Noteworthy new listings….
Built in 1947, 633 Picacho Lane ($18.5 million) combines single-level Mediterranean architecture with more recent Arts & Crafts interiors. The mix won’t be for everyone, and buyers drawn to prestigious Picacho Lane might prefer more of a manor. But the 2.25-acre property is rather impressive: long, beautiful approach; sexy grotto pool with two waterfalls and a hot tub that seats 16; pool house; dance studio; tennis court with gorgeous mountain view; and private well. It strikes me as priced to move.
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The listing for 406 Via Dichosa ($7.995 million), near the northern edge of Hope Ranch, refers to it “modern rustic,” which sounds about right. (Parts of the exterior might even be called “industrial.”) It was built in 2022 on 1.91 acres with three bedrooms and views aplenty. I haven’t seen it yet, but I suspect I’d wish that the kitchen window looked out onto something besides the motor court.
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2210 St. James Drive ($4.049 million) is a spec reno—the seller paid $1.925 million last January—where the corners don’t feel like they got cut. There are nice touches throughout, including quality cabinetry and a front terrace from which you can wave to the Bollag aerie atop Campanil. It’s remarkable how much farther money goes in Bel Air Knolls than on the Mesa: .45 acre, larger floor plan, no neighbors directly behind you, and so on.
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Classic Santa Barbara: 2457 Calle Almonte ($3.95 million) is a modest two-bedroom in a spectacular setting—the backyard has broad views of the Pacific Ocean and Elings Park. The houses in that part of Alta Mesa aren’t that interesting, and yet I’d still be tempted to call in a cutting-edge architect to take this property in a much more distinctive direction. Either way, it’ll go fast and for over ask.
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The building site at 917 Park Lane ($21.35 million) is impressive, for sure, but the price strikes me as unlikely, given how little of the 240 acres is usable (not to mention the risk of the other F-word). It sold for $5.5 million in 2000.
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Located in Ballard, 1728 Cottonwood Street ($2.595 million) is the kind of contemporary new construction (2023) you don’t see much of in the Santa Ynez Valley. The floor plan is a little weird, with the main living area isolated in its own wing, but maybe that’s OK in a two-bedroom weekend getaway. Bonus points for the leopard!
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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 605 San Ysidro Road ($6.8 million): Floops of a 1920 Monterey Colonial down a long shared private drive just above the Upper Village; the seller paid $6.6 million in March 2025.
••• 1515 E. Valley Road #C ($3.485 million): Floops of a two-bedroom cottage on the shared lane behind The Well’s Upper Village outpost; the seller paid $3.22 million in September 2025.
••• 1118 N. Patterson Avenue ($3.75 million): Floops-ish offering of a 2020 four-bedroom that sold for $3.015 million in June 2024.
••• 2016/2020 State Street ($2.749 million): 1925 Spanish two-bedroom with a one-bedroom cottage behind it.
••• 700 Chiquita Road ($1.9 million): Last week, 704 Chiquita came on the market—and went into escrow fast. Now here’s its partner on the shared driveway, a 1973 fixer with less of a view but a large backyard and a network of brick paths and terraces (below). And of course the street, a cul-de-sac between Diana Lane and APS, is a charmer.
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