San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
TOP LUXURY SALES IN 2022
Homes close to the ocean in La Jolla and Del Mar dominate the list, with no Rancho Santa Fe homes cracking the top 5
Luxury sales were down in 2022 after two explosive years but that didn’t stop some eye-popping price tags. The biggest sale in 2022 was a La Jolla home for $21.8 million, down from the largest sale of $24.9 million in 2021 for a Del Mar home. The downturn was expected as the entire real estate market started to cool in the spring.
Affluent buyers in 2022 mainly favored homes as close to the ocean as possible, instead of Rancho Santa Fe, which typically has had several homes in the top five biggest sales. They also are getting more aggressive in hiding identities through limited liability companies and swearing real estate agents to secrecy.
The biggest purchase in San Diego County history remains the 2007 sale of an oceanfront home in Del Mar for $48.2 million. The same house was later sold to Bill and Melinda Gates for $43 million in 2020.
The San Diego Union-tribune’s list is based on homes that were listed publicly for sale. It is possible for large purchases to be concealed if they were sold off market. Here are the top sales in 2022:
1. 1320 Muirlands Drive, La Jolla: $21.8 milion
This 12,628-square-foot mansion might not be directly on the beach or a bluff but it has one of the biggest lots in La Jolla and also the touch of a well-known interior designer.
The previous owners, Bill and Dawn Davidson, built a new home on the more than half-acre lot, which features ocean views, a pool, marble fireplace, and game room. It has six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. Dawn Davidson, a decorated interior designer, said the idea with the home was to build something that was “clean and authentic.”
“We wanted La Jolla Spanish architecture but that was modern to today’s world,” she said. “It’s very transitional: crisp, clean and beachy, and light. It has tall ceilings but still graced with warm woods.”