Siteline | Preppy, Pretty, and Pink in Ennisbrook

Noteworthy new listings….

439 Meadowbrook Drive ($8.995 million) in Ennisbrook will go fast. Built in 1999, it has terrific energy, thanks in good part to the way color is vivaciously deployed—that pink exterior! And preppy kitchen!—and nice flow, with windows on the mountain and ocean sides of the living room. A surface refresh is in order, particularly in the bathrooms, and even then, the house will never be as grand as many of the homes in the community—no foyer, no office, the three bedrooms grouped together in one wing (with a primary bath that has just one sink). It works best for people who either don’t plan on having many houseguests or who can find a way to add an ADU (reorganize the motor court?) or buy one of the nearby casitas. And a pool seems inevitable.

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The Harbor Hills part of Alta Mesa has some of Santa Barbara’s best views—better than the Riviera, in my opinion—but it was developed in a way that feels suburban, and the housing stock is hit or miss. Take 1173 Harbor Hills Drive ($5.695 million), which is the wrong house—with lots of little steps, 1970s angles throughout, a sketchy spiral staircase—in the right spot, a setting that is absolutely insane. The ocean is everywhere you look. P.S. A shared driveway to two properties below runs alongside the house.

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Located in the quarter-acre wedge of land at the intersection of Dover Road, 1226 Alameda Padre Serra ($3.675 million) is a 1929 Spanish three-bedroom redone with stylish black-and-white interiors. When you’re inside, you can admire the classic Riviera view and forget that APS is right below. The outside space isn’t quite as enchanting.

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I wish the 1977 three-bedroom, two-bath at 9 E. Quinto Street ($3.5 million), at the corner of State Street, had gotten a more exhaustive renovation—if nothing else, one that smoothed out the texture of the ceilings and walls. I suspect, however, that it’ll be “good enough” for whoever snaps it up; with the entire house on a single level, and the central location, it’ll be catnip for retirees or weekenders.

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Hidden Valley, which half the people reading this have probably never heard of, is an aptly named neighborhood bordered by Las Positas, the 101, and Hope Ranch. It’s sweet—I took a lovely walk there—but it ain’t fancy, with homes in the core trading for around $2 million. 947 Palermo Drive ($3.495 million), however, has other ideas. In its favor, it’s totally turnkey and looks handsome, and there’s a large bedroom upstairs that makes a far likelier primary than the downstairs option between the garage and foyer.

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Over in Hope Ranch, 4205 Mariposa Drive ($7.25 million) is an ambitious floops: the seller paid $6.1 million not even six months ago. The old-school appeal of the 1951 hacienda is undeniable, but it has been ridden hard. There are “preliminary approvals”—whatever that means—”to remodel the home with a natural pool, tennis court, pool cabana, barn-style garage with guest house/gym/art studio,” which would certainly make better use of the 3.37 acres.

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