Noteworthy new listings….
The 1920 Craftsman at 1911 Grand Avenue ($2.295 million) is a Lower Riviera dream, with many delicious details still intact (which isn’t to say it won’t need some work). Here’s hoping the exterior color scheme doesn’t change.
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The combination of location (walkable to Montecito Union School) and family-friendly size (6,168 feet, spread out in what resembles an apartment complex—it even has multiple garages) will make 495 Santa Rosa Lane ($8.995 million) a very hot property, even if some spaces (the kitchen, the gym in an outbuilding, the massive backyard) are more appealing than others (the living room and dining room). Will it crest $10 million?
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The main selling point of nearby 544 Santa Rosa Lane ($4.995 million) is also proximity to Montecito Union School; moreover, you could move in tomorrow. It’s hard not to feel, however, that what character there is has been pasted on later to the 1977 architecture.
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$3 million is rather a lot to pay for Samarkand, but the spec reno at 3026 Serena Road ($3.095 million)—the seller paid $1.55 million last November—is lovely; the house has an elegance rare in a quickie. While those mountain views are attractive, you do have to pretend the dreaded Trader Joe’s parking lot isn’t just past the backyard.
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There’s a grooviness to the lines inside and out at 1480 Mission Canyon Road ($4.4 million) practically at the same latitude as the Inspiration Point trailhead. Maybe the buyer should skip furniture and commit to a life of floor cushions, sheepskin rugs, and bean bags.
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Another spec reno is on hand at 411 San Roque Road ($2.795 million), for which the seller paid $1.29 million in January 2021. It’s less aesthetically successful than the Samarkand one, and on a relatively busy street, but in a more popular neighborhood. P.S. The motivational bathroom reminds me of this commercial.
················1595 Miramar Lane ($3.595 million) is a test of exactly how hot the Hedgerow is: the 1948 house is architecturally unremarkable, and it needs a head-to-toe reboot.
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The backyard and covered deck are the stars at 962 Cheltenham Road ($3.195 million); inside, the high-contrast kitchen seems at odds with other parts of the house.
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And yet another spec reno: 3211 Calle Noguera ($1.895 million), in the San Roque spiderweb, for which the seller paid $910,000 in April 2021. The inside looks like it got stripped to the point of Scandinavian. Minimalism needs impeccable materials and craftsmanship, so be sure to take a close look. (I haven’t seen the property, so I’m not insinuating anything in particular.) Outside is a mulchfest.
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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 1405 Alameda Padre Serra ($3.795 million): Blah architecture right next to the junior high; great views, though.
••• 425 Wyola Road ($1.75 million): 1925 Samarkand house ripe for a renovation (below).
••• 935 Palermo Drive ($1.925 million): Nearly $2 million for a fixer—sorry, a “chance to update it to your satisfaction”—in Hidden Valley? Ouch.
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I do love that commercial!