Got $484,900? Westerfield's home is for sale
|
 |
March 23, 2002
David Westerfield's former Sabre Springs home is on the market. The four-bedroom, 21/2-bath house with pool and spa was listed for sale yesterday for $484,900. The house has been transferred to the ownership of the law firms of his two attorneys, Robert Boyce and Steven Feldman. Neither lawyer returned my phone calls yesterday afternoon.
Turnkey Realty has the listing on the house. Its agents will show it only by appointment to pre-approved buyers.
Westerfield gave over ownership to his lawyers on Feb. 26, the day after DA Paul Pfingst announced he would seek a murder charge against him in the abduction and killing of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, who lived two doors away on Mountain Pass Road.
Tax records show that Westerfield bought the 1,900-square-foot home in July 1996 for $231,500. He financed it with a $208,000 loan and subsequently borrowed money against it.
Upon hearing of the listing, David Pierce, a real estate agent in the Poway area, characterized the asking price as "too high," based on previous sales of houses of the same size in the neighborhood. However, another agent, Calvin Goad, said the current sellers' market is being driven by buyers' desire to beat rising interest rates. "I just had one property (in nearby Peñasquitos) sell in six hours and we raised the price three times," Goad said. Thirteen offers came in within eight hours of the listing, he added.
What will prospective buyers learn about the home's past occupants? The California Association of Realtors' disclosure form asks simply if there has been a death on the property in the last three years - yes or no.