House Hunters Recap: California Dreaming in San Diego

House Hunters Cassia and Brian have been together for six years, and married for three and a half. They met when their friends were on a date. His friends saw her standing alone and looking miserable, so they encouraged him to go to talk to her. Now they’re a happy, triathlon running Utah couple who wants to move to San Diego.

They both work from home. Cassia is the account manager for a corporation, and Brian is an online professor. They love Utah, but they want to move to a location that gives them year-round nice weather. Brian and Cassia have a budget of $900,000.

Wish Lists

Cassia and Brian want a place near the ocean. They’re okay with it being inland and condo. Brian and Cassia also want a backyard, office space, space for their stationary bike, and between two and three bedrooms.

His: Brian wants a Spanish or bungalow style home. It needs to be move-in ready with a wood burning fireplace.

Hers: Cassia wants a mid-century modern home with renovations and lots of windows.

House #1, $830,000

This beachfront condo is located in Imperial Beach, about 20 minutes south of downtown San Diego. It’s a 1257 sq ft place with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It’s bright but very outdated, and everything from the floor tiles to the kitchen would need complete remodeling. The place is also very compact. There isn’t much room in the bedrooms, but they have large windows.

The best part of this condo is the beach views—one half of the beach even leads to Mexico. This home also has just enough space for their essential needs.

House #2, $769,000

This craftsman style home is located in Chula Vista, about four miles from the beach and 15 minutes from downtown San Diego. This home is huge with 3100 sq ft, and it has four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The whole unit is bright and spacious.

The kitchen has plenty of room to add a dining set right in it. It has a black and white color scheme, which Brian likes but Cassia doesn’t. The place has a lovely private patio, deck, and backyard. It also has two fireplaces for the two living rooms, one downstairs and one on the main floor. The main issue with this home is that it’s not by the beach and may have too much space for them.

House #3, $899,000

This Spanish style home has 1235 sq ft. It also has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It’s within walking distance of the beach. The kitchen is one of the best features of this home, with plenty of storage space and a breakfast bar. The home has a long bonus room outside the home that would work as a place to store their stationary bikes.

The biggest issue with this home is the lack of space. The master suite feels very cramped, and doesn’t have much closet space.

Decision Time: House #1 seemed just as small as number three, but the beach location seemed to be a big seller for Cassia and Brian. They would just have to get over all the renovation projects. House #3 was way overpriced for the small space. It wasn’t even in a great location. The most appealing thing about this home was its character. House #2 had so much space that it could be overwhelming for two people, but the price, space, and location would have been a major seller for us.

Cassia and Brian pick…House #1.

They ended up buying it for $815,000, and have begun renovations. Brian thinks they’re okay, but Cassia hates them, but they’re still happy with their purchase.