Hot Property: Full steam ahead

May 7, 2016 12:05 AM PT

Don’t look now, but the spring home-buying season appears to be in full bloom. Buyers and sellers are picking up steam, homes are shuffling quickly on and off the market, and low inventory continues to drive up the bidding as we march toward summer.

Simply put, the Southland market is putting the “hot” back into Hot Property. Here’s a look at the realty news that registered on our heat index in the last week.

– Neal J. Leitereg

Scream of an offer

Safe to say the Hollywood Hills home of late horror filmmaker Wes Craven scared up some serious market interest. The mid-century compound, which was also owned at one time by actor Steve McQueen, sold this week for $3.525 million — a healthy $230,000 over the asking price.

Set at the end of a gated drive, the flat-roofed home has curb appeal with a Zen-inspired fountain and landscaping. Clean lines, walls of glass and open interiors define the well-preserved post-and-beam.

A Hollywood Hills compound owned by late filmmaker Wes Craven and, before him, actor Steve McQueen, has sold for above the asking price.

A Hollywood Hills compound owned by late filmmaker Wes Craven and before him actor Steve McQueen has sold. (Marc & Tiffany Angeles | Inset: Getty Images)

Drafting new ownership

Arresting appeal likely contributed to television writer and producer Josh Safran getting above the asking price for his home in Hancock Park.

The English-country-inspired house, which changed hands for $3.398 million, has a storybook look with a turreted entry, leaded glass windows and unusual ogee arches throughout. Hedged grounds invite outdoor entertaining with a built-in barbecue and a swimming pool.

Television writer and producer Josh Safran has sold his home in Hancock Park for $3.398 million.

Josh Safran sold his home in Hancock Park for $3.398 million. (Shel Mosk / Val Riolo | Getty Images)

Mayoral interest

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, who made a small mint off a recent home sale in Echo Park, stands to see a solid return from his latest investment. Garcetti and his wife, Amy Wakeland, recently bought an investment home in the Mid-Wilshire area for $1.6 million and put it up for lease.

For $5,000 a month, you can rent the English-country-style main house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Alternatively, two separate apartments on the grounds are up for grabs, each listed for lease at $2,000 a month.

Mayor Eric Garcetti paid $1.6 million for the investment property in the Mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles. (Realtor.com | Los Angeles Times)

Creative types wanted

If creative space is on your list of "must haves" for a next home, this might be the place for you. The Hollywood Hills West home and workspace of Oscar-winning composer Atticus Ross is up for sale at $1.695 million.

The rustic house in the Kirkwood Bowl area features, among other things, two recording studios and an office. Other features of note include cedar beams and wood-paneled finishes salvaged from a convent in downtown Los Angeles.

Oscar-winning film composer Atticus Ross and his wife, composer Claudia Sarne, have put their Laurel Canyon home on the market for $1.695 million.

Atticus Ross and his wife put their Laurel Canyon home on the market for $1.695 million. (Todd Goodman | Los Angeles Times)

A swim in his pond

At this rate, Ryan Getzlaf will have a housing hat trick by the end of summer.

The Anaheim Ducks captain this week put his home in Corona del Mar up for sale for about $7.2 million. The ocean-view home in the Cameo Shores community features a custom entertainment room and views extending from the coastline to Catalina.

The listing comes roughly a week after the hockey center sold another property in Tustin for $3.75 million.

Ryan Getzlaf bought the home in Corona del Mar last year for $6.1 million. He's now asking about $7.2 million. (Realtor.com | Getty Images)

Damme good sale

Excuse the play on words, but Jean-Claude Van Damme has successfully roundhouse-kicked his home in Marina del Rey to the curb. The actor and martial artist last week sold the modern canal-front property for $7.25 million.

Built in 2011, the three-story house is packed with such features as a lavish home theater, a gym and a poured concrete-and-glass wine cellar. A glass staircase and an elevator are also included in the 7,574-square-foot home.

Jean-Claude Van Damme sold his modern home in in Marina del Rey for $7.25 million. (Realtor.com | Getty Images)

Changing the dial

Sports radio and television personality Colin Cowherd has tuned up his lineup in Manhattan Beach. He’s bought a new house in the South Bay community for $3.7 million and put his old place nearby up for lease at about $15,000 a month.

As for his new place, the multilevel house channels its inner Cape Cod with shingled siding, crisp white trim and a small front porch. Coastal hues, coffered ceilings and light wood floors keep the East Coast vibe going inside.

Colin Cowherd paid $3.7 million for a Traditional-style home in the Manhattan Beach Tree Section. (Realtor.com | Los Angeles Times)

An eye for design

“Silicon Valley” star Thomas Middleditch has found himself a house with design cred in Hollywood Hills. The actor and comedian recently paid $1.5 million for the French-inspired home of Emmy-winning art director Charles Lisanby. Lisanby, a friend and muse of Andy Warhol, decorated the roughly 2,100-square-foot house with pieces from his travels. Details of note include vibrant hues, textured wall treatments and large Palladian windows.

"Silicon Valley" actor Thomas Middleditch has bought a Hollywood Hills home once owned by famed art director Charles Lisanby.

Thomas Middleditch bought a Hollywood Hills home once owned by famed art director Charles Lisanby. (Shooting LA | Getty Images)

What we’re reading

Twenty years ago this week, “Breakfast Club” star Molly Ringwald landed a leading role in Hot Property when she listed her home in Hollywood Hills for sale. More recently, it has been Ringwald’s castmate Emilio Estevez who has supplied the headlines: He’s been shopping his Malibu compound with a vineyard for the last two years.