Hot Property: ‘Thor’s’ Chris Hemsworth keeps the myth alive in Malibu
Bicoastal actors Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky, who call Australia home, have swung a pair of deals in Malibu, selling their house for $7 million and buying another property nearby for $3.45 million.
On the sale side, the couple saw a solid return on investment in the deal for their Point Dume-area home. The renovated Victorian formerly owned by fellow Australian Paul Hogan and Linda Kozlowski fetched $500,000 over the asking price, or $2.2 million more than what Hemsworth and Pataky paid for it three years ago: $4.8 million.
Set behind gates on a full acre, the 6,800-square-foot home has an updated kitchen, a library and an atrium. Front-facing windows and wide verandas take in ocean views.
Five bedrooms and six bathrooms reside on three floors. A three-car garage has been outfitted as a home gym.
As for their new residence, it’s a different vibe and a smaller size than their previous address.
The 4,600-square-foot contemporary, built in 1979, is boxy with tall ceilings and long windows and doors. Rooms open to views of the mountains and ocean.
A decked-out kitchen features commercial-grade appliances, quartz counters and a 750-bottle refrigerated wine cellar. The open-plan space has a home theater/family room, four bedrooms and polished concrete floors that open to a deck with a glass fireplace.
Terraced gardens, mature trees and a greenhouse make up the grounds.
Hemsworth, 32, plays the mythological superhero Thor in the Marvel films and will star in “Thor: Ragnarok” next year.
Pataky, 39, was in last year’s “Furious 7” as well as the two previous installments of the “Fast & Furious” franchise.
Shen Schulz of Sotheby’s International Realty was the listing agent. Ryan Davis of John Aaroe Group represented the couple in the purchase. Davis was also the listing agent for the Point Dume property; Chris Cortazzo of Coldwell Banker repped the buyer.
Presidential pad is priced down
A San Clemente estate that became known as the Western White House during Richard M. Nixon‘s presidency has come back up for sale at $69 million, down from $75 million last year.
Called La Casa Pacifica when Nixon took ownership in 1969, the sprawling 5.45-acre compound occupies an ocean bluff in a gated enclave. While the 37th U.S. president lived there, he replaced an existing tennis court with a swimming pool and built a 1,500-foot-long wall to enclose the property.
The California Colonial Revival main house, built in 1926, spans about 9,000 square feet with tile and hardwood flooring, arched doorways and detailed groin-vaulted ceilings. Many of the main rooms open to a center courtyard with a tiled fountain.
Among other features is an ocean-view office used by Nixon and an entertainment pavilion. Including a two-bedroom guesthouse, staff residences and offices, there are about 15,000 square feet of living space, nine bedrooms, nine full bathrooms, a three-quarter bathroom and four powder rooms.
A greenhouse, a pool, a tennis court, formal gardens and expanses of lawn complete the grounds. Views take in Santa Catalina island, the open water and the coastline.
World leaders who visited the property included Japanese Premier Eisaku Sato, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.
Crooner Frank Sinatra, actor John Wayne and the Rev. Billy Graham also made the guest list.
The seller of the oceanfront estate is former Allergan Pharmaceuticals Chief Executive Gavin S. Herbert, who bought the property from Nixon in the 1980s.
Rob Giem of Hom Sotheby’s International Realty is the listing agent.
Actor has a toe in the market
Get out the beach towels. Actor-producer-screenwriter John Cusack has listed his Malibu retreat for sale at $13.5 million or for lease at $75,000 a month.
The Spanish-style home sits along a stretch of sand and has coastline and open-water views.
An entry courtyard leads to the main level of the 4,660-square-foot house that has high ceilings, an open study, a large kitchen and deck space. The master suite has a fireplace, an oversized bathroom, a balcony and office space. The upstairs gym could be converted to a second master or two smaller bedrooms.
The bottom level of the three-story house includes a dry sauna, a bathroom and direct access to the beach.
The house, built in 1974, last sold in 1999 for $2.1 million.
Cusack, 49, gained notice in such 1980s teen films as “Better Off Dead,” “Stand by Me” and “Sixteen Candles.” His more recent work includes starring roles in the 2014 movies “Love & Mercy” and “Drive Hard.”
This year he stars in the sci-fi horror flick “Cell.”
Brant Didden of 4 Malibu Real Estate is the listing agent.
Breaking: He’s in the news
KABC-TV anchor David Ono knows how to follow a story.
He just picked up a home in Toluca Lake for $2.125 million that has an intriguing background. The 1939 estate once belonged to jazz trumpeter Manny Klein, who played with such big-band leaders as Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman. The versatile and technically skilled trumpeter, who died in 1994 at age 86, performed on film soundtracks including “From Here to Eternity” and recorded with the likes of Dean Martin.
Ono bought the gated estate from pop group Karmin members Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan, known for their covers of such popular songs as “Super Bass” and “Party Rock Anthem.”
The English Country-style brick house and detached guesthouse sit on more than half an acre. The 2,378-square-foot main house features a family room with a built-in bar, a vintage kitchen, four bedrooms and three remodeled bathrooms. Restored tile flooring and refinished parquet wood flooring are among the details.
The fully renovated two-story guesthouse contains a soundproofed recording studio within its 2,000 square feet. The one-bedroom, two-bathroom guesthouse has a full kitchen.
Most unusual, the park-like property features a fanciful storefront facade complete with a bank, a store, a cafe, sidewalks, a street sign and street lamps. Behind the facade are a gym, a storage room and a garage.
A 40-foot-long swimming pool, a pool house with a full bathroom, a garden shed, a koi pond, an outdoor barbecue center with dining area, and fruit trees complete the grounds. A circular driveway at the front of the site can accommodate up to 10 vehicles.
The property previously sold three years ago for $1.315 million.
Rodeo Realty agent Allyson Carter has the listing. Rick Chimienti of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties represented Ono.
A place behind gates
Pablo Schreiber, who played a corrections officer in “Orange Is the New Black,” has bought a place in a guarded and gated Topanga community for $317,000. Yes, that’s correct.
Set in a mobile home community, the residence has 1,440 square feet of living space that includes a formal dining room, a breakfast nook, three bedrooms, one full bathroom and one three-quarter bathroom. There are two covered porches and a fenced-in backyard.
Built in 1968 and renovated, the manufactured home has skylights, ceiling fans and a 150-square-foot bonus room.
Neighborhood amenities include a swimming pool, a weight room and a children’s play area.
Schreiber, 37, starred this year in the action film “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.” He also was in last year’s dark comedy “The Brink.”
The property last sold in 2000 for $70,000, public records show.
Tanya Starcevich of Keller Williams was the listing agent. Stan Carlson of Coldwell Banker represented Schreiber.
Twitter: @NJLeitereg
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