Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi Are Going for a $13.9 Million Flip

Noteworthy new listings….

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi bought 321 Ennisbrook Drive ($13.9 million) in September for $12 million, zhooshed it up with help from Field + Fort, and five months later, put it back on the market. At first glance, the price seems aggressive for a three-bedroom house, a studio building with only a half bath, and no pool or much of a view. What the photos have a hard time conveying is that the ceilings are extraordinarily high, making all the rooms more dramatic than they appear here; the wall of glass doors you see upon entering is a spectacular moment. As for the location, some will love being across from the Ennisbrook club and next to the Ennisbrook Open Space, while others might prefer otherwise. At the end of the day, what’s likely to sell the property is the turnkey condition (if you’re into dark kitchens and barn doors), the access to Montecito Union School, and the sprinkle of stardust.

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Without a doubt, the most interesting house this week is 1009 E. Canon Perdido Street ($1.225 million), “built in 1923 by the well-known local Italian stonemason, Ozzie Da Ros,” according to the listing. If I got the story right, after a kiln in Rincon blew up, Da Ros gathered the stone pieces to affix to this house. Delectably unique, the two-bedroom, one-bath bungalow would go fast even if offers weren’t being reviewed Monday.

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I don’t usually include pocket listings, but 3599 Padaro Lane ($29.5 million) is both very prominent (at the eastern end of the street, near Santa Claus Lane) and priced to be noticed. Built in 2007, the oceanfront property has five bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms.

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1027 Cima Linda Lane ($15.9 million) has the Mediterranean-by-way-of-Dallas look of so many big houses built around here in the 1990s. At least this 8,493-square-footer can boast a location, on Eucalyptus Hill’s golden slope, that warrants grandeur. (Although it makes nearby 1039 Cima Linda, at $9.2 million, look like a pretty sweet deal….)

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Architectural and design flourishes abound at 4689 Via Roblada ($13.9 million), built in 2006. The photos can’t quite capture the sexy elegance of the staircase and office, and while the gray-painted wood floors might not be to everyone’s taste, I thought it refreshing to see someone go out on a style limb, especially in Hope Ranch.

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I saw 3511 Sea Ledge Lane ($11.295 million) before it sold for $8.3 million in February 2020, and I went to see it again even though not much appears to have changed. (I can’t pass up an opportunity to visit the street, on the south side of Cliff Drive between Hendry’s Beach and Hope Ranch, or any property at the edge of an oceanfront bluff.) The Cape Cod–style house, built in 1963, is as charming as ever.

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The three-bedroom 1475 Bonnymede Drive ($8.75 million) would seem to be priced as if it were freestanding, and not conjoined with another property, but in this market, who knows? And I’d personally want to update many of the surfaces. Note: The $3,000 monthly HOA fee includes landscaping maintenance and regular exterior painting.

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2084 East Valley Road ($8.5 million) sold for $6.9 million last May; the owner has given the interiors a contemporary gloss. The selling point here is size—6,027 square feet, six bedrooms, a guest house, two hot tubs, a freestanding studio, and more—while the main demerit is the East Valley Road location. Note: Already in escrow.

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Built in 1968, 2062 China Flat Road ($6.15 million) is another kooky Jack Warner floor plan—just think of the steps you can get in schlepping between the living room and the master bedroom. (To be fair, the long, skinny lot must have posed challenges.) It’s a total redo waiting to happen. The listing agents say that the owner will review offers February 9. P.S. I think that’s a fountain and not a hot tub…? It has a rather ceremonial approach.

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Sinaloa Drive isn’t known for its great housing stock, and 1533 Sinaloa Drive ($5.25 million) is no exception: the steeply pitched 1970s ceilings dominate many of the rooms, and the three bedrooms are clustered in one corner. (Perhaps the next owner will take the interiors in more of a Dwell direction.) While the lot is an acre, much of the space is off to the sides, with the hardscaped area pressed between the house and the fence. The location is handy, though, and it’s walkable to MUS and Laguna Blanca.

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And a couple others worth checking out:
••• 1821 Gibraltar Road ($3.395 million): Neat midcentury; already in escrow (below).
••• 125 Canon View Road ($1.45 million): Vacant 3.5-acre lot on a hillside.
••• 3803 Whiterose Lane ($2.65 million): Three-bedroom house just off N. Hope Avenue.

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Comment:

4 Comments

Erik Torkells

A pocket listing is one that’s not in the MLS and only marketed by word of mouth.

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Arash

Or at that price one might call the listing out-of-pocket (street definition)… say, you should have a ain’t gonna be here in 25 years edition for all these waterfront properties.

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