Thomas Jacobs first became known to television audiences through The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. Today, he’s making headlines for a very different reason.
The former reality television personality, who recently joined Compass after launching a career in luxury real estate, is representing one of Southern California’s most extraordinary coastal listings: a $22.88 million bluff-top estate in Encinitas that stands on ground where a comparable home would almost certainly never receive approval today.
The listing also carries the potential to rewrite local real estate history.
If it sells anywhere near its asking price, the residence could become the most expensive home ever sold in Encinitas’s 92024 ZIP code, eclipsing the current $16.5 million record set in 2023.
Yet the property’s greatest distinction has little to do with price.
Completed in 2023 after more than 25 years of planning, design, and construction, the 7,089-square-foot residence owes its existence to a Coastal Development Permit approved in 2008 — years before the California Coastal Commission introduced many of the regulations that now govern shoreline construction and sea-level-rise planning.
Because of that timing, the estate enjoys a collection of rights and privileges that have become exceptionally difficult to replicate.
Unlike newly proposed oceanfront homes, it is not subject to many of today’s planned-retreat and sea-level-rise restrictions, while retaining private beach access, ownership of the bluff itself, and the absence of a permanent open-space easement — advantages that would be extraordinarily challenging to secure under current coastal policy.
Perched 65 feet above the Pacific Ocean, the four-story residence takes full advantage of its commanding position.
Floor-to-ceiling glass and structural steel frame sweeping views that extend from La Jolla north to Dana Point, while multiple bluffside terraces create outdoor spaces suspended dramatically above the shoreline.
The arrival is equally memorable.
An 800-pound pivoting front door opens into a soaring entry sequence where the ocean immediately commands attention, establishing the dramatic architectural language that continues throughout the home.
A commercial-grade elevator connects all four levels, allowing the residence to function as effortlessly as it impresses.
Entertainment spaces include a dedicated theater centered around a spectacular 15-foot microLED video wall, complemented by a temperature-controlled walk-in wine cellar, private gym, and sauna.
The primary suite occupies one of the home’s most coveted positions.
Extending toward the Pacific, its private terrace was inspired by the bow of a superyacht, finished in rainforest teak and seemingly projecting over the ocean below.
Behind the scenes, the engineering is as ambitious as the architecture.
Thirty-foot structural footings anchor the home securely into the bluff, while steel-beam construction provides exceptional durability.
A sophisticated energy system incorporating 44 solar panels, three Tesla Powerwalls, and fully integrated Savant home automation reflects the property’s blend of sustainability and cutting-edge technology.
Luxury oceanfront homes continue to be built along California’s coastline, but opportunities to create entirely new bluff-top estates of this scale have become increasingly rare.
In many respects, this residence represents the end of an era — one conceived under regulations that no longer exist and occupying a position that future generations of coastal development are unlikely to match.
For Jacobs, whose career has shifted from reality television to high-end real estate, the listing marks one of his first major luxury offerings with Compass.
For buyers, however, the story is much larger than the agent. It’s an opportunity to own a stretch of California coastline whose combination of location, approvals, and private rights is unlikely to be recreated again.
More stories
One of just eight homes on La Jolla’s Billionaire’s Bluff lists for $21.5M
$50M oceanfront house in ultra-private Del Mar enclave (outside San Diego) sits directly on the sand
After 30 years in one family, Malibu’s largest blufftop estate on Point Dume lists for $90 million
