Hot Property Newsletter: Long-weekend diversions
Seemingly undeterred by the Thanksgiving holiday, this week’s roundup finds soap stars, a TV sports analyst and others putting up for-sale signs. Here’s hoping they got some nibbles before the leftovers ran out.
Our Home of the Week is a newly minted showplace in Encino with 11,000 square feet packed full of amenities. The glittering two-story, listed for close to $9 million, includes two-way fireplaces, multiple indoor and outdoor bars and nine bedrooms.
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.
– Neal J. Leitereg and Lauren Beale
He ushered himself out
Grammy-winning singer Usher has bid goodbye to his L.A. home, selling the Spanish villa above the Sunset Strip for $3.3 million.
Tucked behind walls and gates, the house has more than 4,200 square feet of living space, a two-story entry and a purple-clad dining room. Arched doors and stenciled beams in the living room are among original details. A kitchen, a breakfast room, five bedrooms and 4.75 bathrooms complete the floor plan.
Outside, the property has extensive decking and patio space.
Usher, 40, gained fame in the 1990s with the record “My Way.” More recently, he released his eighth studio album, “Hard II Love.” Among his hits are “Nice & Slow” and “U Remind Me.”
Del Rey project is a wrap
Grant Show and Katherine LaNasa, who appear on the prime-time soap opera “Dynasty,” have listed a Del Rey home that they helped customize and design for $2.649 million.
The two-story contemporary is set up with an open-concept floor plan and flex-use indoor-outdoor space. Within the more than 2,700 square feet of interiors are a dining area, a formal living room, four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms.
Show, 56, has scores of credits including the shows “Devious Maids” and “Melrose Place,” as well as the 2012 horror film “The Possession.”
LaNasa, 51, has had recurring roles on “Two and a Half Men,” “Big Love” and “Longmire.”
A-Rod wants to be out
Alex Rodriguez, the MLB star turned television analyst, has put his architectural residence in Hollywood Hills West on the market at $6.5 million.
The Midcentury Modern house was built in 1954 under the Architectural Products magazine research program, which encouraged experimentation with materials and designs.
The sleek home features horizontal louvers that wrap the exterior and provide a privacy screen while diffusing daylight. The two-story floor plan includes a dining room, a family room, an office, four bedrooms and four bathrooms. Walls of glass open to a rear courtyard with a swimming pool and spa.
Rodriguez, 43, amassed 696 home runs and 3,115 hits during his 22-season pro career. Since his retirement, the three-time MVP has worked as a broadcaster for ESPN and Fox.
Soap star may clean up
Scott Elrod, the striking actor who has appeared on “The Young and the Restless” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” listed his home in Hollywood Hills West for $3.825 million.
Built in 1931, the gated Tudor blends traditional features such as wood-beam cathedral ceilings with modern interior details to create a family-friendly ambiance. A truss in the great room supports a wooden swing.
A dining area, a center-island kitchen, an office, a laundry room, five bedrooms and six bathrooms reside within the close to 4,000 square feet of living space. A resort-like swimming pool sits in the backyard.
Elrod, 43, has credits that include the television series “Men in Trees” and “Castle” as well as the 2017 TV movie “Sun, Sand & Romance.”
New listing at celebrity central
Actress and model Lily Collins has priced her West Hollywood condominium of about a decade at $2.995 million.
Located within the celebrity-popular Sierra Towers, the corner unit features about 1,700 square feet of living space, a single master suite and two bathrooms.
The condo is largely devoted to open-plan space and consists of living and dining areas, a wet bar and an updated kitchen. A terrace extends the living area outdoors.
Collins, 29, is the daughter of musician Phil Collins. She has appeared in the films “Mirror Mirror” (2012), “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” (2013) and “Rules Don’t Apply” (2016).
Goodbye, Valley girl
Eighties pop artist and actress Taylor Dayne has sold a house in Encino that she owned through a trust for $1.1 million.
The 1956 traditional has been remodeled and updated with vaulted ceilings. Floor-to-ceiling windows bring light into the living and dining rooms.
French doors off the master suite open to a swimming pool and spa for a total of three bedrooms and two bathrooms within 1,800 square feet of living space.
The multi-genre Dayne, 56, has had such hits as “Tell It to My Heart,” “Love Will Lead You Back” and “I’ll Always Love You” during her three-decade-plus career. Among her TV credits, she appeared in 2000 on the series “Rude Awakening.”
His favorite room
YouTube star Joey Graceffa used leafy wallpaper, a green couch and his collection of crystals to give his home office the ambiance of an enchanted storybook forest. The author and actor, 27, revels in the room in his 6,373-square-foot Los Angeles home. “This is my childhood dream come true,” said Graceffa, who calls the space his “secret hideout.”
Actor and YouTube star Joey Graceffa poses for a portrait with his dog, Wolf, in his favorite room at his home on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018 in Los Angeles. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
From the archives
Ten years ago, actress Meg Ryan of “Sleepless in Seattle” fame listed her Bel-Air house for sale at $19.5 million. The headline on the column read: “Hoping to Sleep Less in Bel-Air.”
Twenty years ago, actor Kirk Douglas and his wife, Anne, listed their Palm Springs home of 42 years at about $1.6 million, furnished. The 4,400-square-foot house sat on nearly an acre.
What we’re reading
Actor Bruce Willis sold his roughly 20-acre ranch outside Sun Valley, Idaho, for $5.495 million — a fraction of its original $15 million asking price, reports the Wall Street Journal. Still, the sale ranks among the biggest ever for the area.
Did you find your kitchen too small for your Thanksgiving cooking projects? The San Francisco Chronicle offers one possible solution: Tinker Kitchen in San Francisco’s Mission District has opened to the public and it’s filled with chef equipment. The culinary space is outfitted with a sorbet maker, a coffee roaster and a temperer for making chocolate, among other more standard but space-consuming items.
