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Newsletter: Hot Property: Intriguing amenities

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Just when you think you’ve seen it all... Although we doubt any of these creature comforts will become as prevalent as the ubiquitous man cave, some uncommon features have caught our imagination lately.

Cool, quaint or impractical, here are some recent favorites.

– Lauren Beale and Neal J. Leitereg

Get out

Former L.A. Clipper and L.A. Laker Jordan Farmar has yet to reach the ripe age of 30 and yet he just sold one of the most tricked-out homes we’ve ever seen.

Jordan Farmar has sold his Spanish-style home in Tarzana for $2.8 million. (Shooting LA)

Just for starters there’s a hookah lounge, a hidden hallway, a custom wall aquarium, a saltwater wave pool with a beach entry and fully loaded dog house/washing station/turf run. A buyer snatched up the Tarzana dream house for $2.8 million.

Magically delicious

Two small islands were part of the package at the longtime retreat that actress Maureen O’Hara sold in County Cork, Ireland, for an estimated $1.8 million.

But writing about the 35-acre coastline property from the real estate brochure practically required an English-Irish dictionary to decipher all the charm points. Not included in the asking price: “the chattels within the house.”

The longtime home of Maureen O'Hara has sold in County Cork, Ireland, in the $1.8-million range. The exact price was not released. (Sherry FitzGerald / Christie's International Real Estate)

Also of note: “The property is fully alarmed.” But you’ll have to click into the item if you want to know what "ladies walks” are.

I've got a secret ... tunnel

Although the $100-million home sale mark has yet to be exceeded in the Los Angeles luxury market, that hasn’t stopped folks from pricing in this sphere.

It’s the brass ring, or make that platinum ring, that top agents and their wealthy owner clients are striving to achieve.

A rendering shows the first of three estates planned for Park Bel Air. (Domvs London)

The yet-to-be-built Estate 2 at Park Bel Air is being marketed for about $115 million. Some $45 million is for the 3-acre lot, the rest for the 55,000 square feet of mansion and guesthouse. Plans are approved for a now perhaps not-so-secret tunnel connecting the structures.

Royal lineage

Perhaps we stretch a bit to include history as a feature, but the Surrey house used to portray the home of actress Maggie Smith’s character on “Downton Abbey” has it in spades.

The estate used on "Downton Abbey" to portray the home of Maggie Smith’s character, Lady Violet Crawley, has sold in Surrey, England. (Savills | Inset: Nick Briggs / PBS)

The 19-acre Byfleet Manor estate dates to the 7th century and has been owned or used by royals such as Kings Edward I and II, Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth I. The so-called Dower House, built in 1686, sold along with several adjacent properties for nearly $9 million.

Musical chairs

While we’re delving into the past: Rehearsal studios and a concert-lecture room that have seen the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Barbra Streisand and Josh Groban are the claim to fame of this Beverly Hills home.

The live-work residence of voice coach Seth Riggs is for sale in Hancock Park at $3.995 million, but who can put a price on musical pedigree?

Vocal coach Seth Riggs has listed his Hancock Park home for sale. (Sean Garrison / Shooting LA)

Celebrity fishbowl

Excuse the hyperbole, but you might say celebrities are running circles around this lease property in Beverly Hills. The unusual curving glass house designed by Ed Niles has become a short-term magnet for A-listers and athletes since selling last year for $10.5 million.

Offered for $59,000 a month for long-term lease or an unspecified amount for short-term stays, the house has been occupied by pop star Justin Bieber and hip-hop artist Meek Mill.

More recently, NBA players and twin brothers Markieff and Marcus Morris leased the steel-ribbed fishbowl centered on a vast indoor garden for six days before the start of training camp.

The circular glass house in Beverly Hills offered for short- and long-term lease has drawn celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Markieff and Marcus Morris. (Nick Springett | Inset: Getty Images)

Sand trap with a breeze

Sand and water, a scourge to amateur and professional golfers alike, are stand-out features at the new home of PGA golfer Dustin Johnson.

Johnson, who is engaged to Paulina Gretzky, daughter of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, recently paid $4.95 million for a waterfront home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., that has, among other things, an island.

Dustin Johnson has paid $4.95 million for a waterfront home with a small private island in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (Redfin | Inset: Getty Images)

Two boat docks, a covered patio and a swimming pool with a waterfall and grotto round out this hole-in-one home.

An idea that’s overdue

The home of sustainable living author and dime store heiress Priscilla Woolworth is for sale in Valley Glen at $1.45 million. You’re expecting a gush about the solar power, the drought-tolerant yard or the pesticide-free gardens?

Priscilla Woolworth has put her Spanish-style home in Valley Glen on the market. (Jeffrey Ong / PostRain Productions)

What stopped us in our tracks was the lending library she has set up at the street. How sweet is that?

Dusting off the archives

Actors Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt listed their Beverly Hills estate for sale at $28 million a decade ago as part of their highly publicized breakup. The stainless-steel kitchen was already in vogue then, and the home’s screening room boasted black leather seating.

Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar parted with his longtime retreat in Kauai 20 years ago for about $2 million. A breezeway connected the two houses on the property, which included orchards.

What we’re reading

Think Los Angeles-area real estate prices are out of control? How about median home prices above $1 million? Welcome to Berkeley and environs where median prices are hitting all-time highs, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

For more luxury real estate, visit us at the Hot Property blog and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

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