Real Estate Services in San Diego

I represent buyers and sellers throughout San Diego County, with particular depth in military relocation, luxury and coastal homes, sales that have to be sequenced with a purchase, and the transactions that call for more than a standard listing agreement.

A large share of the people who call me are managing two moves at once. A family with orders to San Diego has a report date, a VA loan and a house to sell in another state, and every part of that has to fit inside a timeline the Navy chose for them. A homeowner in Clairemont or Bay Park has decided that the next house is overdue and wants to understand, in real numbers, whether buying it before selling the current one is possible. The circumstances differ, but the underlying work is the same in both cases: two transactions that have to close in the right order, with the financing and the dates arranged so that neither one puts the other at risk.

I am Shirin Kheshti, a Broker Associate and Realtor with Coldwell Banker West. I have held a California license since 2008 and a broker's license since 2014, and I work throughout San Diego County from an office at Liberty Station in Point Loma, the neighborhood where I live. Before joining Coldwell Banker West I spent fourteen years on a real estate team based in Rancho Santa Fe, where I learned how homes at the top of the market are priced, prepared and negotiated, and I bring that standard to Point Loma, Coronado and the rest of the coast. I am a certified Military Relocation Professional and a military spouse, and I have made that move myself, so I understand PCS timelines and VA financing in practical terms. I also take on the work that many agents decline: homes held in trust or inherited, and 1031 exchanges. I work in English and Farsi.

Home Buying Services in San Diego

Buying your next home before you sell

Most homeowners in San Diego hold the bulk of their equity in the house they live in, which means an offer on the next home has to be planned around the sale of the current one. I begin with a realistic estimate of what your current home will net after costs, and from there we look at the routes that could carry you into the next house: an offer contingent on your sale, a sale completed first with a rent-back that gives you time to move, or bridge financing that lets you buy before you sell. Each route carries a different cost and a different level of risk, and the right one depends on your neighborhood, your existing loan and how competitive the homes you want are in the month you are shopping. By the end of our first meeting you will know which of those routes fits your situation.

Luxury and coastal homes

Point Loma begins at roughly $1.5 million, and the bluff and bayfront streets of Sunset Cliffs and La Playa sit well above that, as do Coronado and La Jolla. The offers I am writing for clients this month are in the $1.8 million range.

At that price the decision rests on the particulars of one property rather than on the neighborhood average: the view corridor, the lot, the permit history, and whether the remodel that justifies the asking price was done properly. I read the disclosures and the permit file before we discuss the kitchen, I know which coastal streets command a premium and why, and I negotiate from closed comparable sales rather than from the list price. A purchase at this level deserves a slower and more careful process than a smaller transaction would, and I run it that way.

I spent fourteen years on a real estate team based in Rancho Santa Fe before joining Coldwell Banker West, and the discipline I learned there applies to the coast without change.

First-time buying

A first purchase in San Diego combines a financial question with an emotional one, and I take both seriously. We establish what you can afford with a VA, FHA or conventional loan, how a seller credit can lower your rate, and which condos, townhomes and houses in your range deserve a tour. From there I write offers that compete without overpaying, and I read the HOA documents with you before you sign anything.

Buying from out of state

Many of the people relocating to San Diego are civilians with a new position, and for them I run the same remote process I use for PCS buyers: neighborhood comparisons measured against your commute and budget, video tours, inspections you can attend by phone, and a closing that does not require a flight. Wherever in the county the work takes you, I am glad to represent you there.

Home Selling Services in San Diego

Selling your San Diego home

A sale is largely decided by the price at which it enters the market, and that decision is made before the sign goes up. I price from closed sales in your neighborhood, and I show you what the home will net after commissions, closing costs and the repairs a buyer's inspection is likely to surface. Once the number is set, I prepare the home, have it photographed, place it in front of every buyer's agent working your area, and negotiate the offers with attention to terms as well as price, because the strongest offer is often the one with the most certain path to closing.

Selling before you buy

When the next home depends on the sale of this one, the two transactions have to be planned as a single project. I sequence the listing, the offer on the new home and both closings so that you are never carrying two mortgages by accident and never without a place to live. Rent-backs, contingent offers and timing the list date around the home you want are all tools available to us, and I will tell you which of them apply to your situation.

Selling a luxury home in Point Loma and coastal San Diego

A home priced above $1.5 million sells to a smaller pool of buyers who compare more carefully and lose interest faster, so the preparation and the pricing have to be right the first time. I price from closed sales on your side of the peninsula or your stretch of the coast, and I give you an honest reading of what the market will pay for the view, the lot and the improvements you have made. The photography, the video and the presentation are built for buyers who are also considering Coronado and La Jolla, and I market directly to the agents who represent them. Fourteen years on a Rancho Santa Fe team taught me what that buyer expects to see before they will write an offer.

Selling a home held in a trust or inherited

A trustee or an heir is usually selling a home they did not choose, on behalf of people who have opinions about it, through a process that nobody explained to them. I work with your attorney on what the trust or the probate court requires, coordinate the cleanout, the repairs and the disclosures, and keep every beneficiary informed so that the sale does not become a source of family conflict. I do not give legal advice, and my role is to make certain that the real estate side of the matter never delays the legal side.

Investment and 1031 Exchange Services

I have owned and operated short-term rentals and renovated investment properties in San Diego, so I read an investment listing as an owner would: what it rents for, what it needs, and what the HOA or the city will permit you to do with it. If you are selling one investment property and buying another under a 1031 exchange, I coordinate with your exchange accommodator so that the 45-day identification deadline and the 180-day closing deadline are built into the listing and the purchase from the outset. I do not make return projections. I show you the comparable rents and sales and leave the underwriting to you.

Military Relocation Services in San Diego

I am a certified Military Relocation Professional and a military spouse, and the PCS move to or from San Diego is the transaction I know best. The two situations below are the ones that come up most often.

Buying in San Diego on military orders

If you have orders to Naval Base San Diego, Naval Base Point Loma, Naval Air Station North Island, MCAS Miramar, MCRD or Camp Pendleton, your search begins with your duty station and your BAH, because those two facts narrow the county to the neighborhoods that make sense for your commute and your budget. I match neighborhoods to the drive you will make each morning, explain how the VA loan limit and your remaining entitlement shape what you can offer, and coordinate with a lender who closes VA loans every week. Most of my military buyers write their offer from another state, so I tour homes on video, send inspection reports the day I receive them, and schedule the closing to land after your report date. If you are selling in your departing city at the same time, I connect you with an agent there and keep both transactions on a single calendar. As a military spouse, I have made this move myself.

Selling on PCS orders

When orders arrive and you own a home here, the questions are consistent: whether to sell or rent it out, how quickly the sale must happen, and what the decision does to your VA entitlement for the next purchase. I work through all three with you and your lender, price the home for the timeline you have, and manage the sale after you have left, including the showings, the inspection and the signing, from wherever you land.

Areas Served

I work throughout San Diego County. The neighborhoods where I have closed the most transactions and know the streets best are Point Loma, including Liberty Station, La Playa and Sunset Cliffs; Ocean Beach; Mission Hills; Bay Park, Bay Ho and Clairemont; Mission Beach and Pacific Beach; Coronado; UTC; and Linda Vista and the USD area. I publish monthly market reports for many of these, and for North Park, Old Town and Midway, Serra Mesa and Tierrasanta. I also work downtown and in Little Italy, where the condo and high-rise market is governed by HOA documents and view lines more than by lot size. If your orders or your work take you to Chula Vista, Santee, Oceanside or anywhere else in the county, I will represent you there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you help me buy a home in San Diego before I arrive on orders?

Yes. Most of my military buyers write their offer from another state. I tour homes on video, send inspection reports the day I receive them, and schedule the closing around your report date.

Does a VA loan make my offer weaker in San Diego?

It does not have to. What a seller wants is certainty that the sale will close. A VA buyer with a complete pre-approval, a lender who closes VA loans routinely and a clean offer competes well, and I write the offer to address the seller's concerns before they raise them.

Should I sell my current home before I buy the next one?

That depends on your equity, your existing loan and how competitive the homes you want are at the moment. In some cases a contingent offer works; in others, selling first with a rent-back is the safer route. I map both for your situation before you decide.

Do you work with buyers relocating from out of state who are not military?

Yes. The remote process is the same: neighborhood comparisons against your commute, video tours, inspections by phone and a closing that does not require a flight.

Can you sell a home held in a trust or one I inherited?

Yes. I work with your attorney on what the trust or the probate process requires, and I handle the cleanout, repairs, disclosures and sale. I do not give legal advice.

Can you help with a 1031 exchange?

Yes. I coordinate the sale and the purchase with your exchange accommodator so that the 45-day and 180-day deadlines are built into the plan from the start.

Which parts of San Diego do you work in?

All of San Diego County. I know Point Loma, Ocean Beach, Mission Hills, Bay Park, Clairemont, the beaches, Coronado, UTC and downtown best, and I work wherever your work or your orders place you.

Do you work with first-time buyers?

Yes. I work with VA, FHA and conventional financing, and with condos as well as houses. I give the financial questions and the emotional ones equal attention.

Do you handle luxury homes in Point Loma and along the coast?

Yes. Point Loma begins at roughly $1.5 million, and I work there, from Sunset Cliffs to La Playa, as well as in Coronado and La Jolla. Before Coldwell Banker West I spent fourteen years on a Rancho Santa Fe team, so pricing, preparing and negotiating at the top of the market is where my career began.

Talk it through

If any of the situations above resembles yours, the quickest way to find out whether I can help is a twenty-minute conversation, and you will leave it with a plan whether or not you decide to work with me. You can reach me directly at Shirin@TheSDHome.com or 858.750.5753.

Shirin Kheshti | Broker Associate, Realtor | MRP Certified | DRE #01848250 | Coldwell Banker West | (858) 750-5753 | Shirin@TheSDHome.com