Noteworthy new listings….
The 1885 house at 1 Miramar Avenue ($15.5 million), just off Miramar Beach, has sold three times in under three years (for $4.295 million in December 2019, $7.675 million in September 2021, and $8.25 million in November 2021). It’s a charming, rambling house, with adorable nooks and quirks, that feels like old Hawaii. The current owner has brought in a Brentwood edge, possibly a nod to the nearby Rosewood Miramar Beach resort, and removed the dense foliage in the yard. (This video shows how the property used to look.) The desire for light and open space is understandable, but as a result, the house is exposed to Miramar Avenue and Eucalyptus Lane.
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A 1929 Edwards & Plunkett on 3.34 acres in the Romero Canyon part of Montecito, 930 Lilac Drive ($16.995 million) is a historical gem—and as such, it’s in need of polishing. It makes for an interesting comparison with 770 Hot Springs, another pedigreed estate that recently sold for $17 million. One one hand, that house had been entirely redone and was turnkey; on the other hand, it was only on 1.84 acres, on a busier road, with no guest house—while 930 Lilac has two, along with a tennis court. P.S. The brick pool deck is a winner.
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The photos of 1410 La Cima Road ($2.895 million), built in 1971 on a winding dead-end road in Bel Air Knolls, got me excited: those are some cool lines and lively ceilings, and the nook in the living room looks like a sweet place to hole up. The floor plan is harder to love.
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I don’t follow Ventura real estate much, but I do know that $5 million is a lot for the city. 527 Via Cielito has the benefit of being newly built, with marvelous views. The shape of the living room and dining room are the kind of thing architects love and interior designers hate; surely you wouldn’t want to live in it as staged, facing the wall rather than the windows.
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At 505 Mountain Drive ($3.3 million), which the seller bought it in February for $2.15 million, the weird-shape problem mentioned above shows up in the primary bedroom, and the design choices are a bit aggressive, with high-gloss ceilings and clashing bathroom tiles. As with any spec reno (which I’m guessing this is), you have to be on the lookout for value engineering. Why aren’t there more shelves in the large primary closet? What happened to the deck around the hot tub? It looks like Lisa Simpson’s hair.
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At the corner of Las Alturas, 10 Rincon Vista Road ($3.425 million) sits obliquely on the street, positioned to take advantage of the views. Inside wants to be redone in a clean, midcentury style, and not uncommon on the Riviera, there isn’t much outdoor space. It’s a shame that deck couldn’t have been made wider.
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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 1553/1547 Shoreline Drive: When 1547 Shoreline Drive came on the market in April for $14.3 million, the .53-acre vacant lot next door was mentioned as available with price upon request. Now the house got chopped to $12.995 million and the two properties offered together for $18.9 million. If you can swing it, both is the way to go (below).
••• 130 Camino Alto ($2.5 million): .74-acre vacant lot on the mountain side of the Riviera.
••• 2222 E. Valley Road ($8.895 million): Last on the market in 2018-2019 for $5.785 million, it’s back with no mention of improvements.
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It will be interesting to see what happens when this game of musical chairs stops and you’re left holding properties that sold for a fraction of what you just paid only say 12-18 months ago…
It should probably be noted that 505 Mountain Drive seems to have put that fake vinyl wood down instead of restoring the real wood.
Miramar needs a ficus hedge stat.