San Diego, the second-most populous city in California, is known for its beaches, temperate weather, and numerous leisure activities.

Visitors and residents enjoy parks, museums, art galleries, restaurants, hiking and biking trails as well as surfing and other water activities.

San Diego is also home to the world-famous San Diego ZooSan Diego Zoo Safari ParkSea World, and Legoland.

Several Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard bases are in the area. San Diego hosts the largest naval fleet in the world with the Navy being the number one employer in the county.

San Diego is the second-largest hub of biotech companies in the United States. Many of these companies have ties to the University of California, San Diego, which is the second-largest employer in the county.

Besides UC San Diego, the county is home to other institutions of higher education such as San Diego State University (SDSU)University of San Diego (a private Catholic university), and Cal State San Marcos as well as many private colleges and universities.

Tourism is one of the major industries in the region. Besides typical attractions, San Diego hosts many conventions, including Comic-Con. Many cruise ships are either homeported in San Diego or stop at the port as part of their cruise. Over a hundred cruise ships make port calls to San Diego each year and some ship lines homeport in San Diego.

san diego california street sign

Golden Hill

Golden Hill is one of San Diego’s most historic and architecturally electric neighborhoods. Many of the homes and apartments were built before or around the 1900s. The area is located south of Balboa Park, north of Sherman Heights/US Highway 94, and east of downtown. Many residents walk to nearby attractions in downtown, including City College, and parts of Balboa Park. Also located in Golden Hills is the Women’s History Museum and Educational Center, one of the few comprehensive women’s history museums in the United States.

The neighborhood is home to one elementary school, Golden Hill Elementary School.

Mount Hope

Mount Hope is an ethnically diverse neighborhood located in the Southeastern portion of San Diego and is bordered by State Route 94 to the north, Interstate 805 to the East, Interstate 15 to the West and Imperial Avenue to the South. The Mount Hope neighborhood acquired its name after the large municipal Mount Hope Cemetery. The cemetery was built in 1869 and today encompasses approximately 115 acres.

Mount Hope, also known as Mt. Hope, is comprised of residential, industrial, commercial and cemetery use. Also located in the neighborhood is the Greenwood Cemetery, home to the Cathedral Mausoleum built in 1919 and grew to be the world’s largest single building mausoleum.

Mount Hope has one elementary school, Chavez Elementary.

north park san diego

North Park

North Park is a neighborhood bordered by Interstate 8 to the north, Interstate 805 & 15 to the east, Balboa Park and South Park to the south, and Texas Street & Park Boulevard to the west.

North Park is a mix of architectural styles including turn of the century Craftsman Bungalows and California Bungalows located in the area near Morley Field in Balboa Park.

Residents in the neighborhood can easily walk to many of the trendy restaurants, independent shops, small businesses, nightclubs, and art galleries. The neighborhood is also home to many outdoor festivals and events.

North Park is well-known among locals for its craft beers and brewpubs. Many of the breweries in the neighborhood offer award-winning beers.

North Park is home to one elementary school, Garfield Elementary School, and a private Catholic high school for young men, St. Augustine High School.

Oak Park

Oak Park, a neighborhood located in the Southeast of San Diego County, is transforming itself into an urban culture hub due to its diversity and location near San Diego State University. The neighborhood is bounded to the north by Chollas Parkway, Streamview Drive, and College Ave; by Euclid Avenue to the West; and State Route 94 to the South and Southeast.

Oak Park is comprised of single-family homes, condominiums, apartments, and Navy and is considered a stable and well-established community. Its diversity is generally represented by San Diego’s diversity.

The community is home to Chollas Lake Park with a youth fishing lake and several walking trails. The lake was originally created as a reservoir and has developed into a community recreation center.

Oak Park is also home to a large shopping mall, The Marketplace at the Grove with anchor stores like Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, and Kohl’s. SDSU is only 4 miles from Oak Park.

The community has a fire station and library as well as two elementary schools, Oak Park Elementary and Carver Elementary School.

Redwood Village

Redwood Village is a neighborhood located in mid-city San Diego, bordered by University Avenue to the north, College Avenue to the East, Streamview Drive to the South, and 54th Street to the West.

The neighborhood was previously named Darnell but in 2007 residents voted to change the name to Redwood Village.

The area is mainly residential with a few businesses located along University Avenue.

South Park

South Park is a neighborhood located north of Golden Hill, west of Interstate 15, south of North Park, and east of Balboa Park. The neighborhood is truly diverse in ethnicity, age, income, and sexual orientation.

South Park has been considered one of the historically significant neighborhoods in San Diego and is being proposed as a historic region. The neighborhood has a large collection of California Bungalows and Spanish Colonial Revival-style homes built between 1905 and 1930.

Residents can easily walk the tree lined streets to cafes, grocery stores, art galleries, churches, breweries, and many other small businesses.

Helpful San Diego Links & Resources

  •   Put simply, Brad is the best. I was referred to him by a coworker when I finally started to get serious about buying a home, and after our first conversation... read more

    thumb Kelsey L.
    12/16/2022

      Thanks to Brad we have found our dream home in this crazy market of 2022. Its all due to his expertise and commitment to his clients. He is more than... read more

    thumb Eddie D.
    11/03/2022

      We had such a great buying experience with Brad.  We were moving cross-country from NYC and buying at the height of the market in early 2022, with record-low inventories and... read more

    thumb Noah G.
    10/24/2022
  •   Brad makes the typically stressful event of buying and selling homes a smooth and actually enjoyable process! He is excellent at listening to your needs/ desires, communicating with all parties... read more

    thumb Chaela H.
    8/19/2022

      I have worked with Brad on several transactions, and find him to be super professional.  It is so refreshing to work with a communicative Realtor that sets accurate expectations, is... read more

    thumb Brendan B.
    6/22/2022

      This review is long overdue but.....
    Brad and his team were nothing but amazing. When we started looking for a home, Brad was highly recommended to us and we decided to... read more

    thumb Paul G.
    6/09/2022
  •   I can't recommend Brad enough. As a first time homebuyer I wasn't sure what my expectations should be and I was really nervous about it, but I never felt pressured.... read more

    thumb Nicole P.
    4/27/2021

      Brad was recommended to us(my wife and I) through our Mortgage Broker.  We had looked at a few places with a few other realtors and really landed on him because... read more

    thumb Mike L.
    10/01/2019

      Brad Michels is one of the best. It was such a pleasure to meet and work with such an amazing person. Not only did Brad become my realtor, but he... read more

    thumb Rosie P.
    6/04/2019
  •   Brad was awesome.  This was my first time buying a condo and he made the whole process very easy!  He took me to as many places as I wanted, told... read more

    thumb Syrena S.
    3/12/2019

      I can't speak highly enough for THE MICHELS GROUP.  Brad is amazing, which is hard to say about a lot of realtors. He met with me 5 yrs ago when... read more

    thumb Heather O.
    9/17/2018

      I am writing this brief note to offer my enthusiastic recommendation for Brad Michels of the Michels Group Realty.  Brad assisted my family in the purchase of our new home... read more

    thumb Richard C.
    9/11/2018
  •   Last year, at the age of 24 I decided I was going to buy a house. Problem was, no one in my family had ever bought or owned a home.... read more

    thumb Roxanne S.
    1/05/2018

      We recently sold a rental condo with Brad. This was an easy, stress free process thanks to the expertise and skill of Brad. Brad was able to sell our condo... read more

    thumb Michael J.
    5/27/2017

      This was our first time selling a home and Brad couldn't have made the process any easier! We decided to pack up our family and move across the country, and... read more

    thumb Rachelle L.
    8/19/2016
  •   Just got done buying a house with Brad.  He spent so much time with us.  Our process took about 4 months.  Each experience with Brad made it del like we... read more

    thumb Brad M.
    7/01/2016

      Buying a house is very stressful, but this man makes it an easy process. Still to the day I am very thankful and happy for everything Brad has done for... read more

    thumb Ricky O.
    6/04/2016

      Brad is the absolute best in the business.  He has exceptional professionalism, kindness and patience.  As first time home buyers, we substantially relied on his expertise and vast knowledge of... read more

    thumb Brian G.
    6/02/2015
Chaela Huff
Chaela Huff
15:24 19 Aug 22
Brad makes the typically stressful event of buying and selling homes a smooth and actually enjoyable process! He is excellent at listening to your needs/... desires, communicating with all parties and is truly always available for his clients. We found Brad's honest and optimistic way refreshing and just what we needed to feel comfortable during a sometimes unnerving process. Brad goes above and beyond on all fronts and provides dedicated, personalized service to his clients- we'd HIGHLY recommend him!read more
Brad Morton
Brad Morton
21:04 14 Jul 22
"It." Hard to describe, but you know it when you meet someone that has "it." Brad has "it." He's more interested in building a relationship than he is... getting you into a house. He will get to know you, your real estate needs, and tailor his approach to you.Brad helped us buy a home in San Diego, and has helped us sell a home in San Diego. Easily the best realtor I've ever worked with. Prompt, knowledgeable, and brings a wealth of resources with him. Contractors, vendors, services, etc. He is VERY good at his job. His expertise at navigating the market, interpersonal skills, and ability to "read the tea leaves" has been such a blessing. I'm convinced we were able to sell our house at the right time to the right buyer due to his skills. Truly a one stop shop. Pick Brad--you won't be disappointed.read more
jeremiah Rivera
jeremiah Rivera
21:12 23 Jun 22
Brad has been an amazing help for me and my wife in navigating the San Diego real estate market. I love how he knows the hidden gems of the city, and can point... you towards a neighborhood that fits you. He is such not a high pressure guy, but really cares about helping you find the right home or just answering my questions. Highly recommend!read more
Brendan Bracken
Brendan Bracken
16:29 22 Jun 22
I have worked with Brad on several transactions, and find him to be super professional. It is so refreshing to work with a communicative Realtor that sets... accurate expectations, is friendly, experienced, and creative. I have also recommended Brad to several of my clients that need Real Estate Services, and he has always served them well. Thanks Brad!read more
Daniel Travers
Daniel Travers
19:55 25 May 22
Brad is my go to resource for whenever I have any questions about San Diego real estate. He's a super knowledgeable real estate agent and has years of... experience in the industry as a realtor. He's also very involved with charities which is an extra bonus in my book!read more
La Fawn Carter
La Fawn Carter
21:45 22 Apr 21
Brad Michels!! The best!!
Paul Scalone
Paul Scalone
03:41 16 Apr 21
Brad is amazing!
BJ
BJ
01:30 27 Oct 20
Brad Michels at the Michels Reality Group is one of the most remarkable, personable, knowledgeable, experienced, efficient, patient, and thorough real estate... agent/broker in San Diego. We highly recommend Brad, his team and his network to anyone in San Diego County; regardless of location, budget or desires, Brad is the one of best San Diego has to offer and will exceed expectations. Not only are you hiring a great agent/broker, you are making a life-long friend. In brevity, Brad has the following to offer:1. Personality and relationship. Brad will build a strong relationship with you to understand you and your needs and not just process a sale. He can relate to multiple different personality types and believes in fortifying a strong, lasting relationship. He is phenomenal at recognizing, appreciating, and responding to your needs, concerns, hesitations and aspirations. Moreover, Brad has a very outgoing positive attitude that make home buying process more pleasant.2. Knowledge and experience. Brad has enjoyably worked as an agent/broker in San Diego for more than a decade. He know the neighborhoods, schools, entertainment and just about everything else. He is highly skilled in the buying and negotiation process. The closing process is efficient, expedited and aided; he walks you through and all that is needed, with your best interests in mind.3. Communication and Accessibility. Despite being a family man, he always had time to work with our hectic schedules, answer questions and walk us through the various processes. Brad is clear and concise and importantly, patient. He also served a pseudo-psychologist, to calm and alleviate stress, work through issues, and take a Rogerian approach to issues and conflicts.4. Professional network. Brad has built a vast and extensive network of professionals in his more than a decade of experience. This network includes mortgage brokers, inspectors, locksmiths, estate planning attorneys, plumbers, roofers, etc. After having engaged many of these network connections, they are as professional, efficient and as thorough as Brad. The uncertainty and guess work of finding recommended, experienced professionals has been vetted and trusted for your needs.read more
Michael LaRocca
Michael LaRocca
03:44 02 Oct 19
Brad was recommended to us(my wife and I) through our Mortgage Broker. We had looked at a few places with a few other realtors and really landed on him... because he was easy to talk to. He felt trust worthy and it was easy for us to speak our minds, positive or negative, while looking at places. My wife mostly looked at places with him and he was very patient with us. We were looking for something in our budget range and though some of our offers were well below market, he encouraged us nonetheless. We didn't feel as though we had to speak up extra loud for his time, and he was consistent in checking with us to make sure we had all our questions answered and were comfortable.The process itself was very smooth, we asked him loads of questions and he had answers for all of them. I leave the experience understanding a lot more. Finding people to educate you through these processes is important and Brad was good at that.Glad to have met and worked with him!Thanks Bradread more
Roxanne Sumanga
Roxanne Sumanga
18:25 05 Jan 18
Last year, at the age of 24 I decided I was going to buy a house. Problem was, no one in my family had ever bought or owned a home. The entire process to me... was foreign; I even recall googling, “What is Escrow?” With virtually no one there to guide me, in steps Brad and his wonderful team. He was recommended to me by a family friend and I am beyond ecstatic and blessed that I had the opportunity to work with him. What made Brad heaven sent was that on the first day of meeting him he took the time to really get to know me. We did not jump straight into “how many bedrooms? What location? You want a fireplace?” he took the time to understand my personality, my home life, my career and why I was choosing to buy a home. I’ve heard horror stories of realtors handing their clientele the short end of the stick and being pushy to ensure a sale goes down. Brad is none of those and while I was teetering back and forth between I want to buy no wait I don’t, he said “If you decide you don’t want to buy now we can pick up later when you are ready.” Guarantee you’re more likely to find a realtor who will say “the market is good, buy now, why wait?” Every little question, no matter how minuscule it may have been was answered and I always walked away from our conversations feeling more and more confident about being a home owner. Brad always gave me his honest opinion and truly had my best interest at heart. Regardless if you’re dead set on buying a home or like me, often indecisive be sure to get in contact with Brad, you will not regret it!read more
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