Leave the Fuss in Malibu—Five Stunning, Low-Key Coastal Alternatives
Look further north to Carpinteria or Capitola, California, or to metro-adjacent spots like Belvedere Island or Bainbridge Island, Washington
Living on football-shaped Belvedere Island, about 17 miles north of San Francisco, “feels like you’re on vacation,” said Ken Dara, a real estate agent with Engel & Volkers Marin County. “The east side of the island reminds people of Positano or Capri [in Italy]. From the hillside homes that face west, you have beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline.”
Along with its proximity to San Francisco, Belvedere Island’s schools, “some of the State’s best,” Mr. Dara said, have made it a magnet for families escaping traffic and density in Silicon Valley and Los Angeles. “We’re even seeing families from Europe and Asia who are buying here,” he added.
A scorchingly hot market has meant an average 27% appreciation year-over-year, Mr. Dara estimates.?
“Anything that comes up is gone right away,” he said. Recent sales include a 3,350-square-foot home in the sought-after Belvedere Lagoon neighborhood for $11.75 million, and a four-bedroom, three-bathroom home nearby that sold for $6.35 million—about $1.4 million over asking.