Newsletter: Hot Property: From presidential pads to mobile homes
For you comparison shoppers, we’ve put this newsletter in the order of highest- to lowest-priced properties. Really, it was no trouble at all.
And for those who like to read the last page of the book first to find out how things turn out, here’s a cover blurb: This week’s offerings range from $69 million for a 5-plus acre presidential estate in San Clemente to a new Topanga mobile home of an "Orange Is the New Black" star.
– Neal J. Leitereg and Lauren Beale
Presidential approval
A San Clemente estate known as the Western White House during Richard M. Nixon’s presidency has come back up for sale at $69 million. That’s $6 million off the $75 million that was asked last year.
Called La Casa Pacifica when Nixon took ownership in 1969, the sprawling 5.45-acre compound sits on an ocean bluff and is secured by a 1,500-foot-long wall.
A California Colonial Revival main house dating to the 1920s, a two-bedroom guesthouse, staff residences and offices total some 15,000 square feet of living space. There’s also a greenhouse, a pool, a tennis court, formal gardens and expanses of lawn.
La Casa Pacific was known as the Western White House during Richard Nixon's presidency. (Sotheby's International Realty)
TV exec reprograms
Fred Silverman, the producer and exec who made his mark on American television programming in the 1970s with hits such as “All in the Family,” “The Waltons” and “Charlie’s Angels,” is changing his lineup on the Westside.
He has listed his 2.5-acre Brentwood compound for sale at $30 million. His longtime estate has a main house, a guesthouse, a pool house, a swimming pool, a tennis court, lawns and gardens.
His midseason replacement is a $10.2-million four-bedroom house on a half-acre in Pacific Palisades.
The Westside estate has a total of nine bedrooms, 11 full bathrooms, two powder rooms and 11,428 square feet of living space. (Nick Springett | Inset: Getty Images)
No kidding around
Film director Jerry Zucker, who brought audiences classic spoof films such as “Airplane!” and “Naked Gun,” has listed some serious Brentwood digs for sale at $16.5 million.
The Traditional-style 1939 mansion is set on 1.6 acres containing a guesthouse, a swimming pool and a paddle-tennis court. The freestanding outdoor fireplace adds a classic feel.
Mature trees keep the goings-on in the yard “Top Secret!” — to shamelessly borrow the title of his 1984 film.
The Traditional-style house was built in 1939 and has since been enlarged. (The Agency | Inset: Getty Images)
Park and ride
Longtime “American Idol” director Bruce Gowers is asking $14.95 million for his equestrian estate in Malibu.
The 5-acre Silver Raven Farms features a Traditional-style main house, three guesthouses, a barn, a riding arena, a swimming pool and a lighted tennis court. There’s a four-car garage plus a separate garage for ATV and surfboard storage. That just about covers any recreational amenity one could want.
The equestrian estate in Malibu includes the main house, three guesthouses, a barn, a riding arena, a swimming pool and a tennis court. (Coldwell Banker | Getty Images)
The high price of sand
Not all Malibu beach homes were created equal. Those that sit along the sand bring a premium. One such house for sale at $13.5 million is owned by actor-producer-screenwriter John Cusack.
The Spanish-style home belonging to the “Cell” star takes in coastline and open-water views.
An entry courtyard leads to the main level of the 4,660-square-foot house with high ceilings, a balcony and plenty of deck space.
The bottom level of the three-story house opens right to the beach. It doesn’t get much better than that. Pass the sunscreen, please.
Courting interest
Hoops star Rudy Gay would like you to know that he’s ready to pass his Memphis home on to a new owner. The Sacramento Kings forward this week put his highlight-worthy pad up for sale for a cool $1.749 million.
Features of note include contemporary interiors, lavish light fixtures and rich dark wood floors. A custom wet bar wows with color-changing LED lighting. Call it a sophisticated look with athlete appeal.
Rudy Gay listed his home in Memphis, Tenn., for sale at $1.749 million. (91galloway.com | Los Angeles Times)
Still fly
“Dancing With the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba has put her Valley Village house on the market at $1.249 million. While that may seem like a modest sum compared to many Hot Property homes, the 1940s house has 2,252 square feet of updated living space.
The kitchen features granite counters, stainless-steel appliances, a skylight and a breakfast area.
The former “In Living Color” Fly Girl also has a walk-in closet with a separate dressing area that connects to the master bathroom, which has a double-sink vanity, a soaking tub and a shower.
The 1940s home in Valley Village is surrounded by a mix of tropical and drought-tolerant plants. (Realtor.com)
His place behind bars
Perhaps it was the sub-$350,000 price tag, or maybe it was the views of the Santa Monica Mountains that he found so arresting.
Actor Pablo Schreiber has made his mark in Hot Property history with one of the lowest-priced transactions in the history of the column, buying a home in a guarded and gated mobile home community in Topanga for $317,000.
Call it a fitting locale for the actor, who enjoyed a star turn as a corrections officer on the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black.”
From the archives
Twenty years ago this week, “Baywatch” star David Hasselhoff came to John Goodman’s rescue, buying the actor’s home in Encino for about $2 million. The 1.5-acre estate, with two guesthouses, a tennis court and a pool and spa, had been on the market for about $2.5 million. Hoff owned the property until 2013, when he sold it for $3.55 million.
Mostly a perpetual renter during his days on the West Coast, Prince, who died this week at 57, did have one foray into L.A. home ownership. He once owned a gated Italian-style compound in Beverly Hills that he sold in 1997 for $2.2 million. The house on three quarters of an acre came up for sale two years ago, eventually selling in early 2015 for $5.5 million.
Caught our eye
— There’s a chill running up the East Coast, and it has nothing to do with the weather. Vanity Fair details, in a real estate forecast of sorts, a downturn in home sales in the Hamptons as a result of concerns about global markets. Home sales for the area, long a popular second-home and vacation spot for the elite, have dropped to the lowest point in three years.
— For sale: superhero headquarters. In a clever marketing stunt, Coldwell Banker this week listed the X-Mansion, the fictional headquarters of X-Men, for sale at $75 million. The collaborative campaign by the brokerage and Warner Bros., which includes a video home tour of the mansion, is for the upcoming film "X-Men: Apocalypse."
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