Sold Nov 2
$4,500,000
Serpentine Drive
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,649 sq ft
100% of list price
Listing courtesy of Coastal Premier Properties
San Diego Neighborhood Guide
Del Mar is a small seaside city in North County San Diego, about 20 miles north of downtown San Diego, covering about 2.2 square miles with roughly 4,200 residents. Founded in 1885 and incorporated in 1959, it is mostly single-family neighborhoods around a compact, walkable village on Camino del Mar. It is home to the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which hosts the San Diego County Fair and the summer thoroughbred racing season, and it has more than two miles of beach.
Quick Facts
| Area | About 2.2 square miles (City of Del Mar) |
|---|---|
| Planning area | Incorporated city (City of Del Mar, incorporated 1959) |
| ZIP code | 92014 |
| Boundaries | The Pacific Ocean on the west, the Solana Beach city line to the north (Dog Beach runs to the Solana Beach border), the San Dieguito River Lagoon at the north end, and Torrey Pines State Beach toward the south; the City of San Diego borders it inland. |
| Founded | Town founded in 1885 by Jacob Taylor; incorporated as a city in 1959 |
| Home types | Mostly detached single-family homes, with some condominiums and multifamily homes near the village |
| Signature style | Beach cottages and hillside homes around a small walkable village |
| Price tier | Luxury |
| Best for | Buyers who want a small-town beach city with a walkable village, the fair and racing season close at hand |
Jeff’s Take
I’ve sold and leased a lot of homes in Del Mar. It’s a small beach city with a walkable village, a beautiful stretch of coast, and the fairgrounds and racing season.
Homes range from beach cottages to hillside view homes and oceanfront estates, and the city works hard to keep its small-town feel.
Who it’s not for: Del Mar is one of the county’s most expensive markets. For more space for the money nearby, I’ll show you Carmel Valley.
Del Mar vs. Rancho Santa Fe: Del Mar is the beach and a walkable village. Rancho Santa Fe is inland acreage, privacy and equestrian life.
What buying in Del Mar often looks like
Say you want a home on the beach side of town. Before we write, I check the coastal permit history, bluff and flood exposure, and the city’s design review rules, so you know what you can remodel or rebuild later. In a market this tight, that preparation is what lets you move quickly when the right home appears.
Market Snapshot
| Measure | Oct 2026 | Oct 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $4,300,000 | $4,422,500 | −3% |
| Avg. price per sq. ft. | $1,129 | $2,337 | −52% |
| Homes sold | 5 | 12 | −58% |
| New listings | 10 | 11 | −9% |
| Median days on market | 69 | 41 | +68% |
| % of list price received | 97% | 95% | +2% |
| Months of inventory | 3.2 | 4.4 | −27% |
Single-family homes, ZIP 92014, as of October 2026. Source: San Diego Multiple Listing Service (SDMLS) closed sales, compiled by Jeff Brick. ZIP 92014 also includes Del Mar Heights in the City of San Diego.
| Measure | Current listings |
|---|---|
| Median asking price | $4,980,000 |
| Median asking price per sq. ft. | $1,501 |
| Homes for sale | 33 |
| Median days on market (current listings) | 58 |
| Months of supply | 7.3 |
| HouseCanary 1-year price forecast | 2.1% |
Single-family homes, ZIP 92014, listings on the market as of November 3, 2026. Source: HouseCanary Market Insights. Asking prices are what sellers are listing for, not final sale prices.
Jeff’s note (Q4 2026): Only five single-family homes sold in October, so these numbers swing widely month to month. The drop in price per square foot reflects which homes sold, not a 50% fall in values.
A Few Recent Sales
Not every sale, just a few recent closings I picked to show what buyers are actually paying in Del Mar right now. Updated monthly · November 2026.
$4,500,000
Serpentine Drive
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,649 sq ft
100% of list price
Listing courtesy of Coastal Premier Properties
$4,300,000
Cordero Road
4 bd · 4 ba · 3,167 sq ft
95.7% of list price
Listing courtesy of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties
$1,150,000
Caminito Verdugo
3 bd · 3 ba · 1,380 sq ft
94.3% of list price
Listing courtesy of Keller Williams Realty-SDNI
$1,850,000
Mango Drive
3 bd · 3 ba · 1,874 sq ft
101.1% of list price
Listing courtesy of Compass
$2,700,000
25th Street
4 bd · 2 ba · 1,308 sq ft
79.5% of list price
Listing courtesy of Berkshire Hathaway HomeService
$5,508,000
Mira Montana Drive
7 bd · 8 ba · 5,007 sq ft
93.8% of list price
Listing courtesy of Compass
$1,695,000
Camino Del Mar
1 bd · 2 ba · 876 sq ft
100% of list price
Listing courtesy of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties
$2,225,000
Caminito Carmel
4 bd · 3 ba · 2,797 sq ft
94.7% of list price
Listing courtesy of Compass
$4,450,000
Pine Needles Drive
4 bd · 5 ba · 3,279 sq ft
92.8% of list price
Listing courtesy of Compass
$2,250,000
9th Street
6 bd · 3 ba
86.5% of list price
Listing courtesy of Compass
Sold information from the San Diego MLS (SDMLS®), deemed reliable but not guaranteed. These homes may have been listed and sold by other brokerages; they are shown to illustrate the local market, not as Jeff Brick’s own sales. Want the full list of recent sales or a value estimate for your home? Ask Jeff.
History
Railroad construction shaped Del Mar from the start. On August 14, 1882, the California Southern Railroad ran its first train along the coast, and contractor Theodore M. Loop set up a beach tent camp that his wife Ella named Del Mar. In the summer of 1885, Jacob Taylor bought 338 acres on the mesa and officially founded the town, opening the Casa del Mar hotel. The hotel burned in 1889 (the Del Mar Union School District gives the year as 1890), and the town went quiet for years. In the early 1900s the South Coast Land Company revived Del Mar with a new hotel and a land boom. The Stratford Inn, designed by Los Angeles architect John C. Austin, opened in 1910 at 15th Street and what is now Camino del Mar and drew silent-film stars. In the 1930s local leaders won a county fairgrounds, which held its first fair in 1936. The Del Mar Turf Club opened on July 3, 1937, led by Bing Crosby with Pat O’Brien as vice president. Del Mar incorporated as a city in 1959.
Del Mar was not a single master-planned development. Jacob Taylor founded the town in 1885 on 338 acres he bought on the mesa, and he sold the first lot in November 1885. After a quiet period, the South Coast Land Company revived the town in the early 1900s with a new hotel and a land boom, and the Stratford Inn by architect John C. Austin opened in 1910. Since then the city has grown lot by lot, with individual owners and builders adding homes over more than a century. Since its 1959 incorporation, the City of Del Mar has guided that growth through its Community Plan, Local Coastal Program, zoning and design review.
Architecture
Del Mar’s homes were built over more than a century by individual owners and builders, so no single style dominates. The Del Mar Historical Society notes that homes built between 1912 and 1920 became local landmarks, and the town’s early hotels set its tone: John C. Austin designed the Stratford Inn, which opened in 1910, and the original Hotel Del Mar later inspired the design of L’Auberge Del Mar on Camino del Mar. The terrain also shapes what gets built. Homes sit along the beach, on the bluffs and on the hillsides east of the village, and Del Mar’s overlay zones for bluffs, slopes, canyons and the beach control setbacks, grading and landscaping. Changes to designated historic landmarks need Design Review Board approval and must fit the original style, scale and features.
Del Mar has a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone in its municipal code. The City Council can designate a property as a historic landmark after Planning Commission review and public hearings, and work on a designated landmark needs Design Review Board approval and must respect its original style and features. As an incentive, the Council may allow a landmark to be used in ways the underlying zone would not normally permit. The Del Mar Historical Society owns the Alvarado House, which stood on the first lot Jacob Taylor sold in 1885. It was moved in the 1980s and now stands at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, where docents open it to the public during the Fair. No Mills Act program was confirmed for Del Mar.
Living Here
Del Mar is mostly single-family neighborhoods, with shops, restaurants and hotels concentrated in the downtown village and a small commercial area. Homes range from beach cottages to hillside and bluff-top houses. Lots near the ocean fall under the city’s coastal rules. Bluff-top properties need a setback of at least 40 feet from the bluff top, a geotechnical report and a deed restriction waiving future shoreline protection. In the Beach Overlay Zone, new construction must stay at least 15 feet east of the Shoreline Protection Area line. Since early 2026, short-term rentals have been capped and need a city permit.
Life in Del Mar centers on the beach and the village. Residents walk to shops and restaurants along Camino del Mar, including Del Mar Plaza, and there is a weekly farmers market. Summer brings the San Diego County Fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which ran in June and July in 2026, followed by thoroughbred racing; the 2026 summer meet ran from July 17 to Labor Day, with the Pacific Classic on August 22. Beaches are dog-friendly in designated areas, and Powerhouse and Seagrove parks sit above the 15th Street surf break. The city estimates about 2 million visitors a year.
Getting Around
Walk Score: 85, Very Walkable (https://www.walkscore.com/score/del-mar-ca) · Transit Score: Not shown on Walk Score’s Del Mar page; NCTD bus route 101 (Oceanside to UTC/VA/UCSD) serves the city (https://www.walkscore.com/score/del-mar-ca) · Bike Score: 49, Somewhat Bikeable (https://www.walkscore.com/score/del-mar-ca)
Del Mar students are served by the Del Mar Union School District for the elementary grades. The district’s nine schools include Del Mar Heights School and Del Mar Hills Academy, with others in nearby Carmel Valley. Middle and high school students attend the San Dieguito Union High School District, whose schools include Carmel Valley Middle, Earl Warren Middle, Torrey Pines High and Canyon Crest Academy. Assignments depend on the address, so families should confirm schools for a specific home with each district.
Del Mar City Beach, Dog Beach (North Beach, north of 29th Street), Powerhouse Park, Seagrove Park, Crest Canyon, Scripps Bluff Preserve, the San Dieguito River Lagoon trail and nearby Torrey Pines State Beach and State Natural Reserve.
Explore Del Mar
Public and charter schools closest to the heart of Del Mar.
Del Mar Union Elementary
Del Mar Union Elementary
Solana Beach Elementary
San Dieguito Union High
Solana Beach Elementary
San Dieguito Union High
Solana Beach Elementary
School assignment depends on the exact address, so confirm the schools for any home with the school district. Source: California Department of Education, 2024–25 school sites. Report cards link to the official California School Dashboard.
Green space, trails and play areas in and around Del Mar.
Park data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Distances are approximate, measured from the center of Del Mar.
Del Mar is on the coast of North County San Diego, about 20 miles north of downtown San Diego. Solana Beach is to the north across the San Dieguito Lagoon, the City of San Diego’s Del Mar Heights and Carmel Valley neighborhoods lie to the east and south, and Torrey Pines State Beach and Reserve are to the south. Interstate 5 runs just inland, and the coastal rail line runs along the bluffs.
Local Favorites
Village shopping and dining center
1555 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014
Directions →Beachfront restaurant, serving Del Mar since 1968
1670 Coast Blvd., Del Mar, CA 92014
Directions →Seafood restaurant and oyster bar
3263 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014
Directions →Brewery restaurant on the San Dieguito Lagoon
2201 San Dieguito Dr., Del Mar, CA 92014
Directions →Photos, ratings and links from Google Maps
FAQ
Jacob Taylor founded the town in 1885 after buying land on the mesa. Del Mar incorporated as a city in 1959.
The City of Del Mar covers about 2.2 square miles and has about 4,200 residents. It is mostly single-family neighborhoods around a small downtown village.
The summer thoroughbred meet runs from mid-July through Labor Day. In 2026 it opened on July 17 and closed on September 7, with the Pacific Classic on August 22.
Only with a city permit. Under the ordinance approved by the Coastal Commission in February 2026, short-term rentals are capped at 129 units, require a three-night minimum stay, and new rentals must be the owner’s primary residence.
Not anymore. Del Mar’s station closed in 1995, when the Solana Beach station opened about two miles north. That station serves the COASTER and Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner.
Bluff-top homes fall under Del Mar’s Coastal Bluff Overlay Zone, which requires a setback of at least 40 feet from the bluff top, a geotechnical report and a recorded waiver of future shoreline protection. Get local planning and geotechnical advice before buying.
Elementary students attend the Del Mar Union School District, including Del Mar Heights School and Del Mar Hills Academy. Middle and high school students attend the San Dieguito Union High School District, so confirm assigned schools by address.
Work With Jeff
Jeff Brick, San Diego REALTOR® at Compass, DRE# 02156850. Million Dollar Service at All Price Points. Call or text 858-324-4448.
Nearby neighborhood guides: Solana Beach · Encinitas (Cardiff & Leucadia) · Carlsbad & La Costa · Oceanside · Rancho Santa Fe
Header photo: Mike’s Birds (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
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