1930 Edwards and Plunkett Hacienda Near El Encanto

Noteworthy new listings….

The 1930 Edwards and Plunkett hacienda at 1800 El Encanto Road ($7 million) is full of magical moments, two standouts of which are the extravagant courtyard and the dazzling roof deck. The discreet main entrance is off Mira Vista Avenue, but there’s also a gate on El Encanto Road, with the famed hotel a few houses away. The only wrinkle in an otherwise fabulous Riviera property is that a previous owner sold off the two guest cottages as condos, and the three structures share some buffer.

················

Location is the main appeal of 486 Cota Lane ($6.749 million), a hop and a skip from the Upper Village. It also has a nicely airy living room and primary bedroom, as well as a pretty pool area. Interiors could use a redo—unless you’re into the random Moroccan door and the closet giving off Hot Dog on a Stick vibes—and in my opinion, the kitchen layout wants to be rethought to avoid the clunky fridge/closet.

················

Last time 900 Las Alturas Road ($4.5 million) was on the market—in 2022, when it sold for $3.5 million—I suggested that the house would benefit from a Jeff Shelton makeover. (Take that curvy stone retaining wall and run with it!) And I still think so. Either way, the big draw is the broad, beautiful view; the main drawback is that the living areas are on the second floor, with the primary bedroom above it. Make sure you have everything you need before heading for the car…. P.S. I wonder why the builder of the 2011 house didn’t put two sinks in the primary bathroom.

················

Sweet little 141 Santa Elena Lane ($4.295 million) is going to get snapped up and redone, possibly returning as a spec reno; the 1956 house has good energy and it’s in the Montecito Union School district. A sizable chunk of the backyard is under oaks, alas—space that could otherwise be put to active use.

················

Just outside Goleta, 1080 Oakside Way ($3.38 million) is a sexy little number built in 2020 with an eye toward the late 1950s. If I can think of another reason to go to the N. Patterson Avenue area, I’ll check it out during today’s brokers’ open. Even without seeing it in person, you can tell that the indoor-outdoorness is admirable, and that the power lines are a bummer. P.S. Why the trapezoidal bathroom mirror? To thwart men from getting distracted by their reflections?

················

The 1921 house at 516 E. Micheltorena Street ($3.249 million) sold for $2.5 million in August 2021, and there’s more to the 30 percent price increase than Santa Barbara’s ridiculous housing market: the current owners added a substantial ADU that outclasses the house itself. That said, the laundry machines in the ADU’s bedroom are a buzzkill.

················

The character at 2209 Chapala Street ($2.95 million), an adobe built in 1924, is insane—the walls look and feel like they were made by hand. The house is tighter than it appears in the photos, with the exception of the upstairs “room,” which is exactly as tight as it seems. (And if that doesn’t induce claustrophobia, get a load of the “outdoor” shower.) The lot itself feels big, stretching as it does to Los Olivos Lane, with a garage/outbuilding that cascades down in awkward fashion. P.S. Bummer when your neighbor clads a second-floor wall on the property line with corrugated metal.

················

I’m a few weeks late on 205 S. Lomita Avenue ($3.75 million), but it’s too good to let slip by. Behold the Acacia Mansion, a 1929 home in Ojai that has its own saloon.

················

And a few others worth checking out:
••• 220 El Monte Drive ($2.325 million): 1958 Mesa fixer with negligible backyard.
••• 181 Coronada Circle ($3.75 million): Likely to do well because of the Coronada Circle location, but too bad the living room and primary bedroom overlook the street.
••• 230 Los Aguajes Avenue ($2.995 million): 1940 West Beach three-bedroom directly behind Seven Bar & Kitchen, Rodeo Room, and Wingman Rodeo; according to the listing, it “has a well established vacation rental business that grosses over $200,000 per year.”
••• 1812 La Coronilla Drive ($3.295 million): Halfheartedly renovated 1957 Alta Mesa house (below). Perhaps the kitchen is on the punchlist.

················

Love real estate? Sign up for the Siteline email newsletter.