While I was out looking at open houses earlier today, a broker asked whether I’d been to 121 Olive Mill Lane in Montecito, which has just come on the market for $10.75 million. “I love that house,” she said. One look at the photo above—and the map at right—and it’s easy to see why: near the end of a quiet street, with the bulk of the yard tucked behind, the 1949 house feels like a world of its own. And it’s walkable to Coast Village Road.
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Bedrooms: Four.
Bathrooms: Four and a half.
Size/Acreage: 5,124 square feet / 1.38 acres.
Price: $10.75 million.
Last sold: for $7.6 million in June of 2014.
Listing agent: Cristal Clarke of Berkshire Hathaway.
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The entrance isn’t all that grand, and the front yard, while appealing, isn’t where you’d likely spend much of your time. (Another broker once told me that people from Texas are particularly likely to install tree swings and/or buy houses with them.)
From the get-go, it’s clear that the house hasn’t been overstyled or ruined by poor choices. The floor plan is a bit of a mystery, but the kitchen, dining room, and family room are all in one large space. (I should’ve gone to the open house, but I hit a wall after the first three.)
There’s also a relatively formal living room. I suppose many buyers may feel they require something larger.
Other common areas: butler pantry, hallway, playroom, and TV room.
And here’s the master bedroom and bathroom; the latter seems like a weak point for a house at this price.
If I had gone to the open house, I’d have a better sense of where the guest rooms end and the guest house begins. My guess is that these are in the main house.
And that the photos below are all of the guest house. I love how the only three options for digitally adding an image to a TV screen seem to be golf, Gone with the Wind, and Casablanca.
If anything makes the house worth anywhere near $10.75 million—and the broker who loves the house wasn’t sure about that—I’d say it’s the sprawling grounds. Note the star-shaped mosaic fountain, à la Lotusland’s.
Contact Cristal Clarke for a showing—and be sure to tell her Siteline sent you.
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