Hot Property newsletter: Real estate plows through the pandemic

Activities are loosening up around the state and real estate agents report they are back in their cars heading out to preview homes and talk — by phone, anyway — to buyers and sellers. Our snapshot of the celebrity housing market appears to back this up. Among new listers are Tesla honcho Elon Musk, pro golfer Greg Norman and singer Kelly Clarkson. On the buy side, an NBA pro sinks $11.1 million into a newly built home.

Our Home of the Week is a renovated 1930s Spanish Revival-style house in Eagle Rock. Listed at $2.68 million, the 4,157-square-foot two-story features arched doorways, wrought ironwork and a red-tile roof with rolled eaves. Mediterranean landscaping and a saltwater swimming pool give the grounds a classic Southern California feel.

Once you’re done reading about these deals, visit and like our Facebook page, where you can find Hot Property stories and updates throughout the week.

— Neal Leitereg, Jack Flemming and Lauren Beale

That’s a big sell order

Elon Musk has emphatically doubled down on his Twitter promise to “own no house,” listing another five of his California properties himself for a combined $97.5 million.

The five properties — four in Bel-Air and another in Silicon Valley’s pricey Hillsborough neighborhood — follow two other Bel-Air homes that Musk listed for sale in early May for a combined $39.5 million. Like the two homes before it, each of the five properties is listed as “for sale by owner” on Zillow.

Musk confirmed in a recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast that he was selling the homes, telling Rogan that he intends to rent.

The latest homes to hit the market include a modern Westside mansion and three adjacent homes on a nearby cul-de-sac. The Hillsborough estate sits on 47 acres of grounds with hiking trails, formal gardens and a 10-bedroom mansion that dates to 1916.

One man’s trophy …

Two-time British Open champion Greg Norman has listed his trophy ranch in Meeker, Colo., for $40 million.

Called Seven Lakes Ranch, the 11,900-acre property is located in a wilderness area with sweeping valley, river and mountain views. The property, which straddles a section of the White River, includes a massive lodge, cabins, a saloon/dance hall, a shooting range and riding trails.

The 13,907-square-foot lodge, designed in log cabin style, features vaulted ceilings, a rustic bar and eight bedrooms. A two-sided moss rock fireplace bisects the great room, which takes in the scenery through floor-to-ceiling windows. The home theater is equipped with saddle-style seating. A lakeside stone patio extends the living space outdoors.

Norman, 65, won 89 tournaments during his career, including 20 PGA Tour events and two British Open championships. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.

Meanwhile, back at her farmhouse

Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Kelly Clarkson is on the move in Encino, where her home is on the market for $9.995 million.

Mixing farmhouse and contemporary styles, the roughly 9,800-square-foot mansion is clad in distressed wood siding and a metal roof. Features include a wine cellar, a theater, eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.

The house, built in 2018, sits on about half an acre with a covered patio, a swimming pool and a sunken lounge.

Clarkson, 38, became a sensation in 2002 when she won the inaugural season of “American Idol.” Since then, she has gone on to release eight studio albums, including the Grammy-winning “Breakaway” (2006) and “Stronger” (2011).

Chris Paul is back in L.A.

Former Clippers star Chris Paul has bought a newly built home in Encino for a little over $11.1 million.

Details on the estate, which was sold off-market, are scant, but building records reveal the property includes a two-story main residence and a matching guest house. The two farmhouse-inspired structures combine for more than 12,000 square feet of living space. There’s also an attached five-car garage.

The estate sits behind gates on more than an acre with a swimming pool and a cabana. There’s also a sports court.

Paul, 35, is a 10-time all-star. He was traded by the Clippers to the Houston Rockets in 2017 and to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019.

A high spot in the low desert

Palm Springs just saw its highest priced sale of the year. Rancho Autry, an impressive estate once owned by late cowboy crooner Gene Autry, recently traded hands for $7 million.

Set on an acre and a half in Old Las Palmas, the gated mansion spans 13,400 square feet and also includes a guest apartment, a tennis court and a glass mosaic swimming pool set among gardens, palm trees and drought-tolerant landscaping.

Entered via porte-cochere, the 1920s main home contains seven bedrooms, 7.5 bathrooms and five fireplaces.

Autry, who died in 1998 at 91, had a television show bearing his name from 1950 to 1956 and was in scores of films. His signature song, “Back in the Saddle Again,” became the theme song for his radio show, which ran from 1940 to 1956. His biggest hit song was “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

From the archives

Ten years ago, bestselling novelist Anne Rice took time out to chat with Hot Property. We wrote: “If Anne Rice can sell 100 million copies of her books, she should have no trouble with her residence in Rancho Mirage, recently listed for $3.3 million. ‘The house has been a marvelous place to write, to entertain, to do interviews, and many reporters and camera crews have been in and out for various programs,’ Rice said.” She worked on “Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana,” the thriller “Angel Time” and a spiritual memoir, “Called Out of Darkness,” at the location. Among amenities she added was air conditioning in the garage.

Twenty years ago, actress Sharon Stone sold a Los Angeles home off Mulholland Drive for $618,000. The one-bedroom house with a convertible den had 1,900 square feet of living space, glass walls and city and mountain views. Locals will understand the headline: “She’s Taking the Mulholland Exit.”

Thirty years ago, actress Roseanne Barr of the sitcom “Roseanne” purchased a Tudor-style home on about an acre in Brentwood in the $3-million range. The two-story, four-bedroom house sat behind gates with a guest house and a tennis court.

What we’re reading

If you expected to see what Michael Jordan’s house looks like in the ESPN documentary “The Last Dance,” you were disappointed, reports NBC Sports. The basketball legend was interviewed for the series in three houses, but none of them was his.

One unexpected thing that turns off potential home buyers? Apartment Therapy pegs it as artificial scents or air fresheners. Although we agree plug-ins can be a turn off, there’s nothing like a pandemic to keep buyers looking via virtual open houses and avoiding the issue altogether.

We’ll be watching for how COVID-19 changes home design. For now, the retail sector is focusing on doorknobs. Among innovations, reports NBC News, are handles that allow people to open doors with a forearm rather than a hand.