The Truth About This $40M La Jolla Hillside Home

In this property critique, Arvin Hadad explores the second part of a tour featuring a prominent hillside home in La Jolla, California. Throughout the walkthrough, he evaluates the property’s design choices, its relationship with the surrounding landscape, and the functional successes and failures of its layout. The video concludes with the "Arvin Score," a comprehensive rating system used to judge luxury real estate based on specific criteria like location, privacy, and architectural merit. The tour begins in the expansive backyard, which is dominated by an infinity-edge pool and a "queen necklace" view. Arvin explains that a perfect queen necklace view consists of an even split between land and sea, where one can clearly see the waves breaking on the sand. While this property offers a spectacular vantage point that includes city lights at night, he notes it is missing some of those "diamonds"—the specific visual of the surf hitting the shore—due to its recessed angle. The outdoor space is highly functional, featuring over 4,000 square feet of marine-grade teak decking and deep lounging areas that provide a comfortable buffer from the pool’s edge. A unique feature of this hillside lot is the soccer field located a half-floor down from the main deck. Arvin praises the accessibility of this area, noting that its proximity to the main house makes it feel integrated rather than isolated. While he questions the practicality of playing a full game of soccer given the risk of losing balls over the hillside, he highlights it as a fantastic space for children and general outdoor activity. This level also connects to a high-end gym equipped with rubberized floors and slidable louvered shutters. This indoor-outdoor gym space is designed to maximize views and natural light, though Arvin suggests it could easily be converted into a world-class spa. Despite the home’s many strengths, Arvin points out a significant market challenge: the property took six and a half years to build and vastly outshines its neighbors. He describes it as an "A+ house in a B+ neighborhood," noting that because the developers pushed the envelope to maximize the lot, the home now dwarfs the surrounding properties, which has hindered its sale. Moving to the interior’s upper level, the tour crosses a bridge that connects the two wings of the house. Arvin identifies a potential construction flaw here—the bridge has a noticeable downward slope. While the host suggests this provides "momentum" when leaving the wing, Arvin dismisses this as a likely miscalculation or settling issue rather than an intentional design choice. The "kids' wing" features a spacious lounge and study area, but Arvin critiques the bedrooms for their lack of privacy. Because the rooms face the street and lack the protective louvers seen elsewhere, neighbors on the ridge can look directly inside. Furthermore, he criticizes the secondary bathrooms, labeling them "YMCA-style" due to their open showers and lower-quality finishes, which he believes detract from the home's luxury status. The primary bedroom suite, however, receives high praise for its orientation. As a west-facing room, it offers premier sunset views, which Arvin considers more valuable than sunrise views because they are more frequently enjoyed by residents. The suite includes a balcony with "priceless" views, though Arvin reminds viewers that in real estate, every view has a specific market price. The primary bathroom continues the "mid-century industrial" aesthetic with heated concrete floors and vein-matched cabinetry. However, a major design oversight is revealed in the massive walk-in closet: a large window allows the neighboring house a direct line of sight into the dressing area. Arvin suggests that a Mediterranean or Spanish-modern facade with better screening would have solved these recurring privacy issues. The final segment of the video is the Arvin Score, where the property is graded across ten categories: 1. **Location (7.5):** A strong location, but not the absolute best spot in La Jolla. 2. **Lot Quality (6.0):** The natural flat land was minimal, requiring expensive engineering and caissons to create the current footprint. 3. **Lot Utilization (6.0):** Good backyard extension, but hampered by a lack of a private driveway and no side setbacks. 4. **Privacy (5.0):** This is the home’s weakest point, cited for the direct sightlines from neighbors into the bedrooms and primary closet. 5. **Lot Orientation (8.0):** The west-facing H-shape design provides excellent double exposure and natural light. 6. **Architectural Style (6.0):** Arvin feels the "ugly modern" facade was a missed opportunity; a Spanish-modern "Marbella vibe" would have better suited the topography. 7. **Views (9.5):** Almost perfect, though missing the full "diamond" arc of the bay. 8. **Layout (10.0):** The home’s strongest suit. The flow from the foyer to the kitchen and the connectivity between the levels is deemed flawless. 9. **Scale and Volume (8.0):** The rooms are excellently proportioned, though the second-floor ceilings could have been higher. 10. **Finishes (6.5):** Points were deducted for the inconsistent "industrial-meets-mid-century" style and the perceived "cheaping out" on the secondary bathrooms. In conclusion, Arvin characterizes the property as a highly emotional home with an incredible layout that is unfortunately held back by its exterior aesthetic and significant privacy flaws. He warns potential buyers and developers to look past the emotional pull of a view to ensure they aren't overpaying for a property with fundamental design mistakes.