Noteworthy new listings….
“What did you think of 770 San Ysidro Lane ($19.5 million)?” was a question I got asked several times during this week’s broker caravan. What I think is that the owner, who spent three years renovating the property, must have spent a lot of that time writing checks, because nearly everything is custom, down to the whimsical door handles. And whenever someone goes crazy on little touches, I assume that he/she didn’t skimp on the fundamental stuff, either. A lot of the choices—I’m talking to you, window treatments, and the kitchen counter that lights up—aren’t going to be to everyone’s taste, but the architectural flourishes (e.g., the ceilings) lend a lot of character to a single-level 2002 house that might otherwise feel meh for 1.7 acres in a prime location. P.S. Even the treehouse got done to the nines. And look at the garage floor!
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Up a beautiful, serpentine driveway in Ennisbrook, 280 Las Entradas Drive ($22.85 million) sits on 3.47 acres, with sweeping ocean and mountain views. While some of the surfaces would benefit from updating, and there’s rather a lot of artificial turf, the photos don’t capture how good the 1998 house feels. P.S. The stone pines are magnificent.
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1077 Summit Road ($8.995 million) is an oh-so-sweet California cottage–style house with some of the most delightful gardens in town. While I love it just the way it is, I could see tweaking the floor plan a little, such as combining the kitchen with the room next door. You do hear traffic, but that’s the price you pay for walkability to Coast Village Road—and, in this case, the Montecito Club. The sellers of paid $6.75 million in June 2021; this will undoubtedly prove to have been a good investment.
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The 1961 house at 3029 Sea Cliff ($6.495 million) is a dog, but the location—1.28 acres above Hendry’s Beach—is quintessential Santa Barbara. Bring your architect and your land use planner, because significant changes will have to go before the California Coastal Commission. By the way, Sea Cliff is turning into a very cool street: a new contemporary house is under construction at the other end, and the gnarly peach one got a magical makeover, based on what I could see over the gate.
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Everything you need to know about 1385 Plaza Pacifica ($6.7 million) is in the first photo below: it’s a clean, white box with the ocean right outside. (The sound of the waves is entrancing.) The two bedrooms are upstairs, which limits the buyer pool, but even so, this will likely mark a new high for Bonnymede.
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The original 1940s adobe part of 2323 Foothill Lane ($5.895 million) feels old in the best possible way; the history is palpable and character is everywhere. In 2004, a “renowned artist” expanded it: at the southern end of the house, off the primary bedroom, is a loft with stairs leading down to a huge studio—and below that is a large one-bedroom apartment. The 1.4 acres of grounds also seem to go on forever, with little terraces and staircases everywhere you turn.
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One hesitates to call anything over $3 million a deal, but 50 Camino Alto ($3.775 million) sure looks like one when you compare it to what people are paying to live in far lesser houses on the Mesa. In a perfect world, there wouldn’t be single steps between so many rooms, and the primary is upstairs, but the views are sublime. P.S. Winston is not included.
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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 1428 Santa Rosa Avenue ($1.8 million): Derelict 1925 Mesa house.
••• 202 La Vista Grande ($2.875 million): Colorful 1950 three-bedroom; the Riviera, my ass.
••• 11 Willowglen Place ($2.55 million): Midcentury four-bedroom, two-bath in northwest San Roque.
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