Noteworthy new listings….
The 1990 three-bedroom Mediterranean at 480 Ortega Ridge Road ($8 million), near the Ortega Reservoir, has great views, but the structure itself is nothing special and needs to be redone. But my word, the pool! Straddling the ridge like that, it must feel like a world of its own. The above-ground hot tub dampens the mood, but only a little. P.S. No fires in the family room anytime soon.
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That the compound at 2934 Torito Road ($8.25 million) was reportedly once home to actress Jane Russell is enough to get me excited, but unlikely to move the needle much elsewhere. The 1.36-acre lot is home to a handful of buildings, a pool, and a sport court; interiors are a little midcentury and a little contemporary. Torito Road, off Toro Canyon Road, has historically not been as irresistible as Montecito proper, and the creek running through the grounds, spanned by a substantial bridge, may come off more concerning than romantic.
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In the Montecito microneighborhood west of Romero Canyon Road, 2140 Veloz Drive ($5.99 million) is a single-level four-bedroom built in 1960, with appealing single-level sprawl and interiors that look like they were last given a good makeover in the 1990s. The house sits in the middle of the one-acre lot, with a pretty pool in the backyard, along with a fair number of oaks and one of those run-off channels that criss-cross the area.
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At some point, the 1953 house at 220 Santa Rosa Place ($2.895 million), at the corner of Los Alamos Avenue, got an addition above the garage, turning a three-bedroom into a four-bedroom; the upper level does not have access from outside and, with better light than downstairs, makes for a better primary (even if that stove thing is an awkward focal point).
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“It’s important to realize that nothing is really important,” says the sign outside 117 W. Valerio Street ($1.1 million), which could be a warning about deferred maintenance; the 1904 cottage with two bedrooms, one bath, and no interior photos. UPDATE: This was apparently late writer Ashleigh Brilliant’s office.
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The 59-house development at Village Square in Los Alamos has started coming on the market, with prices from $891,000. On one hand, a few nods to the Old West are better than 100% generic; on the other hand, they make for a uneasy homage, acknowledging the character of the town even as the suburban-style development dilutes it.
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We saw the inside of W Valerio cottage and it is bonkers. Probably going to be a small new apartment building when everything is said and done. I guess it’s zoned for multiple dwellings.
Isn’t the Valerio Cottage Ashleigh Brilliant’s house?
Kind of, it was his office for as long as I can remember. His house was on Padre, near Roosevelt school.
Yes, that was the name of the deceased owner of the house. We were told by the realtor that he had been in a retirement home for the last few years but came every afternoon and worked at the house. There were filing cabinets and shelves everywhere full of the postcards he designed. I’ve never heard of him was he well known in town?
Very