Top sales: Two deals north of $40 million bring the heat in May
A Grammy-winning musician, a sneaker corporation and a slew of corporate entities were among the biggest movers and shakers in the L.A. County real estate market last month. Here’s a closer look at the most expensive residential sales that closed in May.
$45 million — Bel-Air
On Bentley Circle, an acre-plus estate designed by Tag Front architects sold for $3 million less than the asking price. The buyer, a limited liability company tied to a Saudi Arabia-based individual, also paid $7.2 million for a neighboring property — the modernist Hammerman Residence designed by Richard Neutra.
The larger estate, completed this year, features 20,000 square feet of polished living space, a tennis court and a 12-car garage. A curving zero-edge swimming pool with a baja deck and a spa runs along the edge of the property. Views extend from the Getty Museum to the ocean.
Dressed in Portuguese limestone, Calcutta marble and walls of glass, the multi-level mansion holds seven bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a wine room and a 20-seat home theater. A floating-style fireplace bisects the open-plan common area, which has a wet bar.
A separate wellness wing holds a sauna, steam room and soaking tub.
The property, once the site of a John Byers-designed traditional home, previously changed hands six years ago for $7.45 million.
Branden Williams and Rayni Williams of Hilton & Hyland were the listing agents. Florence Mattar of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage represented the buyer.
$42.5 million — Beverly Hills
Grammy-winning musician Adam Levine and his wife, Behati Prinsloo, sold their home on Loma Vista Drive to Emmy-winning talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, for $5 million less than the asking price.
Built in 1933, the traditional-style home was once owned by “Will & Grace” creator Max Mutchnick and, before him, tennis star Pete Sampras and actress Bridgette Wilson.
Some 10,000 square feet of renovated living space includes two kitchens, multiple wet bars, a screening room and a gym. A total of five bedrooms and 12 bathrooms includes a separate guesthouse.
Outside, the acre-plus estate holds a paver patio with a built-in barbecue and a fire pit. An oval-shaped swimming pool sits below the patio area. There’s also a tennis court and a putting green.
Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency handled both ends of the deal.
Levine and Prinsloo bought the house a year ago for $33.9 million. Earlier this year, the couple bought the onetime Pacific Palisades home of Gregory Peck and Brian Grazer from Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner for $31.95 million.
$16.78 million — Brentwood
On South Bristol Avenue, a limited liability company tied to film producer Anton Lessine sold a Mediterranean-style home for about $2.2 million less than the asking price. The buyer was the family trust of ASL Healthcare Properties founder Andrew Lebowitz and his wife, Ashley.
Set on about two-thirds of an acre in Brentwood Park, the 2010-built mansion has seven bedrooms, 11.5 bathrooms and more than 13,000 square feet of living space. A two-story foyer sits beyond the arched front doors and opens to a formal dining room and a living room.
A wood-paneled library, a double-island kitchen and a gym are among other living spaces. In the family room, there’s a wet bar and a dining area with a curved wall of glass. An elevator services each of the home’s three levels.
Outside, lawn surrounds a swimming pool and spa. Elsewhere is a cabana, a pool house and a fire pit.
Santiago Arana of the Agency handled both ends of the deal.
$16 million — Hermosa Beach
A custom contemporary with panoramic ocean views sold to Skechers USA Inc. for $750,000 shy of the asking price.
Set on a flat one-third-acre lot on Tennyson Place, the roughly 7,300-square-foot home makes the most of its coastal location with walls of glass, a swimming pool, multiple patios and a sports court. An elevated front yard holds a zero-edge spa, and a 7-car garage was built underground.
Inside, the open floor plan has formal and informal living areas, an ocean-view breakfast area, five bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms. An ocean-view balcony extends from the master suite.
The property previously sold seven years ago for $4.55 million, records show.
Bryn Stroyke of Stroyke Properties and Robert Freedman of RE/Max Estate Properties were the listing agents. Frederico Quevedo of Turn Trade Inc. represented the buyer.
$15 million — Hidden Hills
A limited liability company tied to Donald Lockton, owner of Kansas City-based Lockton Cos., a risk management and insurance firm, paid about $1 million less than the asking price for a renovated estate on Long Valley Road.
The two-story home, once owned by Hollywood business manager Lester Knispel, was taken down to the studs and rebuilt over a three-year period as a contemporary-inspired farmhouse.
Oversized steel-framed front doors yield to nearly 12,000 square feet of white-walled living space. Wide-plank wood floors, high ceilings, custom fixtures and a glass-walled gym are among features of note. The chef’s kitchen, which has a long island, opens to a family room with a fireplace.
The house sits on about two acres of grounds that include a guest house, a zero-edge swimming pool, a sports court and a barbecue pavilion. Fruit and olive trees dot the landscape. Also on the property is a four-stall barn.
Marc Shevin and Sara Shevin of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties were the listing agents. Sandro Dazzan of the Agency represented the buyer.
neal.leitereg@latimes.com | Twitter: @LATHotProperty
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