Hot Property: Dodgers star Mookie Betts swings on an Encino mansion
Fresh off a World Series victory, Dodgers star Mookie Betts is treating himself to a new house. The four-time All-Star recently dropped $7.6 million on an Encino mansion owned by UCLA football coach Chip Kelly, according to a person not authorized to discuss the sale.
It’s a nice profit for Kelly, who paid $7 million for the home two years ago, records show.
Betts will have a bit of a commute to work, as the property is about 20 miles from Dodger Stadium. Earlier this year, the outfielder inked a massive 12-year extension with the team worth $365 million — the largest contract in Dodgers history, and one that’ll keep him in Los Angeles until 2032.
The house spans about 9,300 square feet on a long, thin lot, with nine bedrooms and 10 bathrooms across two stories. A motor court with two garages approaches the crisp black-and-white exterior.
A two-story foyer with herringbone floors and a sweeping staircase sets a dramatic tone, while living spaces display a modern farmhouse style. Highlights include a chandelier-topped dining room, marble kitchen, indoor-outdoor living room, movie theater and walk-in wine closet with a candy machine outside.
Upstairs, a striking black fireplace runs floor-to-ceiling in the owner’s suite, and an office extends to a balcony overlooking the grounds.
Out back, a cabana with a TV adjoins a custom swimming pool with a spa and a nearby conversation pit. A guesthouse and sports court complete the property.
The listing was held by Craig Knizek, Matt Klein and Maya Librush of the Agency, according to the person not authorized to comment. Carl Gambino of Compass represented Betts, that person said. The agents on both sides declined to comment.
Betts, 28, was drafted by the Red Sox in 2011 and spent six seasons with the team, including a historic 2018 campaign in which he became the first MLB player in history to win MVP, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, the batting title and a World Series championship in the same season. He was dealt to the Dodgers in 2020 and helped the team win its first World Series title in 32 years, defeating the Rays in six games.
Ellen sells yet another estate
Two of Southern California’s most prolific house flippers are also two of the most famous: Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi. A year after paying $27 million for a Montecito compound, the power couple have sold it for $33.3 million.
They listed the scenic spread for $39.9 million in October and found a buyer a few weeks later, records show.
The Bali-inspired estate sprawls across nine acres with a backdrop of mountains and the ocean below. Combining three parcels, it has a stylish low-slung home, a spacious guesthouse, security office, cabana, gym, pond, pickleball court and an infinity pool overlooking the Pacific.
During their stay, DeGeneres and De Rossi renovated the home, which is approached by a courtyard entry lined with koi ponds. Inside, voluminous spaces offer an eye-catching design palette of warm wood, marble, tile and glass.
Four bedrooms and 10 bathrooms are spread across 10,674 square feet, as well as a library, chef’s kitchen and dramatic great room. Walls of glass open to covered lounges and dining patios along the back side of the home. Beyond that, rolling lawns, exotic gardens and sculptures dot the grounds.
DeGeneres, 62, has won multiple Emmys for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” which premiered in 2003. She has also hosted the Grammys, the Academy Awards and the NBC game show “Ellen’s Game of Games,” which is currently airing its fourth season.
De Rossi, 47, has appeared on such television shows as the legal drama “Ally McBeal” and the sitcoms “Arrested Development” and “Better Off Ted.” More recently, she played Chairwoman Elizabeth North on the ABC show “Scandal.”
Riskin Partners Group, a division of Village Properties, handled both ends of the deal.
Reality star flips in Hidden Hills
Scott Disick has wrapped up a sale in Hidden Hills, the guard-gated community that many of his “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” castmates call home. Records show the TV personality sold his remodeled farmhouse in the neighborhood for $5.6 million.
That’s $1.29 million less than he was originally asking, but still about $2.7 million more than he paid for it two years ago. The sale is more or less a house flip for Disick, who transformed the home from a traditional-style space into a modern farmhouse during his short stay.
Hidden Hills is known for its large lots, and this one comes in at 1.33 acres. White panels and rustic wood cover the exterior, and a 10-foot glass pivoting door opens to the 5,663-square-foot floor plan.
Inside, a vast open floor plan lined with hardwood combines a marble kitchen, indoor-outdoor dining area, living room with a fireplace and wine closet. There are primary suites on both levels; the lower-level one opens directly to the backyard, and the upper-level one boasts a sitting room and spa bathroom with a steam shower.
A reclaimed-wood pavilion connects the house to the private backyard, where grassy lawns surround a zero-edge pool, spa and gas fire pit.
Kozet Luciano and Andre Manoukian of the Agency held the listing. Steven Moritz of Sotheby’s International Realty and Margie Markus of Coldwell Banker Realty represented the buyer.
Disick is best known for his former relationship with Kourtney Kardashian and his appearances on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” He previously appeared in his own series called “Lord Disick: Lifestyles of a Lord,” as well as the real estate show “Flip It Like Disick.”
Film producer’s compound closes
In Bel-Air, a French-inspired estate once owned by Hal Gaba — the late producer behind Concord Records and Village Roadshow Pictures — sold for $18 million.
Gaba, who died in 2009, also founded media company Act III Communications and enjoyed a longtime partnership with sitcom creator Norman Lear. The property has been waffling on and off the market in the decade since, most recently listing at $26.5 million, records show.
The pedigreed property spans five acres above Stone Canyon Reservoir. Combining two parcels, it includes a mansion and two guesthouses that total 15,360 square feet, as well as a tennis court, swimming pool and cabana surrounded by manicured lawns, gardens and pathways.
Approached by a dramatic courtyard with hedges, the main residence is designed for entertaining. Grand public spaces include an elegant living room, formal dining room, wood-paneled library, movie theater and rotunda with chandelier.
Five bedrooms and six bathrooms complete the floor plan. A loggia lines the back side of the home, descending to the pool and spa. Throughout the property, secluded nooks unfold to views of the sweeping landscape below.
Susan Perryman of Hilton & Hyland held the listing with Branden and Rayni Williams of Beverly Hills Estates. Mia Trudeau, also with Hilton & Hyland, represented the buyer.
Gaba served as president and chief executive of Act III Communications and was also co-chairman of Village Roadshow Pictures, the film production company responsible for hits such as “The Matrix,” “Ocean’s 11,” “The Lego Movie” and “The Joker.”
Leafy retreat lands a buyer
After nearly a half-century in Hollywood Hills, writer-producer David Giler just sold his English country-style retreat for $2 million.
Giler, who’s best known for producing the “Alien” franchise, has owned the home since the early 1970s, records show. He listed it for $2.195 million in August.
The house has its charms, boasting lattice windows and a design palette of wood, brick and tile across a single story. But the real highlight is out back, where there’s a giant landscaped patio made for entertaining.
Every single common room extends to the outdoor space. There’s a kidney-shaped saltwater swimming pool, spa, dining pergola lined with ivy and bohemian-style lanai with room for 15 people.
Beamed ceilings top a living room, and other spaces include a country kitchen with blue tile and a billiards room with a wet bar and bay window. Three bedrooms and two bathrooms complete the 2,500-square-foot floor plan; the primary suite features a sauna, and the guest bedrooms open to a courtyard with a fountain.
Juliette Hohnen and Annie Stewart of Douglas Elliman hold the listing. Kennon Earl of Compass represented the buyer.
In addition to the “Alien” films, Giler wrote the comedies “The Black Bird” and “Fun With Dick and Jane” and produced the 2012 Ridley Scott sci-fi horror flick “Prometheus.”
