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“Panoramic ocean views with no visible homes, roads, or powerlines in sight.”

Even though it’s situated on a third-acre lot in the heart of Olde Del Mar (the southern part of town, below Del Mar Heights and the racetrack), our Zillow listing remarks for this week’s Unreal entry promise a “Monterey, California view and vibe, with all green trees and panoramic ocean view, no visible homes, roads or powerlines in sight.” Welcome to 116 Nob Avenue, a 5441-square-foot hillside mansion completed in 2013. “You have it all with privacy, security, tranquility, and a semi-private trail that provides beach access,” the listing continues. “The architecture is stunning, beginning with the bridge that takes you across the infinity-edge pool to the oversized entry door that welcomes guests to the natural-light-filled and open concept floorplan.”

Wait, you cross a bridge over the pool to get to the front door? There’s a pool in a front yard? Let’s jump into the photo tour. We open with a shot looking from the kitchen into a living room, which is equipped with one of those disappearing walls of glass that are all the rage these days. The glass wall opens to a patio, where we catch a glimpse of the sun setting over the Pacific. After that, we’re outside and on a bridge, but it’s unclear over what. It looks more like a grassy slope beneath us than a pool, and it’s unclear from whence we’re coming. But let’s go through that frosted glass door and continue on toward the roof of the house anyway.

Bridge over decidedly untroubled waters.

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Okay, the following picture makes more sense: I guess there is a pool down there after all. Maybe the bridge and stairs down are because the house sits below street level? I still have questions, however. Is that big square in the middle of the pool some kind of spa? If yes, how does it stay warm and the pool cold if there’s no lip rising to separate the bodies of water? If no, what is it, and why do I imagine myself bumping my head on it while going for a swim?

Next we get a large glass door that opens to what looks like an elevator, flanked on one side by a hallway and on the other by a conference room. Okay, it’s probably a dining room. Still, this looks like a fancy office building as much as it does a house. From there, we get to a wood deck with a spa tucked into one corner, which only intensifies my curiosity about the pool with a bridge over it and a square something at its center. Following are some interior shots that display a very modern, very white space. It’s not until we get to the kitchen with its custom walnut cabinetry and built-in “waterfall-edged marble dining table for intimate meals” that we get a pop of color. The listing goes into detail on the expensive-sounding appliance package, but what strikes me is that there are two dishwashers and a built-in coffeemaker, the latter of which I haven’t seen since my parents bolted one to the bottom of their cabinets in the ‘80s. The return of a trend?

We follow the kitchen tour with some shots of what’s presumably the main bedroom suite, with another disappearing wall, this one opening up onto a spa deck that the listing promises “is ideal for outdoor massages and yoga.” There’s also a bathroom with a tub that, while nice and deep to allow for a relaxing soak, doesn’t look too comfortable, due to the harsh right angles both inside and out.

Then: a shot of the “media/game room with kitchenette glisten[s] from the light of the pool set above as part of the room’s ceiling.” This is the shot that finally clues me in on the weird pool square — it’s the light from the room down below, reflecting off the water in a weird way, that’s been confusing me all along!

Our tour ends with a few more exterior shots, which confirm that the parking area does indeed sit above the house. The home’s tucked-in location probably contributes a lot to the privacy about which the listing brags, though it also probably makes getting groceries to the kitchen a bit of a hike. And while we don’t see it, the comments also promise that we’ve got “a semi-private trail that provides beach access” about a quarter-mile west as the gull flies.

Public records list Matthew and Theresa Cutler of Rancho Santa Fe as the current owners of the Nob house, with it last having changed hands about two years ago for a reported $7 million. It went back up on the market with an asking price just shy of $9.5 million that remains unchanged to date.

• 116 Nob Avenue| Del Mar, 92014
• Current owner: Matthew & Theresa Cutler | Listing price: $9,495,000 | Beds: 5 | Baths: 6 | House size: 5441