Noteworthy new listings….
Right on the sand at the base of the Rincon Island pier, 6726 Breakers Way ($6.95 million) is a 1979 three-bedroom with clean, contemporary interiors, and the ocean is so close you can taste it. Everything else besides the Cliff House, however, is at least a 15-minute drive away.
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709 San Ysidro Lane ($12.975 million) makes for an interesting comparison with another Spanish house farther up the street—818 San Ysidro Lane, which came on the market for $12 million two weeks ago. 709 San Ysidro Lane is bigger, with a downstairs primary bedroom, and the lot is a classic quadrangle with a broad backyard. 818 San Ysidro Lane, meanwhile, is in a better location away from the street, but it has an upstairs primary and the L-shaped lot squeezes the house up from two sides. Built in 1928, 709 San Ysidro Lane also has history on its side, although as evidenced by the dark, interior family room, that can cut both ways.
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On a flag lot that shares a gated driveway with a neighbor, 195 Sheffield Drive ($7.95 million) is closer to San Leandro Lane than Sheffield, and while the freeway is nearby, the sound is less prevalent than you might expect. (That said, I’d look into the option of adding central air—which might be tough given the radiant heat—or split-ductless units.) The 1991 four-bedroom has been renovated to pleasant effect, with the exception of the checkerboard Saltillo tiles in various hues, which feel original to the house.
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At the corner of Birnam Wood Drive, 564 Crocker Sperry Drive ($6.5 million) is a 1977 one-bedroom with a pair of outbuildings—en-suite pool house and two-bedroom, two-bath guest house—built in the 1980s. While the layout is far from traditional, it could work well in Birnam Wood, where homeowners are unlikely to have live-in children and may want the option of housing a caregiver. The rooms in the main house have gracious volume, and an interior designer could do a lot with the place (including changing the orange-ish exterior to just about any other color). P.S. The south-facing pool with sightline down the 10th fairway is a beaut. P.P.S. You don’t see a lot of playsets in Birnam.
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The likely spec reno at 1590 San Roque Road ($4.295 million)—it sold for $1.6 million in July 2025—makes a bold first impression, with the massive pitched-roof canopy and charred-wood siding. The house originates from 1932, when it must have really felt like it was in the sticks (it’s on 1.69 acres way up above the Lauro Canyon Reservoir), although the interiors are now very au courant. It probably lives better as a weekend retreat, because there are quirks aplenty: the front door is up those stairs in the first photo below; the living space is all in one room, so you’ll probably have to put a TV above that stunning fireplace; the two guest rooms share a hallway bath that basically opens to the great room (pocket door, stat!); the primary closet is a tight five feet by five feet; and pity the grillmaster who has to deal with all those stairs.
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An impeccable renovation has turned the Craftsman at 2422 Fletcher Avenue ($2.995 million), on a one-block street behind Cottage Hospital, into a jewel. The ground floor (unit A) has three bedrooms and two baths; if ever a bedroom has wanted electric shades…. Upstairs, meanwhile, is a one-bedroom aerie (unit B). And permitted plans could add two junior ADUs at the east end of the property, where there are currently parking spaces on the alley.
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746 Westmont Road ($2.895 million), in the Westmontish region of Montecito, should prove a powerful draw—and not just because of the price. There are four bedrooms (one of which is accessed via the back deck), a sweet pool area, terraced gardens below, and a gate to the trails in the neighboring strip of greenery. P.S. The soaking tub embedded in the deck looks so great, but it reminded me of overhearing a woman at the Santa Barbara Bowl say how glad she was not to have to stand, and “maybe that’s how you know when you’re getting old.” Trust me: at a certain age, every single day brings a new way of knowing that you’re getting old—such as when I looked at that tub and wondered how on earth I’d get in or out of it.
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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 3884 Oak Avenue ($4.007 million) and 3876 Oak Avenue ($3.975 million): Two of six new houses in the works west of San Roque (here, I’d wager); already in escrow.
••• 2669 Montrose Place ($2.449 million): 1954 four-bedroom, two-bath in Mission Canyon; great views if you look between the utility lines.
••• 668 Willowglen Road ($2.25 million): 1962 fixer with Asian-ish roofline and a mint-chip paint job (below).
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