Least expensive San Diego homes to sell in 2018

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder for some of the cheapest homes to sell in 2018.

In a year when San Diego County’s median home price hit its highest point in history — $583,000 in August — a few buyers were able to nab properties that were far less expensive but not without some disadvantages, like remote locations or plenty of deferred maintenance.

Many of the homes could just be tear-downs that will make way for a new home on the site, or a second property for someone to get away to on the weekends.

Related: The most expensive homes to sell in 2018

5. 7555 Broken Cinch Trl, Julian — $90,000 (Tie)

This one-bedroom, one-bath home was advertised as a “diamond in the rough” west of Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The home is only 480 square feet, but the property is two acres and completely surrounded by a fence.

While it is far away from job centers, like many homes on this list, it might be a quicker drive than from other desert homes. It would take roughly one hour and 40 minutes to get to downtown San Diego and an hour and 20 minutes to Escondido.

A selling point of the property is it is surrounded by park land that can’t be developed, allowing for amazing views and wildflowers in the spring. The home was built in 1982, making it one of the newer desert homes on our list. It was originally listed for $110,000 in April, before selling about a month later.

Listing agent Mary Watkins said the previous owner worked at the park but had to move closer to the coast for health reasons. She said the new owner planned to use the property as a getaway.

“It wasn’t the best property I’ve ever done,” she said. “But, it was a good value for what they paid for it.”

4. 5541 Highway 78, Borrego Springs — $90,000 (Tie)

Built in 1951, this is one of the oldest homes on this year’s list. The desert property in Borrego Springs just east of Anza Borrego Desert State Park is less than a mile from state Route 78, a quick connection despite the distant location from San Diego. It will still take about two hours to get to downtown San Diego.

The listing warned it was time to “roll up the sleeves, do a little scrubbing” to make the home more livable. Listing agent Tyler Stamets said the house needed a lot more work than many of the homes in that area.

“It was a very cool location just across the highway from the Ocotillo Wells off-road vehicle area,” he said. “That one was in need of some very major repairs. Also, it was about as far east as you could get in San Diego County and still be in San Diego County.”

Stamets said the new owners, who plan to use the home as a getaway, have already started to remodel it. His agency, Red Hawk Realty, handles much of the back country sales, including a $9.8 million sale of a roughly 560-acre ranch in Santa Ysabel in September.

The state Route 78 home was first listed in January for $105,000 and was taken on and off the market several times before selling in July.

3. 2602 Frying Pan Rd, Borrego Springs — $85,000

This desert home was bought cheaply, but completely remodeled and is now on the market for $239,900. The buyers got the property in April and after significant upgrades had it listed for sale by October. It had been on the market 74 days as of Dec.31.

The home was upgraded with new tile floors, dual pane windows, sliding doors, kitchen cabinets, granite countertops, garage door, air conditioning unit and sidewalks. Like other homes on the list, it is surrounded by Anza Borrego Desert State Park, making future development in the area unlikely. It is withing walking distance of the Christmas Circle Community Park, home of the Borrego Springs Farmers’ Market.

It would still be a roughly two-hour drive from the home to downtown San Diego or 1½ hours to Palm Springs. The home is 1,122 square feet and has three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

2. 210 Canyon Rd, Julian — $80,000

This home in Julian was built in 1974 and is 810 square feet with four bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms. It sits on five acres, and the listing said it is on flat land with panoramic views.

While it was described as having a large carport for a recreational vehicle, a windstorm took off the roof and destroyed a storage shed.

It sold for $100,000 in 2009 but was relisted this January for $99,500.

The property has two buildings, but the listing said the permits were unknown for a smaller structure that could be used for guests. The home is roughly two hours from downtown San Diego but less than an hour from El Centro.

1. 1678 Zuni Trail, Borrego Springs — $75,000

This desert property is so far east in San Diego County that it is almost in Imperial County. Built in 1957, the 758-square-foot home has two bedrooms, one bathroom and dated appliances.

The listing advertised the “great bones” of the home and its vintage quality. From the property, it would take about two hours to get to downtown San Diego or an hour and a half to Palm Springs.

Listing agent Tyler Stamets, who also had the No.4 home, said the interesting thing about the Zuni Trail property was that it could be of value to architecture buffs because it had very little, if any upgrades, since the 1950s.

“Borrego (Springs) is filled with all these mid-century modern vacation homes,” he said. “Some are beautiful and in amazing shape, but some are like Zuni Trail where they were like time capsules where all the appliances were like from the day it was built. It looked like nothing had been touched and it just aged in place.”

Stamets said an investor bought the home with hopes to turn it into a vacation rental.

Going on the market in January for $89,000, it was taken on and off the market until September when it sold for $14,000 under the asking price.

phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar

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