Calabasas | $2.999 million
An updated ranch-style house built in 1977, on 1.4 acres
This five-bedroom, three-bathroom home sits on a large lot in the hills of Calabasas, within a 10-minute drive of the Commons at Calabasas, an outdoor shopping and dining center, and of hiking and horseback riding trails in Topanga Canyon. Calabasas High School is a five-minute drive and middle and elementary schools are nearby. Kaiser Permanente’s Woodland Hills Medical Center takes less than 15 minutes by car; the campus of Pepperdine University and the beaches of Malibu take 20; and downtown Los Angeles takes 40.
Size: 2,856 square feet
Price per square foot: $1,050
Indoors: A long driveway leads from the street to this home’s main entrance. The door opens to a foyer with hardwood floors that continue into the living room, where diamond-pane windows face the front yard. An open space at the back of this room could be used as a dining or sitting area, and has a gas fireplace with a floor-to-ceiling brick surround. Next to the fireplace is a home bar with backlit open shelves and sliding-glass doors facing the patio outside.
Beyond the living room is the kitchen where the stainless steel appliances, including a gas range, are by Wolf and Sub-Zero. The center island has a butcher block counter.
A hallway from the foyer leads to the en suite primary bedroom, where sliding-glass doors open to an outdoor swing. The bathroom has a soaking tub and a walk-in shower. Next door is a bedroom turned into a combined closet and dressing room, with a custom-designed storage system that includes a center island. There are three other bedrooms on this side of the house, two large enough for king-size beds. Also off this hallway is a bathroom with a combined tub and shower. The other bedroom is at the opposite end of the house, set up as a home gym. Another full bathroom, this one with a walk-in shower, is next door.
Outdoor space: Behind the house is a paved patio partially covered by a wood pergola, with a grill on one side and space for a dining table. This patio faces a row of mature hedges, and around the corner is an in-ground pool. Walking paths lined with fruit-trees wind around the property, also home to a chicken coop and a small creek. The attached garage holds two cars.
Taxes: $37,488 (estimated)
Contact: Charlie Edgar, Sotheby’s International Realty — Beverly Hills Brokerage, 805-881-2944
Orinda | $2.95 million
A Tudor Revival-inspired house built in 1939, on 0.7 acres
This four-bedroom, three-bathroom house is a few blocks from the center of Orinda, putting it within a 10-minute walk of a 1940s movie theater showing independent and foreign films, an ice-cream parlor, coffee shops and many restaurants. Siesta Valley Recreation Area, with trails and an outdoor theater, is a five-minute drive away, and the Lafayette Reservoir takes 10 minutes.
The nearest BART station is a 10-minute walk and San Francisco is 40 minutes away via public transit. Driving into Oakland takes around 15 minutes and reaching Berkeley takes 20.
Size: 3,034 square feet
Price per square foot: $972
Indoors: The driveway is gated and a paved path leads to the front door. Inside, steps lead to a sunken living room, with high, wood-paneled ceilings and a fireplace with a stone mantel. French doors on one side of the room open to a garden and a picture window faces a mature oak.
The formal dining room, off the foyer, has diamond-pane windows and parquet wood floors. Next to the dining room is the kitchen, with a white-tile backsplash, countertops made of granite and appliances that include a Wolf range. Casement windows above the sink face another mature tree. The smallest of the home’s four bedrooms and a full bathroom are off the kitchen.
The primary bedroom is at the end of a hallway that begins in the foyer, and has space for a king-size bed and a sitting area. Two walk-in closets are attached, as is a bathroom with a walk-in shower. One additional bedroom is next door, and the other, which doubles as a family room, is on the lower level. This space has its own balcony and a full bathroom with a combined tub and shower.
Outdoor space: A flagstone patio off the dining room is surrounded by flowering plants, with views of the nearby hillsides and plenty of room for a table and chairs. A grassy lawn is on one side of the patio, and from the other, steps lead down to an in-ground pool and spa. A two-car garage is attached.
San Diego | $3 million
A 1911 Craftsman house, on 0.1 acres
This three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom house is on the edge of a canyon in San Diego’s Mission Hills neighborhood, near both Old Town San Diego State Historic Park and Presidio Park. Downtown and the city’s airport are both less than a 15-minute drive away. The Gaslamp Quarter, a nightlife hub, is less than a 20-minute drive, as is Balboa Park. Both La Jolla and Coronado Island, popular beach destinations, are a 20-minute drive, and Imperial Beach takes 25 minutes.
The wineries of Temecula are an hour away; Laguna Beach, in Orange County, takes about 90-minutes; and Los Angeles takes two-and-a-half hours.
Size: 3,377 square feet
Price per square foot: $888
Indoors: A red brick walkway leads to this home’s front porch, where a door opens directly to a living room with a gas fireplace that has a tile surround. Off one side of the living room is a dining room with street-facing windows and period-appropriate light fixtures.
From the center of the living room, stairs lead up and down, and behind the living room is a family room that faces the kitchen. The kitchen’s backsplash is made of hexagonal tile, and the appliances are stainless steel. A pantry and a powder room are off the kitchen
The primary suite is on the lower level, with a fireplace in the bedroom. This floor also has two rooms, currently set up as offices, that could become guest quarters. A laundry room with a washer and dryer is also on this level. The upper level has two more bedrooms, linked by a bathroom with a combined tub and shower. A sunny lofted space on this level has windows that look out at treetops.
Outdoor space: There’s a wide deck off the family room and kitchen, and the lower level of the house steps out to a tiered backyard with artificial grass and a hot tub. The house has solar panels, and a one-car garage with an electric vehicle charger is attached.
Taxes: $37,500 (estimated)
Contact: Stephanie Murphy, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, 619-246-8230
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