomatoes
Summer vegetables: Tomatoes, chilies, corn, cucumbers and peppers
Winter vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and kale

We all know someone who’s a little on-the-fence when it comes to taking the plunge into home ownership. Can you blame them? After hearing the horror stories of foreclosures and dirty loans, it’s a wonder we’re not all hoarding our money under our mattresses.

Fortunately, the days of inflated values that led to the housing bubble, its subsequent burst and the historic lows of 2008 and 2009 are behind us. Today, pricing has adjusted and finance rates are at record lows.

According to many experts, the time to buy is now.

Despite encouraging market indicators, however, looking for a house in a county as diverse as San Diego is rarely as simple as checking crime rates and school district report cards. It’s about finding a good price as well as a neighborhood that fits your personality. So, what can you expect to find in these burgs now and, more importantly, in the future? We poked around and asked some local experts—here’s how things are looking.

Downtown
It has been a long time coming. Downtown has finally transformed into a vibrant community to work and live.

“It is probably the best time since the early ‘90s to purchase a home,” says Gary London of The London Group Realty Advisors, a real estate consulting and feasibility firm that focuses on southern California.

Prices dropped in the past few years, as numerous condo projects were completed at the same time, creating a glut of inventory. They fell even further when consumer confidence took a dive after the economy tanked. That’s all about to change.

At current sales rates, inventory of first-time sale condos will be sold out by spring 2010.

The median price downtown is $340,000, with the most expensive neighborhood being the waterfront Columbia District (by the Broadway Pier), with its beautiful bay views and luxury amenities. On the flipside, the least expensive hood is East Village.

Over the past decade, Downtown has grown into a solid dining and nightlife destination. If you relocate there, you can expect to see more boutiques, bars and bistros popping up amongst the statuesque office and condo buildings. Because of this, Downtown is attracting three primary types of buyers: young and socially-engaged professionals, the buy-down buyers that finally sold off their overpriced home in the ‘burbs and out-of-area buyers looking to be at the center of it all.

Hard Rock Hotel concierge Robbie Mandagie recommends downtown’s newest offerings, including Bice Ristorante on Island Avenue, FLUXX nightclub and Noble Experiment, a hidden speakeasy with a secret entrance.

In addition to booze and bites, the area is also seeing a cultural evolution towards the arts with the opening of numerous galleries and collectives such as Alexander Salazar Fine Art and the SDSU Downtown Gallery.

North Park
Once a sketchy part of town, North Park has finally come out from under Hillcrest’s spirited shadows as an up-and-coming community with serious artistic flair. Over the past few years, investors have risked rehabbing apartments into condos in droves, and many Baby Boomers sold their aging homes to eager young buyers who didn’t mind moving into a fixer-upper.

For the median price of $460,000, you can own a single family home in this boutique neighborhood; condos can be found for just $205,000. Listing prices are up from last year, as a myriad of restaurants are opening their doors to welcome 20- and 30-something neighborhood patrons.

North Park is perfect for indie music fans with a hankering for beer bars, wine lounges, boutiques and a motley mix of restaurants including West Coast Tavern and the area’s newest cantina, El Take It Easy, created by the folks behind the neighborhood’s celebrated Linkery. And there’s more on the way: URBN Coal Fired Pizza + Bar is set to be open by the end of the summer, and the owners of True North are currently looking into opening a neighboring brewery.

The neighboring burgs of South Park, Kensington and Talmadge are also attracting younger buyers, according to area real estate agents. Perhaps one of these flourishing communities will become the next North Park.

La Jolla
One of the most prestigious and elite neighborhoods in San Diego County, Southern California and the nation, La Jolla attracts the ultra-wealthy.

Plenty of posh digs are available in The 92037. More than 40 homes are listed for, ahem, $10-plus million. Even the lower end of the price spectrum still fetches seven figures. For $10,000 on a month for 30 years, you can own the median priced home of $1.4 million.

“La Jolla is the Beverly Hills by the sea,” says Gary Kent, a veteran real estate agent who heads his own firm, Gary Kent Team. “It has cache, it has the great Village of La Jolla, its name attracts buyers and it’s a name known around the world.”

The streets of La Jolla’s downtown village are lined with galleries, high-end retailers and sumptuous eateries. There is almost no reason to leave this chic community besides the fact that La Jolla lacks solid nightlife venues that offer more than dinner and drinks. However, that may change when two newcomers open this summer: Barfly, a sports bar by day and nightclub by night, and Hennessey’s on Herschel Avenue, which will have more of a gastro-pub feel. Also, nightlife impresario Mike Viscuso (owner of downtown’s famous On Broadway nightclub) is taking over the old Jack’s location with plans to reestablish La Jolla as a posh nightlife destination. The name? What else? Mike’s.

Pacific/Mission Beaches
While waves of college students and recent graduates roll in and out of Pacific Beach’s and Mission Beach’s rental properties, the inventory of homes and condos for sale is tight. In addition to the limited listings, the median-priced home here is nearly twice the county median, making Pacific Beach a stretch for the first-time home-buyer. Last month, the median home price for a condo was $425,000, and $680,000 for a single family home.

Despite the home prices, these beach communities remain a 20-something’s wet dream of inexpensive beer, hairless buff bodies and tonsof places for take-out. The further from Garnet Avenue, the party epicenter at the beach, the more relaxed the neighborhoods feel. Crown Point, North Pacific Beach and South Mission Beach have the same beach community vibe, but lack the hoopla associated with the main drag of bars and clubs.

Jamie Lynn Sigler, founding partner of lifestyle and hospitality PR firm J Public Relations, works downtown but loves calling Pacific Beach home because it’s relaxed and still close to her office and clients.

“I feel PB offers the best of both worlds,” Sigler says. “I can get to wherever I need to be in 20 minutes, and I am still at the beach.”

So, it looks like Pacific and Mission Beach will keep catering to renters; and potential homebuyers should expect continued sand, surf and SDSU students in the future.

North County
The North County coastal market has not traditionally been affordable for first-time homebuyers. Home prices, from tony Del Mar to the ritzy areas of Carlsbad, well exceed the county’s entry-level price range. This region is more apt to draw move-up buyers looking to sink $550,000 or more.

According to real estate agent Roberta Murphy, the appeal of North County lies in the schools and shopping. Browsing the high-end lifestyle shopping centers and the Cedros Design District in Solana Beach, and playing the ponies in Del Mar are easy ways to drop some dough. First-time buyers wanting to live in North County should consider Oceanside or the inland cities of Vista, San Marcos, Escondido and Poway.

If you have a bit more cash, consider looking to buy in Encinitas. The city is seeing a resurgence in energy that started with the opening of Lux Art Institute in late 2007, and additional investors are reportedly eyeing the area. Business partners Scott Watkins and Chef Matt Gordon took note—the fellas behind North Park’s Urban Solace restaurant will open its sister restaurant, Solace and the Moonlight Lounge, later this year.

South County
The South Bay comprises an eclectic mix of neighborhoods with varied housing choices. Coronado, for example, offers a mellow mix of military, tourism and high-end living. Residents can walk for a snack at Burger Lounge on Orange Avenue or sample one of nearly 500 wines at Hotel Del Coronado’s wine bar, Eno. The area’s beaches and near-zero crime-rate make it a very pricey option for first-time home-buyers.

On the other end of home-price spectrum, the least expensive city in South County is National City, where you can buy a three-bedroom house for $207,000, or a two-bedroom condo for $108,000.

Somewhere between the million-dollar mansions on Coronado and the ultra-affordable homes in National City lie the homes in Chula Vista, Bonita and the border beach city of Imperial Beach. A few years ago, Chula Vista was known nationally for its high number of foreclosures; today new homeowners are taking advantage of previous owners’ bad luck, picking up homes at discounted rates via short sales (transactions in which proceeds fall short of the balance owed on the property’s loan).

Mexican culture is woven into nearly all parts of South Bay’s communities, which have stayed true to their roots and ties to family and friends south of the border. Old taco shops and bodegas line one end of the region, while new eateries, such as Miguel’s Cocina (by The Brigantine restaurant group) in Coronado, are emerging on the other.

Cindy Gomppers-Graves, CEO of the South County Economic Development Council, says some of the South County’s best features are its entertainment driven assets, including the Silver Strand bikeway, the Olympic Training Center in East Lake and Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre.

East County
Life is a little slower and a bit cheaper in the East, and residents like it that way.

San Diego Association of Realtors President Mark Marquez says East County has some of the best deals for home-buyers, pointing out that some prices have dropped nearly 50 percent in some neighborhoods.

“The most bang for your buck is East County,” says Marquez. “Some 3,000 to 4,000-square-foot updated, remodeled, newer homes on larger lots that were going for over $1 million a few years ago are now $500,000 to $600,000 in neighborhoods like Rancho San Diego.”

Prices across East County are the lowest in the county and provide many options for first time home-buyers. Median home prices in El Cajon, La Mesa, and Lemon Grove range from $265,000 to the high $300,000s.

However, culinary and cultural development is slow there. With the exception of the opening of La Mesa’s Riviera Room and Supper Club restaurant a few years ago, the biggest deal in the past year has been the opening of a Sonic burger joint in Santee (first one in San Diego). So, if you loathe change, East County is the way to go.