Celebrity homes priced to sell during the holiday crush
Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, but there are still a few discounts to be had.
In Montecito, Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi appear to have lowered expectations on their Italian villa-style home.
Originally offered at $45 million, the romantic weekend retreat and its centerpiece Wallace Frost-designed stone house is now listed for $39.5 million — a roughly 12% reduction.
The 16.88-acre estate, which includes a sunken tennis court, badminton court and an indoor-outdoor pool house, has been on and off the market since March. Suzanne Perkins of Sotheby’s International Realty holds the listing.
Taraji P. Henson, who stars as the hustling Cookie Lyon on “Empire,” is now playing the part of motivated seller. Since re-listing her Hollywood Hills home in September, the actress has made two downward price adjustments totaling $177,000.
Now for sale at $2.498 million, the Moorish-vibe contemporary features ornate woodwork, an updated kitchen and more than 4,100 square feet of interior space. Vanessa Blair of John Aaroe Group is the listing agent.
Perhaps Adam Levine has grown restless on the Westside. The Maroon 5 frontman and singing competition judge and his wife, model Behati Prinsloo, have listed two homes for sale this week, including their gated residence in Beverly Crest.
Set on 3.6 acres of grounds, the contemporary estate was on the market last year for $17.5 million but is now being shopped for $15.9 million — a reduction of more than 9%.
Listed with Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency, the renovated home counts open-plan living spaces, walls of glass and a sports court among its features. There are five bedrooms and seven bathrooms within 7,100 square feet of interiors.
Levine’s other home in Holmby Hills, which he bought just four months ago, is listed for $18.9 million.
You might say Kathy Griffin is now a cut above her celebrity counterparts. The actress and comedian finally unloaded her home in the Hollywood Hills, but not without a few price chops along the way.
The contemporary-style house, built in 2003, debuted on market a year ago for $5.495 million, was re-listed in July at $4.995 million and in August price-chopped again by $245,000. It ultimately sold for a shade above $4.492 million, or about 18% less than the original asking price.
Steve Frankel and Andrew Vargas of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage were the listing agents.
Whipping up interest in Coachella Valley
Gerald Casale of Devo fame has listed his home in Palm Desert for sale at $1.495 million.
Set on about half an acre of grounds, the well-preserved midcentury home was designed and built in 1963 by architectural firm Patten and Wild.
Fronted by desert landscaping and a wall of textile blocks, the broad single-story house features slate and cork floors, high ceilings and a centerpiece, split-rock fireplace in the living room. Floor-to-ceiling windows take in views of Mt. Eisenhower.
Chef’s and prep kitchens, a dining room, an office, four bedrooms and four bathrooms lie within more than 3,200 square feet of living space. In one of the bathrooms, a period glass-block wall serves as the backdrop for a Japanese-style soaking tub.
Patios, succulent gardens, a fire pit and a swimming pool make up the backyard.
Casale has a history when it comes to midcentury homes. Two years ago, the Devo founding member sold the Richard Neutra-designed Kuns Residence in Hollywood Hills West, which he spent seven years restoring.
The 69-year-old singer and bass guitarist co-wrote much of the new wave band’s material, including the hit song “Whip It.” He turned his own design talents to helping create the band’s energy dome hats and radiation suits. He has scores of television and film soundtrack credits.
Casale bought the Palm Desert residence in 2005 for $1.2 million, public records show.
Rick Grahn of Deasy/Penner & Partners and Gregg Fletcher and Richard Bartholomew of the Agency are the co-listing agents.
Parting on the right note
Singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield has produced a hit in the housing market, selling her home in Los Feliz’s gated Laughlin Park community for $4.2 million.
Built in 1953, the two-story house has been extensively remodeled and has five bedrooms, five bathrooms and nearly 4,800 square feet of living space. Contemporary fixtures and wood-framed doors and windows are among appointments of note. Second- and third-floor balconies take in views of the cityscape, mountains and Griffith Observatory.
The multilevel floor plan includes open-plan living areas, an updated kitchen, a gym and a den/office. There are upper and lower master suites, and a home theater features automated shades and a wet bar.
Outdoors, tiered grounds contain a blue-tiled swimming pool with a waterfall feature. Elsewhere on the property is a three-car garage.
Bedingfield, 35, bought the estate eight years ago for $2.3 million, public records show. In recent years she offered the home for lease at $18,000 a month.
The English pop singer’s albums include “Unwritten” and “Pocketful of Sunshine.”
Andrew Mortaza and Bryan Castaneda of the Agency had the listing. Maria de Luna of Koch Properties represented the buyer.
His Camelot for a pretty penny
Oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens’ 65,000-acre ranch in the Texas panhandle, which he’s been assembling piece by piece since 1971, is on the market for a whopping $250 million.
Spanning more than 100 miles, the property known as the Mesa Vista Ranch combines homes, lodges and luxury amenities with plains, man-made lakes and what Pickens describes as “the world’s best quail hunting.”
There are four homes on site; the biggest, a 33,000-square-foot lodge, sits in a tree-covered area and has a tennis court and golf course.
White oak hardwood and stone floors line the entrance of the lodge, which opens through arched doorways in the living spaces. Five bedrooms are spread across the interior, which also holds a library with a spiral staircase and a wine cellar.
The 12,000-square-foot “Lake House,” finished in 2008, features a cave stone exterior. The front entry, a metal door with stained-glass inserts, was salvaged from a home once owned by Bing Crosby.
Other structures include the 6,000-square-foot “family house” and the 1,700-square-foot gatehouse. For pets, a kennel complete with a veterinary lab and exercise area can house 40 dogs.
Elsewhere are a two-story pub, a chapel and 20 man-made lakes. A private airport complete with a runway tarmac allows for quick access to air travel.
Sam Middleton of Chas. S. Middleton and Son and Monte Lyons of Hall and Hall hold the listing.
Pickens said in a statement that “selling the ranch is the prudent thing for an 89-year-old man to do.”
The businessman rose to prominence after founding Mesa Petroleum in 1956, and he developed a reputation as a corporate raider in the 1980s after attempted buyouts of Gulf Oil, Phillips Petroleum and Unocal. He’s the chairman of hedge fund BP Capital Management.
Twitter: @LATHotProperty
