Hot Property: Baller home deals
Our jaws are still on the floor over this Chino Hills real estate deal. A mansion there has sold for $5.2 million to a limited liability company whose managing member is none other than a Los Angeles Lakers rookie. The 20-year-old can afford it, however. He’ll reportedly earn $33.4 million over the next four seasons.
For a look inside dancer Val Chmerkovskiy’s WeHo living room, check out our video. Designed to be reminiscent of a New York City loft, his favorite room is anchored by a large, L-shaped sea-blue couch.
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– Neal J. Leitereg and Lauren Beale
Not bad for 20 years old
A limited liability company that lists Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball as its managing member has purchased a three-story mansion in Chino Hills for $5.2 million.
The custom-built, villa-style house is described as “fallen into some disrepair” and “needs a little TLC” in the listing.
Built in 2005, the home has 13,800 square feet of space that includes a formal entry, game and media rooms, a gym, eight bedrooms and 8.75 bathrooms.
The gated estate sits on more than three acres of grounds with a fenced swimming pool and a separate, 1,200-square-foot guesthouse.
Ball, 20, was drafted second overall in June by the Lakers after one season with the UCLA Bruins men’s basketball program.
Hoping she has a rental hit
Singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield is making the airwaves as a landlord. She just listed a Spanish-style house in Hollywood Hills that she owns through a trust for lease at $14,500 a month.
The designer-perfect residence, built in 2000, features panoramic city, hillside and ocean views. The character-filled living room has vintage details, high wood-beam ceilings and a fireplace.
The master suite includes a Juliette balcony and a walk-in closet for a total of three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms within the home’s 3,386 square feet of living space.
Bedingfield, 35, bought the walled property two years ago for $1.65 million. The English pop singer’s albums include “Unwritten” and “Pocketful of Sunshine.”
His sweet spot in San Diego
Former pro pitcher Greg Maddux has found a sweet spot in San Diego for $2.1 million. Title was taken through a limited liability company connected to the athlete.
The four-bedroom contemporary, built in 1965, features an expansive roof deck with views to the ocean. Wood walls accent the exterior, and a glass garage door adds a modern vibe.
The 1,915-square feet of “beach chic” open plan interiors include two family rooms, two master bedrooms and four bathrooms. An upper family room and the master bedroom access the 1,500-square-foot roof lookout.
Maddux, 51, started his Major League Baseball career with the Chicago Cubs in 1986 and capped it with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008. The Golden Glove record holder is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Singer’s signature remains
If there’s a sexier-looking house in all of Arizona, we’d like to see it. A stunning contemporary once owned by soul-soothing recording artist George Benson is on the market in Paradise Valley at $2.85 million.
Set on close to 2.5 acres, the sprawling 6,044-square-foot home includes such amenities as an air-conditioned indoor sports court, a finished basement and a casita with a two-car attached garage. Each of the five bedrooms has its own bathroom for a total of 6.5 bathrooms.
The saltwater swimming pool features a spa with a waterfall. There’s a bar, a built-in barbecue gazebo and a lighted tennis court.
Benson, 74, is a jazz guitarist and singer-songwriter whose music largely centers on love and romance. He has won Grammys for such hit songs as “This Masquerade,” “Give Me the Night” and “On Broadway.”
Cleaning up in Hollywood Hills
Soap opera actor Paul Leyden has sold his sleek bungalow in Hollywood Hills for $1.25 million. He bought the property in 2006 for $865,000.
The midcentury modern-vibe house, built in 1956, has 1,012 square feet of updated chic interiors. If it’s short on square footage, the place makes up for it in style — vaulted beamed ceilings, bright interior walls and an open-plan layout make the space seem larger.
Beyond the two-bedroom, two-bathroom house is a tranquil backyard with a barbecue gazebo, two decks and lawn. Chandeliers hang from a more than 100-year-old oak tree.
Leyden, 44, is known for his decade on “As the World Turns” and two years on “The Young and the Restless.”
A new one for her key ring
Actress Miranda Otto, who appeared in the second and third parts of “The Lord of the Rings” series, got the keys to a house in the Beverly Grove/West Hollywood area for $2.233 million.
Built in 1929, the Spanish-style home has been updated while retaining such character features as arched doorways and high coved ceilings.
The 2,073 square feet of designer-done interiors include three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The master closet, outfitted with built-ins, is practically a room unto itself.
A wall of bamboo creates a shield of privacy at the back and side of the swimming pool area. There’s also an outdoor kitchen and eating area.
His favorite room
When Brooklynite and dancer Val Chmerkovskiy bought his two-bedroom, 1,600-square-foot condo in West Hollywood this year, the “Dancing With the Stars” participant asked his designer to bring in some “great New York vibe.” His living space features black and white prints of New York scenes and a faux brick wall. The open-plan, light-filled space is reminiscent of a Manhattan loft.
From our archives
Ten years ago, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter-guitarist Beck and his wife, actress Marissa Ribisi, paid $7 million for a Los Angeles house built in 1924. There were eight bedrooms, five bathrooms and 5,700 square feet of living space.
Twenty years ago, actor James Garner and his wife, Lois, put their 400-acre Santa Ynez Valley ranch and newly built 8,000-square-foot house on the market at $9.4 million. The heavily wooded ranch included about 22 acres of vineyards.
Thirty years ago, Grayhall, the 39-room mansion owned for years by the first mayor of Beverly Hills and later by actor George Hamilton, came on the market at $6.85-million. The three-story, 13,894-square-foot house had 14 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms and a wood-paneled music room with a hand-painted, coffered ceiling.
What we’re reading
It’s that time of year where homes traditionally take longer to find a buyer, even in a seller’s market. USA Today offers some advice on how to know when to drop your asking price.
Take a look at the massive mansion built by Papa John’s Pizza money, according to Estately.com. CEO John Schnatter owns a 40,000-square-foot castle in Kentucky. Among amenities are a 22-car underground garage and a private golf course. We’re guessing it even comes with extra cheese.
In the Hamptons, J. Crew chairman Mickey Drexler has listed his oceanfront home in Wainscott, N.Y., for $21.5 million, reports Newsday. The two-acre property has 315 feet of beach and a three-bedroom, 3,500-square-foot house.
