Noteworthy new listings….
When 1731 Lasuen Road ($9.595 million) sold off-market for $7 million three years ago, I called the 1922 Reginald Johnson villa dreamy, and I stand by that. The views are better than you can tell from the listing photos—likely a result of gray weather—and the interiors have a chic restraint. That said, the kitchen cabinetry takes the minimalism farther that some people might care for. (“Neat? She was so anally retentive she couldn’t sit down for fear of sucking up the furniture.” Yet another favorite “Absolutely Fabulous” quote….)
················
I have no idea what the 1954 house at 1848 East Valley Road ($7.395 million) looked like before it was remodeled, but I’d guess that there are more windows than before, and the character in the finishes is refreshing. A little standing-seam metal, however, does go rather a long way….
················
The seller of 937 Arcady Road ($7.25 million) in Montecito paid $5.4 million last February, and made some improvements in the kitchen and baths, but I wish they had been taken further: the kitchen cabinets are unchanged, the stainless-steel hood vent remains incongruous, and the wood floors still don’t match. The potential remains clear, so I’ll say it again: a good interior designer could really help.
················
The 1948 Hedgerow house at 1595 Miramar Lane ($4.85 million) was a fixer through and through when it sold for $3.534 million in July 2022. Interiors got a handsome redo, but given the bathroom layout, it’s more of a two-bedroom than a three-bedroom. And all that gravel would make me feel like I’m living in a sandbox.
················
A flag lot off N. Hope Avenue in San Roque, 3816 Sunset Road ($3.695 million) is a spec reno of a 1965 house purchased for $1.35 million six months ago. “You would be hard pressed to find an untouched surface,” says the listing, and the interiors have the clean, contemporary style one expects from a spec reno these days. But four of the five bedrooms are jammed into the ground floor and the front of the house looks like it could be the rear, and the gray driveway is industrial to a fault. If ever a house wanted some planter beds….
················
And a few others worth checking out:
••• 4975 Sandyland Road #109 ($3.749 million): Ground-floor beachfront two-bedroom condo in Carpinteria.
••• 2322 Whitney Avenue ($3.25 million): 1958 Summerland three-bedroom with all the utility lines.
••• 1211 Plaza del Monte ($2.995 million): Gray 1975 four-bedroom in a part of town—between the Westside and Alta Mesa—that we’re going to need a name for.
••• 18 W. Mountain Drive ($2.75 million): 2010 three-bedroom up above the north end of Coyote Road.
••• 242 Ortega Ridge Road ($3.95 million): 1921 house with a lot of quirky details (below). The seller paid $3.495 million in October 2023, and the photos from last time are here; you can see that some work got done, but in my opinion, it could use more.
················
Love real estate? Sign up for the Siteline email newsletter.
Comment: