Real Estate for $1.6 million WHAT: A Federal house with six bedrooms, six and a half baths and a guest apartment, on nearly 14 acres SIZE: 6,311 square feet SETTING: Dorset is a town of about 2,000 residents in the southwestern corner of Vermont, surrounded by the Green Mountain National Forest. This house is on a flat, tree-lined road dotted with the occasional converted farmhouse and pasture, about three miles from the town green. Situated around the green are businesses, a playhouse, a department store, a nursery and a country store where, in the words of the listing agent, "you can get both Dom Pérignon and milk." Marble quarries are a substantial part of Dorset's history. A church near the green is marble, as are several walkways that thread the town. INSIDE: The three-story house, whose oldest section dates to the 1820s, was built using local chestnut, pine and oak and marble quarried on the property. Its exterior is marble. Wings were added in 1918 and 1926 by previous owners, including the financial journalist and ambassador Edwin Lefèvre. Most of the architectural details are original. On the first floor, there's a living room with a wood-burning fireplace, a library nook lined with built-in bookshelves, and a dining room paneled with pine from a nearby tavern. Off the dining room, a walk-through pantry leads to the kitchen, which was renovated within the past four years by the current owners. Its counters are made from pumpkin pine. At the back, there's an office and an additional sitting room. The second floor has six bedrooms. The master bedroom adjoins a sitting room with a wood-burning fireplace and a vaulted wood-beamed ceiling. The third floor is set up as a guest quarters or mother-in-law suite, with a bedroom, a kitchenette and a living room. OUTDOOR SPACE: The house is set on nearly 14 acres. The grounds feature a three-tiered Italianate garden, perennial gardens, a spring-fed fountain and a pond at the site of a marble quarry. There are also several marble walkways, walls and a marble-supported pergola. An adjacent undeveloped 24-acre lot is for sale by the same owner for $795,000. CONTACT: Elena M. Atwill, Lang McLaughry Spera, (802) 362-4551 ext. 8020, liondavis.com. WHAT: A two-bedroom, two and a half bath contemporary SIZE: 2,693 square feet SETTING: Venice is a beachfront section of Los Angeles, about 20 miles from downtown. This house is on the corner of a short street about a mile from the Pacific Ocean. The house's neighbors include a boutique graphic design firm, a couple of condominiums, a cafe and a tax preparation office. One block away is a commercial corridor, Abbot Kinney Boulevard, lined with palm trees, restaurants, boutiques and other local businesses. Along the beach, a pedestrian-only promenade attracts a colorful array of characters, including street vendors, palm readers, musicians and roller skaters. INSIDE: The house was designed in 2003 by the architect Mark Mack. The property is zoned for residential and commercial use, and the first floor was designed as flexible space that could function as an office or studio. This level has polished concrete floors and a double-height ceiling. A two-story glass-paneled garage door rolls open to a patio, merging the indoors with the outdoors. The second floor has a kitchen, a dining area and a living room that overlooks the first floor. Both bedrooms are on the third floor, which also has a laundry area. OUTDOOR SPACE: The house has a roof deck with treetop views of the neighborhood. A patio is off the first floor. CONTACT: Tami Pardee, Pardee Properties, (310) 907-6517, pardeeproperties.com. WHAT: A 1929 house with five bedrooms and three and a half baths SIZE: 5,801 square feet (in the main house) SETTING: This house is in Olmos Park, a former suburb enveloped by San Antonio. Most of its upscale residences are single-family houses built in the 1920s, many modeled after English country houses and Tudors, and set on curving streets under canopies of oak trees. The business district, two blocks away, has restaurants, convenience stores, cafes and boutiques. There's a grocery store under a mile away. Downtown San Antonio is about four miles south. INSIDE: The house was built in 1929 and has retained many of its original details, including wood-beamed ceilings, stucco walls and stained-glass windows. It was renovated within the past decade by previous owners. On the first floor, there's an entryway with a checkered marble floor, a living room, a kitchen with a breakfast area, a formal dining room and a family room. The living room has a vaulted ceiling, a slate floor, built-in bookshelves and a fireplace. The family room - added on in the 1980s - has marble floors and opens to the patio. The current owners laid down cherry floors in the kitchen, which is equipped Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances. The downstairs bedroom is part of a suite with a sunroom that overlooks the pool. The remaining four bedrooms are upstairs. The master suite has vaulted 30-foot ceilings, a gas fireplace and French doors that open onto a balcony. It also has a small office in a loft. Separate from the main house, there's a two-bedroom, two-bath guesthouse. OUTDOOR SPACE: Behind the house, there's a patio, a pool and a hot tub. There's also an outdoor kitchen. CONTACT: Mary Carter, Kuper Sotheby's International Realty, (210) 387-4663, marycarterinsanantonio.com.