These were the five highest-priced home sales reported in the Santa Cruz–Watsonville Area, California for the week ending November 1, 2026, and together they came to $19.23 million. Three of the homes are in Santa Cruz, one is in Capitola and one is in Watsonville.
The homes range from an oceanfront showpiece to a renovated single-story home on the Westside, and two of the sales finished at exactly the same price, $2,825,000. David Lyng Real Estate listed two of the five homes.
No. 1 — $8,495,000 · 506 W Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz, California
The week’s top sale was Casa Cowells, a Spanish Mediterranean home on West Cliff Drive, on the oceanfront stretch the listing calls Millionaires’ Row. It sold for $8,495,000.
Built in 2018, it is the newest of the five homes, and it was designed by Craycroft with the water in mind. The view looks east over the ocean, the wharf, the beach and the boardwalk, with sunrises over the water and the ridges of the Santa Cruz Mountains in the distance. That view reaches the kitchen and dining area, the great room, an upstairs living room and both of the home’s primary suites.
The architecture draws on Spanish tradition: stucco walls, clay tile, wrought iron, arched openings, Saltillo floors and hand-painted Talavera tile. An antique stained-glass fanlight over the entry throws color into the living space. Elsewhere the floor is radiant-heated concrete by the artisan Tom Ralston, tinted in a Monet finish meant to recall the sand at Cowells Beach nearby. LaCantina doors slide away into the walls to open the rooms to a heated lanai, and a rainwater harvesting system waters the garden through the summer. The home was also designed to ADA standards.
The home has five bedrooms, four full baths and a half bath, and 3,646 square feet of living space on two floors, set on 0.29 acres with a courtyard, a pergola and a two-car garage. The property last sold for $2.4 million in 2015, before the current home was built.
Drew Reid of Coldwell Banker Realty was the listing agent, and Gail Mayo of David Lyng Real Estate represented the buyer. The home went under contract 28 days after it was listed and sold at its full asking price of $8.495 million, the highest price of the week.
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No. 2 — $2,825,000 · 902 Laurent St, Santa Cruz, California
In the Westlake community of Santa Cruz, 902 Laurent Street looks out over the Pacific and Monterey Bay. Built in 1958, it is the oldest of the five homes, and it was completely remodeled in 1998 with marble, granite and tile throughout.
The home is laid out on two levels. On the main level are the kitchen, a dining area, a family room and a living room with a fireplace, along with the primary bedroom and its bathroom, a second bedroom and bathroom, and the laundry. A staircase leads down to a second living room with its own fireplace, a bar area and the third bedroom and bathroom. Both levels open onto broad decks with ocean views, and the property has a putting green of its own.
The home has three bedrooms, two full baths and a half bath, and 3,356 square feet on a 7,971-square-foot lot, with a two-car garage. It sold for $2,825,000, tying for the second-highest price of the week.
Russell Gross of Russell E. Gross Real Estate was the listing agent, and Alistair Craft of Christie’s International Real Estate Sereno represented the buyer.
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No. 3 — $2,825,000 · 508 Escalona Dr, Capitola, California
Capitola’s Depot Hill neighborhood, within walking distance of Capitola Village, is the setting for 508 Escalona Drive, a Craftsman built in 1982 that sold for $2,825,000, the same price as the Laurent Street home in Santa Cruz. Depot Hill keeps its own calendar of neighborhood events, among them block parties, movie nights and Fourth of July celebrations.
Inside, the kitchen is large and open, with granite and stone counters, a copper sink, a gas cooktop, a double oven and a refrigerator hidden from view, beside a generous dining area. The living room opens to the back patio, and the four bedrooms are upstairs. Gas fireplaces warm both the living room and the primary bedroom, and a built-in fireplace on the front patio is set off by a driftwood sculpture. Hardwood floors, skylights and stained glass run through the home, and a bonus room sits off the garage.
The backyard has a spa and an outdoor shower among mature trees and plantings, and low-maintenance turf. The home has four bedrooms, three full baths and a half bath, and 2,323 square feet on a 4,000-square-foot lot, the smallest of the week, with a one-car garage. The property last sold for $2.275 million in 2020.
The Mower Group of David Lyng Real Estate was the listing agent, one of two homes David Lyng Real Estate listed in this Top 5. Kristen Valenza of eXp Realty of California Inc represented the buyer.
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No. 4 — $2,785,000 · 380 Mockingbird Ridge Rd, Watsonville, California
At 380 Mockingbird Ridge Road outside Watsonville, a hilltop home sits on 11.85 acres in the Mockingbird Ridge neighborhood of the Aptos Hills, with views of the mountains and the ocean. It sold for $2,785,000. The land is the largest of the week, and so is the home, at 3,758 square feet.
The kitchen has a 48-inch Viking gas range, Wolf double ovens, a Miele refrigerator, two Fisher & Paykel dishwashers, a pot filler and a built-in espresso maker. Its island seats 10, a wine bar sits nearby, and LaCantina doors open the kitchen and dining area to the outdoors. The separate family room has floor-to-ceiling windows, a river rock fireplace and a wet bar, and it leads to a patio with a hot tub, an outdoor fireplace and a garden. The living room, which opens off the formal entry, takes in the view.
The primary bedroom is on the ground floor, with high ceilings, an updated bathroom and its own door to the patio. The same floor has a guest room, a full bath with a steam shower, a wine room and an office with a fireplace, one of four in the home. Two more bedrooms are upstairs. In all, the home has four bedrooms, three full baths and a half bath, and a three-car garage.
The property is behind a security gate and has a lower entrance from Race Horse Lane, and it is close to the Seascape Resort. It is zoned for special use, and the listing suggests a vineyard or horses as possibilities for a buyer to explore. The property last sold for $1.275 million in 2002.
Trisha Christensen of Christie’s International Real Estate Sereno was the listing agent, and Samantha Mazurek of Compass represented the buyer.
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No. 5 — $2,300,000 · 249 Getchell St, Santa Cruz, California
On Santa Cruz’s Westside, 249 Getchell Street is a block and a half from West Cliff Drive and within walking distance of New Leaf Market and the shops and restaurants of the Swift Street Courtyard. Built in 1963, it is the only single-story home among the five.
The home has been renovated. The kitchen now has beech wood cabinets, quartzite counters and a light-blue glass tile backsplash, and both bathrooms were remodeled with roomy showers and artisan tile. The living room has a wood-burning fireplace, and the rooms have hardwood floors, skylights and an open beam ceiling. Out back, a large yard is planted with fruit trees and mature, drought-tolerant landscaping, and a detached two-car garage provides storage as well as parking.
With three bedrooms, two bathrooms and 1,534 square feet on a 6,229-square-foot lot, it is the smallest home of the week. The property last sold for $870,000 in 2008.
The home went under contract 15 days after it was listed and sold for $2,300,000, which was $305,000 above its asking price of $1.995 million. Julie Hansmann of David Lyng Real Estate was the listing agent, giving the brokerage its second listing in this Top 5, and Diane Molnar, also of David Lyng Real Estate, represented the buyer.
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RealtyWire selected these transactions from publicly reported residential sales identified for the calendar week ending Sunday, November 1, 2026. The report may exclude private, off-market, delayed or nondisclosed transactions. Prices, property details and professional representation are reported as available at publication and may be updated following confirmation from transaction participants.
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