This weekend’s full open-house lineup can be found at sbopenhouses.com, courtesy the Santa Barbara Association of Realtors. Here are five of the most intriguing ones:
Wedged above the houses at street level and reached via stairs lined with arched trellises, the circa-1900 house at 1746 Prospect Avenue feels more like San Francisco than the Lower Riviera. The house has tons of old-fashioned charm and views you don’t often see at this price ($1.8 million), and the current and previous owners have made significant upgrades—but there’s still only a single-car garage down on the street. Pictured at top: the view through the front door. / Open Saturday and Sunday, 2-4 p.m.
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The from-the-ground-up new house at 495 E. Mountain Drive ($6.5 million), above Westmont College, also has killer views, and what it lacks in patina it makes up for in freshness. I wished that the dining alcove didn’t face out on the motor court, but perhaps you’ll mainly be out on the terrace. / Open Sunday, 2-4 p.m.
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I haven’t seen 734 Sea Ranch Drive yet, but I’m tempted to swing by, if only to figure out why the house has two kitchens. Plus, we don’t have enough of this style of modernism. (Imagine the fun a stager could’ve had with it.) The price is $4.55 million, down $1 million from the initial ask. / Open Sunday, 1-4 p.m.
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With lush landscaping, a walled courtyard pool, black tile floors, and international flair, 2084 Alisos Drive ($4.5 million) has a cool, louche vibe, as if a rock star might retreat there for a few months. It has been on the market for a while now—initially at $5.5 million—undoubtedly hurt by the red-zone location. Perhaps the soon-to-be-updated risk map will change that…. / Open Sunday 1-3 p.m.
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The 1970 house at 684 Ladera Lane got a thorough spec renovation; I never saw it before the work, but it feels very contemporary now. The price ($3.9 million) has come down since the house was first listed, but it still feels a bit ambitious. Don’t take my word for it, though—go see for yourself. / Open Saturday and Sunday, 1-4 p.m.
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