Hot Property: Former Neverland ranch for sale at $100 million
The onetime Neverland ranch of the late superstar Michael Jackson outside of Santa Barbara is for sale at $100 million.
Now dubbed Sycamore Valley Ranch, the 2,700-acre spread retains the floral clock, railroad tracks and train station that were installed during Jackson’s ownership. Gone are the amusement park rides, Bubbles the chimp and the circus animals.
The pop icon, who got his start with the Motown family group the Jackson Five, had such hit albums as “Thriller.” He bought the property for $19.5 million in the late 1980s from golf course entrepreneur William Bone.
The ranch later became the scene of police investigations after allegations of child molestation arose. Jackson was charged, tried and acquitted in 2005.
The singer was in default on the loan on the ranch when it was purchased by Colony Capital, a private equity firm headed by Thomas J. Barrack Jr., about six years ago for $22.5million.
The property, in the Santa Ynez Valley community of Los Olivos, centers on a Normandy-style mansion of 12,000 square feet with six bedrooms and staff quarters. A 50-seat theater, a four-bedroom guesthouse and a two-bedroom guesthouse are among nearly two dozen other structures on the estate.
Trails crisscross the site, and thousands of oak trees dot the landscape. A swimming pool and sports courts are also on the grounds.
Potential buyers have been asking to see the property, but not just any billionaire is being allowed in.
“We’re going to be very particular,” said Jeffrey Hyland of Christie’s affiliate Hilton & Hyland, which shares the listing with Sotheby’s International Realty’s Suzanne Perkins and Harry Kolb. “In this case, we’ll only show to those who are super-qualified and that we know have a definite interest in buying.”
Crooner built retreat his way
An estate built for legendary singer and actor Frank Sinatra on a granite plateau in the mountains above Palm Desert is for sale at $3.95 million.
Christened Villa Maggio by the Oscar winner as a nod to the character he played in “From Here to Eternity,” the hideaway is reached by way of a gated road or by air. A private helipad on the property can be used to shuttle guests in and out by helicopter.
Sinatra had the retreat built for him in 1967 with privacy and entertaining in mind. The compound would become his personal sanctuary for a dozen years.
Members of his inner circle of Hollywood friends known as the Rat Pack, other celebrities and dignitaries were among the many visitors he hosted.
Set on five acres at an elevation of 4,300 feet, the hideout has sweeping views of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley.
The rustic main lodge, made of wood and local stone, features multiple viewing decks and five stone fireplaces. Two kitchens, dining and living rooms, a den, five bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms are among the living spaces.
The two-story guesthouse is largely self-sufficient with its own generator, a water tower and a well. There’s a small kitchen, a bathroom, a stone fireplace and a viewing deck.
The pool house contains a stone fireplace, two bathrooms, a mini-kitchen and two saunas.
The three structures have a total of 6,428 square feet of living space that the current owners have worked to maintain in near-original condition.
Outdoor amenities include a lighted swimming pool and spa, a lighted tennis/basketball court and a large patio with a fire pit off the pool house. The property has parking for up to 24 cars.
Sinatra died in 1998 at age 82. His memorable hit songs include “Strangers in the Night,” “My Way” and “New York, New York.” This year marks the 100th anniversary of his birth.
Frank Jackwerth of Hilton & Hyland, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, is the listing agent.
From modeling to remodeling
Supermodel Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber have listed Malibu house for $15.45 million — more than 21/2 times what they paid for the Traditional-style home less than a year ago.
Listing details from the time of their $6-million purchase show the same amount of space at 3,651 square feet, but the before and after interiors bear little resemblance to each other.
A great room with a fireplace opens into a sitting area and the kitchen, which has an island for food prep and informal dining. The house also features a media and family room, a bonus room, four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.
Designed for indoor-outdoor living, the ocean-view home has walls of glass and wraparound decks.
A lagoon-style pool, expanses of lawn and a footbridge complete the heavily wooded grounds. Set on 1.4 acres, the gated house has a private path leading down to the ocean.
Crawford, 49, has appeared on hundreds of magazine covers. Her life story, “Becoming,” will be published this year.
Gerber, 53, is a former model and a nightlife industry businessman.
Christopher Cortazzo of Coldwell Banker and Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency are the listing agents.
Action star drops $2.7 million
Action star Jason Statham has bought a macho Midcentury Modern-style house in the Hollywood Hills West for $2.7 million.
Statham, 47, has made his name in the “Fast & Furious,” “Expendables” and “Transporter” film series. This year, he stars in “Wild Card,” “Spy” and “Furious Seven.”
The interiors of the single-story home, built in 1957, have a retro vibe. Dining and living rooms, a breakfast nook, four bedrooms and four bathrooms are within the 2,917 square feet of interior space. The master suite has a fireplace and includes a den.
Walls of glass look out onto patios, a saltwater swimming pool with a spa and gardens on the quarter-acre property.
The property previously sold in 2003 for $1.06 million.
Sigal Diamant of Nelson Shelton & Associates was the listing agent. Ben Bacal of Rodeo Realty represented Statham.
An elite league in Silver Lake
Mark Duplass and his wife, actress Katie Aselton, have entered an elite league with the purchase of a Barbara Bestor-designed contemporary in Silver Lake. At nearly $4.4 million, the sale is one of the most expensive ever recorded in the L.A. neighborhood.
Sited above Silver Lake Reservoir on a third of an acre, the wood-clad home was built in 2006 for screenwriter Michael Ferris.
Within the 7,256 square feet of living space are a gallery entry with a built-in fish tank, a chef’s kitchen with a breakfast bar and a maid’s quarters with a separate entry. Walnut paneling and walls of windows lend a warm quality to the open-space design, which has six bedrooms and seven bathrooms.
Outdoors, a large entertainer’s space centers on a swimming pool with a spa, a large expanse of grass and a fire pit. A rooftop deck takes in views of the downtown cityscape, reservoir and Hollywood sign.
Duplass, 38, is an actor, screenwriter and director known for his role as Peter Eckhart on the FX sitcom “The League.” His other credits include the film “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” (2011), “Creep” (2014), and the HBO series “Togetherness.”
Aselton, 36, co-stars with Duplass on “The League” and has appeared in a number of his other film projects including “Cyrus” (2010) and “The Freebie” (2010).
Brian Ades of Sotheby’s International Realty was the listing agent, and Karen Lower of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage represented the couple. The exact price was $4,439,776.
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