Real estate direct mail in Del Mar:
a farming plan for realtors

The Beach Colony and North Beach (92014)

West of Camino del Mar and north toward the river mouth and the racetrack, the beach streets have older cottages, newer custom homes and condos, many steps from the sand. A large share are second homes or vacation rentals, and original cottages are torn down and rebuilt all the time.

• Who sells: second-home owners, long-time owners and heirs of original cottages, and owners who built new and are moving on.
• What to mail: lot-value and "what is your home worth?" cards with recent beach sales. Owners here want discretion and a clear plan, so a card that explains how you market a home quietly, without a sign if they prefer, can be the one they keep.
• How to mail: a list of owners at their own mailing address. EDDM® on the beach routes reaches many guests and tenants, and many owners live elsewhere.

Olde Del Mar and the south bluffs (92014)

The historic heart of the city, around the Village and south along the bluffs, has winding streets, mature trees and custom homes, many with ocean views. The railroad runs along the bluff top here, and bluff erosion and the long-discussed plan to move the tracks inland are part of every conversation.

• Who sells: long-time owners downsizing, heirs, and owners of view homes moving to a single-level home or closer to family.
• What to mail: sales by street and by view, since a home with a full ocean view and one without are different markets. A Prop 19 card (see below) suits the many owners who bought decades ago.
• How to mail: a homeowner mailing list or EDDM® on the routes that are mostly single-family homes. The farm is small enough that every card should feel personal.

The Del Mar hillsides (92014)

East of Camino del Mar, the hillside streets have homes from the 1950s through the 70s on large, sloping lots, many with views, plus a growing number of rebuilds. Del Mar's design review process shapes what can be built or remodeled, and the city protects its native Torrey pines, so owners and buyers both care what a lot will allow.

• Who sells: original or long-time owners, heirs, and owners deciding between a major remodel and a sale.
• What to mail: "remodel, rebuild or sell?" cards with what original homes and rebuilds nearby sold for. A card that shows you understand how the city's review process affects value answers a question every owner here has.
• How to mail: EDDM®. Most hillside homes are owner-occupied, and the routes reach them at the lowest postage.

Del Mar Heights (92014)

Just south of the city and east of the freeway, Del Mar Heights is part of San Diego but uses the Del Mar ZIP Code. It is mostly 1960s and 70s single-family homes, with canyon and some ocean views, many of them owner-occupied and many remodeled. It has more homes than the city itself and steadier turnover, which makes it the base of many 92014 farms.

• Who sells: families moving up or out of the area, long-time owners downsizing, and owners of original homes who would rather sell than remodel.
• What to mail: sales by street and school-year timing for families, and "remodel or sell?" cards with what updated and original homes sold for.
• How to mail: EDDM®. Owner occupancy is high, so routes reach the people you want for less than a list.

Del Mar Terrace (92014)

Also part of San Diego, Del Mar Terrace sits next to Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, with trails, open space and the beach close by. It is a small neighborhood of single-family homes on hilly streets, many of them older and many rebuilt.

• Who sells: long-time owners and heirs, and owners who rebuilt and are moving on.
• What to mail: home value cards with nearby sales. Near the reserve and its open space, add a card on preparing a home for sale, including the fire disclosures that buyers and insurers ask about.
• How to mail: EDDM® on the routes that cover the neighborhood, or a list if you want to skip the condos nearby.

How to read the table before you pick a farm

The best farm is one where homes sell often enough, owners stay long enough to build equity, and the routes reach owners rather than renters. The table above covers all of 92014, including Del Mar Heights and Del Mar Terrace, so read it with that in mind:

• Owner-occupied tells you whether EDDM® fits. In Del Mar Heights it is high. Near the beach it is much lower, because of second homes, vacation rentals and rentals. Below about 60 percent, a homeowner list usually wastes less money than whole routes.
• Owners there since before 2010 are your long-time owners. They have the most equity and the most freedom to sell, and in Del Mar they are most of your future listings.
• Owners 65 or older points to downsizing, moves closer to family and estate sales in the next few years. A high share rewards a patient, helpful farm.
• Median home value shapes the budget. At Del Mar prices, one listing pays for a small farm many times over.

One number the table can't give you is turnover: how many homes sold last year compared with how many homes there are. Check it in your MLS for the exact streets you are considering. In a small, long-held city, turnover can be lower than the 5 percent many agents look for, which is why a Del Mar farm often adds the Heights to reach enough sales.

Del Mar sellers worth their own mailing

Beyond your neighborhood farm, some groups of Del Mar owners are likely to sell for a specific reason. Each deserves its own card, with a message about that reason.

Owners 55 and older, and Proposition 19

Many long-time owners in Del Mar stay put because a new home would mean a much higher property tax bill. Since 2021, Proposition 19 lets homeowners 55 and older move their property tax base to a replacement home anywhere in California, up to three times, if they buy within two years of selling. A higher-priced home adds only the difference to the tax base. For an owner who bought decades ago, that can be what makes a move possible. A card that explains it, and invites them to a free consultation with you and their tax adviser, starts conversations a market update never will.

Vacation rental owners

Del Mar's short-term rental rules, approved by the Coastal Commission in 2026, allow new rentals only in a home that is the owner's primary residence, with a minimum stay and a citywide cap that existing rentals already exceed. Existing rentals can continue until the permit lapses or the property is sold. That matters to owners who count on rental income, and to the buyers they will sell to. A card that explains what a buyer can and can't do with the property, and what it would sell for, reaches them at the right time. Mail them at their own address.

Bluff and beach owners

Bluff erosion, seawalls, the railroad along the bluffs and sea-level rise all come up when a coastal home sells. Buyers, lenders and insurers ask about them. A card that shows you know how to present geology reports, permits and the city's plans speaks directly to owners of these homes.

Heirs and families

In a city where so many owners have been here for decades, many sales begin with a family decision. A card about selling an inherited home, how trust and probate sales work, and trusted local estate sale companies, cleaners and contractors, is one of the most useful things you can send.

Just Listed and Just Sold cards in Del Mar

How far to mail around a listing depends on the neighborhood:

• The beach and Olde Del Mar: a radius of several blocks, and in a city this small, often the whole farm. Every owner on the coast watches every sale.
• Condo buildings: every owner in the building, plus similar buildings nearby.
• Del Mar Heights and the hillsides: the surrounding streets, usually 200 to 400 homes, since owners compare with homes of the same era and view.

Send the Just Listed card in the first days of the listing, timed to arrive before the first open house, and the Just Sold card soon after closing. Draw a radius around the address in our mailing list planner, or pick the routes around it in the EDDM® route planner.

A 12-month Del Mar farming plan

One card a month to your farm, plus Just Listed and Just Sold cards whenever you have them. Here is a year built around how Del Mar owners actually decide:

What a Del Mar farm costs

Del Mar is small, so a farm of about 500 homes goes a long way: the beach streets and Olde Del Mar, the hillsides, or a large part of Del Mar Heights. Here is what mailing it every month for a year costs, depending on how you print:

8.5 × 11 EDDM® postcards, printed and mailed, including USPS postage. Printing ahead costs less because the price per card drops at larger quantities; we store the extra cards and mail them on your schedule. See all EDDM® prices.

Most agents settle on the middle row: a few designs that rotate through the year, printed in batches, plus Just Listed and Just Sold cards as they come. At Del Mar prices, the commission on a single listing is many times the yearly cost of the farm.

EDDM® or a mailing list in Del Mar?

In Del Mar Heights and the hillsides, most homes are owner-occupied, and EDDM® reaches nearly the same people as a list for much less. Near the beach and in the Village, second homes, vacation rentals and rentals make up much of each route, and a homeowner list wastes fewer cards. For owners who live somewhere else, only a list with the owner's mailing address reaches them at all. Tell us the areas you want and we'll recommend the right mix.

What every Del Mar real estate postcard must include

A farm postcard is usually the first time a homeowner hears from you, and California treats it that way. Under the Department of Real Estate's rule for "first point of contact" material (California Code of Regulations, title 10, section 2773), the card must show:

• Your name and 8-digit DRE license number, and the number of every other licensee named on the card, such as a team partner.
• Your responsible broker's name, as it is currently licensed with the DRE.
• The license number in type at least as large as the smallest type on the card. It can't hide in fine print.

Mailing as a team adds one more rule (Business and Professions Code section 10159.6): the responsible broker's name and license number have to be shown as prominently as the team name. A few more points keep the card out of trouble:

• The Equal Housing Opportunity logo, and words that describe the home, the street or the market, never the kind of buyer or neighbor it suits.
• Only your own sales on Just Sold cards, with the side you represented. A sale you only helped buy can't be shown as one you sold.
• Estimates labeled as estimates. "Find out what your Del Mar home is worth" is fine; a promised price is not.
• REALTOR® in capitals with the ® mark, if you are a member of the National Association of REALTORS®.

We add your license number, broker and logo to every design and send a proof, but ask your broker to approve the final card. Your brokerage may have its own rules on top of these.

For more card ideas, the Just Listed and Just Sold basics and how to pick a farm, see our real estate direct mail guide.

Get a quote for your Del Mar mailing

Tell us which neighborhoods and services you want to focus on. We'll reply with a price for printing and mailing, and the routes or list we recommend.