A Deluge of New Listings Worth Checking Out

Property owners must smell the money in the air, because we haven’t seen this many worthwhile new listings in a long time.

I generally wait till a property has been entered in the MLS before including it, but if the listing agent has it online as a current offering, it seems like fair game—especially when it’s something you don’t see every day, like 4160 La Ladera Road ($23 million) in Hope Ranch. (Also, in this market, properties often sell without ever entering the MLS.) Built in 1917 2017, the 10,463-square-foot house blends contemporary architecture with hints of North Africa. It’s priced as if it was at the bluff’s edge with beach access, if 4305 Marina Drive is still a reasonable comp.

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I fell in love with 346 Woodley Road ($6.8 million) on Pepper Hill when I first laid eyes on it, and while the interior doesn’t exactly disappoint, I can certainly see how one could zhoosh it up. (The early 1970s property has never been on the market.) It went into escrow immediately; here’s hoping the new owner understands how much the house wants a sleek, sophisticated glamour—and has the wardrobe to live up to it.

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The owner of 605-607 Cowles Road ($27.9 million) has decided to try selling the half-constructed knoll-top property on five acres while a new owner still has time to change the finishes. “Permitted plans include a five-bedroom, 9,395-square-foot main residence, two-bedroom/one-bathroom guest house, pool cabana, double infinity-edge pool, tennis court, tennis pavilion/gym, and garages for 8 cars. […] The estate hosts a unique 1920s reservoir, now reimagined with an underground 53,000+ gallon cistern hidden beneath a bocce court & orchard.” P.S. There’s a four-bedroom house elsewhere on the property that you can stay in while you oversee construction. Contractors love that.

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The owner of 2730 Montecito Ranch Place ($20 million), on the other side of Summerland, had the same idea….

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The 1900 house at 745 Ashley Road ($15.975 million) is likely a teardown, with the real draw being the 10-plus acres in Montecito.

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If recent history is any indication, 167 Pomar Lane ($8 million)—a pretty eight-bedroom Hedgerow house built in 1900 and redone in 2015—could go for over ask, even though the price would’ve been unthinkable a year ago.

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A 1924 George Washington Smith that looks a bit like an apartment building, 1098 Golf Road ($7.85 million) is walkable to the Montecito Club and Coast Village Road. You might want to rethink the layout upstairs—rare is the master bedroom with a Jack-and-Jill bath.

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The surfaces at 439 Lambert Road ($7.995 million) would like updating, the better to show off the setting.

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A 1971 Jack Warner house with an 80s gloss, 1987 Birnam Wood Drive ($6.75 million) would be more appealing, in my opinion, if you could change out the beige tile and strip off the boxy portico in front—but you’d still have to cope with the “lobby” between the foyer and the living room. P.S. Love the dog room.

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The current owner of 975 Mariposa Lane ($5.895 million) paid $2.999 million in early 2019; the sole improvements touted in the listing are a plunge pool and drought-tolerant landscaping.

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Built in 1949, 660 Lilac Drive ($4.75 million) is “available for the first time in decades.” Naturally, there’s work to be done—and I’d be curious to see a floor plan—but the kitchen is in good shape and the lot is 1.75 acres. This kind of midcentury architecture has been extra hot of late.

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The seller of 4395 Via Esperanza ($4.95 million)—a 1945 fixer on five acres in Hope Ranch—bought it last March for $3.8 million, and there’s neither mention nor evidence of improvements.

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Storybook cute though it may be, 5 Rosemary Lane ($3.995 million) is a 1941 Moody Sisters house on just a third of an acre. The current owner paid $2.1 million four years ago.

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So far up the mountain that it could qualify as a nest, 1200 Toro Canyon Road ($2.595 million) is a three-bedroom, 1,800-square-foot “adobe-style” home built in 1980. The listing doesn’t include the acreage, but from the photos, very little of the land appears to be flat.

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Built in 2019 and turnkey, 4574 Serenity Lane ($3.295 million) has contemporary elan, if you don’t mind living over by San Antonio Creek Road.

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There are glimpses of the 1927 house as it once was at 1242 Dover Lane ($2.499 million), but bringing the charm back will take time, effort, and money. The photography certainly does the listing no favors.

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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 1269 Ferrelo Road ($1.82 million): Lower Riviera fixer with deluxe views
••• 415 Meadowbrook Drive ($4 million): 1.8 acre lot in the Ennisbrook community.
••• 1807 Lighthouse Place ($2.45 million): 2019 house on the Mesa.
••• 1288 Mountain View Road ($1.675 million): Love the fireplace; less sure about the pay phone.

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