Best value per square foot in San Diego

“It’s the best value per square foot for a house with this build quality and view, anywhere in San Diego,” says Berkshire Hathaway agent Polly Rogers, describing her listing at 2645 Obelisco Place in Carlsbad. Still, the nearly $5.4 million price tag hanging from the 10,618-square-foot custom estate is probably sufficient to chase off most bargain-chasers.

Constructed in 2000, the property sits on a half-acre gated hillside lot overlooking Batiquitos Lagoon. “Panoramic Pacific Ocean views & breathtaking sunsets over San Clemente Island greet you as you walk through the dramatic custom pecan entry doors” into a “grand rotunda foyer” with French Beaumaniere limestone flooring, says Rogers’s marketing materials.

Inside, the home has three guest suites in addition to the master suite that boasts his-and-hers bathrooms and walk-in closets, plus maid/caretaker quarters with kitchenette and private entry. The main level also features his-and-hers private offices. Antiqued walnut and pine hardwood flooring is used throughout, and beyond the requisite gourmet chef’s kitchen the home has its own elevator and a solarium constructed from imported materials and with its own water feature and custom-made limestone table with seating for ten.

For the health-conscious, there’s a 1400-square-foot gym designed by Ray Wilson, founder of the Family Fitness Center chain that eventually became 24 Hour Fitness. The gym features 35 commercial-quality machines. Wilson owned the property at the time the current residence was built. There’s also a spa/massage room with en suite bath and an indoor spa pool.

The estate is equipped with a “smart home” electronic control system including a full complement of security cameras, as well as on-site water filtration and air purification systems. There’s also a climate-controlled wine cellar with storage for up to 3000 bottles and an adjacent tasting room whose walls are adorned with hand-painted murals.

The living room, formal dining area, and great room all have vanishing doors that open onto a veranda and outdoor living area that features a pool, a spa, bronze statuary, waterfall, fire pit, and several levels of terraced entertaining areas.

Tax rolls show the current owner of record as David Rosenaur, who operated Beermann’s Brewing, a pair of defunct brewery/restaurants in the northeastern Sacramento area. Multiple listing service records show that the property last sold in a 2005 all-cash transaction for $5,150,000, but tax records indicate the sales price was only $4,020,500.

The Obelisco estate was first offered for sale in February 2013, with an asking price set at $5,995,000, which was reduced to a value range with the sellers seeking offers between $4,995,000 and $5,395,000 last June. The listing has bounced between “active” and “cancelled” status a few times since then, most recently going active with the same list price in late January of this year.