What You Get for ... $3,100,000 Christopher Stark for The New York Times A three-bedroom house built in 1969 on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Carmel Highlands, Calif., is on the market for $2,995,000. A three-bedroom three-bath contemporary and a one-bedroom guesthouse 2,267 square feet This house sits on chaparral-covered cliffs facing the ocean at the north end of Central California's Big Sur region. Carmel Highlands, about six miles down the coast from the small city of Carmel, is an unincorporated residential community between the Point Lobos State Reserve and Garrapata State Park. Most of the houses are on a thin elevated strip of land between the Pacific Coast Highway and cliffs sloping over 300 feet down toward the ocean. The house, built in 1969, was designed by Mark Mills, who apprenticed with Frank Lloyd Wright and worked on residences throughout the area defined by their careful relationship with the landscape. The construction is stucco, with rounded walls and large semicircular windows facing the ocean, giving the interior spaces a smooth, continuous look. Custom furniture, much of which comes with the house, was designed by Michael Taylor, described by Architectural Digest as one of the 20 greatest designers of all time. The living area has a skylight and a fireplace; the adjoining dining area and kitchen complete an open-plan great room. A long, narrow sitting room with built-in bench seating and an eye-shaped window is built onto a slope toward the ocean. The master bedroom also has a large ocean-facing window with a bench seat. The other two bedrooms are up a few stairs. The property also has a one-bedroom guesthouse. The house is on about a half-acre $32,945 (estimated) a year John Saar, Sotheby's International Realty (831) 915-0991; sirpeninsulaproperties.com A four-bedroom four-and-a-half bath house on 33 acres 3,541 square feet Whitefish is in the Flathead Valley, against the western edge of Glacier National Park. A resort city of about 6,400 residents, it known for its skiing, fishing, hiking and other year-round recreation. This house - on pasture and woods fronting the Stillwater River - is within 15 minutes of downtown. Its neighbors are other large-lot and equestrian properties. The two-story contemporary was built in 2008 as a collaborative project between its owners and Marty Beale, a founder of a Whitefish design-build firm called Mindful Designs. Siting, systems and materials were meant to foster sustainability, and include geothermal heating throughout, rooftop solar panels and passive solar layouts. The eyebrow roof extending over a wall of windows in the living room keeps sun out during summer months and in during the winter. Floors on the main level are mostly tile. There are two living rooms, one with a wall of windows facing the mountains and fields; the other part of a bedroom suite. Both have fireplaces. Kitchen appliances are by Miele; the cabinets are bamboo; and there is a concrete island. Many of the doors in the house are made of opaque laminated glass. Floors upstairs - where the three other bedrooms are - are mostly larch, harvested by a Missoula, Mont., company called North Slope. The property also has a barn and a riding arena, next to a small pond. In addition to the pasture and woods, the house has a 1,200-square foot roof deck with a gas fireplace and 360-degree views. $7,288 a year JoBeth Blair and Lorri Nelson, Glacier Sotheby's International Realty A compound with a five-bedroom main house, a two-bedroom guesthouse and two apartments 9,500 square feet (approximate total) This compound is on 76 acres of pasture in the Northwestern Virginia town of Middleburg, about 30 miles to the Capital Beltway and 45 to Washington. Known for its equestrian estates, historic houses and a long history of fox hunting and steeplechasing, the town - population 700 - is increasingly a draw for people working in and around Washington. Residents either commute by car, or by car to the train station at Vienna, Va., about a 45-minute drive away. From there, it is a 35- or 40-minute ride to Washington. This property is near the Middleburg Tennis Club and is a couple of miles from Middleburg's downtown, a stretch of one- and two-story buildings that includes a grocery store, a gas station, a deli, restaurants and boutiques, many part of a district on the National Register of Historic Places. The two-story main house is colonial in style, with a stone facade and a dark metal roof. Built in 1928, it has original heart pine and brick floors throughout, and nearly every common room has large bay windows. The wood-paneled entry hall leads to the living room, a long 600-square-foot space with a fireplace. The library, off the living room, has brick floors, wood-paneled walls and a wood-burning fireplace. Updated in 2010, the kitchen has ceramic tile floors, granite countertops, an island and stainless-steel appliances that include a six-burner Viking range. Bedrooms are upstairs, all with original pine floors. The master has an en-suite bath, a dressing room, a fireplace and large windows. Two of the other bedrooms also have fireplaces. The 3,000-square-foot guesthouse has two bedrooms, three bathrooms and a fireplace. There are also two apartments, one over the garage and the other over the eight-stall barn. A little over half the property is wooded, the rest is fenced pasture. There is also a riding ring. $14,340 a year Jim Thompson, Washington Fine Properties (540) 687-2224; wfpmiddleburg.com