Noteworthy new listings….
Get a last look at Santa Barbara the way it used to be—the single-level 1951 cottage at 1204 Shoreline Drive ($4.795 million)—while you can. This isn’t just a case of “growing up,” though; the current floor plan needs to be rethought, too.
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Two new listings in Birnam Wood are an opportunity to see how hot the community is. The recent off-market sale of a three-bedroom for $15.74 million makes a case for very hot, but that property must have been turnkey, or close enough, to get that number. The three-bedroom 500 Eastgate Lane ($8.7 million) will almost certainly be updated by the next owner; evidence of a life well-lived is everywhere, including outside, where the gardens are extensive and established. The 1.89-acre lot is huge for Birnam, with the neighbors much farther away than elsewhere in the compound. (And the golf course, rather than more houses, is across the street.) Obviously, the location along Sheffield Drive means there’s street noise to contend with. P.S. This is the first time 500 Eastgate Lane has been on the market since it was built in 1985…
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…while 2005 Birnam Wood Drive ($7.6 million), a 1989 three-bedroom that was once the home of Leslie Ridley-Tree, sold a year ago for $6.5 million. “Recent upgrades include a new AC system, updated landscaping, a new roof, and French drains,” says the listing, but the interiors, including rooms with grand proportions, still await their turn. Good news: the canary yellow guest room is intact.
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Known locally as the childhood home of supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid, 2347 East Valley Road ($8.85 million) was bought in October 2022 for $5.6 million. The interiors, believe it or not, have been lightened up a bit—the six-bedroom house was a monument to ornate millwork—but with less wood, the design feels scattershot. And most of the yard is to the side, vulnerable to street noise, rather than behind the house.
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“One of those houses where the architect didn’t know when to stop” was how I described 595 Freehaven Drive ($5.825 million) back in 2020, before someone finally felt sorry for it bought it for $3.85 million. The listing says the 1991 house was “newly renovated,” but the living room looks the same as it did four years ago. If you can overlook the aesthetic issues, you get a lot of space (6,041 square feet) with big mountain views, but around half of the 3.3-acre lot is buffer.
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You have to admire anyone with the panache to paint a house lilac. But then 7035 Gobernador Canyon Road ($4.75 million), in outer Carpinteria, has style to burn, along with delicious views. And two of the bathrooms have mirrored vanities, so you can admire those beautiful knees of yours. P.S. The 3.11 acres include “500 avocado trees, 350 Geisha coffee trees, and various fruit trees such as lemon, lime, orange, and more,” along with an inspiring art studio.
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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 711 El Bosque Road ($8.45 million): Humdrum house in a fantastic location.
••• 828 San Roque Road ($3.895 million): Five-bedroom built in 1958 (with the roofline to prove it) above Foothill Road. A professional photographer would’ve helped.
••• 3142 Baseline Avenue ($6.999 million): 1930 compound with “seven vintage houses totaling over 7,000 square feet of living space plus stables, riding ring and multiple storage structures” on 18 acres east of Ballard (below).
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