Mission-Inspired Home on Mount Calvary Road

Noteworthy new listings….

Coming upon one stained-glass window in a residential listing is rare, which makes 2106 Mount Calvary Road ($3.85 million)—”inspired by the historic Old Santa Barbara Mission”—even more remarkable. Stained glass is everywhere! And the fun doesn’t stop there: the 1973 house has lions guarding the gate, a pass-through cooktop (?), a dramatically latticed terrace, and, at the top of the tower, a room with a heck of a view. But would it have been so hard to smooth out that tablecloth?

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A standard-issue early 2000s Montecito Mediterranean in turnkey condition, 1196 E. Mountain Drive ($29.995 million) is on a private lane way above the street, and the location cuts both ways—big views, with an insurance bill to match. Size is the main draw: the 9,000-square-foot main house is accompanied by two guest houses.

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The recently listed new-build at 220 Montecito Ranch Lane has competition in 2720 Montecito Ranch Place Lot 6 ($22.95 million), a stone’s throw away in Summerland’s Montecito Ranch gated community. The new listing is smaller and older (built in 2019), and the pool is oriented to the west rather than the southeast. (But you do get window treatments.) Here’s hoping a critter doesn’t wander in while you’re on a Zoom call in that indoor-outdoor office.

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The 1982 French Regency four-bedroom at 2125 Birnam Wood Drive ($14.5 million) sold for $5.5 million last November 2024, and at the time, I wrote that “it makes me want to buy a Nolan Miller gown and spritz some Giorgio Beverly Hills.” The renovation, presumably with an eye toward flipping, is a tad wan, but some of that is due to the relentless neutrals, and buyers are likely to respond to the clean, contemporary surfaces.

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When 487 Hot Springs Road ($9.995 million) sold for $3.075 million in late 2022, it was a grade-A dump. Now the compound—main house, guest house, “guest studio”—is back, having been cleaned up and renovated. It’s all still pretty modest for the price, and I’d like to see the materials in person, but the potential is in the configuration: the main house is at the end of a private lane, and the other buildings can be accessed via East Valley Road. P.S. Oh, for the ceilings to have been popped….

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Another likely spec reno, 761 Westwood Drive ($3.295 million) in Alta Mesa was purchased for $1.525 million last November and given an appealing makeover. It has a slightly quirky layout, with an open-plan kitchen/living room and an upstairs family room that was probably added well after the house was built in 1962. One look at the floor plan and you can see that the main attraction is all that outdoor space, and the views are sweet.

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The parade of likely spec renos continues with 2685 Montrose Place ($2.95 million) in Mission Canyon, which traded for $1.675 million in April 2024. Don’t let the very 2025 surfaces distract you from the minuscule kitchen and power lines.

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Also worth checking out:
••• 900 Jimeno Road ($5,998,700): 1940 Lower Riviera Mediterranean (below) that doesn’t seem like it would be a mess, but there’s only one interior photo, and it’s of the view, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Also, what’s with the price? UPDATE 6/7: Lots of interior shots have been added.
••• 1913 Mission Ridge Road ($3.4 million): 1963 five-bedroom near the back entrance to El Encanto.
••• 67 Seaview Drive ($3.495 million): Top-floor two-bedroom in Montecito Shores.

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