Yes, chickens in back yard(that wander over from neighbor yard because there is no fencing). That Seller is smoking something strong. They want $1.35 million for the house. It literally has pyramids of termite fecal matter all over the floors… coming from all the rafters and ceiling boards. Two windows have no glass and it has been pouring rain. Old flat roof torch materials have blown off the roof in pieces and is scattered everywhere. I’m surprised the neighbors aren’t complaining. Several outlets are black where you can see there was a fire in the wiring. Absolutely not liveable in current condition. Probably would be condemned if the City got inside.
But no… she wants even more than a nice house down the street. She thinks the land is worth that price. I’ve got news for her… a nice flat lot of same size only sells for about $850,000
But the beauty of this one is, once again, the views! Right now there are trees blocking all the windows. I know that there are outstanding views if the trees are taken down (don’t worry… they are not special trees like a Torrey Pine or something… they are encroaching peppers and junipers)
I took another look at the pictures of the Santa Barbara house. (The link is on page 18 of this thread, Post #265.) There are two pictures with the chickens – once shows them close up and the other is more of a panoramic shot. In the panoramic shot, looking above the chickens and above the backyard, there are areas of fencing that appear to be knocked over, falling down. I don’t think that’s part of this house’s property. Would you have to erect some structure to block that from view? Is that feasible??
I am going to have to build fencing along east boundary on top of a retaining wall. Then throw money at landscaping and rebuilding the small north yard, including creative plantings to screen the northerly neighbor mess
If you get the house, is there anyway you can move the speed limit sign so it’s not directly in front of the house? Maybe it’s just bad photos and doesn’t look so bad in person.
I just looked at the pics…again. Please tell me you would make,the outside a different color than dark brown!
The outside looks a LOT better in the pics than the inside. Yikes…what a mess.
I am so with you, thumper. The sellers of the house we are trying to buy have recently painted it the same ugly, dark crap-colored color! Yikes. They did a very poor job, too - the paint is bubbling in spots where the moisture is trapped in the cedar under the paint layer. What a mess! The first thing we will be doing is ripping out all of the siding and replacing it with hardiboard AND painting it a nice bluish-grey color! 
No way that home is $1.35M. Nope. Not even here!!!
Those nice chickens will have been eating up the termites and the fallen fruit, and fertilizing the beds in return.
I like the fruit tree. It looks like there may be some interesting features among the weeds, such as a Buddhist stone lantern and maybe a grotto? Or maybe I am just fantasizing.
I’d keep the fruit tree. The chickens are adorable but are completely incompatible with landscaping that is not designed to accommodate chickens. Ask out next door neighbors what happened to their $50k Japanese gardens after they got chickens and let them loose in said gardens.
@Consolation, you know cb could buy “a Buddhist stone lantern and maybe a grotto” for, like, a few hundred bucks, right? Still doesn’t make the house worth $1.35 million!!
@VeryHappy , ITA. Just looking on the bright side.
@BunsenBurner , digging dust baths, amirite? Mine recently developed a taste for eating hosta. What the deer leave, that is.
I know, I know.
I love the idea of the chickens eating the termites and the rotten fruit!
Yes, Consolation. Also, digging up earthworms. Mmmmm…
If the chickens are accustomed to feasting on fruit and bugs in the yard, they will keep coming. So a good fence might be in order to keep them out.
coralbrook,
I’d be very careful of investing in a home located next to “built in alarm clocks”. what are the local noise ordinances in SD?
I know I would NEVER buy a home for $1.5 Mil.+ that had chickens next door.
As long as they don’t have a rooster, you’re fine. I’d check the local ordinances. Usually urban chickens are restricted to a few hens, like those in the picture. Hens only make cute bawk-bawk noises. IME no one is insane enough to have a rooster in such close quarters. Actually, the majority of chicken owners I know don’t want roosters, even if they have acres of property.
ETA: I looked it up, and in an area like that it would appear they can have a maximum of 5 hens, and no roosters.
^^ all the same, this will be a $ 1,500,000 ++ home in a suburban setting in San Diego we are talking about- not a home with lots of acreage in a rural area.
I could afford a place in that price range in SD, but would never buy one knowing it had a “built in” noise problem that I had no control over, anymore than I would buy one under the flight path of the SD airport.
$ 1.5 million or more is not exactly “chicken feed”.
Ha! Here in Seattle, chances are pretty hight that the $2M house next door has chickens. And an ADU with renters.
Well, apparently I can’t convince you that hens are not a "noise problem, " in fact significantly quieter than many people’s dogs, children, and sound systems. If they were behind a fence, I doubt you would even know they were there.
Take it from someone who has owned chicken for many years.
Airport and road noise is another matter.
My nephew and niece-in-law had chickens.
Until the foxes got them.
The dang listing agent hasn’t even written up my offer yet and it’s been over 24 hrs since I submitted it. What is it with these guys??. You’d think they would jump at the chance to represent both the buyer and seller.