After five years in San Francisco, I packed up my life in 2023 and moved to San Diego without knowing a single person. I didn’t have a friend group or a favorite taco spot yet. I just had a feeling that this was where I was supposed to be, and I haven’t looked back once.

I built my life here from scratch, and San Diego made that easy. I fell for the outdoors first: freediving in La Jolla, beach volleyball on the weekends, sunsets that never get old. Then I fell for the people, who turned out to be some of the most welcoming I’ve ever met. Somewhere along the way, this city stopped feeling like a place I moved to and started feeling like home.

Before real estate, I spent almost a decade in business development at tech startups. I loved the pace and the people, but I realized I wanted work that felt more personal, where I could see the difference I was making in someone’s life. Helping people find their place in a city I love turned out to be exactly that. Today I’m a real estate agent with The Selby Team at Compass, helping people relocate to San Diego, buy their first home, and invest in real estate here.

When I moved here, I spent hours piecing together which neighborhood fit me, where to meet people, and how everything worked. This blog is the guide I wish I’d had. Here you’ll find my real stories, honest thoughts, and practical tips for discovering (and thriving in) San Diego.

And if you’re trying to figure out where you’d fit in here, just send me a message. I’m happy to chat about neighborhoods, the move, or life in San Diego in general, no strings attached. I genuinely love helping people get their bearings in this city, so think of me as your local friend who happens to know a lot about San Diego.

Welcome to San Diego Gal. I’m so glad you’re here.

Hey, I'm Karen!