Noteworthy new listings….
1915 Monte Alegre Drive ($19.25 million) in Carpinteria has room to move: the house is around 8,000 square feet, with five bedrooms; the lot is 10 acres; and residents in the Rancho Monte Alegre community also get “private access to the Santa Monica creek wilderness with year-round water flow on Rancho Monte Alegre—complete with swimming holes, waterfalls, and […] trail riding.” It was built in 2010, and while money was clearly spent, the aesthetics come off heavy today; the furniture is included, but anyone spending this much will likely have something else in mind. P.S. The rustic-looking outbuilding is a charmer, or maybe just refreshing compared to the molto rustico stylings elsewhere.
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940 Monte Drive ($11.9 million) in Hope Ranch is also big (six bedrooms), and without question, the next owner will be updating it. I’ll try to stop by today to see whether the floor plan works. That mid-stair hallway causes some concern.
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I loved the exterior, floor plan, and proportions of the rooms at 2025 Birnam Wood Drive ($7.95 million), built in 1991, and it gets bonus points for the sunken bar. Most surfaces could stand a refresh, however, and definitely the kitchen. (On a good self-esteem day, I might be fine with the mirror-crazy primary bath.) Whether the backyard needs screening depends on how much pleasure one takes from being watched by golfers.
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The seller of 648 Orchard Avenue ($3.295 million), in the microneighborhood west of Romero Canyon Road, paid $2.095 million in September 2025 and gave it a clean, fresh makeover (including turning a half bath into a full one). It’s adorable. The only thing that gives pause is the size of the bathrooms, which have smaller-than-normal toilets and vanities with barely enough room to set down a toothbrush.
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Let’s play spot the listing agent! He certainly can’t be faulted for making 179 Hermosillo Road ($3.45 million) look too good…. It’s impossible to get a sense of the main residence—a 1925 Spanish two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath—from the photos, other than we’re light years from turnkey. There’s also a second home on the lot, at 178 Hot Springs Road; presumably it’s what’s being referred to by “Buyer to verify status of non-permitted buildings.”
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1770 Santa Monica Road ($2.475 million) is a sweet 1974 one-bedroom, one-bath cottage—with a jaunty roofline—on a half acre in Carpinteria. What makes it notable are the two outbuildings: an art studio and, something you don’t see much anywhere, a freestanding bathroom.
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A lot split is in the works at 460 El Cielito Road, carving off the 1.62 acres by the road in order to create 460.5 El Cielito Road ($2.385 million)—site of a 1936 two-bedroom cottage and, right behind it, a studio with kitchenette, bath, and contemporary interior. The upper property’s driveway winds across the property, so the acreage won’t feel quite as roomy as it sounds.
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4825 Rim Road ($2.2 million) in Painted Cave would make a perfect Siteline satellite office, right?
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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 1214 Lomita Lane ($5.095 million): 1968 three-bedroom on an acre in eastern Carpinteria; the stone walls add welcome character.
••• 2079 Birnam Wood Drive ($7 million): 1977 three-bedroom that needs new surfaces and a rethink of the kitchen side of the house.
••• 275 Olive Mill Road ($4.45 million): 1.26-acre vacant lot just below the Dorinda Triangle.
••• 312 Salida del Sol ($2.595 million): Mesa three-bedroom with alfresco bathtub (below).
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