San Diego’s biggest home sales of 2025 broke records

San Diego County had a banner year for luxury housing with two home sales that broke records, and an overall high-end market that surged in the second half of the year.

Affluent buyers largely put a premium on being as close to the ocean as possible, as opposed to hidden mansions east of the coast. Similar to last year, the top sales in 2025 were in Del Mar and La Jolla.

Luxury agent Ross Clark, of the La Jolla-based Dickinson & Clark team at Compass real estate, said affluent buyers who normally would have gone to Beverly Hills or other parts of Los Angeles are increasingly choosing San Diego County instead.

“You get a lot more for your money here,” he said. “The quality of life here is super strong.”

While multimillion-dollar homes might seem like a fantasy to many, Clark said buyers who can afford these properties see a deal compared to the Los Angeles area. For example, they get a lot more privacy. He said he is working with an NBA player in L.A. who is tired of needing a security team to leave his home, and says he can walk around La Jolla without being bothered.

Three of the top 10 biggest home sales in 2025 were all on the same street — Camino de la Costa — across from Bird Rock in La Jolla. All three properties are in walking distance of each other.

This year’s sales bonanza finally unseated the 2023 purchase of a Del Mar home for $44.1 million as the largest-ever county sale. It held the record for the top sale for more than two years.

The San Diego Union-Tribune’s list is based on property records and sales data from the Multiple Listing Service and the San Diego County Assessor’s Office as of mid-December. It is possible another big sale could close before the end of the year, but typically sales tend to slow around the holidays.

Almost all big transactions this year took great pains to hide buyers’ identities, with deeds hidden behind limited liability companies and top real estate agents asked to sign non-disclosure agreements.

1. 2920 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar — $50 million

The newly built mansion at 2920 Camino Del Mar went on sale in November 2024 for $75 million but slashed its price to $59.5 million in June before finally selling for nearly $10 million less than that. It still broke the record for the biggest ever sale.

The Del Mar estate is 30,491 square feet and features a main 4,508-square-foot house, two guest houses (353 square feet and 377 square feet), a pool and 75 feet of ocean frontage — one of the biggest in San Diego County. In total, there are seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms.

Previous owner Sandra Naftzger sold the property to spend more time with her family in the Los Angeles area, said listing agent Rande Turner when it went on sale. The deed shows the purchasers as Ocean Front Vibrations LLC, which state records show was set up by a Newport Beach-based law firm.

2. 6026 Camino de la Costa, La Jolla — $47 million

This mansion held the record for the biggest San Diego County home sale for about a week. It remains the biggest sale in La Jolla history, which also makes it the largest  recorded sale in the city of San Diego.

It was sold by Arizona philanthropist Susan Drescher-Mulzet to Florida-based Iron Man Villa LLC, according to property records. The deal was conducted off-market — meaning it was for sale but not listed — and is rare for a home this costly.

It features a three-story main residence, panoramic views, formal dining room, library, an elevator, guest suite, game room, gym and home theater. It has a six-car underground garage and, in a big selling point, a private staircase to the beach.

3. 5970 Camino de la Costa, La Jolla — $36.5 million

This La Jolla property was previously owned by Eric Benson, head of Pacific Steel Group, and was sold to Wyoming’s PuraLife Company. It has several pending permits to drastically remake the prized oceanfront lot.

PuraLife, based in Sheridan, Wyoming, and seemingly only set up for real estate transactions, is seeking a permit to demolish a single-family home and accessory dwelling unit on the site. Included in the plans is a neighboring lot at 5990 Camino de la Costa, which sold for $16 million around the same time. Its plans include a subterranean garage and golf simulator room, outdoor dining areas, guest quarters, a massage room and sauna, and several accessory dwelling units.

Plans submitted to the city included 5970 and 5990 Camino de la Costa, but it’s unclear from a web of deeds, lawyers and limited liability companies if it is the same owner. Two different LLCs were used for the sales, which equal a combined $52.5 million transaction and took place within five weeks of each other.

4. 3 The Point, Coronado — $21.5 million

This property in the Coronado Cays sold at a private auction to a major tobacco importer at a Hong Kong hotel called The Upper House. There were nine bidders for the property, with the bidding starting at $19 million.

The newly built mansion at 3 The Point went on sale in November 2023 for $43 million, but its price was reduced to $37.5 million a year later. The sellers then turned to Concierge Auctions, a New York-based luxury real estate firm, resulting in a sale that took 52 days.

Malta-born Hugh Cassar, owner of Kretek International, was the purchaser of the property. Kretek describes itself as an importer, marketer and distributor of specialty cigars, tobacco, tobacco alternatives and accessories.

The mansion is 11,715 square feet and has views of San Diego Bay with floor-to-ceiling windows throughout, a theater, and a 3,600-square-foot rooftop deck with a pool spa, and small golf course. It has seven bedrooms and 9 1/2 bathrooms. The property has 320 feet of private bayfront, so there is space for yachts or other watercraft.

It was previously owned by a trust operated by the Call family, whose patriarch, Jay Call, was the founder of the Flying J. Fuel Co., a major chain of truck stops across North America.

5. 2160 Balboa Ave., Del Mar — $21.4 million

A property once owned by former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer made one of the top sales of the year.

Palmer bought the land for $4.4 million at a public auction in 2010 when Del Mar was looking to pay off a debt for the construction of a public park. A mansion was built on the property, with extensive ocean views, a nine-car parking garage, basketball and pickleball courts, and a pool and hot tub. The home is 7,393 square feet and has six bedrooms and six full bathrooms.

Palmer sold the property in 2020 for $18 million to Bill Maris, founder of Google Ventures.  Public records show the property was bought in August by a limited liability company using a downtown Chicago law office as its mailing address. The mansion originally was listed for $28.9 million last December but had several price reductions before finding a buyer.

Other top sales:

6. 5305 Carlsbad Blvd., Carlsbad — $20 million

7. 5966-68 Ladys Secret Ct., Rancho Santa Fe — $18 million

8. 1206 Muirlands Drive, La Jolla — $17.5 million

9. 5019 Tierra Del Oro, Carlsbad — $17 million

10. 5990 Camino de la Costa, La Jolla — $16 million