Santa Barbara Oceanfront Home Site Easterly View

We feel that this is THE premier Santa Barbara Ocean Front Home Site. Why? because it has the very rare and unusual characteristic of actully having an Easterly view. Right. How can a West Coast Santa Barbara CA oceanfront property have an Easterly sunrise view? Well, first of all, the Santa Barbara shoreline actually faces south. That is why Santa Barbara coastal living has one of the most perfect micro climates in the world. (There  are only 4 other micro climates like this on the planet, in the Southern French Riviera, a coastal area in New Zealand, another small coastal area in Australia, and another small coastal area of South Africa). 

This beautiful Santa Barbara beach home is on a unique cut of the Santa Barbara coast line facing South and East before the coast line starts looping back to a Southerly view. This allows you to see the incredible sunrise over the Santa Ynez Mountains (which were recently snow capped which happens once every couple of years at the higher elevations). You can step to Santa Barbara’s beautiful Shoreline Park with acres of bluff top lawn, gardens and playground, steps to the beach, and BBQ areas. But those aren’t even the best parts. Directly in front of this Santa Barbara oceanfront home site is a favorite local surf spot, so you have your own live surfing extravaganza to watch almost daily. Just to the left of that, you can watch kayakers and paddle boarders from Santa Barbara Harbor, which has an on-going flow of boating traffic. Santa Barbara Harbor has its regular Regatta and also hosts many international visits from the most spectacular sporting yachts in the world. There are occasional cruise ship visits and even a nearly annual visit from the USS Ronald Reagan, a state of the art U.S. Naval Aircraft Carrier. Althought precious few, there are other Santa Barbara ocean view properties, but not with this proximity to walking to downtown Santa Barbara, State Street and famed Stearns Wharf  a few hundred yards away. With the level of ocean activities right in front of you and with stunning views of Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and Anacapa Islands, and regular visits by dolphins and even Hump Back whales it’s not hard to understand why we feel this is really not just one of the most spectacular and desirable Santa Barbara home sites, but one of the finest home sites in the world. Build your perfect Santa Barbara Luxury Home here. If you are interested in this home site or one similar (difficult to duplicate this one) contact stevedre@cox.net . We have several unique Santa Barbara estate and Santa Barbara waterfront homes available for purchase or lease.

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 weather has been outstanding the past few days with the most incredible sunsets here in beautiful Santa Barbara. If you are considering purchasing a luxury home in Santa Barbara there may never be a better time with a great selection of properties for sale. There are approximately 180 properties for sale just in Montecito.The most expensive luxury home for sale in Montecito currently is a spectacular 1920’s Italian Mediterranean (click for details) estate on 7 fantastic acres listed at $29,000,000. Truly one of the finest Montecito Estates for sale. There also currently over 500  Santa Barbara homes for sale and many motivated sellers making this a wonderful opportunity to obtain your Santa Barbara dream home.

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!

A recent sale of an Oceanfront Home in Hope Ranch reflects what a great time it is to be a buyer of luxury property! This extensively remodeled luxury estate of approximately 13,500 sf with 10 bedrooms & 13 baths on just under 3 acres was originally listed at $39,500,000 in 2007. It just closed escrow for $12,800,000. Oceanfront properties in Hope Ranch are rarely available. This final sales price was beyond a bargain! There are currently 23 active listings in Hope Ranch and an additional 4 in escrow. There have been 12 sales year to date in Hope Ranch – there were a total of 20 sales in Hope Ranch last year so we are running slightly behind this year. With the National Association of Business Economics citing that 80% of economist believe the recession is over now may be the best time to buy real estate in Santa Barbara. There are some fantastic properties currently for sale with perhaps more bargains to be had!  For horse enthusiasts there is an impressive Mediterranean with ocean views from most rooms, charming guest house and first class equestrian facilities in a prime Hope Ranch location now for sale. To view this and other Hope Ranch Properties for sale go to www.RareEstates.com or call 805-560-9951. For information about a privately offered George Washington Smith estate in Hope Ranch please call 805-560-9951.

According to recent MLS data, Montecito had a 33% increase in number of homes sold in the 3^rd quarter as compared to the 2^nd quarter.  There were some major Montecito Estates that closed escrow during this period. A fantastic, brand new Montecito ocean view estate sold for $18,500,000. This 12,000 s.f. estate had been on the market for over a year with the original price being $33,000,000 – a superb buy at $18,500,000 considering the incredible quality, square footage, unrivaled grounds (complete with pool & cabana, tennis court, guest house), incredible views & privacy! Another sale occurred in the hills of Montecito. This was a circa 1939 Edwards & Plunkett Monterey Colonial full of period detail blended with the finest amenities. In addition to the requisite pool, spa, courtyard, guest house, art studio, sprawling lawns, gardens, and spectacular ocean and mountain views there was also a putting green – a state of the art putting green (the owner was a world renowned PGA Professional Golfer). And for your 9 cars – garage space for all 9 cars! This Montecito estate sold for $9,560,000. A piece of Montecito Real Estate of  historical significance “The Val Verde Estate” sold in this past quarter, also. Built in 1915, it is a modernist house with Roman influences. The gardens were created by Lockwood De Forest with 17 ½ acres of incredible plantings. This is a place where time stood still. Visitors to Val Verde included the likes of Cole Porter, Gloria Swanson, Charles Lindberg, and Georgia O’Keefe. The previous owner, Dr. Austin, tried for many years to open Val Verde to the public like nearby Lotusland, but it was not to be as it was voted down numerous times. The property has been vacant for many years and is in need of major renovation. This Montecito estate changed hands in September for $15,300,000. The current owner has quite an undertaking however this ultimately could be “The Premier Montecito Estate” to rival even Oprah Winfrey’s estate. For 17.5 acres in this prime Montecito location the price of $15,300,000 is a bargain!  Another Montecito property to close escrow in September is a tropical beach house on Hill Road just a stone’s throw from The Biltmore and Butterfly Beach. This was part of a larger parcel on Channel Drive that was split. The main house is brand new and the original pool, pool house and guest house are all part of this lot now. It sold for $11,000,000 – a huge drop from the original asking price of $24,500,000 in the summer of 2008. With an impressive selection of properties in the Montecito and Santa Barbara Real Estate market and many motivated sellers now may be the best time to buy. Seems to me buyers are finding this is the time for some great deals in the Montecito Real Estate market!

Viewed several spectacular ocean view properties in Montecito this week!

The first is an estate which boasts a prime location – with Oprah as a neighbor. Buy this home and perhaps one day you will be invited to attend one of Oprah’s exclusive events!

Of course another reason to buy the property is to own a piece of history. Built for a prominent Chicago family circa 1930, this authentic Dutch Cape has impeccable craftsmanship & details with views that are breathtaking  – from the awe-inspiring mountain views above the reflecting pond to the magnificent ocean views in the opposite direction. There are plenty of bedrooms and baths in this manse however NO kitchen.  That’s right – the kitchen/ family room wing is under restoration and yet to be determined until the new buyer steps in.  However, due to its superior location and the incredible grounds with 3.5 flat acres (a rare Montecito offering) it is still a pretty good investment  – offered at $19,500,000.

Now if you want an estate that already has a kitchen AND a beautiful one at that, then you should have a look at a wonderful offering on Picacho Lane.  This luxuriously appointed Mediterranean has unsurpassed quality throughout and fantastic grounds with panoramic views of the mountains and ocean, a sparkling pool,  fabulous pool house, tennis court, lush lawns and children’s play area. Many recent renovations have gone into this quintessential Mediterranean classic with no expense spared.

Offered at $18,995,000 – this in my opinion, is the best estate currently on the market in Montecito!

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!

Housing starting to show a recovery in Santa Barbara and Montecito? Some indicators sure do point in that direction. Existing home sales increased in July by 7.2% – this is the biggest single month increase on record. Two additional impressive items of note – July pending home sales increased to a 2 year high and home prices have also shown an increase. On a national level, home prices showed their first quarterly increase in 3 years. It seems that the demand for housing is starting to rise again. According to the National Association of Realtors the inventory of unsold houses rose 7.3% nationwide in July. However, in California the levels of unsold homes decreased to a 3.9 month supply vs 6.9 months one year ago. This is far below the long-run average.

As far as on the local level which includes the real estate market for Santa Barbara, Montecito, Summerland, Carpinteria, and Goleta, we are in the 2^nd consecutive month for 80 closed escrows for houses & PUDs(planned unit developments). This has not happened since August 2007. We have also seen the highest median price in the last 6 months with July’s median sales price at $885,000. Another positive note is that the last 2 months number of sales is almost equal to the 5 year average in both months so although it may be too early to tell if we are coming out of this housing downturn it certainly seems we are going in the right direction. I will be viewing Montecito oceanfront properties tomorrow and report back on those.