WHAT: A four-bedroom midcentury modern with four baths

HOW MUCH: $1,549,000

SIZE: 3,368 square feet

PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT: $459.92

SETTING: Encino is an affluent section of Los Angeles on the north slope of the Santa Monica Mountains, bordering city and state parkland extending to the Pacific Ocean. This house is on a curving residential road less than a half-mile from the Encino Reservoir. Neighboring properties are a mix of midcentury moderns, ranches and large, newer houses built on teardown lots. Ventura Boulevard, a commercial corridor two miles away, is lined with grocery stores, small shopping centers and restaurants, including a preponderance of sushi bars (almost 10 places within a couple miles). Nearby San Vicente Mountain Park, high above an unpaved section of Mulholland Drive, has 360-degree views and access to horse and mountain-biking trails.

INDOORS: This single-story L-shape midcentury modern was built in 1964, with walls of glass overlooking the city and canyon. Common areas are on an open floor plan, with nearly every room oriented around the patio and pool. Seventy-two solar panels were built on the roof within the past few years, powering the property, and most rooms now have built-in speakers with individual room volume control. Floors are terrazzo in the entryway; in the rest of the house, they’re Pebble Tec, a mixture of epoxy and pebbles commonly used to finish pools, selected here to give the house an indoor/outdoor feel. The living room and adjoining den both have gas fireplaces. A Sub-Zero refrigerator was added to the kitchen within the past few years. Three of the bedrooms, including the master, are at one end of the house; the other, a suite, is beyond the kitchen. The master bedroom is part of a suite with a bathroom, a dressing room and access to the pool and patio.

OUTDOOR SPACE: Adjoining the pool is a lawn and garden. The lot is a little over a third of an acre.

TAXES: $19,362.50 (approximately)

CONTACT: JB Fung, John Aaroe Group, (323) 687-1170; modernlivingla.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.

WHAT: A six-bedroom house with four and a half bathrooms

HOW MUCH: $1,535,000

SIZE: 5,254 square feet

PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT: $292.16

SETTING: This house is in a residential pocket about a mile and a half from both the University of Virginia and downtown Charlottesville, a brick pedestrian mall lined with historic buildings, oak trees, shops, galleries and outdoor cafes where someone, somewhere always seems to be playing an instrument. Just north of downtown — and about a 10-minute walk from this house — is a rolling, wooded city park with mountain views. Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Mountains are about an hour west; Washington is about two hours north.

INDOORS: The three-story house was built in 1935 and extensively renovated between 2008 ad 2010. Wall-to-wall carpet was pulled up and original hardwood floors were refinished; the interior also retains original molding, chair rails and built-in shelves. Both the formal living and dining rooms have wood-burning fireplaces with original mantels. Opposite the living room is a parlor, and across the hall from it is a library. A sunroom with green-glaze terra-cotta tile floors was added off the living room. Sliding glass doors open to a brick terrace.

The updated kitchen has granite countertops, a Bosch dishwasher and a six-burner Ilve range. The cabinets, original to the house, are made of white metal, which the owners had sandblasted and refinished at a body shop. Off the kitchen is a butler’s pantry and a breakfast room. There are bedroom suites on both the first and second floors, with three other bedrooms on the second floor. The sixth bedroom is in the finished basement, along with a workshop, an office and a garage.

OUTDOOR SPACE: A little over an acre, with a large side yard.

TAXES: $12,000 (in 2012)

CONTACT: Bob Headrick, Nest Realty, (434) 242-8501; nestrealty.com

PHOENIX

WHAT: A three-bedroom Tudor revival with three bathrooms

HOW MUCH: $1,550,000

SIZE: 4,459 square feet

PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT: $347.61

SETTING: This house is in a residential neighborhood known variously as North Central or Central Corridor, a 10-minute drive from downtown Phoenix. Developed in the early 20th century, the neighborhood features a mix of architectural styles, including French Provincials and Tudor revivals alongside sprawling ranches and large, newer houses, many of them on tree-shaded lots. An old bridle path now used by hikers, bikers and joggers runs alongside the road on which this house sits, shaded by ash and olive trees.

INDOORS: The house, a two-story Tudor revival made using adobe brick, was built in 1929 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Aside from a couple of additions and updated appliances in the kitchen, the interior is original. Off the entryway is a great room with a pitched wood-paneled ceiling, a fireplace and leaded-glass French doors opening to gardens. Set into a small alcove on one wall is a painting of an English village and church — also original to the house. Adjoining the great room is a formal dining room and a breakfast nook, also with leaded-glass French doors opening to a back patio.

The kitchen, expanded in 2001, has stainless-steel appliances including a Viking range, marble and soapstone counters, and a wood-burning pizza oven. A former two-car garage was incorporated into the main house and converted to a family room with wood-paneled walls and a beehive fireplace. All bathrooms feature original tiles imported from England. The master suite, on the first floor, has a wood-paneled office. The other two bedrooms are upstairs, as is a sunroom. Also on the property is a barn, now used as a studio, a pool and a pool house.

OUTDOOR SPACE: The house is on an acre and a quarter of land.

TAXES: $3,893.30