Taking an L.A. break
Never one to miss a beat, hip-hop mogul Damon Dash has sold his Benedict Canyon home of five years for $3.6 million.
Turns out Dash and his wife, fashion designer Rachel Roy, hadn’t been using the house much lately. They are based in New York and have been spending most of their time there. They may buy another house in California, however, and when they do, they have indicated it may be at the beach.
The house they sold was built in 1999 and has four bedrooms and seven bathrooms in 5,800 square feet. It is a Spanish villa with Moroccan design touches such as hand-stenciled walls.
A terrace off the living room has city views. The home also has a loggia entry, an eat-in kitchen, a media room, three fireplaces and a pool. The gated estate is reached from a long, private drive.
Dash, 36, was born in New York’s Harlem and in the ‘90s became the hip-hop impresario behind Jay-Z and Kanye West. Dash’s first company was Roc-A-Fella Records; his second, with Jay-Z as his partner, was the B-boy apparel house Rocawear.
Dash and Jay-Z split in 2005, and Dash was reported to have left with an estimated net worth of $50 million. He has since added filmmaking to his entrepreneurial activities.
Brett Lawyer of Sotheby’s International Realty, Sunset, had the listing, and Kelly S. Park of Sherwood Financial & Investments represented the buyers, identified as a wealthy European couple.
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L.A. foothold for soccer’s Leboeuf
David Beckham’s arrival in L.A. has been much heralded, but the British Beckham -- the world’s highest paid soccer star- -- isn’t the only soccer player of renown from across the pond to buy a home this year in Southern California.
Frank Leboeuf, a member of the French national team when it won the World Cup in 1998, just closed escrow on a Craftsman-style home in L.A.’s Miracle Mile area for $979,000, according to public records.
The house, built in 1904, has four bedrooms and 2 1/4 bathrooms, a sunroom, wood floors and air conditioning. The house was recently updated.
Leboeuf, 39, retired from professional soccer but plays for the celebrity team Hollywood United. Leboeuf was a defender on the French national team and played professionally for several clubs, including the English Premier League club Chelsea. On Saturday, Beckham will play his first game for the Galaxy against Chelsea.
Jackie Knoll with Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills South, represented Leboeuf in his purchase. Mimi Starrett and Geoff Clark from Worldwide Inc. had the listing.
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Now reporting from Studio City
Todd Leitz, a familiar voice on L.A. radio who joined the KNX 1070 news team in 1999 as a writer and soon became an anchor, has sold his Sherman Oaks home and bought a larger residence in Studio City for about $1.5 million.
The house he bought has four bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms in close to 4,000 square feet. The house he sold was listed at $829,000.
Leitz won a Golden Mike award in 2005 for best sports feature reporting. He is also the lead singer and harmonica player for the blues-rock group Core, which performs in the L.A. area.
Jennifer Niman had the listing on the 1,900-square-foot, four-bedroom home, and she represented Leitz and his family in buying. Niman is with Prudential John Aaroe Estates, Sherman Oaks.
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Stars come and go, like passing ships
Gavin MacLeod, captain of “The Love Boat,” lived in this ‘60s-style home from 1976 to 2001, and now it’s on the market in Palm Springs at $899,000.
The house has three bedrooms and three bathrooms in 3,300 square feet. There are mountain views, a pool and a spa. The front of the home has a lava rock wall.
The neighborhood, known as Deepwell Estates, also was home at various times to Loretta Young, Carmen Miranda, William Holden, Jack Webb, Eva Gabor, Tippi Hedren and Elizabeth Taylor.
Patrick Jordan and Stewart Smith of Patrick-Stewart Properties have the listing at Windermere Real Estate Coachella Valley, Palm Springs.
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