San Rafael | $3.995 Million
A 2001 Victorian-style house with five bedrooms and four bathrooms, on a 0.3-acre lot
This house was built to replace a Victorian house that burned down 100 years after it was built on this lot, and the designers attempted to recreate as many Victorian-era details as possible. It is about a mile from the center of the city, putting it within a five-minute drive or a 20-minute walk of shopping, dining and the Smith Rafael Film Center, an Art Deco theater showing independent films.
Boyd Memorial Park, which has a playground and walking trails surrounded by redwoods, is less than two miles away. Driving to San Francisco or Point Reyes National Seashore takes about half an hour.
Size: 4,310 square feet
Price per square foot: $927
Indoors: The house sits behind a manicured lawn and has a covered porch surrounded by an ornate, painted-wood banister.
The double front doors open into a foyer with patterned hardwood floors. To the left is a guest room currently used as a home office; the en suite bathroom has a walk-in shower.
To the right is a living room with elaborate crown molding and a marble fireplace flanked by built-in shelving. Behind the living room is a dining room with another marble-clad fireplace and access to a kitchen with stainless steel appliances, a large center island, a pantry and a windowed breakfast room with glass doors that open to a brick patio. Through a wide doorway is a sunny family room with more glass doors that open to the patio.
A wide staircase off the foyer leads to the four bedrooms on the second floor, passing a colorful stained-glass window along the way. The primary suite, at the top of the stairs, has a large bedroom, a walk-in closet and a bathroom with two console-style sinks, a walk-in shower with glass walls and a soaking tub. Another bedroom suite is across the hall. The other two bedrooms on this level share a full bathroom.
More stairs lead to the third floor, currently used as a combined playroom, workout space and den.
Outdoor space: The spacious patio behind the house is terraced and enclosed by a wrought-iron fence. It steps down to a grassy backyard surrounded by mature hedges. The detached garage has two parking spaces; there is room to park more cars in the driveway.
Taxes: $49,932 (estimated)
Contact: Whitney Potter, Own Marin, 415-640-8671; ownmarin.com
Santa Barbara | $3.75 Million
A 1979 ranch house with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, on a 0.3-acre lot
This house is in a small planned community about a mile from the ocean and less than two miles from Moser Meadow, a popular hiking spot with ocean views within 230-acre Elings Park. It is about a five-minute drive from public elementary and middle schools, a grocery store and waterfront picnicking at Shoreline Park.
Driving to downtown Santa Barbara takes about 10 minutes. The University of California, Santa Barbara campus is 20 minutes away, in Isla Vista. The wineries of Ojai are about an hour away. Los Angeles is a two-hour drive.
Size: 2,260 square feet
Price per square foot: $1,659
Indoors: A short, paved path leads from the driveway to the blue double doors at the front entrance.
The living room is straight ahead from the foyer, with a fireplace and sliding-glass doors that open to the back patio. The adjacent kitchen has dark wood cabinetry, a Viking oven and a windowed breakfast area looking out over the patio.
The kitchen is partially open to a family room that also has access to the patio. Across the hall from the kitchen is a dining room.
The primary suite, at the end of a hall extending from the foyer, includes a bedroom big enough to hold a king-size bed, a separate sitting area, a walk-in closet and a bathroom with a deep soaking tub that has a shower attachment. Two more bedrooms are also in this part of the house; they share a bathroom with a walk-in shower.
The fourth bedroom is on the other side of the house; it has the use of a full bathroom off the foyer.
Outdoor space: The patio off the living and family rooms has sweeping views of the surrounding landscape and the ocean, with ample space for a dining table, chairs and a grill. The attached garage holds two cars. Communal amenities include tennis courts.
Taxes: $46,872 (estimated) and a $950 quarterly homeowner association fee
Contact: Scott McCosker, Sotheby’s International Realty, Montecito Brokerage, 805-451-1721; sothebysrealty.com
Los Angeles | $3.995 Million
A 1940 Spanish-style house with three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and a one-bedroom, one-bathroom guest apartment, on a 0.2-acre lot
This house is on a hilly street in Silver Lake, near a public elementary school and a few blocks from a bustling stretch of Sunset Boulevard with coffee shops, bars and boutiques. It is about a mile from the Silver Lake Reservoir, which is encircled by walking trails.
Los Feliz is about five minutes away by car. Driving to Hollywood or Dodger Stadium takes about 10 minutes. Downtown Los Angeles is half an hour away.
Size: 2,883 square feet
Price per square foot: $1,386
Indoors: The sellers, who bought this house in 2019, added new fixtures and materials inside and installed a swimming pool in the backyard.
The entrance is off the front patio, which is enclosed by a stucco wall and a wood fence.
The front door opens into a living room with wide-plank wood floors; a tall, arched window facing the patio; a fireplace with a simple wood mantel and access to a powder room.
The wood floors continue into a large, open space with a sitting area, a dining area with a Kelly Wearstler light fixture, and a kitchen with custom-made white-oak cabinetry, built-in wine storage and a long center island with an integrated gas range. A laundry room with a door that opens to the rear deck is also in this part of the house.
The bedroom wing is off the living-and-dining area. The primary suite has glass doors in the bedroom that open to the deck; two walk-in closets; and a bathroom with a glass-walled shower and separate soaking tub. The bedroom next door has another walk-in closet. It shares a full bathroom with the third bedroom, which has a long built-in desk and doubles as a home office.
The guest apartment has a living room, a small kitchen and a bedroom with a full bathroom.
Outdoor space: The front patio currently holds lounge furniture and a fire table. The deck behind the house steps down to the in-ground swimming pool and brick fireplace in the backyard. The attached garage holds two cars.
Taxes: $49,932 (estimated)
Contact: Alyson Richards and Carl Gambino, Gambino Group, Compass, 310-617-7179; compass.com
For weekly email updates on residential real estate news, sign up here.