Los Angeles | $2,699,500
A 2008 Cape Cod-style house with five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms, on a 0.1-acre lot
Studio City, a neighborhood just north of the Hollywood Hills, is named for a studio lot established in the 1920s, now the site of CBS Studio Center. This house is about a mile from the studio complex, and a few blocks north of the San Fernando Valley thoroughfare Ventura Boulevard. The stretch of the boulevard that runs through this part of Studio City is known for its upscale sushi restaurants, while nearby Tujunga Avenue offers several cafes, an independent bookstore and an Italian restaurant that has been a neighborhood institution since the mid-1960s.
Size: 3,673 square feet
Price per square foot: $735
Indoors: The front yard and porch of this house are relatively private, thanks to a row of hedges and the incline of the site.
To the immediate left of the entry is a living room with crown molding and a fireplace; to the right is a formal dining room. A butler’s pantry connects the dining room to a kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a center island topped with marble. The kitchen is open to a family room with a fireplace, more crown molding and recessed lights.
Behind the central staircase in the foyer is a guest room with an en suite bathroom. The other four bedrooms are upstairs, connected by a hallway that is partially open to the lower level.
The primary bedroom has a fireplace, room for a sitting area and a balcony that overlooks the backyard; the en suite bathroom has a deep soaking tub and ample counter space.
Next to the primary suite is a bedroom with space for a queen-size bed; a Jack-and-Jill bathroom connects it to another guest room. Across the hall is a guest room with its own bathroom.
Outdoor space: French doors in the family room open to a back patio with a canopy for shade and space for a table and chairs. At the far end of the patio is an outdoor kitchen that includes a barbecue and a pizza oven. The backyard has a hot tub, and there is room to install a pool (permits have already been secured). The attached garage has space for two cars.
Taxes: $34,284 (estimated)
Contact: Danielle Peretz, The Agency, 424-230-3710; theagencyre.com
Sonoma | $2.65 Million
A 2003 house with four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, on a 0.2-acre lot
Sonoma is a hub of California’s wine country, and this house is 10 minutes from three wineries. The city center, with its restaurants and tasting rooms, is about a mile away, as is Sonoma State Historic Park, where visitors can tour a mission founded in the 1820s. Montini Open Space Preserve, with trails for hikers of varying skill levels, is also nearby. Napa is a 20-minute drive; San Francisco is about an hour and 15 minutes away.
Size: 3,100 square feet
Price per square foot: $855
Indoors: The bright-red front door, set in a rocking-chair porch, opens into a foyer with high ceilings. To the immediate left is a living room with hardwood floors and new paint (like the rest of the house), as well as a fireplace with a marble surround. Across the hall is a dining room with white-painted wainscoting.
Beyond the foyer is a kitchen, open to the family room, with a Viking range, a double oven and a center island with a sink. The family room has fireplace and glass door that open to the backyard.
A hallway with dedicated space for wine storage connects the kitchen area to a primary suite with patio access; the en suite bathroom has a walk-in shower and a separate soaking tub. Also on this side of the house are a powder room and an office that could be used as a guest room.
On the second floor is a landing wide enough to serve as a sitting area. A hallway off this space connects two bedrooms, one large enough to hold a king-size bed and the other cozier, with sloped ceilings. Between the bedrooms is a bathroom with a double vanity and a combination tub and shower.
Outdoor space: A covered patio outside the family room has a heated, retractable roof. Nearby is space that could be used as an outdoor dining area, or as a more private patio for occupants of the primary suite. Beyond the patio is a plunge pool. The detached garage holds two cars, with room for two more in the gated driveway.
Taxes: $33,132 (estimated)
Contact: Daniel Casabonne, Sotheby’s International Realty, Wine Country-First Street Brokerage, 707-939-2222; sothebysrealty.com
Santa Barbara | $2.695 Million
A contemporary Craftsman townhouse built in 2004, with three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms
This townhouse is part of a small development in Montecito, about 15 minutes outside downtown Santa Barbara. Within a few blocks of the home are an upscale grocery store, a coffee shop and several independent boutiques. Casa del Herrero, a historic house museum with an 11-acre garden complex listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is less than half a mile away. Butterfly Beach, popular with local families, is about a five-minute drive. Closer still are Manning Park, an open green space with picnic tables and tennis courts, and the Montecito Family YMCA.
Size: 2,355 square feet
Price per square foot: $1,114
Indoors: This unit, which shares a wall with one neighbor, is entered from the side, with a wooden gate at the end of the driveway opening to reveal a brick porch surrounded by lavender and other plants.
The front door, set in the middle of the porch, opens to an entryway with double-height ceilings and a staircase that leads to the second level.
To the right is a sunny room with its own bathroom that could be used as a guest suite or a playroom. To the left is an open living area with a fireplace and glass doors that open to the rear patio and backyard. A breakfast bar separates the dining area from the kitchen, which has warm wood cabinets and a Viking range.
Upstairs, two suites are connected by a landing that is open to the floor below. The primary suite has a corner fireplace framed in stone, a walk-in closet, a balcony overlooking the backyard and a bathroom with a soaking tub. The bedroom at the opposite end of the hall also has an en suite bathroom with a soaking tub and a balcony that looks out at the hills.
Outdoor space: The brick patio in back has room for a table and chairs, with a roof overhang that offers shade. The backyard is landscaped with grass, succulents and a row of trees along the rear fence. This unit has an attached garage with space for two cars.
Taxes: $31,260 (estimated), plus a $537 monthly homeowner association fee
Contact: Dan Crawford, Calcagno & Hamilton Real Estate Partners, Berkshire Hathaway, 805-886-5764; homesinsantabarbara.com
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Source: | This article originally belongs to Nytimes.com
