Catalogue No. 14 · Autumn 2026
The catalogue, not the classifieds.
Twelve houses a year on the Santa Barbara coast, each measured, photographed and written up by a partner, then shown first to buyers we already know.
Lot 07
New to market
Casa Miramonte
Picacho Lane, Montecito
6 bed · 7 bath · 1.4 acres
Guide
$8,450,000
View this lot
Results
We sold eleven of twelve houses last year, in a median of 38 days, at 102.4% of the guide we printed.
Park Lane House
$6,550,000 against a guide of $6,200,000, in 19 days
Las Palmas
$9,900,000 against a guide of $9,400,000, in 27 days
Mission Ridge Villa
$4,725,000 against a guide of $4,800,000, in 52 days
The index
Six of the twelve
Selling with us
Thirty-eight days, week by week.
Week 0
Valuation
A partner walks the house and writes to you within five working days.
Week 1
Survey and light
A surveyor measures every floor. We photograph at dawn and again at dusk.
Week 2
The entry
One hundred and twenty words, a defended guide, and your approval line by line.
Week 3
The private list
143 registered buyers see it eleven days before anyone else.
Week 5
Public launch
Printed catalogue, accompanied viewings, offers answered in writing.
Median time from launch to contract over the last twelve months: 38 days.
From
Claire Havilon
Role
Founding partner
Written
Montecito, September 2026
Subject
Why we stop at twelve
I spent nine years at a firm that carried two hundred listings and knew perhaps thirty of them.
Havilon began in 2009 with one refusal: we would never hold more houses than two partners could personally know. Twelve turned out to be the number. It means every entry in the catalogue is measured by a surveyor, photographed across two days and written by whichever of us walked it.
It is slower than a portal and it is meant to be. A buyer who has read one of our entries arrives already knowing the house. A vendor deals with the same person from the first valuation to the day of completion, and is told, in writing, why an offer was declined.
Claire Havilon
Neighbourhoods
Where we sell, and what it costs
01
Montecito
Estates behind hedges between the foothills and Butterfly Beach.
$1,640
per sq ft · median $6.9M
02
Hope Ranch
Bridle paths, a private beach and single-storey houses on large plots.
$1,210
per sq ft · median $5.4M
03
The Riviera
Hillside streets above the Mission with a channel view from most rooms.
$1,060
per sq ft · median $3.2M
04
Upper East
Craftsman and Spanish Revival houses on a walkable grid.
$980
per sq ft · median $2.9M
05
Summerland
A village on a bluff: smaller plots, wide water, no longer a bargain.
$1,120
per sq ft · median $2.6M
06
Toro Canyon
Acreage, avocado groves and the longest private drives on the coast.
$1,390
per sq ft · median $7.8M
Completed sales above $3 million, twelve months to August 2026.
What we do
Four things, done by the same two people.
No department does one part and hands it on. The partner who values your house writes its entry, shows it, and negotiates the offer.
01
A catalogue entry, a defended guide, and eleven days with registered buyers before the public launch.
02
We approach owners who have not decided to sell, on behalf of one named buyer at a time.
By private treaty
Five houses are not in this catalogue at all.
Their owners will sell, but will not advertise. Registered buyers receive the particulars by post and view by appointment.
P-01 · Riven Rock
Spanish Colonial, 1928
P-02 · Hope Ranch
Modernist, 1971, beach path
P-03 · The Riviera
Hillside villa, channel view
Claire Havilon
Founding partner · (805) 555-0143
The partners
Two partners. No juniors, no hand-offs.
The person who values your house writes its entry, conducts every viewing and sits beside you at completion.
Rafael Montoya
Partner · (805) 555-0144
Questions
Answered before you ask
Why only twelve houses a year?
Because two partners can know twelve houses properly and not thirteen. Every viewing is conducted by one of us.
What does it cost to sell with you?
A single fee of 2.5% of the achieved price, due on completion. Photography, survey and catalogue are included.
Do you publish the guide price?
Always, except for private listings. We would rather defend a number than hide one.
How does the private list work?
Buyers register once, with proof of funds, and receive each entry eleven days before the public launch.
Can I view at short notice?
Usually within forty-eight hours, Monday to Saturday. Viewings are accompanied and last about an hour.
Will you take a house outside your area?
Only along the fourteen miles we know. Beyond that we will introduce you to an office we trust.
Valuation
What would yours fetch this season?
A partner visits, measures and writes within five working days. No charge, and nobody else sees the figure.
From the office
Notes on selling well
