Noteworthy new listings….
3911 Via Laguna ($12.95 million) sticks in my memory even though I’ve never seen it in person, which I’m hoping to rectify today. The photos from when it was on the market in 2020 were that good: salmon-colored façade, trompe l’oeil windows and cherubs, and so on. Someone bought it for a song ($3.54 million) in September 2020, toned the whole thing down, and flipped it for $10.26 million not quite two years later. The current owner has made the 1992 house even better—while I still think you’d want a closetful of caftans, it feels fresh and interesting. I would like to find out how, if at all, the location—at Hope Ranch’s northern border, next to Modoc Road, the railroad tracks, and the 101—affects the situation. Also of note: “The additional 2+ acre parcel of land (3907 Via Laguna) offers additional privacy and space or the option to build a second 10,000-square-foot master estate home, with its own ADU.”
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New-build 220 Montecito Ranch Lane ($29.5 million) has stunning views from its five-acre lot in the gated community on the hill east of Summerland. The architecture is California Mediterranean on the outside and stripped-down contemporary on the inside. It’s a white-label product at this stage, ready for someone to zap it to life with a personality transplant. There are a few quirks: one of the primary bedroom’s two baths—I refuse to call them his-and-hers, and so should you—one is much plusher than the other, so good luck working that out with your couples counselor. And the outdoor kitchen, with a grill and 18 (!) drawers, is surprisingly far from the kitchen and al fresco dining area. P.S. A trail easement cuts across the north side of the property, down the hill, but the house’s orientation, with the guest house behind it, minimizes the impact. And no, you may not reroute the trail.
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