A Spacious Compound in Riven Rock

Noteworthy new listings….

Having once nearly persuaded my husband to buy a Riven Rock property with a large, south-facing backyard, I’m predisposed to like 780 Rockbridge Road ($10.7 million). The house itself, a patchwork of styles, will undoubtedly get redone. (The floor plan is solid, with tweaks—to the primary bath, say.) The land is where the magic is: 1.89 flat acres, with handsome outbuildings—a party barn and a pool cabana where the half bath could be converted into a full.

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It was a different era back in September 2020, when 1465 E. Mountain Drive ($13.5 million) finally sold for a hard-to-fathom-now $5.225 million. While the buyers cleaned it up considerably, it feels undercooked, and an interior designer could work wonders. (This is why you should get your designer involved before you start making renovations.) What’s to like? The double-height living room; the fact that the kitchen is on the view side; the views, of course; the ground-floor primary (with “snore room”), even if it is right off the living room; and the way the south-facing pool sits below the house, but not so far away that you’d have to pack snacks.

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The quick turnaround time of 521 Santa Rosa Lane ($10.65 million) in the Hedgerow qualifies this as a floops, but the seller—who paid $9.3 million in June 2024—is looking to do a little better than get out whole. If any property can pull it off, it’s this one: the 2017 house was renovated before it was last sold, and it’s charming, turnkey, and near Montecito Union School. Families with theater kids, heaven help them, will especially like the upstairs rumpus room with a stage.

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Auction.com, about which I know nothing, says that 629 San Ysidro Road is scheduled to go to auction on May 7, but it’s not “cleared for sale” yet. The listing also states that the property has two bedrooms and one bath, which runs contrary to when it last sold in 2009 with “a converted vintage stone well house, as well as the original ranch home with detached two car garage.” Either way, the draw is the 1.17-acre lot in a superb location.

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I’ll be fascinated to see whether the allure of the Mesa is powerful enough for someone to pay in the mid-threes for 124 La Marina Drive ($3.45 million). With no innate charm, the 1951 two-story house should consider “fixer” a compliment; it has been ridden hard and left out in the rain, and it’s on a street linking Cliff Drive to Shoreline Drive, with no garage. But I’ve underestimated the attraction of the neighborhood before, and Shoreline Park and Leadbetter Beach are just down the street.

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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 935 Arcady Road ($9.2 million): The seller paid $6.263 million two years ago, and from what I can tell by looking at the photos last time, not a whole lot has been done to the 1949 four-bedroom house beyond adding a fence and gate.
••• 27 Seaview Drive ($6.495 million): Two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom condo in Montecito Shores with a lot of windows—more light, but also exposure to the neighbors.
••• 210 Las Palmas Drive ($5.19 million): Hope Ranch four-bedroom with the three guest rooms sharing a bath right outside the primary and utility lines over the pool; on the plus side, it looks like La Cumbre Country Club is a chip shot away. The seller paid $4.6 million in June 2022.
••• 422 Alan Road ($3.85 million): Livable 1980 three-bedroom (all upstairs) on the cul-de-sac across from Hendry’s Beach. The juicy backyard has a tranquil deck above Arroyo Burro Creek.
••• 3803 Whiterose Lane ($3.2 million): SIngle-level four-ish-bedroom, three-bath in west San Roque—it’s appealing, if you don’t mind that all the houses on the street look cloned.
••• 809 Ashley Road ($2.845 million): The smallest (1.2 acres) of the three vacant lots available on Ashley.
••• 1826 La Coronilla Drive ($2.85 million): Alta Mesa fixer with the huge mountain views for which the north side of the street is famous (along with exposed ducting on the roof, something you don’t see much around here).
••• 3070 Avenida Caballo ($2.95 million): 2002 house on 20 acres east of Los Olivos. Let’s brainstorm possible uses for the octagonal whatsit off the foyer (below). Ball pit?

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