Somis Fieldtrip, Part 1

Well, I decided to do things a bit differently for the next couple of weeks. I took RanchQuest on a fieldtrip. I headed out to Somis with a Thomas Guide and a few street names. Somis is most known as agricultural territory. Whole areas are devoted to lemons or avocados or strawberries. The streets wind and transition suddenly into new ones and veer off at right angles. I started on L.A. Avenue, where the traffic moves fast and trucks try to escape freeway traffic, and worked my way into the rural areas, where one other car is a surprise. I checked Balcom Canyon Road, Bradley Road, Donlon, Grimes Canyon, and Broadway. I found several interesting places, many of them delightfully large compared to what can be found closer to town. I’ll start today with 7355 Balcom Canyon Rd, Somis, CA 93066.

The road is narrow and crowded on the left by orange orchards, which show signs of damage from wind or frost. On the right, a mishmash of fence types divides the property into several sections. It is hard to tell what belongs to the property and what is actually next door. When I looked up the real estate adverts, it turns out it consists of 19.51 acres and everything I saw actually does belong to that property. There is a house, pale blue and white, perched on a hill at the back, overlooking the land down to the road. Oddly, the adverts state that the “main house pad” is “ready to build” on. The house currently listed is small, just 1,200 sq. ft, and one listing stated this was the guest house, so I am not sure where the main pad is. An additional oddity is the number of things listed as being in this small house: two bedrooms, two baths; fireplace; dining area; living room; breakfast bar and room (separate or together, I wonder?); laundry room; family room; and a covered patio. The kitchen includes: a convection oven; a dishwasher; a gas oven and range; refrigerator; and microwave. Where do they put it all? But in my opinion, the current house has a lovely view, if the windows are not blocked by all the appliances. Down the hill from it, there is a ten stall barn with pipe corrals attached on both sides. There are supposedly pastures, but I did not see any. There was what appeared to be an arena at road level, but it looked abandoned. It is listed as being 180’ by 110’, a respectable size, if a bit small. There are additional pens and three identical shelters that I could not identify. Perhaps they are connected to the outdoor pens. In the rear of the property, avocado orchards march neatly up the hillside. There are 140 mature plants and 650 three year old plants that are set to produce this year. With that level of production, I would recommend the property to someone with at least a passing interest in or knowledge of avocado care or an excessive love of the fruit as food.

The property is very nice, if a little ragged looking. The land is mostly bare and seems desolate. It could definitely stand some attention. But the facilities seem well suited to a professional competitor or intensive horse owner. The area seems isolated, largely because of the small, twisting roads. In fact, you have fairly easy access to Moorpark and Camarillo and their attendant amenities. But you enjoy the peace and quiet of a rural area in exchange for diminished convenience. If you need to go to town often, for work, shopping, or school, it may become a hassle. But for the stay-at-home type, it seems ideal. Now, the bottom line. The property is listed at $2,149,500. A little pricey, perhaps, but after the Kelly property, I feel like this is a fabulous buy. That property, for reference, broke down to a little over a million per acre and only consisted of 1.42 acres. This is almost twenty for about $110,000 per acre. The location is not as ideal, but you get so much more land and who doesn’t want that? My judgment—7355 Balcom is professional friendly, has great bang for your buck, and a good location.

If this property strikes your fancy, please visit Redfin (contact info is at the bottom of the page). The signs at the property list General Pacific as the realtor, though they list a Barbara K. Schuman, not Larry Krogh as online, but there is also a listing with Rosemary Allison at Century 21 America. I’m afraid I do not know anything more about the correct contacts.

My tour of Somis is not over, so check back for more property. If you would like to know more about the Somis area, please check my area archives in the right column.