Real Estate

$5 Million Homes in California

Carmel | $4.975 Million

A four-bedroom, four-bathroom cottage built in 1934, on a 0.1-acre lot

This house is a few blocks from Carmel Beach and within walking distance of the Carmel Beach Walk, a hiking trail with sweeping ocean views. It is close to the Clinton Walker House, a Frank Lloyd Wright home added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Carmel Plaza, the city’s shopping and dining hub, is a little more than a mile away. Mission Trail Park, a 33-acre preserve with hiking trails, is a 10-minute drive. The Pebble Beach golf courses are less than 15 minutes away. Cannery Row, in Monterey, is a 20-minute drive. Big Sur is less than an hour south; San Francisco is a little more than two hours to the north.

Size: 2,271 square feet

Price per square foot: $2,191

Indoors: A brick path leads from the driveway to the bright-red Dutch front door. It opens into a foyer with a staircase to the second floor.

Beyond is a dining area with white-painted paneling and glossy brick floors that continue into a galley kitchen with stainless steel appliances. A laundry room, a full bathroom and a bedroom with its own exterior entrance are also in this part of the house.

The main living area is on the second level, with high ceilings and casement windows overlooking the property. The sitting area is anchored by a wood-burning fireplace with a brick surround; there is room for a dining table on the opposite side of the room.

Three bedrooms are off a hallway extending from the living area. The primary bedroom has a fireplace with a brick surround and an en suite bathroom. The bedroom next door also has an attached bathroom. The third bedroom, closest to the living area, has the use of a full bathroom across the hall, next to a sitting room.

Outdoor space: The property has a brick patio used for dining and entertaining, as well as stone paths that wrap around the patio and the small lawn. The attached garage has one parking spot; there is room for another car in the driveway.

Taxes: $62,184 (estimated)

Contact: Nicholas Canning or Michael Canning, Canning Properties Group, Sotheby’s International Realty, Carmel Brokerage, 831-241-4458; sothebysrealty.com


Los Angeles | $4.995 Million

A 1928 Spanish Colonial Revival home with four bedrooms, three full bathrooms and two half bathrooms, on a one-acre lot

This house, known as the John Show Ranch Estate, was built nearly a century ago on more than 350 acres of citrus and walnut groves. A recently completed multiyear renovation included recreating some of the original fixtures and restoring original wood and plasterwork.

The home is a few minutes from a stretch of Ventura Boulevard running through Woodland Hills, and a five-minute drive from a Bristol Farms grocery store and the Commons at Calabasas shopping and dining center. The beaches in Malibu are less than half an hour away.

Size: 5,980 square feet

Price per square foot: $835

Indoors: A long driveway leads from the street up to a garden with a stone fountain at the center. Brick steps ascend to an expansive covered porch, and the front door opens into a foyer with original tile floors and a grand staircase to the second floor.

To the right is a sunken living room with hardwood floors and an ornate fireplace adorned with citrus-fruit molding, a nod to the property’s origins. Behind this space is a den with a large, wood-paneled bar and access to a patio. Off the den is a library with a stone fireplace, built-in shelving and walls painted a vibrant green. A powder room is also in this part of the house.

To the left of the foyer is a dining room with an original plasterwork ceiling. The adjacent kitchen has original tile work, white cabinetry, a large center island and a sunny breakfast area. A spacious pantry, a laundry room and a half bathroom are off the kitchen.

Upstairs, the landing offers a view of the foyer and a stained-glass window through a row of arches supported by Corinthian columns. To the right is the primary suite, which includes a large bedroom, a dressing room, a sleeping porch and a bathroom with original tile.

Three more bedrooms are in the guest wing at the other end of the hall. One has a sleeping porch and an en suite bathroom with more original tile; the other two share a bathroom that also has its original tile.

Outdoor space: The wide patio off the den has wrought-iron railings and a fire pit. This space and the balconies are paved with period-appropriate Arto Brick tile. Other outdoor amenities include a bar, a built-in grill and a pool, with a surrounding area that was rebuilt in 2017. The terraced patios have been used for weddings and other events, and the lot could accommodate additional structures like a garage, guesthouse or studio.

Taxes: $62,436 (estimated)

Contact: Benjamin Kahle, Compass, 310-779-4578; historicrealestatela.com


Calistoga | $4.95 Million

A 1998 house with two bedrooms, three bathrooms and a one-bedroom, one-bathroom guesthouse, on a 1.3-acre lot

This house near the St. Helena border was built by Sandy Walker, an architect, as his personal residence. It is a 10-minute drive from Calistoga’s mineral spas and within a 15-minute drive of a dozen vineyards, as well as the campsites and hiking and biking trails at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park.

Driving to San Francisco or Sacramento takes less than two hours.

Size: 3,359 square feet

Price per square foot: $1,474

Indoors: A gated driveway separates this property from the street. The entrance to the house is through tall glass doors.

The living-and-dining area beyond has polished-concrete floors; a wood-burning fireplace with a built-in space for storing firewood; a large pendant fixture over the dining space; and access to a loggia through glass doors. (The loggia is separated from the pool area beyond by roll-up doors.)

The bright kitchen, off the entry, has blond-wood cabinetry, a small center island and stainless steel appliances from Bosch and Sub-Zero.

Behind the kitchen is a den with a built-in bookshelves, a custom-built entertainment center and access to a bathroom with a walk-in shower.

A spiral staircase at the center of the house leads up to the two bedrooms on the second level. The primary suite has a fireplace, a balcony, an interior window overlooking the room below and a bathroom with a walk-in shower and a windowed soaking tub. The bedroom at the other end of the hall has an en suite bathroom with a soaking tub. Next door is a small office with another balcony.

The stairs continue up to a third-floor balcony with views of a neighboring vineyard.

The guesthouse, on the other side of the pool, has a living room, a kitchenette, a bedroom and a full bathroom.

Outdoor space: The pool and in-ground spa between the two houses are surrounded by a paved area with room for lounge chairs. From the guesthouse, one path leads to a tennis court and another to a patio with a built-in bar and barbecue. The detached garage has two parking spots.

Taxes: $61,872 (estimated)

Contact: Josh Dempsey, Vanguard Properties, and Cyd Greer, Coldwell Banker Brokers of the Valley, 707-637-6123; vanguardproperties.com

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