Noteworthy new listings….
I can’t recall ever having as much fun exploring a house as I did at 680 Buena Vista Drive ($34.95 million), a 1929 Mary Craig renovated and expanded on spec. (The seller paid $9.5 million in July 2024.) The floor plan takes indoor-outdoor living to an extreme, and the effect is wildly romantic, with evocative details everywhere you look. The entry level comprises four buildings, more or less in a broken ring: the main structure (home to the kitchen, living room, dining room, etc.); the primary bedroom (with another bedroom on the other side of a wall); a freestanding guest room; and a studio. Upstairs is another primary suite; downstairs are a gym and home theater. On the far side of the pool is a new ADU. And then there’s also a freestanding garage and a tennis court. Any houseguests should be handed a map and breadcrumbs at the front door. P.S. One of the estate’s names over the years is [earworm alert!] La Macarena.
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Thirty-one acres of land east of Toro Canyon are the main draw at 3330 Foothill Road ($13.999 million), an equestrian property with “a 32-stall covered pipe corral, 7 wood-fenced paddocks, tack room, and direct private access to polo fields.” The 1979 three-bedroom house is a baffler, with most interiors painted in solid white and surprising bursts of color. Did it all once look like the guest room below, before being painted white in preparation for being listed? And while we’re asking questions, what’s with the “large private bonus suite with […] four double beds”? It’s like a set-up for group sex therapy. UPDATE: “This property was used to house seasonal traveling polo players,” says a reader. “Hence the dorm-esque vibes and gaucho BBQ pit for Argentinian players.”
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I know the seller of 549 Hot Springs Road ($12.5 million), so I’m going to hold off on opinions, positive or critical, and just describe it. The one-acre lot on a private lane across from Our Lady of Mount Carmel School is home to four structures (a hacienda-style three-bedroom house, a two-bedroom guest house, and a pair of studios joined by a covered terrace); an expanse of lawn; and—this is fact, not opinion—a fabulous egg-shaped pool.
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The 1980 house at 395 Woodley Road ($6.95 million) in Pepper Hill, which last sold in 2022 for $5.288 million, has been redone with appealing textures and surfaces. While there are stairs to get into the house, either via the front door or garage, and also up to the kitchen and dining room, the payoff is that you get big mountain views.
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Built in 1929 by Alex D’Alfonso for his own use, 1710 Mira Vista Avenue ($4.95 million) is already in escrow, but it warrants a look. There are two parking spaces and a gate on Mission Ridge Road; a path leads to what is technically the front of the house, but feels more like the back. (The Mira Vista side has a motor court.) The interiors are full of wonderful details; outside is a pool and a lovely modern-era guest house.
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Some contractor is going to make a lot of money getting 111 E. Pedregosa Street ($4.2 million) into shape, but the appeal is obvious—it’s a 1915 Craftsman on a swell Upper East block with large rooms throughout (except the baths, alas). What takes the property to the next level is the .4 acre lot: at some point, the neighbor to the east must have sold off part of his/her land, resulting in a back-backyard that’s crying out for a pool.
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Big for San Roque, 3213 Calle Mariposa ($3.795 million) is a 1930 Tudor three-bedroom (or four-bedroom, if the occupants of the upstairs primary are into sharing their bath) with a junior ADU attached to the rear. The latter is a little weird, with the toilet and shower in one room and the sink in the bedroom. The ground floor has better surfaces than upstairs, which feels like it’s still on the to-do list. Bonus points for the expansive backyard/deck and the attractive water-conscious landscaping in front.
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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 7401 Shepard Mesa Road ($5.45 million): 1940s adobe expanded in the 1960s; three stories, five bedrooms, huge views, and something I’ve never seen before—a wooden deck atop a water feature (below).
••• 1460 Twinridge Road ($3.995 million): Floops of a 1996 contemporary off N. San Marcos Road that sold for $3.55 million a year ago.
••• 262 Santa Catalina Avenue ($3.85 million): Partially reconstructed (“scheduled for completion by May 15”) 1951 Mesa three-bedroom.
••• 136 Cedar Lane ($2.5 million): 1948 spiffer-upper on Eucalyptus Hill; it’s not clear what the primary is—two bedrooms share one hallway bath, and the third bedroom has a hallway bath off the kitchen.
••• 411 E. Islay Street ($1.6 million): 1915 Craftsman fixer.
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Genuine question. .What is the issue you have with any house that has steps in it? Exterior or interior. You seem like an active person able to navigate some stairs. I’ve lived in many houses with stairs throughout my life (60 yrs) and never really thought about it. Until this blog where any house with stairs gets a call out like it has a major flaw. Am I missing something?
Yes, you are missing how you will feel about stairs when you are 70 or 80.
I don’t know about Siteline, but my issue with stairs is they are always trying to take things to the next level, and I’m just not ready for that type of commitment.
I work in real estate and always remember when I bought my house, my mentor telling me not to buy a two story, I was in my 30’s with no health issues. He told me, you will not want stairs as you age. Over the years I have seen so incidents where the occupant cannot go up or down stairs, and are confined to one floor. May of these people being in their 60’s or not much older. People fall down stairs in their houses quite often, my family member just did and he is mid 50’s. I don’t often see a big difference in resale value between one and two story, but IMO as you age, or get hurt / sick, stairs become tough.
Exactly, when you are not paying attention, they are there to trip you up.
I personally don’t have an issue with stairs (yet), but I try to look at houses the way a prospective buyer might—many of whom are older than me and possibly more interested in single-level living. Listings tend not to make a big deal of stairs, and often there are properties where stairs are where you wouldn’t necessarily expect them (e.g., to reach the kitchen).
That’s a design feature for people on the “Staircase Diet.” Every time the resident wants a snack, they see the stairs and decide that they are really not that hungry after all.