Carmel Valley Homes For Sale

East Del Mar Real Estate

Carmel Valley (East Del Mar, CA) is an upscale/affluent San Diego neighborhood known for having some of the most highly rated public schools in San Diego County. Carmel Valley homes sell at a premium because of the school district, and also because of the beautiful surroundings. Home building began on a large scale in Carmel Valley in the late 1980’s, accelerating through the 1990’s and early 2000’s. So the houses and condominiums in Carmel Valley are mostly newer homes developed in well-planned communities.

With some exceptions, lot sizes are small relative to parcels in the older surrounding neighborhoods of La Jolla, Del Mar, Solana Beach, and Rancho Santa Fe. The typical 4-Bedroom 3-Bathroom home will range in Size from 2,700 to 3,500 square feet on a 7,000 to 10,000 square foot lot. The average Carmel Valley home owner enjoys ample space for outdoor patios and barbeques, with limited yard space for lawns and swimming pools. Carmel Valley homes on large lots (over a quarter acre) are a rare and valuable asset. As in most San Diego neighborhoods, homes with even distant or “peek views” of the ocean also sell at premium prices. All unobstructed views, canyon lots, and elevated home sites are in higher demand, resulting in higher sale prices for homes with views and privacy.

Building in Carmel Valley began just East of the Del Mar Heights exit on Interstate 5. These homes were built in the 1980’s, but the neighborhoods have remained charming and many home owners have remodeled the houses over the years. And because the neighborhoods are now more than 20 years old, there are little or no monthly Mello-Roos Fees or Home Owner’s Fees assessed on these older houses. The monthly savings is attractive to today’s home buyers.

Development in Carmel Valley pushed East along Del Mar Heights Road. The Carmel Highlands shopping center provides the bulk of the services in the area. The award-winning Torrey Pines High School just a block up and across the street from the shopping center. The majority of the houses, condominiums, and apartments surrounding Torrey Pines High School were built in the 1990’s. These homes are newer construction with more modern floorplans, with some of the largest lot sizes in the area. Home building continued in the late 1990’s pushing south toward the (then-under-construction) 56 Expressway eventually crossing south of the 56, moving closer toward Sorrento Valley. Homes are still being built in Carmel Valley South of the 56 Expressway and on the East side of Carmel Valley near Rancho Penasquitos and Rancho Santa Fe / Fairbanks Ranch / Santa Luz.