The Home Page | Stylish Digs and Summer in December

This edition of The Home Page was originally emailed to subscribers on December 17, 2023. To receive Sarah Sinclair’s real estate newsletter in your inbox each Sunday, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

Take a look at some of the downtown delights found out on caravan this week. Remember, caravan is the familiar term for the Realtors’ tour of open houses that happens on weekdays, usually from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., with a different area highlighted each day. Thursday found my friend Jessie Sessions touring around downtown, uncovering these cute touches that she shared with me. 417 Donze Avenue is a circa 1918 Craftsman on a cute street near Alice Keck Park. You can see its exterior above, and its colorful kitchen, complete with Wedgewood gas stove and patchwork tile countertop, is shown here:

Offered for sale by Kirk Hodson of Compass. I plan to visit as soon as I can, so stay tuned for more details.

Another set of stylish details captured by Jessie is the interior of 18 East Valerio Street, a sophisticated condo just steps off of State Street. I love some good use of color in a bathroom, and the bathroom tile shown above fits the bill. Listed by Annette Vait, this one just had a price reduction this week to $1,499,000. Check it out to see its meticulously remodeled interior, plus the sunny outdoor patio. It’s not open today, but Annette says it’s easy to show; just call her!

One more current listing that really brings the outdoors in is this four-bedroom, two-bath home at 3722 Cordero Drive, in a secluded neighborhood tucked between the municipal golf course and La Cumbre Plaza — an area with wide streets and sidewalks and friendly neighbors. Brand-new to the market just this week, this one is offered by Jamie Faletti and is open today from 1-4 p.m.

Since we’re still experiencing summer in December, let’s take a trip to the beach. If you subscribe to Matt Kettmann’s Full Belly Files newsletter, you learned this week of the progress of The Ellwood — the new restaurant at Goleta Beach that will replace the widely beloved Beachside, which closed amid much sorrow and fanfare almost three years ago. Matt shows us inside and out, including the fairly familiar exterior shown above, and the new patio bar area shown here:

Plus details of the outdoor concert venue and eatery with a “more accessible menu” that’s currently a dirt lot next door. This area was formerly a storage yard as well as the old snack shack. I bet I’m not the only one who remembers it fondly as a place to treat the kids during a day at the beach.

For even more real estate news and info, including full details of the Association of Realtors awards luncheon, check out this week’s issue. And of course we’ve got all the news and events info right here as well. Enjoy your Sunday!