The single-story house on the San Diego coast.

Coastal lots were built up, not out. When the view is the asset and the parcel is narrow, the second floor is where the money goes.

The result is a floor plan that behaves like its own market. A good single story on the right street draws buyers who are not price shopping, and it draws them fast.

Inland of the first row, and on older streets that never took a second story. Parts of La Jolla, the flats of Del Mar, the original blocks in Coronado, and further north than most buyers bother to look.

We watch those inventories, including the houses that change hands before they are ever advertised. This is a product you find by knowing who is thinking about leaving.

Usually the garden, the view, or the drive. One level on a coastal lot costs footprint, and footprint here is either yard or elevation.

Decide which of the three you will give up before you tour. Otherwise the first appealing floor plan makes the decision for you.