All 93108s Are Not the Same

In your real estate “Open House” listings, not all houses under “Montecito” are actually in Montecito. For instance, three in the issue of August 31 are not.

People get hoodwinked into believing every home with a 93108 zip code is in Montecito. The Postal Service simply drew lines on a map for each zip area. Montecito falls in the middle of 93108, but many outlying areas also share the numbers. They are simply in Santa Barbara County.

Of course, it helps to list a house with that zip and call it Montecito; it brings a higher price. When looking to buy, a sure bet is to ask the Realtor or homeowner what public school young children would be going to. If it’s not Montecito Union or Cold Springs, the house is not in Montecito.

There are definite boundaries for the Montecito community. On the east end it stops at Ladera Lane, and most homes there are not actually in Montecito. On the west side the lines are rather jagged. You can Google a map of Montecito.

It can get confusing. A former curator of the Montecito History Committee told me the Montecito Country Club is not in Montecito, but the Santa Barbara Cemetery is.

I realize The Independent only relies on information given by the selling real estate companies. I think some of them don’t have a realistic idea of what “Montecito” really is. They need to educate themselves and not confuse or mislead interested buyers.