Hot Property Newsletter: Two weeks and roughly $11.5 million later
Some sales and asking prices are just head-scratchers. We lead off this collection with a home that sold for a seemingly undervalued price and shortly reappeared on the market for many millions more — closer to what it garnered years earlier. OK, we’re confused. We welcome your theories in the comments section.
Our Home of the Week is set high up in the Bird Streets neighborhood of Hollywood Hills West. The clean-lined contemporary, priced at $10.9 million, makes the most of the city views. A curving roof and bands of clerestory windows bring in natural light.
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
Out for a quick buck?
We’re not sure what to make of this one. Rockstar Energy creator Russell Weiner recently shelled out $16.5 million for a contemporary mansion in L.A.’s Bird Streets area. Then two weeks later, the billionaire put it back on the market for nearly $28 million — roughly $11.5 million more than he paid.
The new price is high but not inconceivable given the property’s history. Three years ago, the showplace went for $27 million.
Built in 2015, the hillside home features grand indoor-outdoor living spaces that open to an infinity-edge swimming pool with sweeping city views. Within the 11,570 square feet of living space are six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. The master suite spans 2,000 square feet.
There’s a designer kitchen with a sizable island, an office, a gym, a massage room and a movie theater.
Weiner, the son of radio host Michael Savage, created Rockstar in 1998. Forbes puts his net worth at $4 billion.
Keeping it in the business
Actress Kirsten Dunst’s charming Toluca Lake home is staying in Hollywood hands. Annie Potts was the buyer of the lakefront abode, which sold for $4.55 million.
A white picket fence surrounds a grassy yard with a fountain in front; out back, a tiered patio descends to a swimming pool and private dock.
The 4,333 square feet of interiors include a living room with a fireplace, a chandelier-topped dining area, a family room and five bedrooms.
Dunst, 37, has scores of credits dating to the 1990s. Her notable roles include “The Virgin Suicides,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Melancholia” and Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” trilogy.
Potts, 66, starred in the original “Ghostbusters” films. More recently, she has appeared on the sitcom “Young Sheldon” and had a voice role in “Toy Story 4.”
More drama in Studio City
British actor Clive Standen, whose recent credits include the NBC action-thriller “Taken,” was the buyer of actress Lucy Hale’s Studio City home, which sold in the summer. The sale price was $2.45 million.
Built in 2004 and extensively updated during Hale’s stay, the hillside three-story features high ceilings, hardwood floors and oversized French doors. There are four bedrooms and four bathrooms within the nearly 3,900 square feet of living space.
Terraces and balconies add to the indoor-outdoor living vibe. A lower level patio holds a saltwater swimming pool and a cabana.
Standen, 38, has had a recurring role on the History channel drama “Vikings” since 2013 and is set to appear in the upcoming NBC drama “Council of Dads.”
Hale, 30, starred in the dramas “Bionic Woman” and “Privileged” before landing her most widely known role as Aria Montgomery in “Pretty Little Liars.”
Jeff Bridges cedes Malibu plot
Academy Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges and his wife, Susan, have sold several parcels of land totaling more than three acres in the hills of Malibu for $850,000.
Perhaps at some point in their nearly 30 years of ownership the couple had plans to build a mountain retreat on the wooded site. No permits or plans were included in the sale, however.
Views take in the surrounding canyon, Santa Monica Bay, the coastline and Santa Catalina Island. Listing photos show a gated driveway, concert pads, trees and succulents.
Bridges, 69, won his Oscar for his performance in the 2009 film “Crazy Heart.” He received nominations for his work in “Hell or High Water” (2016), “True Grit” (2010) and “The Contender” (2000) as well as several other films. He is working on an FX drama pilot titled “The Old Man.”
Ready for a new batter
The bank-owned home of the late Major League Baseball legend Tony Gwynn is on the market in Poway for $1,581,200.
Built in 1991, the Mediterranean-style house in San Diego County sits on close to two acres with a tennis court and swimming pool.
Open plan space and high ceilings bring a cavernous effect to the 7,370 square feet of interiors. There are seven bedrooms and six bathrooms.
Tony Gwynn, who died in 2014 at 54, is considered one of baseball’s top hitters with a career batting average of .338. The former San Diego Padres star and MLB Hall of Famer won the National League batting title eight times.
Receiver snags a buyer
Houston Texans wide receiver Kenny Stills has landed a buyer for his San Marcos residence, selling for $830,000.
Set on a cul-de-sac, the Mediterranean stucco-clad home in San Diego County is topped by a red-tile roof. The 2,551 square feet of interiors include a main level living room, a billiards room and an open dining area.
Three of the four bedrooms are upstairs, including a master suite with a balcony. A patio dining area, lawn, a wet bar and a fire pit complete the yard.
Stills, 27, was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 2013 and traded to the Dolphins two years later. He joined the Texans last month.
From the archives
Ten years ago, model-turned-actress Natasha Henstridge, who starred as the alluring human-alien hybrid Sil and her clone Eve in the sci-fi horror “Species” films, left her Sherman Oaks orbit and sold her 1938 Traditional-style home there for $1.75 million.
Twenty years ago, Villa Maggio, a former home of Frank Sinatra on about six acres near Palm Desert, was on the market at $2.1 million. The compound included a main house, a two-story guest house, a pool house, a pool and a tennis court. The legendary crooner built the 6,500-square-foot home in 1968.
What we’re reading
One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s rare Usonian Automatic-style houses is for sale in Manchester, N.H., reports NHPR.org. The 1955 stacked concrete-block main house of 1,480 square feet and a small outbuilding sit on about three-quarters of an acre. The asking price is $850,000. It is believed to be one of just seven such Wright homes in the United States.
HouseBeautiful.com spotted a $74-a-night Airbnb rental on a working alpaca farm and organic almond ranch in Paso Robles, Calif. The private room sleeps two. As well as alpacas, the ranch has horses, chickens, dogs and cats that can all be visited and fed.
