Hot Property: A potpourri of sorts
This week’s roundup has a little bit of everything: A mega producer pulls down $38 million for his Malibu estate, “The Chew” talk show narrator dishes out $3.84 million for a place in the Hollywood Hills and a onetime pro bicyclist shifts gears downward on his Austin, Texas, property.
Taking its inspiration from the ancient Egyptians is a pyramid-shaped house in Malibu listed for sale at $3.1 million. The three-bedroom house was designed for two astronomy photographers and built to face magnetic north. Here’s a tour of that Hot Property Home of the Week from Fox 11. Got a candidate you’d like featured? Shoot an email to neal.leitereg@latimes.com.
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. That’s also a great place to leave us a tip about a celebrity home deal.
— Neal J. Leitereg and Lauren Beale
A blockbuster sale in Malibu
Mega-producer Joel Silver, whose credits include the “Die Hard” and “Lethal Weapon” franchises, has sold his oceanfront estate in Malibu for $38 million.
He originally offered the compound in 2016 for $57.5 million.
The three-quarter-acre lot includes 137 feet of frontage on Carbon Beach. There’s a two-story great room set under vaulted ceilings, a dining room with a fireplace, a loft office, five bedrooms and six bathrooms.
The yard has a swimming pool, a tennis court, a row of cabanas and a detached guesthouse.
The 65-year-old Silver has produced a plethora of films, including the “Predator” and “Matrix” franchises.
He bites in the Hollywood Hills
TV personality Gordon Elliott, who narrates ABC’s cooking talk show “The Chew,” has paid $3.84 million for an appetizing abode in the Outpost Estates neighborhood of Hollywood Hills.
The two-story Spanish-style mansion was built in 1929 by developer Charles Toberman.
The 3,500 square feet of interiors contain a step-down living room, a vaulted-ceiling dining room, four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. A Juliet balcony overlooks the yard, where a brick patio surrounds a pool and spa.
The 61-year-old Elliott worked in radio and TV news before turning to talk shows. His company, Follow Productions, has produced “Paula Deen’s Home Cooking” and “Simply Wine With Andrea Immer.”
On track to its next stop
A former home of the late “Soul Train” creator-producer Don Cornelius has sold for $1.85 million.
The traditional-style two-story home, built in 1982, sits in Beverly Crest at the end of a gated driveway. Vaulted ceilings, stained glass and sunken floors are among the features within the 3,500 square feet of living space.
The formal dining room opens to a step-down living room, which shares a two-sided flagstone fireplace with a billiards/game room. There are four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
Cornelius, who died in 2012 at 75, served as a writer, producer and host for the syndicated music show. Created in 1970, the long-running series featured such artists as James Brown, Marvin Gaye and the Jackson 5.
Other worldly in Santa Monica
It’s not an overstatement to say this Santa Monica canyon house is out of this world. The three-story home makes extensive use of wood interiors, natural materials and windows to create a treehouse feel. Plus the seller is original “Lost in Space” actress Marta Kristen, who has the aerie listed at $3.595 million.
Extensive greenhouse windows, skylights and high ceilings bring the outdoors in.
The three-level home’s 2,369 square feet of living space include a first-floor kitchen, dining and family rooms, three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The second-floor master suite features a veranda, office and fireplace. The third floor consists of a loft-like studio.
The 73-year-old Kristen played Judy Robinson, the lead couple’s eldest daughter, on the sci-fi show from 1965 to ’68.
Onetime pro cyclist changes gears
Former road racing cyclist Lance Armstrong has downshifted and relisted his gated Austin, Texas, estate for sale at $7.5 million.
The 1924 home, which had been priced one time at $8.25 million, has some 8,200 square feet of interiors, including a foyer, a formal living room, two dining rooms, a wine cellar, six bedrooms and 8.5 bathrooms.
The nearly half-acre lot contains a swimming pool with fountains and a cabana with a bathroom and kitchenette.
Armstrong, 46, won the Tour de France seven times but was later stripped of his titles for doping offenses. He has owned the home since 2013.
His favorite room
Paranormal investigator Zak Bagans, star of the show “Ghost Adventures,” likes to chill out in the living room of his 6,000-square-foot Las Vegas home. The room, which also functions as a meditation space, is filled with wooden creatures, stonework and eerie decor. His collection of religious art and sculptures reflects his unusual brand of Zen.
From the archives
Ten years ago, Frank Sinatra’s desert hideaway, named Villa Maggio for his Oscar-winning character Pvt. Angelo Maggio in the 1953 movie “From Here to Eternity,” came on the market at close to $5 million. The nine-acre compound included a helicopter pad, a 4,800-square-foot midcentury-style lodge of stone, an attached guesthouse, a detached guesthouse and a pool house with a kitchen.
Twenty years ago, Hot Property had one of its biggest mea culpas when it reported that New Age superstar Deepak Chopra had purchased a $1.3 million home in the South Bay. The buyer just happened to have had the same name as the self-help author.
Thirty years ago, comedian Rip Taylor bought a condo in West Hollywood for $658,000. The three-bedroom penthouse had a 23-foot-high ceiling and an Art Deco chandelier that was said to have originally hung in the Wiltern Theatre.
What we’re reading
A froufrou house in Detroit is capturing the interest of readers of numerous websites. We first spotted the Lion Gate Estate at CandysDirt.com. The three-bedroom home features a dining room wall covered in faux fur, a crochet ceiling and a white-and-silver living room, among other amenities. Asking price is $550,000.
We love a good re-use. The Lenox School in Washington, D.C., stands today as condos. A two-bedroom, 1,325-square-foot unit is priced there at $799,000, reports Estately.com. The red-brick structure was erected in 1897.
