SouthernCaliforniaRealEstate

Vista al Mar, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates

Even some beachfront property in southern California is slow to move. One estate Vista al Mar in Dana Point, California, is headed for auction. The home is located in The Strand at Headlands, southern California's last and most exclusive beachfront community. The development has several tiers of oceanview homes, this one appears to be on one of the middle levels. The new home was once priced at over $15 million but will be auctioned off with an opening bid of just $7.5 million. The three-level estate was designed by architect Jon Eric Christner and has five bedrooms with elevator access to all three levels. The home has wood beam ceilings, arched passages and reclaimed Maltese stone floors. Rooms include a gourmet kitchen, theater room, theater room, game lounge, massage room with a sauna and spa bath, exercise room and wine cellar. The home's master suite includes a sitting room with a walk-in closet and a private terrace. The two-level patio has an infinity spa with a cascading waterfall into the larger salt water pool below. Bids on the home will be accepted until March 11.

Gallery: Vista al Mar

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French Countryside Style In Montecito, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

If you love the charming look of the French countryside but aren't ready to move abroad, this estate in Montecito, California offers a chance to experience a more European style while safely ensconced in the land of blue skies and celebrity neighbors. The garden is surrounded by a 45-acre nature preserve and 45 acre estate for added privacy and the house belongs to the association of Ennisbrook which means that the owners have access to amenities that include clubhouses, pools and tennis courts.

The house is only ten years old but was designed with an eye toward creating a slice of the French countryside. The two acre property includes a large single-level main house, a separate guest house and garage that create a courtyard. The main house and guest house have high ceilings, lime washed walls and handmade tile floors updated with one comfort you usually won't find in Provence, radiant heat. The gourmet kitchen has an attached loggia for indoor-outdoor living. Listing pictures reveal a magical landscape with bridges, ponds, cottages and what appears to be a rather fancy aviary. Another thing that sets this one apart is vines. Vines crawl the outside of the structures which isn't that unusual but in this case it looks like the vines have come inside sprawling across the ceiling in . The effect is charming but you still might want to bring your pruning shears or have a gardener on staff. This home is listed at $7.5 million with Sotheby's.

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Villa Rockledge, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

We don't have many pictures of this one but Villa Rockledge is a beautiful older home in the expensive seaside town of Laguna Beach in Orange County, California. Unlike many of the town's expensive cliffside homes this one has a long history. The Press-Enterprise reports that it was built over a four year period from 1918 to 1922 for Frank Miller, former owner of the Mission Inn in Riverside, who built the home as a gift for his second wife Marion and called it Mariona, a name which is still shown on a brick arch in one of the home's entry points. The residence was added to the National Registry of Historic Places by the State of California and the U.S. National Park Service in 1984.

The 8,065 square foot compound includes a main house, six guest houses which are rentals and a secluded beach. The current owner, Roger W. Jones, bought the home in 1973 for $420,000 and has researched the history of Villa Rockledge even writing a book "The History of Villa Rockledge," published in 1991. Celebrities from the grand ages of moviemaking including Errol Flynn, Clifton Webb and Bette Davis visited the home which was designed so that even the bathrooms have ocean views. Jones has said that he he restored Villa Rockledge closer to its original condition exposing beams and brick.

The fact that the home is on the National Registry of Historic Places means it can't be torn down but it does seem to be in need of some major renovation. It is listed with Susan Weir for $34.9 million but an MLS listing shows a couple more pictures that reveal a very dated kitchen. It's likely that any new owners would want to spend a significant amount of money on renovation. Because of its idyllic location and charm Laguna Beach hasn't been hit as hard by the real estate market slump as other parts of Southern California but prices in this town have fallen off in the past year. This home seems to combine the best parts of Laguna Beach, the stunning ocean views clear to Catalina as well as the quirky rustic style that graces some of the older homes in the area.

Gallery: Villa Rockledge