She and husband Steve Humphrey designed a beautiful mansion on a hill in Montecito, CA. It’s listed with a new price of $6,999,000, after going on the market earlier this year with an $8.5 million price tag.
The five-bedroom, 5.5-bath home was completed in 2010. Grafton, who also spent time in her native Kentucky, where she owned another stylish estate, filled the coastal California property with a distinctive mix of SoCal cool and Southern charm. The author died in late 2017, after completing “Y is for Yesterday,” her last novel in the series.
“Showcasing a Southern flair, this traditional home is filled with Martha Stewart’s collection of colors and does not have a single white wall,” says listing agent Crysta Metzger.
“The eaves of the home are painted in Haint Blue to keep the spirits and haints out, which is the Southern pronunciation of ‘haunt,'” says Metzger. “Mixing Southern California living with Southern hospitality, the home’s attention to detail and careful choice of materials offer a timeless elegance that does not disappoint.” Tucked away on 2.04 hillside acres, the property includes a 5,790-square-foot main residence and a 800-square-foot guesthouse situated above a three-car garage.
Elegant and expansive porches with lattice railings wrap much of the exterior. They’re the perfect place for rocking chairs, swings, and tall glasses of sweet tea. There’s even a fireplace on the front porch for those chilly coastal nights.
There are three more fireplaces inside, in the formal living room, formal dining room, and master suite.
The spacious master suite also features French doors opening to a balcony with a view of the hills and the Pacific Ocean beyond. The luxurious marble bathroom comes with a soaking tub, separate shower, and dual sinks.
As you would expect from a prolific writer, there are plenty of built-in bookcases, as well as reading nooks situated to take advantage of the sunlight coming in from large windows.
There’s also plenty of room for cookbooks in the chef’s kitchen with its double islands, marble countertops, stainless-steel appliances, and large pantry.
It’s easy to see how the lovely setting informed her lead character, private investigator Kinsey Millhone, whom Grafton based in Santa Teresa, a fictionalized version of Santa Barbara.
Insane NFL Player’s Homes | Loungtastic
1. Tom Brady – $40 million
New England Patriots quarterback Tom owns a 5.2-acre house in Boston. The $40 million property includes five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a pool with a Baja shelf, an extensive library, a wine cellar, and a yoga studio.
2. Troy Polamalu – $4.75 million
Former Pittsburgh Steelers player Troy Polamalu purchased a 1.75- acre mansion in La Jolla, California. The $4.75 million house includes six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a swimming pool, outdoor loggia, three stone fireplaces, and a four-car garage.
3. Aaron Rodgers – $425K
Aaron Rodgers, who plays for the Green Bay Packers, is reported to have sold his house for only $425K to one of his fans. Can you believe that?
4. Antonio Brown – $6.6 million
Gridiron god Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers is best known for tremendous swagger both on and off the field. Brown has not just one, but two properties in his hometown of Miami. One of the houses cost him $6.6 million, which contains a dozen bedrooms and private movie theater, as well as an impressive sneaker collection.
5. Tom Romo – $9 million
One of the most acclaimed quarterbacks in Dallas Cowboys history, Tom Romo bought the lavish mansion for $9 million. The house features six bedrooms, a huge swimming pool, four bathrooms, and big gardens.
6. Eric Decker – $1.45 million
Decker's house was built in 2006, and the house includes eight bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a wine cellar and a bathtub in the shape of a boat. Last year, Eric and his wife decided to sell their house for $1.45 million.
7. Julio Jones – $1.25 million
Playing for the Atlanta Falcons of his whole career, Julio Jones got his own expensive mansion in 2013 for $1.25 million. The estate includes seven bedrooms, a tennis court, nine bathrooms, an outdoor kitchen, and a guesthouse with two bedrooms and bathrooms.
8. Adrian Peterson – $6.7 million
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson first put his estate on the market for a price of $6.7 million. The luxurious estate includes six bedrooms, ten and a half bathrooms, a walk-in cellar, a two-story library and a full bar with game room attached.
9. Patrick Peterson – $2.69 million
Having been named the best defensive player at the Arizona Cardinals, Patrick Peterson dropped an estimated $2.69 million on this incredible mansion in Scottsdale. The estate comes with six bedrooms, a guesthouse, eight bathrooms, a wine cellar, and many other luxurious features.
10. Peyton Manning – $3.4 million
Peyton Manning is the proud owner of an 8,810 square-foot mansion. The fabulous house features 900 feet of shoreline, a private dock, an electric boat lift, as well as floor-to-ceiling windows with views of Lake Norman.
11. Jay Cutler – $4.75 million
Former NFL star Jay Cutler bought an incredible estate in Chicago after marrying reality TV star Kristin Cavallari. The mansion includes seven bedrooms, a home cinema, a basketball court, and a garage that fits four cars.
12. Colin Kaepernick – $3 million
Colin Kaepernick became a controversial player in the NFL when he protested by not standing during the national anthem. Despite all this, Kaepernick has always been a well paid player. He has a lavish house valued at $3 million in California, which has four bedrooms, a swimming pool with a waterfall, and a wall aquarium.
13. Rob Gronkowski – $2.2 million
Gronk purchased his $2.2 million penthouse in Boston, which has an incredible view. In March 2018, his house was unfortunately robbed, and one of the suspects is still at large.
14. Marshawn Lynch – $3.6 million
As an Oakland Raiders running back, Marshawn Lynch has always been a crushing enemy for his opponents. His lavish home, which was voted as the most extravagant NFL home in 2016, features an incredible view of the San Francisco Bay, with five bedrooms, six bathrooms, and 7,000 square feet of pure opulence.
15. Von Miller – $8 million
Besides his whopping salary at the Denver Broncos, Von Miller bags even more cash with his TV activity, appearing on the Dancing with the Stars in 2015. Von Miller is the proud owner of a Cherry Hills Village mansion, which features seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, and a closet with 800 pairs of shoes.
16. Eli Manning – $8.5 million
Not as legendary as his brother Peyton is, Eli Manning has still been a terrific quarterback for the New York Giants. He got himself a deluxe house, sitting right next to the sea. The house includes five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a vast pool, and extensive gardens.
17. Ryan Tannehill – $4.3 million
Playing for the Miami Dolphins since 2012, Ryan Tannehill has long been the team's starting quarterback. Ryan got his own mansion in 2016 for $4.2 million. The home features four bedrooms, a private gym, home theater, five bathrooms, a big pool, and a huge garden.
18. Ndamukong Suh – $6.5 million
Ndamukong Suh, is one of the best defensive tackles in the league and recently signed a new contact with the Los Angeles Rams. Suh is the proud owner of a mansion in Fort Lauderdale, featuring a wine cellar, eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, a waterfall, and a private gym.
19. Julius Peppers – $6.5 million
Julius Peppers is still not slowing down even in his late 30s. He purchased his luxury house in 2015 and now he is looking to sell it for $6.5 million. The incredible home includes eight bedrooms, a chef's kitchen, eight bathrooms, and a gorgeous pool.
20. Michael Strahan – $21.5 million
Michael Strahan has long been an iconic figure in the NFL. Besides his high salary as a football player, he has found many other ways to maintain his personal finances as a TV personality. He bought a humongous mansion in Los Angeles that was eventually sold for a $21.5 million.
Finding the perfect place to live is hard, and these real estate terms aren’t making it any easier.
“Closing”
“Closing is when all of the preliminary steps to buying the house have been completed (home inspection, escrow, financing), and the deal actually goes through.” -Eric S.
“When the walls of the house are literally closing in on you. You should’ve never taken that golden statue from the treasure room!” -Tyler H.
“When the real estate agent brings coffee to close the deal.” -Clark M.
The actual definition: The meeting at which a home sale is finalized. The buyer signs the mortgage, pays closing costs, and receives the title to the home. The seller pays closing costs and receives the net proceeds from the home sale.
“Contingency”
“Contingency is a contractual precondition that must be met in order for the agreement in the contract to become enforceable (Ex. ‘I’ll buy your house ONLY IF I don’t find any hostages locked in your basement.’).” -Eric S.
“Some sort of poltergeist haunting.” -Mandy C.
“Signing a lease with certain stipulations.” -Clark M.
The actual definition: A condition that must be fulfilled before a contract is binding.
“Counteroffer”
“A negotiation tactic when signing a lease.” -Clark M.
“For those true marble and granite connoisseurs out there, this is when you walk into a house and see a countertop you really like and say, ‘Can I take this?'” -Tyler H.
“Like your offer, but vengeful.” -Kyle D.
The actual definition: An offer in response to an original offer.
“Earnest Money Deposit”
“When you don’t have all the money but are good for the installments.” -Clark M.
The actual definition: The deposit given by a buyer to a seller to show that the buyer is serious about purchasing the home. Earnest money usually is refundable to homebuyers in the event a contingency of the sales contract cannot be met.
“Escrow”
“Another name for those wacky things people put on the wall. Like a sconce, but more load-bearing.” -Alex W.
“Crow in Spanish.” -Tim U.
“I have no idea. This one is hard.” -Ashley B.
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The actual definition: The holding of documents and money by a neutral third party prior to closing.
“Foreclosure”
“I’m not entirely sure, but I think it’s pretty obvious that you don’t want this to happen to you.” -Kyle D.
“Prelude to peasantry.” -Mandy C.
“When you forget to pay your mortgage, for months on end.” -Clark M.
The actual definition: A legal process by which the lender or the seller forces a sale of a mortgaged property because the borrower has not met the terms of the mortgage. Also known as a repossession of property.
“Loan-to-value Ratio”
“Loan-to-value ratio is a test you have to take when applying for a loan to see if you have the kind of values of a person who promptly and reliably repays loans at reasonable interest rates. You may only use a No. 2 pencil on this test and please fill in all the bubbles as neatly as you can to avoid inconsistencies in grading. ” -Eric S.
“Something we were not taught in high school mathematics.” -Kyle D.
“The congruence of my mind on my money with my money on my mind.” -Mandy C.
The actual definition: The ratio of the amount of money owed on a home to the home’s value. The LTV ratio for a $100,000 home financed with a $90,000 mortgage would be 90%, for example.
“Mortgage Insurance”
“A monthly payment for your monthly payment to be paid until you die. -Kyle D.
“Two concepts that teachers told us were important in school but never fully explained.” -Emily C.
“Insurance on your mortgage because life is unpredictable, and things might happen.” -Clark M.
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The actual definition: Money paid to insure the mortgage when the down payment is less than 20%.
“Short Sale”
“Short sale is when you make a short person – usually a child – complete your sale and hope that their cuteness will make it a better deal for you.” -Emily C.
“A short sale is where you get a free pair of cargo shorts as a thank-you for buying the house. Custom dictates that you get to choose the color, but they absolutely must be cargo shorts. There’s no wiggle room on that.” -Eric S.
“When the house is only on the market for a second before it’s bought up. ‘Wow! That sure was a short sale, Dirk!'” -Tyler H.
The actual definition: A short sale is a transaction in which the lender, or lenders, agrees to accept less than the mortgage amount owed by the current homeowner.
“Underwriting”
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“Underwriting is the really small text that nobody reads under the regular-sized text.” -Emily C.
“When weird writing in blood mysteriously starts appearing on every surface in your newly purchased house and you think, ‘Hm, must be something weird going on under here.'” -Tyler H.
“Underwriting is a person, or more commonly, a financial institution that agrees to stand as guarantor of your home purchase in the event something goes wrong and you can’t pay. In that case, the bank takes possession of the house and lets its nephew crash there for a few days until he can get back on his feet after just…a real tough year.” -Eric S.
The actual definition: The process of evaluating a loan application to determine if it meets the lender’s standards.
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