Baseball player Coco Crisp takes a swing at selling his desert retreat
Professional baseball player Coco Crisp is ready to play ball for his home in Rancho Mirage. The Oakland A’s outfielder and former World Series champion has put his sports-centric estate in the affluent Coachella Valley community up for sale at $9.995 million.
Crisp, who bought the property three years ago for $7 million, said the home has been a great place to entertain, and one can see why.
The 17,870-square-foot Mediterranean, built in 2008, circles the bases in home amenities with a game room, a home theater with stadium seating and a saltwater aquarium. An eight-sided room holds a wine cellar and tasting room, and there’s an indoor bar.
Formal rooms were designed for large-scale entertaining and have an old-world ambience. Beamed ceilings, massive stone fireplaces and wrought-iron work are among the interior details. A two-story foyer with two sweeping staircases provides a grand entrance.
The master suite has a separate hot tub, a sauna and a pair of palms that sit beneath a skylight in the bathroom. A total of seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms includes a detached guesthouse.
A private lake, a swimming pool with a grotto, various patios and a tennis court fill the roughly 5-acre grounds. And in a nod to America’s favorite pastime, a Wiffle ball field comes complete with a lighted electronic scoreboard.
Rachelle Rosten and Sally Forster Jones of John Aaroe Group hold the listing.
Crisp, a Los Angeles native, is now in his 15th major league season. The 36-year-old has played for Cleveland, Boston, Kansas City and Oakland, winning a championship with the Red Sox in 2007.
His 49 stolen bases in 2011 tied with New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner for the most swipes in the American League that year.
He owns other property in the Bay Area and Riverside County.
Quiet sale is this comic’s relief
Call it another example of misdirection from Sacha Baron Cohen. The unpredictable method actor and his wife, actress Isla Fisher, have sold their home in Hollywood Hills West for $2.5 million in a deal completed off-market.
Built in the late 1950s, the pitched-roof midcentury home was renovated during the couple’s ownership and features beamed ceilings, a river-rock-wall fireplace and a media room/den. Walls of floor-to-ceiling windows take in canyon and mountain views.
An open living room, a dining area, a modern kitchen, four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms lie within more than 2,800 square feet of interiors. French doors off the common areas open to the grounds.
The roughly one-third-acre lot includes a lagoon-style swimming pool, a spa and an outdoor gym.
The house was on the market three years ago with an asking price of $2.595 million and at one point had been leased out at $10,995 a month.
Baron Cohen, 44, gained fame for his portrayal of offbeat characters in such shows and films as “Da Ali G Show” (2000) “Borat” (2006) and “The Dictator” (2012). This year he starred in the action comedy “The Brothers Grimsby.”
Fisher, 40, has film credits that include “Wedding Crashers” “(2005), “Hot Rod” (2007) and “Bachelorette” (2012). She also appeared in the TV comedy “Arrested Development.”
Post-and-beam is ready for production
Film producer Vincent Sieber, whose credits include “The Hive” and the upcoming fantasy flick “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair,” has listed his home in the Nichols Canyon area of Hollywood Hills West for $2.995 million.
Designed by prominent local architect Edward H. Fickett, the 1950s post-and-beam retains its vintage good looks with clean lines, exposed beams and circular wall partitions. Living spaces take in a central atrium and water feature set inside walls of glass.
Within the 3,100 square feet of open space are formal living and dining rooms, a modern chef’s kitchen, four bedrooms and 3.25 bathrooms. A two-sided rock fireplace divides the common areas.
Walls of glass off the dining area and master bedroom open to an outdoor living room and a swimming pool. Adjacent to the pool is a raised deck with a spa and a fire pit. Hedges and mature trees complete the grounds.
Marcie Hartley of Hilton & Hyland, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, holds the listing.
Sieber is the director of the C.S. Lewis Co., a position he has held since 2012. Last year, he launched the L.A.-based production company Midnight Road Entertainment with film executive Kitty Kaletsky and editor John-Michael Powell.
He bought the house five years ago for $1.85 million, property records show.
Market harmony in Hollywood Hills
Dianna Agron of “Glee” fame came out ahead and then some in the recent sale of her Hollywood Hills home. The turreted French Normandy fetched $1.915 million — a 20% markup over Agron’s asking price of $1.595 million.
Built in the 1920s, the hedged and gated residence was renovated during the actress-singer’s ownership and features a charming mix of soft tones, vibrant wall treatments and vintage touches.
Among details of note are a grand living room with barrel-rolled ceilings, an updated kitchen and a master suite complete with black doors and claw-foot soaking tub. A formal dining area, an office, four bedrooms and three bathrooms also lie within the 2,494 square feet of space.
A separate guesthouse with a private deck sits adjacent to the main house. Across the grounds, a raised patio contains a swimming pool and outdoor living and dining areas.
Agron bought the house four years ago for $1.05 million, records show.
Patricia Ruben of Sotheby’s International Realty was the listing agent. Emily Karaszewski, also with Sotheby’s, represented the buyer.
The 30-year-old Agron has television credits that include as “CSI: NY,” “Veronica Mars” and “Heroes.” She has appeared in such films as “I Am Number Four” (2011) and “Zipper” (2015).
NBA great finds Southern comfort
Shaquille O’Neal, man of many nicknames, can now stake claim to a new moniker: The Big Peach.
The retired professional basketball player turned television analyst has bought an estate about 30 miles southeast of Atlanta for $1.15 million.
Found in the McDonough area, the property includes two homes, a three-stall barn and a swimming pool on more than 14 park-like acres. A large workshop is attached to the barn.
The main house, a brick-lined traditional built in 2008, has a two-story foyer, an office and a master suite with two oversized walk-in closets. A 12-seat home theater, a game room and a gym lie within a finished basement level.
Outdoors, across from the swimming pool, the second home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an attached sun porch. The two houses combine for a total of eight bedrooms and 10 bathrooms in more than 7,400 square feet of space.
Rolling lawns and mature trees fill the grounds. A large motor court sits off the entrance to the home.
The property came to market two years ago for $1.275 million, records show. It previously changed hands in 2006 for $439,000.
Ron Chastain of Keller Williams Realty, Atlanta Partners, was the listing agent, according to the Multiple Listing Service. RE/MAX Around Atlanta Partners represented the buyer.
O’Neal, 44, won three consecutive NBA titles with the Lakers from 2000-02 and added a fourth with the Miami Heat in 2006. A 15-time all-star, he retired in 2011 after 19 seasons.
He currently works as an analyst for TNT’s “Inside the NBA” and hosts the podcast “The Big Podcast With Shaq.”
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