City Heights has long been one of San Diego’s more affordable communities.
However, a quick search of home sale listings, on sites such as Redfin.com, shows single-family three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes going from $430,000 to nearly $1 million.
There are homes for sale in City Heights below the median home price of homes sold in the county, which is around $574,000 according to the Greater San Diego Association of Realtors (SDAR).
Real estate professionals say increased demand, combined with a lack of supply, is driving prices up. Carla Farley is a Broker and the president of the Greater San Diego Association of Realtors.
“City Heights still is one of the most affordable areas in San Diego. So we still get a little upward tick in our sales,” said Farley.
SDAR numbers also show houses in City Heights are selling faster than the county average. Currently, that is about 31 days rather than 41 days.
Meanwhile, numbers from January through October 2019 show the median price of a home in City Heights is $490,000. Zillow’s Mortgage Income Calculator estimates someone needs to earn at least $113,000 a year, which is more than double the median household income for the area.
Farley says potential buyers should work with a team that has extensive knowledge about programs designed to help low to moderate-income earners realize their homeownership goals.
“It is still very possible and so that's the thing that keeps us going and it's the reason why I do what I do because you create that legacy you see what happens,” said Farley.
The San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) offers deferred loans, homeownership grants, and mortgage credit certificates to help low and moderate-income families in the city of San Diego buy their first home.
The city program helps approximately 80 to 120 households per year while the county program assists 25 to 45 households per year.
