How did a Bankers Hill condo everyone guessed at $1.2 million go under contract at $770,000?
The listing photos made it look far more dated than it was, so it sat for about a month. My clients got this three-bedroom Bankers Hill condo with bay views under contract at $770,000, with repair credits on top, and closed in April 2026. Their inspector guessed $1.2 million or more. I'm Jared Harman, their agent.
Published . Last updated . Figures are from my own records unless a source is linked.
Where did this search start?
At one of my open houses on Sixth Avenue, across from Balboa Park, in March 2025. It was a townhome sold by my team, Team MatchPoint, brokered by eXp Realty of California, Inc.
Then they went quiet for a few months. I stayed in touch anyway, and in August 2025 they came back ready to buy.
What they asked for at that first meeting was specific. A single-level condo with views, at a reasonable price, that they could make their own. And they wanted out of North County.
Where did we look before we found it?
Pretty much everywhere. Detached houses. Houses with ADUs. Townhomes, condos, and three- and four-unit buildings.
We looked in Normal Heights, North Park, South Park, Bankers Hill and Hillcrest. We crossed options off one at a time. Honestly, that is the only way I know to find out what someone really wants.
Why didn't the newer Bankers Hill townhomes win them over?
A couple came close. Another townhome came up in the same Sixth Avenue complex where we met, but it was narrower, the yard was worse, and it just did not feel as nice.
One on Upas Street, a little further north in Bankers Hill, checked a lot of boxes. Then you got upstairs. The bathroom was massive, and it ate space that should have gone somewhere useful.
Why was nobody else jumping on it?
The photos. They made the unit look much more dated than it was. It needed some work, but it was in good shape. The big item was the HVAC. The rest was mostly cosmetic.
The HOA dues are on the high side, which scares some people off. Units in this building also do not come up often.
It had been on the market about a month when we got to it.
Why did everyone guess $1.2 million?
The views, first. It is the southwest unit, looking out over San Diego Bay to the ocean.
It is also about 1,500 square feet with three bedrooms. In my experience, a three-bedroom condo is hard to find in Bankers Hill.
Every person we brought through, inspectors and contractors included, put it north of $1.2 million.
For context, the median condo in the 92103 zip, which covers Bankers Hill, Hillcrest and Mission Hills, sold for $770,000 year to date through August 2026. That is across 151 condo sales. Data: San Diego MLS via GSDAR, thru August 2026.
How did we get to $770,000?
It was listed at $800,000. It needed work, and $770,000 was what we were comfortable paying for it, so we offered $30,000 under asking. The seller accepted.
The credits on top went to repairs, starting with the HVAC.
What made the seller side hard?
The condo had been left to a hospital in a will, and the hospital was selling it. That meant a long chain of people between us and whoever was making decisions.
Somebody on that side pushed back hard on repairs, including an HVAC system that plainly needed replacing. I still don't know whether it was the listing agent or someone at the hospital. We got the deal done anyway.
What happened after closing?
They are remodeling it into the place they described at our first meeting. It was exactly what they had pictured from the start. They just needed to see everything else to get there.
Who is Jared Harman?
Jared Harman is a real estate agent and REALTOR® in San Diego, California, licensed under DRE 02193879 with MatchPoint at eXp Realty of California, Inc. He is based in North Park and works with buyers and sellers across central San Diego, including Bankers Hill, Hillcrest and Mission Hills. He personally toured more than 800 homes in 2025.