A Stellar Week for New Listings

Noteworthy new listings….

You have to admire the boldness of the architecture at 4038 Foothill Road ($14.9 million) in Carpinteria; “inspired by the Tomol, a Chumash canoe,” the 4,900-square-foot house was designed by Ferguson-Ettinger Architects and completed in 2004. While the stone floors are likely to leave some buyers cold, despite the radiant heat, a good decorator could probably bring the rooms up to date (or at least carpet more thoroughly). And then there’s the matter of the location, up a long and narrow shared driveway in Carp’s agricultural zone; the nearest neighbor is an alpaca farm.

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The owners of 568 Toro Canyon Road ($13.499 million) purchased the property in August 2019 from Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, in one of the duo’s less successful real estate deals. (They paid $6.7 million and sold it for $6.982 million.) The 1917 house hasn’t changed a bit—it was bought furnished—with the same pluses and minuses: a gorgeous sunroom, marvelous land (8.2 acres), and the best barn around, but also a tight kitchen, a primary bedroom right off the front door, and depressing asphalt shingles. A fix for one of those minuses is in the works: “Land use permit is approved and building permit is pending for a 900-square-foot addition of a primary suite and bedroom.” And an ADU where the basketball court is has its permits, although it seems less crucial, given the barn. P.S. It can be bought furnished.

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In some corner of the multiverse, my husband and I live at 3070 Sea Cliff ($11.975 million), having bought it in late 2018, after falling for the combination of a modest 1964 house with world-class views. (It’s on a 1.1-acre lot above Cliff Drive in Yankee Farm.) What stopped us in this universe was the prospect of an everything-everywhere-all-at-once renovation. Whoever ended up buying it instead (for $3.85 million) had a shorter to-do list, and you can see where money was and was not spent. Floors and windows? Fabulous. But the walls are still paper-thin, the guest wing is a warren, the landscaping is half-hearted…. Call me old-fashioned, but I find corner-cutting in a $12 million house hard to swallow.

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The 1917 house at 1530 San Leandro Lane ($7 million) in the Hedgerow has historic charm to burn (arguably a bit too much in the bathrooms). If you love a sprawling floor plan—there are five bedrooms—with decades of character, this one’s for you. P.S. The shared well means you might be able to justify that lawn.

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Judging from all the potential buyers at the brokers’s open, competition for 2310 Santa Barbara Street ($5 million) will be fierce. It’s certainly a sweet slice of Upper East cake: 4,220 square feet, built in 1917, with some changes you’d want to undo (talking to you, backsplash), but mostly handled with care. The only thing I didn’t love about the property was the backyard, which is too small for the house. I daydreamed about reclaiming the vestigial driveway on the other side of the fence and moving the garage to make better outdoor space.

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If I were in the market for a pied-à-terre—and a project—I’d find 1777 Las Tunas Road ($3.495 million) hard to resist: the 1,695-square-foot two-bedroom, built in 1971, is totally rad, with jaw-dropping views. Too bad architect-owner Robert S. Grant didn’t cantilever a nice, big deck. (Also, to get to the laundry room, you pass through a shower….)

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The 1930 Spanish house at 417 Calle Palo Colorado ($2.595 million), in the San Roque spiderweb, has been appealingly redone, and the owners have made excellent use of the awkwardly shaped backyard. The two bedrooms share a hallway bath, though, so you might want to budget for converting the little room off the primary bedroom into an en-suite bath/closet.

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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 3502 La Entrada Drive ($2.5 million): Now that’s a covered terrace (above). Note the waterfall and pond.
••• 2729 Puesta Del Sol ($3.95 million): Renovated 1925 Spanish between San Roque and the Museum of Natural History; love the roof deck.
••• 710 Monte Drive ($5.495 million): 1980 Hope Ranch Tudor on 1.5 acres; total overhaul required.
••• 432 E. Padre Street ($2.95 million): Small Upper East house that the neighbors probably know as the one with the happy face.
••• 9 E. Quinto Street ($2.795 million): Super-quick flip attempt of a Spanish three-bedroom in the Upper East; it sold for $2.425 in March.
••• 505 El Bosque Road ($3.65 million): Montecito three-bedroom that wants a refresh; the .45-acre lot has potential but it’s on East Valley Road.
••• 4595 Via Maria ($3.799 million): Big 1990 ranch house off San Antonio Creek Road.
••• 746 Santecito Drive ($3.895 million): Sweet little house on a sleeper street.
••• 239 Rametto Road ($3.45 million): Three bedrooms, two baths; needs a redo.
••• 6701 Rincon Road ($4.995 million): A pair of redwood houses on an acre in Carp.
••• 800 Toro Canyon Road ($2.5 million): 7.4-acre lot.
••• 5693 W. Camino Cielo ($2.97 million): And people say country life is boring (below).

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