Hot Property newsletter: A cross-country real estate trek
We’re touring a southern swath of the nation this week, with stops in Houston and Miami. Our road trip starts in Bel-Air, where a stand-up stands down and pockets a $3.5-million payday.
Our Home of the Week is a Midcentury Modern house in Bel-Air. Inspired by travels to Japan, architect Tracy Price designed the residence in 1964 with an emphasis on minimalism and tranquility. The $3.495-million home features walls of glass, a massive stone-clad fireplace and a courtyard.
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.
— Jack Flemming and Lauren Beale
Comic’s $3.5-million exit line
Comedian Kathy Griffin is laughing all the way to the bank in Bel-Air, where she just sold her Mediterranean-style mansion for $14.01 million. That’s $3.5 million more than she paid for the property four years ago.
The gated two-story home contains expansive living spaces, a billiards room, a movie theater, a wine cellar, eight bedrooms and 12 bathrooms within 13,400 square feet.
A 1,100-square-foot balcony off the main bedroom suite takes in sweeping mountain views and overlooks the backyard infinity pool.
Griffin won a pair of Emmys for her Bravo reality show “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.” The 60-year-old has released more than 20 stand-up specials including 2019’s “A Hell of a Story.”
Chris Paul lobs it in Houston
About a year and a half after the Rockets traded him away, basketball star Chris Paul has wrapped up his business in Houston, selling his modern mansion. The sale price was not disclosed, but records show it was most recently offered at $7.2 million.
Clad in limestone and glass, the house is approached by a courtyard complete with olive trees and a koi pond.
A double-sided marble fireplace separates the living room and dining area. Other highlights include a library, an office, a game room, a 750-bottle wine cellar and a 2,000-square-foot movie theater installed during Paul’s stay. Five bedrooms and nine bathrooms complete the 10,000-square-foot home.
Paul, 35, began his career with the Charlotte Hornets before a six-year stint with the Clippers. The 10-time All-Star now plays for the Phoenix Suns.
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Moving on from his own makeover
Home improvement show host and carpenter Ty Pennington is offering up a house of his own. His remodeled spot in Venice just came to market for $2.8 million. Records show he bought the property for $1.11 million in 2004.
Pennington, who found fame on “Trading Spaces,” put plenty of work into the house during his 16-year stay. He added bamboo floors in the living spaces, concrete countertops in the kitchen and a wraparound porch lined with porcelain tile.
Billed as a “contemporary Craftsman,” the 2,100-square-foot floor plan features a living room with a decorative fireplace and a sunken family room overlooking the backyard — a landscaped space complete with a dining patio and koi pond.
Pennington, 56, won two Primetime Emmys for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” which ran from 2003 to 2012.
Cher’s old place proves a draw
A palatial Miami Beach estate once owned by pop icon Cher has sold for $17 million.
Spanning two-thirds of an acre, the 11,500-square-foot waterfront mansion opens to a palm-topped backyard with a lap pool and dock.
Dual staircases wrap around the dramatic foyer. Other highlights include a game room, a chandelier-topped dining room, a wet bar, a gym, an office and a living room with views of the water. Six bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms complete the three-story floor plan.
Cher, 74, gained popularity in the folk-rock duo Sonny & Cher with the hit song “I Got You Babe” in the 1960s. The singer-actress has won a Grammy, an Emmy, an Oscar and three Golden Globes.
From the archives
Thirty years ago, rock star Rod Stewart put his longtime Holmby Hills home on the market at $14.5 million. The two-story Mediterranean-style mansion featured a bedroom suite with two fireplaces, a ballroom with 50-foot ceilings and a minstrel gallery.
Twenty years ago, New York-based rap mogul Sean “Puffy” Combs leased out his California home for a year at $25,000 a month. He had bought the newly built house in the Beverly Hills area for about $3 million, but never moved in.
Ten years ago, Lisa Marie Presley sold a three-acre compound in gated Hidden Hills for $5 million. A five-bedroom main house, a single-bedroom guesthouse, a studio with a sound booth and a second-story guest unit, and a three-stall barn with a bedroom totaled about 8,000 square feet of living space.
What we’re reading
A historical plaque marking the Cleveland birthplace of John Heisman of football trophy fame is being moved to its rightful spot. Apparently the marker has been parked in error in front of another house down the street for 42 years, reports ABC News 5 Cleveland.
The California Department of Parks and Recreation has long offered housing at below-market rents close to the natural treasures that staff members protect or maintain. But the program has been poorly managed, with current and former employees alleging that state property is being used to benefit favored staff members, according to a Los Angeles Times investigation. The department’s nearly 500 occupied state-owned houses, mobile homes, dorms and trailers rent — on average — for $215 a month.
This bedroom before and after featured at Apartment Therapy went from 1990s blech to Boho chic. The 10-by-10 room says goodbye to beige walls and hello to white. A neutral rug and sheepskins now cover the green carpet. And there’s nothing like a little wainscoting to class up a joint. Well done!
