Santa Barbara

Watched the Fourth of July fireworks from a magnificient bluff top location on the Mesa in Santa Barbara. This oceanfront (click to view Santa Barbara Ocean Front homes for sale) location is a prime spot for a Santa Barbara luxury home. Plans are in place for a gorgeous Tuscan Villa. This remodel opportunity is a rare offering. This locale has a unique orientation facing south and east over the Santa Barbara coastline allowing incredible sunrise views plus ocean, city, harbor, mountain, and island views. Just steps to Shoreline Park, Leadbetter beach – great for surfing and paddle boarding, Santa Barbara Harbor and Santa Barbara Yacht Club plus restaurants and shops. Also close enough for a stroll to State Street and downtown Santa Barbara. Directly in front of you is a favorite local surf spot, for your own live surfing extravaganza. Watch kayakers and paddle boarders from Santa Barbara Harbor, a regular Regatta of international visits from the most spectacular sporting yachts in the world, weekly sail boat races, occasional cruise ship visits and visits from the USS Ronald Reagan, a state of the art U.S. Naval Aircraft Carrier. You may also be delighted with the appearance of dolphins and whales! This is what Santa Barbara beach homes are all about! Build your dream home on one of the most spectacular view properties in Santa Barbara! For additional details on this fantastic offering go to www.BeachFrontSantaBarbara.comAct now and you can watch next year’s fireworks from your very own Santa Barbara beach front home!

The luxury home segment in Santa Barbara has seen a very active spring! Fourteen estate properties have closed escrow at the $5,000,000 +  price since April 1. This compares to 8 properties closing in this price range for the same time period last year. That is an astounding 75% increase in closed sales! Perhaps the money is coming out of gold and into real estate again! The highest priced sale is an oceanfront estate which sold for $16,250,000. Located in a guard gated community this gorgeous 7000 s.f. Cape Cod style home has 5 bdrms, 7 baths and 190’ beach frontage on 2+ acres. And yes it has a guest house and a home theater! Originally priced at $32,500,000 when it hit the market in 2008 – it sold at an impressive 50% discount – I’d say well worth the wait!

Another notable luxury estate that recently closed escrow is a 1930’s Dutch Cape on 3.5 acres with dramatic mountain and ocean views in Montecito. Located just a stone’s throw from Oprah’s little place this property was written about in a previous blog about Montecito ocean view estates! It came on the market at $23,900,000 a year ago and just closed escrow at an even $15,000,000. Some great deals have been made in the Santa Barbara luxury market. Sellers are showing lots of motivation as can be seen by looking at the list to sales prices. Watch for an update on the Hope Ranch estate market next!

Newly listed Santa Barbara luxury home for sale is in the desirable San Roque Park neighborhood.This spacious gem is on a beautiful tree-lined street. Enjoy the scent of jasmine and roses as you enter the flower lined brick walkway. An inviting front porch greets you where you can sit and take in the gorgeous mountain views. This coveted location is near a beautiful neighborhood park and Santa Barbara shops and restaurants. The large living room features coved molding, a wonderful picture window and a fireplace. The adjoining family & dining room flow out to a saltillo tiled deck overlooking the lush grounds. The chef’s kitchen has lots of room for creating gourmet meals and a charming breakfast nook in which to savor them. Specialty grocery stores are mere minutes from this home – so convenient! The master suite is on its own wing providing great privacy from the other two bedrooms. The huge yard is a gardener’s delight with an abundance of colorful flowers, plants, mature trees, lawn & patio areas, and a relaxing spa. Now is a fantastic buying opportunity as rates are incredibly low and predicted to go up. Offered at $1,280,000! Click here to view this home or search for other Santa Barbara luxury homes at http://santabarbarapocketlistings.com/

Rare opportunity to live in an exquisitely appointed Montecito luxury home  in a most desirable Montecito location. A stunning and very spacious 3 BR 3 bath restored French Country estate home in a prime location near Coast Village and all it’s wonderful shops and minutes to Downtown Santa Barbara, State Street, Stearn’s Wharf, and the beach. Recently restored with luxury appointments, beamed vaulted ceilings, and custom finishes, this home is a professional’s dream, with spacious rooms, high ceilings and exquisite, hard wood floors. There is a wonderful office suite or media room. There is also a spacious, well appointed guest suite as well on a floor of its own. The beautifully adorned, generous Master suite  with a elegantly marbled tiled bath and glass enclosed shower along with ample closet area, opens to a private patio with spa. Custom cabinetry adorns the high function,  updated kitchen with granite counter tops, marble tile and state of the art appliances, an informal breakfast/dining area flowing easily to a beautifully landscaped brick patio for entertaining and relaxation. This French Country home has a classic, vaulted roofline with stately fluted chimneys.  There are 3 bdrms and 3 full baths.This home is a perfect blend of casual elegance! A must see for those seeking a Montecito luxury home! Offered at $2,185,000.

I recently saw the movie “Its Complicated” , a romantic comedy set in Santa Barbara, directed by Nancy Meyers and starring a Santa Barbara resident, Steve Martin and a Classic Santa Barbara estate. In an interview in Santa Barbara Magazine, Nancy Meyers says she chose a Santa Barbara property for the locale in the movie due to its natural beauty and the peace of mind and calm she feels when she comes here. She further states “It feels as close to the good life as you can get”.  Yes, we feel rather the same way. Santa Barbara is not just a place – it is a lifestyle! There were lots of Santa Barbara property scenes in the movie such as the spectacular Santa Barbara Courthouse, the historic El Paseo, and several Montecito property locations, including the scene where Meryl Streep is having her morning jog – on one of the Montecito area’s charming country roads. Many Santa Barbara Estates were within steps including Oprah’s Montecito luxury property. The house in the movie is the quintessential Santa Barbara home full of charm and character with a red tile roof, adobe brick, archways, terra cotta tile, wrought iron, and a great indoor-outdoor flow to covered verandas and lush gardens. As a matter of fact, if you happen to be looking for a similar Santa Barbara property may we be so bold as to offer our considerable Santa Barbara estate expertise to acquire your Santa Barbara dream home. Its “not” Complicated – Its Simple – just click here.

The numbers are in for Santa Barbara Estates that sold in the final quarter of 2009. The high end, luxury estate market in Santa Barbara includes the areas of  Montecito and Hope Ranch as well as Carpinteria(lots of oceanfront) and Summerland. There were a total of 7 properties that closed escrow above the $5,000,000 mark in the past quarter. The year ended with 5 luxury home sales in December above $5,000,000. My favorite house happens to be the most expensive sale for the last quarter at $17,500,000. This is an absolutely gorgeous oceanfront home on Padaro Lane. This Cape Cod home – and being from there myself I can attest that this is an authentic Cape Cod style home – is over 7000 s.f. of exceptional quality. This private gated, oceanfront home for sale features an expansive green lawn flowing down to the sandy beach on highly desirable Padaro Lane.  I believe this was a fantastic buy as comparable sales in past years for Padaro Lane oceanfront (or any Santa Barbara oceanfront homes for sale for that matter) have been substantially higher!

The yearly total of estate sales (above $5,000,000) of 26 is just about ½ of the total number of Santa Barbara estate sales in 2008. There may never be a better time to purchase that luxury dream home in Montecito, Santa Barbara, and Hope Ranch (to view homes for sale in Santa Barbara click on any of these links) as the competition for buyers is heated with many motivated sellers in the Santa Barbara high end home market! 

May 2010 bring peace, love, happiness, prosperity and good health to all!

Had a beautiful sunny day to view Montecito Oceanfront homes!

My first stop was Sea Meadow in Montecito. This is a security guard gated beachfront community near the Biltmore & Coral Casino. The exquisite Montecito oceanfront home that I viewed is in a French Country style and consists of over 7000 s.f.  The craftsmanship and detail are a perfect blend of old world charm with today’s modern amenities. The lush lawn flows to the beautiful sandy beach – a rare, highly desirable location – there are only a few homes in Sea Meadow that are oceanfront. This property is offered at $29,650,000. It was purchased  in 1997 for $1,100,000 -that is not a bad return on investment! Montecito Real Estate continues to perform well!

Two other beach homes present an interesting opportunity at Padaro Lane where one lucky person could purchase both and have a lovely oceanfront family compound! The home that is directly on the oceanfront is a 100 year old classic beach cottage that has been in the same family for many years. There are approved plans by a noted local architect to turn this into a wonderful 2 story beach home. It is offered for sale at $5,900,000. The back home  previously belonged to this family and was sold about 3 years ago for $3,800,000. Since that time it has been very tastefully remodeled and is now for sale for $5,900,000. This home has been a magazine feature property & boasts a celebrity owner. Both properties enjoy a buffer of privacy as they are adjacent to Arroyo Padaro Creek.

 Last of all  I went to an oceanfront Summerland home which I think is a great buy at$6,500,000. It was on the market last year for $10,000,000 and went into escrow right away near that price however the buyer could not perform so it never did close escrow. Someone’s loss is another’s gain. It is a quintessential beach house with soaring wood beam ceilings & huge windows that frame the captivating ocean views.

There may not be a better time to buy oceanfront property in the Montecito/Santa Barbara area than now! Watch for a future blog on major sales that have recently occurred. It seems buyers are ready to spend again!

Santa Barbara, Montecito, and Hope Ranch have some of the finest examples of George Washington Smith architecture as he spent many years living in the Montecito area. Born Feb 22, 1876  George Washington Smith was raised in Philadelphia & studied painting at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.  Later Smith attended Harvard University to study architecture.  

Around 1911, Smith married Mary Catherine Greenough and moved to Europe.  He traveled around the continent painting landscapes.  Just a few years later, Smith traveled to California where his paintings were on display in the Palace of Fine Arts at San Francisco’s Panama Pacific Exposition.   While in California he traveled south to visit friends in Montecito.  He loved the area so much, Smith decided to stay and build a home.  He modeled his Montecito Estate after farmhouses he had seen in Andalusia during a trip to Spain in 1914.
 
The home built in 1917 called Casa Dracaena was successful.  Neighbors were asking for him to design houses just like his.  Soon he stopped painting and took up architecture full time in Santa Barbara.  He remained in the Santa Barbara area until his death in 1930.  At that time George Washington Smith (GWS) designed over 80 estates in the Santa Barbara Area.   Since then Smith has been credited as being the father of Spanish Colonial Revival Style.   Many of the homes George Washington Smith designed are now a part of the National Register of Historic Homes. His “Casa Del Herrero” in Montecito was just designated a National Historic Landmark in January 2009. George Washington Smith’s vision has shaped Santa Barbara’s history and style. Estates designed by George Washington Smith are extremely limited in availability and quite coveted.

There are currently about a half dozen GWS estates for sale in the Santa Barbara area.

One particular estate currently for sale is Robledal. It was built in the early 1920’s for Milton Wilson. Wilson was one of the three partners credited for developing Hope Ranch Park.  Robledal is one of the finest homes created by George Washington Smith. It has incredible views of the Pacific Ocean & Channel Islands.  Robledal is a fantastic example of GWS architecture with his signature detailing such as wrought iron sconces, chandeliers, grates, tiled stairs, fireplaces, fountains, carved wood doors and ceilings. The beautiful oak studded estate (the Spanish translation of Robledal is oak grove)  In addition to the magnificent  main home there are two attached guest-apartments, and one detached guest cottage, a five car garage and staff apartment with two extra multi-use rooms. This rare offering consists of 8 acres with an adjacent parcel that could also be purchased. It is an equestrian’s dream as the trails lead right to the beach for oceanfront horseback riding! This is truly one of the prime Hope Ranch estates!For additional information on this exquisite George Washington Smith estate go to  http://estateinhoperanch.com

With little press attention about this, as doom and gloom continues to remain the media focus, this appreciation rate is a testament to the stability of the Santa Barbara Real Estate Market and the desirability of our area for primary homes, luxury real estate, vacation homes, and investments. While many places in the country saw large decreases in property values, the Montecito Estate Market continues proving to be a solid investment.  Any homeowner or investor would be hard pressed to find such an increase in property value for this past year. Santa Barbara Real Estate remains desirable and why wouldn’t it – we have ideal weather, breathtaking scenery, pristine beaches, fine dining, theatre, golf, boating, polo, wine tours, international appeal, and so much more. Whether vacation destination, primary residence, second home or pure investment, Santa Barbara is a proven prime choice for the old real estate adage of location, location, location!