Go-going away from the Valley

Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go’s is going and soon will be gone to her hometown of Austin, Texas, where she has purchased a new home.

Her San Fernando Valley house is on the market at nearly $2.2 million, but the rock group bassist is not averse to returning periodically to L.A. for work or to get what she calls her “Lakers fix.”

“I love L.A.,” she said. “I launched a great career here that spanned 25 years, and most importantly, I found my true love, married him and had a perfect daughter.”

Valentine is making Austin her home base to get away from the “rat race” of Los Angeles, she said.

Her home in the Longridge Estates area of Studio City has five bedrooms and 4 1/2 bathrooms in about 3,700 square feet. The two-story, traditional-style house was built in 1948 but has been updated over the years. The master-bedroom suite has a sitting room, fireplace and deck leading to a grotto pool and spa. The living room has vaulted ceilings, and there is a study as well as a formal dining room and separate nanny quarters. Natural light enters the house through French doors and windows. The grounds are behind gates and the house offers treetop views.

Valentine, now 47, learned to play the bass in four days in 1981 to join the all-female rock ‘n’ roll band. Last fall, she wrote and produced “Light Years,” her first solo album as a singer-guitarist. She also was the co-composer of “Vacation,” a signature song for the Go-Go’s that was used in Michael Moore’s film “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

Allyson Carter and David McCallen of Coldwell Banker, Studio City, have the listing.

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Rapper takes on an urban outlook

Don’t be surprised if you see Lauryn Hill in downtown L.A. The singer, songwriter and rap musician, 31, is leasing space in a 1920s warehouse that has been turned into live-work lofts. The rent is $3,000 a month.

Her unit was completely renovated and has bamboo floors, stainless steel appliances, a granite kitchen, original brick walls, central air and heat plus a 6-foot-long bathtub. The pie-shaped, 1,635-square-foot loft also has seven huge windows and access to a rooftop pool, a sun deck and a workout room. Parking is gated with a controlled access entry.

Hill made her solo debut in 1998 with “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” which won five Grammys, at the time the most awarded to a woman in a single year. Hill made her way onto the music scene with the hip-hop trio the Fugees.

Gil Saraf and Mark Priceman of Coldwell Banker, Encino, handled the lease.

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For this actor, a role as remodeler

Bruce Davison, a character actor who has appeared in films, TV and on Broadway, has listed a Sherman Oaks home that he worked on for 20 years. The asking price is close to $2.3 million.

“It’s handcrafted in many ways,” Davison said. The 4,800-square-foot house, with a private garden entry, is about twice the size it was when he started. The house has six bedrooms, including two master-bedroom suites, and 4 1/2 bathrooms. There are detached guest quarters and an office/gym/playroom next to a sliding glass door that leads to a free-form pool.

The home also has a sauna and includes a tree trunk from the sitcom “Harry and the Hendersons,” in which Davison played George Henderson (1991-93) and directed several episodes. Davison, 60, also appeared in the 2000 movie “X-Men” and its sequel “X2” (2003).

Now it’s on to his next real estate project. “I’m going to start again somewhere else,” he said.

Cissy Wellman of Coldwell Banker, Studio City, and Barry Dantagnan of Coldwell Banker, Sherman Oaks, have the listing.

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A ‘star maker’ called it home

The longtime Beverly Hills home of flamboyant Hollywood personal manager Jay Bernstein, who died April 30 at age 68 after suffering a stroke, is in escrow at just under $3.5 million.

Bernstein was known as “the star maker” for managing the early careers of actresses Farrah Fawcett and Suzanne Somers. As a publicist, he created a stir by insuring Mary Hart’s legs for $1 million each.

He owned the just-listed home for more than 20 years. The Spanish-style estate was built in 1926 and was home in about 1940 to Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. The house has five bedrooms and seven bathrooms in 3,700-plus square feet.

There is an outdoor deck that can accommodate 500 guests. The landscaping is tropical.

Josh Flagg of John Bruce Nelson & Associates has the listing.

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To see previous columns on celebrity realty transactions, go to latimes.com/hotproperty.