Newsletter: Hot Property: Is it hot or is it not?
How do we determine what’s a Hot Property? A notable seller or buyer, a jaw-dropping sale price or an intriguing Hollywood history can help a home qualify.
But there’s no scientific formula. Quite simply, we know one when we see one. Here are some that made the grade last week.
– Lauren Beale and Neal J. Leitereg
Extra credit
The Hollywood Hills home of actor-comedian Jonah Hill, recently listed for sale at $2.995 million, was a shoo-in for a couple of reasons.
The popular “Jump Street” actor has tastefully updated the Midcentury compound during his five year tenure. The house was built in 1959 for film and television actress Beverly Garland, known for her work on the sitcom “My Three Sons.” Plus, the story was a scoop.
Jonah Hill has listed his Midcentury compound, originally built in 1959 and updated three years ago, for sale at $2.995 million. (Michael Wells | Inset: Los Angeles Times)
Encore, encore
Serial home remodeler and Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton has been a mainstay of the column for decades. It seems she hasn’t met a house she didn’t want to redo. Her latest, a Pacific Palisades house on the market at $6.995 million, uses subdued tones, rustic accessories and dark wood floors.
Somewhat unusual, however, are the many walls painted with words and letters and the widespread use of signage as artwork. They certainly make a statement.
Diane Keaton has put a Traditional-style home in Pacific Palisades up for sale. (Mark Singer Photography)
Creativity counts
Tech accomplishments also can earn one a spot in Hot Property. Myspace co-creator Chris DeWolfe picked up a nearly 5,000-square-foot Traditional-style house in the Beverly Hills area for $5.5 million. DeWolfe now heads Social Gaming Network.
The estate was once the home of the late television and Broadway producer Michael Filerman. Filerman was known for his work on “Dallas,” “Knots Landing” and “Falcon Crest.”
Myspace co-creator Chris DeWolfe bought a Traditional-style home in the Beverly Hills area. (Marc Angeles)
Childhood homes
A celebrity’s childhood home will sometimes make the cut. The gabled house in which actress Hayden Panettiere grew up is listed at $1.75 million in Palisades, N.Y. The “Nashville” star’s early digs were set on close to an acre in picturesque Snedens Landing, near the Hudson River and not far from New York City.
And the fact that we were offered the exclusive story didn’t hurt.
The childhood home of actress Hayden Panettiere is for sale in Snedens Landing, N.Y. (Robert Socha)
Outside the box
This boxy Malibu house has gained a fame of its own. The glass contemporary was featured on the CBS series “Shark,” which ran from 2006 to 2008, as the home of James Woods’ character. It’s for sale at $1.895 million.
The Malibu home blurs indoor and outdoor spaces with walls of doors and massive windows. (Realtor.com)
Fair weather affair
Winter Olympics star Bode Miller has made a name for himself in cold weather climates, but it’s in Orange County’s Coto de Caza that the gold-medalist skier makes his home.
Set on more than 10 acres with mountain and ocean views, the 8,000-square-foot Tuscan-inspired estate scores points for its wine room, massive kitchen and grounds containing a beach volleyball court. But now he's looking to sell. Price: $4.999 million.
Bode Miller has listed his 10-acre estate in Coto de Caza for $4.999 million. (Redfin | Inset: Getty Images)
On call
His talking points on “The Doctors” may leave some squeamish, but there’s no knocking the scenery at the South Laguna Beach residence of Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, better known as "Dr. Disgusting" on the daytime television show.
Rodriguez is asking $2.649 million for the cantilevered two-story home with raised ceilings, clerestory windows and one sweet ocean view.
Dr. Jorge Rodriguez has put his ocean-view home in Laguna Beach for sale at $2.649 million. (Andrew Bramasco)
Screen time
Matt Kemp may be playing ball in San Diego now, but the former Dodger still attracts attention around these parts.
The All-Star outfielder recently made a change to his own home lineup, selling a loaded desert estate in Paradise Valley, Ariz., for $3.135 million. Among statistics worthy of this box score are the home’s 20 flat-screen televisions in 6,700 square feet of living space.
Matt Kemp sold his desert home, which features 20 flat-screen televisions and a resort-style swimming pool, for $3.135 million. (HIGHRESMEDIA | Inset: Getty Images)
Time capsules
A decade ago, legendary Motown artist Smokey Robinson and his wife, Frances, listed their estate in a gated Chatsworth development at $10.5 million. The singer-songwriter and his interior designer wife planned to build a smaller house in Chatsworth. Their 9,000 square feet of living space was "too much house for us," Frances Robinson said.
Twenty years ago, Cher put a Malibu home on the market at $4.1 million and a nearby lot at $2.5 million. The Oscar-winning actress ("Moonstruck," 1987), then 49, had redesigned and nearly doubled the size of the house to 10,000 square feet. The gated compound has a Southwestern-style exterior.
What we’re reading
The Jersey shore home where Bruce Springsteen wrote the album "Born to Run" is back on the market, reports Newsday. The quaint two-bedroom cottage in Long Branch, N.J., is listed at $299,000.
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