Noteworthy new listings….
The layout of 420 Santa Rosa Lane ($14 million) is magical. The main approach is via a walled motor court, behind which is a garage/guest house, where an archway leads to a lawn, off of which is another, lesser guest house. (Unlike with children, you’re allowed to assign rank to your houseguests.) Stairs lead up to the main house, which has a pool and swell ocean-and-islands view. The location is incredibly convenient, and walkable to Montecito Union School, although the smallness of the main house makes this less likely to work for a family with young kids. I love the place and wish I could afford to buy it and renovate it. The only two things that give me pause are the narrowness of the hallways and the driveway (shared by this house and two others) that runs by the primary bath.
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2135 Veloz Drive ($6.595 million) was built in 1958 and clearly added onto, and there are many moments—the clerestory windows, the roofline, the cable lighting—that feel like a revamp occurred in the late 1990s. It’s livable enough, with extra credit for the hot tub off the primary.
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With appealing traditional bones, the 1930 house at 735 Via Hierba ($4.995 million) in Hope Ranch looks like it could’ve been in Mad Men or The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. Behind the occasionally bold interior design choices and lovely photography, you can glimpse hints—like the HVAC grille under the window in the green room, or whatever that is (a fireplace with tiled bench?) in the dining room—that a thorough update is probably in order. The lot is 1.35 acres, a decent amount of which is front yard.
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A fire damaged the main house at 4488 La Paloma Avenue ($3.495 million) in 2024, and the photos are shocking in the rose-colored context of a real estate listing. If you’re up for a project, there’s quite a bit to work with: the 4,120-square-foot main house; a three-bedroom, two-bath guest house; and four acres of land. Try to iron out the jumble of a facade.
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2905 Puesta del Sol ($2.595) is a 1947 San Roque ranch house redone with style; the open-plan living/dining/kitchen makes the house come off larger than it is. I do wish the laundry machines weren’t so prominent, the primary bedroom had a door, and the neighbor to the east was landscaped away. Bonus: ADU in the backyard.
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Nearby 3211 Calle Noguera ($2.095 million), meanwhile, is just 993 square feet, but it’s adorable. The design choices are less interesting, which makes the interiors a bit generic—and easier to put your own stamp on.
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This is the week of small houses…. 2510 Orella Street ($1.498 million) in Oak Park is a delectable two-bedroom, one-bath cottage built in 1929 with a detached studio in back.
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And then there’s 115 W. Junipero Street ($1.299 million), a 1930 Alex D’Alfonso with a second-story addition. It’s a spiffer-upper with original details that want to be preserved. The carpeted spiral staircase feels like cat furniture, but the upstairs primary is a nice payoff, what with its indoor-outdoor deck.
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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 855 Miramonte Drive ($4.2 million) 1980s Mediterranean on the back of TV Hill, next to the Santa Barbara Highlands apartment community, with an impressive multi-level backyard (including a 20-yard lap pool).
••• 1175 San Antonio Creek Road ($3.85 million): Four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath on .8 acre with a sport court.
••• 1718 Payeras Street ($3.195 million): Spec reno of a 1,632-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bath abutting Cliff Drive. The location gives me pause, but the listing insists that “the upcoming Cliff Drive Vision Zero Project will reimagine the street as a true lifestyle corridor, more calm and safe for everyone who calls the Mesa home.” The seller paid $1.87 million in June 2025.
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