Hillcrest occupies the high ground at the northwest corner of Balboa Park, an Uptown neighborhood built out between roughly 1910 and 1920 as streetcar lines tied it to downtown. Today it reads as a dense, walkable district, with condominiums and apartments clustered around the commercial blocks of University Avenue, Fifth Avenue and Park Boulevard.

County: San Diego County · City of San Diego
Type: City of San Diego neighborhood
ZIP codes: 92103
Report options: Desktop from $299 · Standard from $699

The Hillcrest housing market

Attached housing dominates: courtyard apartment buildings, mid-century low-rise condominiums, converted apartment complexes and newer mixed-use buildings of three to seven stories along the commercial corridors. Detached houses are scarce and concentrated in a few pockets, such as the blocks along First and Second Avenues and the streets south of Robinson Avenue near SR-163, where Craftsman and period-revival homes from the neighborhood's first building wave remain. Condominium listings come up throughout the year, but a single detached sale can be the only recent benchmark for several blocks. The hospital campuses and downtown offices nearby keep a steady flow of medical staff, professionals and renters in the market.

Neighborhoods and communities

Marston Hills
Mission Hills
Bankers Hill
Park West
University Heights
Middletown
Medical Complex

Property types we commonly appraise here

low-rise and mid-century condominiums
converted apartment-to-condo buildings
Craftsman and Spanish Revival homes
mixed-use condominiums and apartments
canyon-edge homes

What shapes value in Hillcrest

Condominium comparisons are most reliable within the same building or one of similar age and amenity level, since a converted 1960s apartment and a new elevator building trade very differently. Off-street parking is scarce on many blocks, so a garage or assigned space carries measurable value, and homes backing onto Vermont or Richmond canyons can command view and privacy premiums along with slope considerations. Zoning along the commercial corridors allows far more density than most existing buildings use, which can give older low-rise properties land value of their own.

Around Hillcrest

The Hillcrest sign over University Avenue at Fifth Avenue, the Sunday farmers market and the shops and restaurants along Fifth Avenue define the neighborhood, with Balboa Park just to the south. UC San Diego Medical Center and Scripps Mercy Hospital are the main local employers, and the Pride parade and festival center on Hillcrest each July.

Appraisals we prepare for Hillcrest properties

Desktop appraisals start at $299; Drive-By and Standard appraisals with a visit to the property start at $649 and $699. See pricing for every report type.

Hillcrest Home Appraisals