Welcome to Hot Property
Welcome to the first edition of our weekly newsletter peek into the world of celebrity and luxury real estate. We’ll bring you the juiciest tidbits of the week from Hot Property and tell you what grabbed our attention from around the Internet. – Lauren Beale and Neal J. Leitereg
Top dollar
Records are made to be broken – especially where Kobe Bryant is concerned. The Los Angeles Lakers guard’s recent $6,116,500 sale of his 8,741-square-foot Mediterranean home in the O.C.’s Pelican Ridge scored the highest price ever paid for a home in the Newport Coast enclave.
The luxury real estate market is super hot right now: Joshua Gomez of “Chuck” fame sold his Harry Gesner-designed Triangle House in Tarzana for 35% above its asking price.
To draw top dollar, savvy agents sometimes create demand and fuel overbidding by setting a deadline for all offers. That’s what happened with the longtime home of the late comic Sid Caesar. Even with dated interiors and deferred maintenance, the place went for $1.25 million over it’s $4.25-million list price.
Over-the-top amenities
Best in show may be how best to describe Denise Richards’ Hidden Hills home. The renovated Traditional, which listed this week for $7.749 million, counts a dog hotel for rescued pups among its many features. The swimming pool – with its grotto, waterfalls and beach entry – is a showstopper too.
They do things bigger in Texas. Just take a look at Troy Aikman’s massive his and hers walk-in closets at his Dallas-area estate, which sold for $5.4 million.
A glass-enclosed trophy room worthy of the highlight reel is the centerpiece of a lounge area at former Angels outfielder Gary Matthews Jr.’s custom showplace in Corona del Mar.
Making headlines
One lucky real estate agent hit the marketing jackpot when she listed a 4,600-square-foot Calabasas home at the same time Caitlyn Jenner made her debut on the cover of Vanity Fair. The house was once owned by Jenner and then-wife Kris Kardashian.
Neverland was back in the news again. Michael Jackson’s former Los Olivos ranch listed at $100 million, drawing worldwide interest.
And, just in time for the NBA Finals, LeBron James is set to close on his waterfront compound in Coconut Grove, Fla.
What we’re reading
On our eclectic must-read list this week were two stories by Times commercial real estate reporter Roger Vincent. Rick Caruso revealed plans for a luxury resort in Montecito, and the stuffy downtown L.A. office buildings on Bunker Hill are luring tenants with retro-cool interiors and creative workspaces.
Across the country, the SteetEasy blog took us inside the Hamptons party house that Leonardo DiCaprio recently rented for $5,000 a night. The A-list actor gets $4,500 a night for his place in Palm Springs.
What will $500 million buy in an L.A. mansion? Bloomberg details a developer’s plans for a 100,000-square-foot house complete with nightclub, casino, movie theater, bowling, tennis and four swimming pools not to mention the jellyfish tanks and 30-car parking garage.
For more luxury real estate, visit us at the Hot Property blog and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
