Carmel | $4.195 Million
A 2023 house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, on a 0.1-acre lot
This house is near the center of the city, a few blocks from the busy Carmel Plaza shopping-and-dining center and within walking distance of a brewpub, a French bistro, a cheese shop and Sunset Center, a 500-seat performing arts venue. Carmel Beach is less than a mile away, and Mission Trail Park, where walking trails wind through groves of redwood trees, is five minutes away by car.
Old Fisherman’s Wharf and Cannery Row are less than 20 minutes away, in Monterey. Big Sur is a 45-minute drive. Santa Cruz is about an hour away.
Size: 1,600 square feet
Price per square foot: $2,622
Indoors: Surrounding the house is a low stone wall with a wood gate that opens to the front yard and patio. Up a short flight of steps is an arched front door that opens into a foyer.
Straight ahead is a living room with high, beamed ceilings, wide-plank floors, a fireplace and a bar with open shelving and a beverage refrigerator. This space is open to a kitchen with stainless steel appliances from Viking, a center island, white cabinetry, quartzite counters and a Moroccan-tile backsplash. Through a wide doorway is a dining area with accordion-style doors that fold open to the patio.
The primary suite is at the end of a hallway extending from the kitchen. The bedroom is big enough for a king-size bed; the bathroom has a long vanity with two sinks, a walk-in shower with a glass door and walls lined with blue-and-white Moroccan tile.
Two more bedrooms, one with a small balcony, are upstairs. They share a full bathroom with a combined tub and shower and more patterned tile.
Outdoor space: The stone patio off the dining area is partially covered by a wood pergola, with views of the garden below. The detached garage has one parking spot and an electric-vehicle charger.
Taxes: $52,440 (estimated)
Contact: Ryan Melcher, Sotheby’s International Realty, 831-521-5024; sothebysrealty.com
Altadena | $4.195 Million
A 1915 house with four bedrooms and four bathrooms, on a 0.5-acre lot
This house has been carefully preserved by its current owner and retains its original African gum wall paneling, Batchelder-tile fireplace and countersunk windows, designed to slide into the wall panels. It is a few blocks from Altadena Town and Country Club and from a stretch of Lake Avenue with an Aldi grocery store, a coffee shop and a community center.
Driving to trailheads at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains takes about five minutes. Pasadena is 10 minutes away. Downtown Los Angeles is a 30-minute drive.
Size: 5,010 square feet
Price per square foot: $837
Indoors: A gate at the street opens to the driveway; from there, a paved path leads to the entry off the wide, covered porch.
Behind the front door is a foyer with high ceilings and tall wainscoting. The living room, to the left, has book-matched paneling along the walls and ceiling, a fireplace with a floor-to-ceiling tile surround and French doors that open to the back porch.
The dining room, to the right of the foyer, has tall wainscoting, an ornate pendant light and more French doors that open to the porch.
This space connects to an updated kitchen with a Wolf range, a Sub-Zero refrigerator, granite countertops and two farmhouse-style sinks. On the other side of the kitchen is a sitting area with doors that open to a courtyard. A bedroom with an en suite bathroom is also off the kitchen.
The other three bedrooms are upstairs, reached by a staircase illuminated by original light fixtures. The primary bedroom, at the far end of the hall, has access to a covered porch; the en suite bathroom has a claw-foot tub with a shower overhead and a built-in dressing table. The bedroom across the hall has an en suite bathroom with another soaking tub and a porcelain pedestal sink. The third bedroom has a fireplace as well as its own bathroom.
Outdoor space: Several rooms in the house have access to the central courtyard, where a fountain is surrounded by flowering plants. From there, steps lead down to a grassy backyard with walking paths winding through gardens of drought-tolerant plants. The driveway has one covered parking spot.
Taxes: $48,660 (estimated)
Contact: Ted Clark and Heather Lillard, Compass, 626-817-2123; compass.com
Newport Beach | $4.2 Million
A recently renovated 1951 cottage with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, on a 0.1-acre lot
This house sits near the edge of the Balboa Peninsula, in a neighborhood with an optional membership association that offers access to a private beach. It is about half a mile from Balboa Beach and a five-minute walk from a waterfront park facing Newport Bay. Lido Marina Village, an outdoor shopping center with several restaurants that have water views, is less than 15 minutes away.
Driving to downtown Newport Beach takes about 20 minutes. Huntington Beach and Irvine are half an hour away. Los Angeles International Airport is about an hour’s drive. Palm Springs and San Diego are two hours away.
Size: 1,426 square feet
Price per square foot: $2,945
Indoors: The brick patio in front is enclosed by a white-painted brick wall. The main entry is through a blue Dutch door that opens into a sunny living area.
This space has hardwood floors, a white-painted brick fireplace flanked by diamond-paned windows, room for a dining table under a rattan pendant light and a kitchen with two more rattan light fixtures, an island that seats three, stainless steel appliances, soft gray cabinetry and a white subway tile backsplash.
Two bedrooms are on this level, off a hallway behind the living area. One currently holds a queen-size bed and has an en suite bathroom with a combined tub and shower. The other holds a double bed and small desk and has the use of a hallway bathroom with a walk-in shower. An open area the sellers use as a home office is also in this part of the house.
The primary suite is on the second floor, reached from stairs near the kitchen. The bedroom has a walk-in closet and a private balcony; the bathroom has a walk-in shower.
Outdoor space: The brick patio in front has a dining area and a built-in barbecue. The attached garage holds two cars.
Taxes: $52,500 (estimated)
Contact: Tilly Lumpkin Silvers, Arbor Real Estate, 949-375-4500; arborrealestate.com
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