The Boundary

There's MB's Hill Section, and then there's Hermosa.

And in between, there's the boundary. Specifically, Boundary Place, an alley street that separates our towns.

1027 Boundary

This week, they finally sold 1027 Boundary Place (4br/4ba, 3250 sq. ft.), a reasonably large, old-world European-inspired quirk-fest.

Final price: $1.475m (-$174k/-11% from start).

It's a U-shaped house built around a "grotto" (not many of those!). There are bedrooms here and there, the kitchen's got an odd setup and finishes, and there are several step-up and step-down levels all around – including, memorably, the split-level master with jacuzzi tub in the room. (Here's our review from March.)

But if we sound skeptical, know this: Mrs. MBC always had a soft spot for this house, and on a casual tour one day, the Little MBCs quickly picked out their own rooms in the "towers" of this "castle."

Strange and lovable would be good descriptions for this one, and the views are quite fun. That it took 6 months from listing to closed sale should be no surprise.

931 Boundary

You're OK with alleys? You want views? You now have the chance at 931 Boundary. This new listing – pitched as a lot sale – is just a block downhill from 1027 Boundary.

But it's a steep hill, and the promise of views from here (propounded in the listing) is somewhat speculative.

In our drive-by, we saw a thin blue line of ocean over the rooftops, but hey, that was from ground level. We also took note of the prominent telephone pole in the front corner of the lot, which would be featured in any views from a new home.

We considered, and re-considered, showing you this one (bad) pic, as it portrays a forlorn 1950s cottage with a dead lawn. (So why is the listing calling the home "well kept?") But hey, if that's what they're running with, we must, too.

Simply put, like many of the houses along Boundary – which is, after all, an alley – 931 Boundary is an under-improved, older house that may have some potential, some day.

They'd like $999k for this alley lot, and we'll see what comes their way. 

807 Boundary

Back in April, a developer paid $930k for the land at 807 Boundary, a plot of nearly equal size and with no view potential at all, plus a location affected by whooshing traffic along Ardmore, just 30 feet to the west.

What they did there was build the latest Speedy Speckie, now listed at $2.199m, a stunning low for new construction in the Hill Section, but the highest-ever asking price among this recent crop.

Is this one different at all from any of the other Speedy Speckies? Yes. It is in the Hill Section, not the Trees. 'Nuf said.

Speedy Speckie crop report: They sold 2610 Maple (5br/5ba, 3200 sq. ft.), over in the Trees, for $1.899m. Previous high among the similar, quickly developed homes by the same builder was at 2516 Pine, which sold for $1.775m in February.