Noteworthy new listings….
The seller of 627 Stone Meadow Lane ($13.995 million) paid $3.985 million in early 2021 and basically built it anew—including the distinctive midcentury roofline. (Before photos.) The result dazzles, with a stunning indoor/outdoor living room; high ceilings; quality details throughout; and a massive kitchen, with island seating for the entire Brady Bunch, including Alice and Sam the Butcher. (Cousin Oliver can sit outside.) And the broad, flat backyard is a parent’s dream. The quibbler in me wishes there was a gate and a garage and doesn’t love that the primary bath windows are semi-translucent because they face the motor court. As for the price, it’s a lot for Stone Meadow Lane, which doesn’t have the estate cachet of nearby Picacho Lane, but in a world county where making improvements is costly and slow, turnkey has a powerful appeal.
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Just past Hendry’s Beach is a gated lane with just five parcels, one of which is 3105 Las Gaviotas ($8.75 million). The setting is sublime; the terrace on the bluff’s edge could make you weep with envy. The house itself, less so. Built in 1998, it’s on four levels—six if you count the stairs to the entrance and the step to the kitchen—and interiors are ready for a refresh. P.S. Kudos to whoever decided to give each of the lots plenty of parking across the lane.
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The listing agent for 640 Ashley Road ($10.995 million), on a 1.3-acre flag lot near Lotusland, told me not to run the photos, but of course you can find them on Zillow. There’s much to like in the sprawling single-level floor plan, including five en-suite bedrooms and a one-bedroom guest house, and the grounds include a pool and tennis court. It all wants to be updated, natch. P.S. The game room has the smallest TV I’ve seen in years.
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The 1927 house at 1365 Virginia Road ($4.795 million), near-ish Butterfly Beach, has been given a crisp, high-contrast renovation, but the layout retains puzzling moments—such as the primary bedroom that’s smaller than one of the guest rooms and the below-grade lower level.
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The photos for 1260 Ferrelo Road ($3.55 million) aren’t done yet, so I’m breaking protocol and running two of mine from the brokers’ open. (UPDATE: The listing now has photos.) I assume it’s a spec reno, the seller having bought the house for $1.7 million in October 2021. While I’m personally unexcited by the white-and-black, board-and-batten style so prevalent on Airbnb, I suspect it still reads as fresh to buyers. Besides newness, the other main appeal is the widescreen view, which even a trio of thin power lines can’t spoil. The garage got converted to an ADU, so parking is limited to the tight motor court or way down on the street.
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At the corner of Diana Lane and Diana Road—a delightful area to walk—is 1249 Diana Lane ($1.895 million), a 1949 Alex D’Alfonso house with a distinctive arched door in one corner. With three bedrooms sharing one and a half baths, and a squeeze of a kitchen, the floor plan could use rejiggering. The view out over the city is cool.
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173 Cedar Lane ($2.785 million) is a 1958 fixer near the far end of the cul-de-sac on the western edge of Eucalyptus Hill. The long, south-facing sunroom is the marquee moment, but I’d be tempted to convert it (back?) to outdoor space, the better to lighten up the rest of the house and expand the terrace. Bet this one returns as a spec reno in six months.
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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 86 Seaview Drive ($5.85 million): Renovated two-bedroom, ocean-view condo in Montecito Shores.
••• 1231 Ferrelo Road ($2.695 million): 1956 three-bedroom with vestigial stone walls and permitted plans to redo the bathrooms; undergrounding the power lines would make a big difference (below).
••• 234 Los Alamos Avenue ($2.95 million): Remodeled Mesa house with a swell new primary bedroom, but the other three bedrooms share a teensy bath and the powder room.
••• 3069 Calle Fresno ($2.25 million): Spiffy San Roque house; the seller paid $1.643 million in July 2020.
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