A Cozy Compound Way Up Toro Canyon

Noteworthy new listings….

900 Toro Canyon Road ($7.5 million) is perfect for those who love houseguests—at a distance. The main house, built in 1989, has just two bedrooms and one-and-a-half baths; in 2017, the current owners added a sweet guest house. The former includes plenty of surfaces I’d like to change, but also plenty I could live with quite happily. The lot is 4.84 acres, and there are a bunch of little outbuildings whose purpose is unknown.

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With the exception of the wet bars, the setup at 350 Calle Elegante ($8.5 million), on the side of Eucalyptus Hill facing the Riviera, calls to mind “Big Love,” with “3-bedroom suites, with separate entrances, plus 2 additional bedrooms, executive kitchen, library, walk-in closets, full wet bars, and 5-car finished garage with workshop and full bath.” Dated interiors, excellent views, yada yada yada.

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The 1887 Queen Anne house at 118 E. Islay Street ($4.75 million) is a Traditional Home fantasy come true. For an Upper East house of this vintage, it’s relatively small, with only four bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. And one hopes the next owner keeps some of the funk—if not the après-earthquake arrangement of art in the sitting room (?) or the whatsit ceiling in the wine cellar, then definitely the Clampett-style outdoor kitchen.

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Nice things could be done with the 1953 California cottage at 540 Scenic Drive ($3.549 million), overlooking the Montecito Club golf course. Interiors require a total redo, and freeway noise will be inescapable outside.

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2540 Whitney Avenue ($3.199 million) has a pretty great location for Summerland—on the north side of the last street up the hill, with ocean views one direction and mountain views the other.  The seller paid $2.525 million two years ago, and the issues that concerned me then still do—i.e., the concrete floors, remarkably little kitchen cabinetry, and that poor fridge encased in drywall. P.S. Let’s not make turning on the taps for the photos a thing.

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Also worth checking out:
••• 133 El Cielito Road ($2.295 million): 1973 house with more charm inside than out, but it needs updating everywhere (below).

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