Noteworthy new listings….
The listing agent for 4630 Via Huerto ($15 million) in Hope Ranch said that the owner was inspired by a visit to Italy, and there’s certainly a palpable love of Old World ornament: murals, interior columns, mosaics in the ceilings and floors, caryatid fireplaces, sculptures—so many sculptures!—and much more. At times, you really do feel like you’re in Naples… Florida. The effect is completely bonkers but also sort of wonderful, in a giddy, taste-be-damned way. And you’re not allowed to disagree till you spend some time on the pool house roof deck.
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Not too far away, but at the other end of the style spectrum, is 4477 Via Alegre ($15.5 million), a new take on the hacienda, with a sprawling single-level floor plan and courtyards and outdoor nooks aplenty. Just down the hill is the pool, surrounded by a teak deck, and guest house. (Note the fantastic California room.) It’s all totally tasteful and, because turnkey is still the primary draw in this market, it’s already in escrow.
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I remember seeing the 1957 house at 1010 Cima Linda Lane ($11.25 million), on Eucalyptus Hill’s golden slope, when it was on the market in 2013, and I thought the midcentury lines and fabulous open rooms could’ve been turned into something impossibly glamorous, like a (relatively) little Santa Barbara outpost of Sunnylands. The subsequent renovation went in a more comfortable, livable direction, which should serve it well, and it really opened up the backyard.
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Built in 1998, 2255 Ortega Ranch Road ($10.995 million) hasn’t aged well in terms of style, but the single-level floor plan and ocean view are timeless. Change out the floors and other surfaces, and blow out the kitchen into the room next to it, and you could really have something.
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If you value outdoor space, 826 Dolores Drive ($3.75 million) in Alta Mesa has plenty to admire—a wide pool deck, two fire pits, an outdoor shower—and the property backs up against the Vic Trace Reservoir, so it’s well protected from neighbors. And the views are excellent. The house itself got a to-the-studs renovation in 2011 with an emphasis on everyday materials—corrugated metal fencing, some concrete floors (and what feels like plywood flooring in the pool house), a curtain instead of a cabinet door, and so on.
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The Alta Mesa three-bedroom at 435 Fellowship Road ($3.15 million) was bought last May for $1.95 million, but there are clothes in the closets, so perhaps it’s not a spec renovation. The surfaces have clearly been updated, but the house looks like it might have a challenging floor plan, a utility pole looms over the deck, and I hereby decree that barn doors are over. That said, the turtle-roofed outbuilding is as adorable as ever.
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635 Grove Lane ($2.985 million), near Willow Glen Park, has four bedrooms, two of which are en suite and two of which share a bathroom off the entry. Is $3 million the new normal for San Roque?
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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 2340 Varley Street ($2.85 million): 1900 Summerland house with three bedrooms and one bath; no interior photos yet.
••• 903 Chelham Way ($2.995 million): Three-bedroom near Cold Spring School.
••• 1125 Waldron Avenue ($1.995 million): 2003 house on a one-block Eastside street.
••• 1415 Kenwood Road ($3.5 million): I’m not sure what to make of this property but this ceiling is a winner (below).
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Have you ever been to Naples…Florida or Italy?