A View of the Blue

What's Summer if not a time for the beach and the ocean?

Our recent run of clear days has punched up the value of a good ocean view in a listing. So we trod in on 3 active listings late last week that each feature ocean views as a big and tasty attraction.

Check out our 4-minute video tour featuring the views from each property. (Please excuse the rumply sounds of ocean breezes against our little mic.) See the video embedded below or use this link to go to YouTube directly.



And here's more on each of the listings in the video.

Our first visit was, aptly enough, to a home on Sea View street. 229 Seaview (3br/4ba, 1900 sq. ft.) is a newer (2006) TH near the top of the hill in El Porto Norte, one door off Highland.

The home itself is a splendid execution of a traditional TH layout – 1 bed/bath combo downstairs by itself, a good-sized master and third bedroom in the middle, and your living spaces up top. Ornate details abound, with quality materials, nice wood flooring and a high-end kitchen leading the charge.

Now, about those views. The TH is mainly oriented southward, picking up most of its views toward PV. On a clear day, you'll get Catalina in the picture, though on our visit, PV was hazily in view, while the isle hid behind a distant marine layer.

Looming in the view from the front deck is a power pole – no getting around that unless/until El Norte votes to underground utilities – though it's worth nothing that views from inside mostly work around the pole. Views directly to the west are not totally blocked by the neighbor; you get big sky and a peek of ocean, maybe, if you're tall. In back, on the north side of the TH, the kitchen window has its own clear view of the blue as well.

229 Seaview is offered now at $1.599m. It was purchased new in Nov. 2006 for $1.650m (this does not appear on Redfin but we've confirmed it), and was offered for a while in '09 for $1.7m.

304 30th (3br/4ba, 2275 sq. ft.), a Sand Section TH that, as we noted just this weekend, has got one of the better panoramas currently on the market. Our video really shows it off.

The 2003 build was constructed at a time when Sand Section roofdecks were not permitted, but now that they are in some cases, the builders just put in the roofdeck – now a central feature.

304 30th has lingered since February due to price, but is newly at $1.848m.

The front unit of the same building is 300 30th (4br/4ba, 2525 sq. ft.), while lacking the roof deck, still gets very impressive wraparound views from its main living spaces and offers a front balcony that drinks it all in. The home's slightly bigger and the price somewhat lower at $1.649m.

Believe it or not, 217 N. Dianthus (4br/3ba, 2950 sq. ft.) is up for sale again.

Regular readers will recognize this as one of 2 neighboring homes (we once called them the "Dianthus Twins") offered for sale last year. Both twins are on skinny lots at the very peak of the hill with big ocean, treetop and PV views.

217 N. Dianthus traded in January for $1.5m, but it's now being offered for $1.649m. The home's been redecorated a bit since our last visit, with new carpet and paint that simplifies the home. We also took note of architectural sketches on a table during our visit, hinting that some kind of bigger remodel was contemplated, though not yet executed.

Last year and this year, the attractions of 217 Dianthus are the substantial space and the big views for the money. It was nice to remind ourselves what that view's like.

In the video, we take note of neighboring 219 N. Dianthus (4br/4ba, 3300 sq. ft.) which sold off-market in June for $1.750m.

FYI, the listing for 217 N. Dianthus won't hit the MLS till next week, but it is available at the price noted above.

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Props: The still shot of a Hill Section panorama that opens our video is courtesy of Meinke Photography. Thanks Bill!