Newsletter: Hot Property: Travel down the road and back again
Certain homes are like old friends, coming back around to surprise us every now and again. This week we revisited a classic in the San Fernando Valley and dove deep into the wonderful world of rapper real estate.
Once you’re done perusing these latest transactions, tell us your favorite on the Hot Property Facebook page.
– Neal J. Leitereg and Lauren Beale
Still ‘golden’ after all these years
The Encino home where Rue McClanahan lived during her “Golden Girls” days has come on the market for $5.495 million.
Set behind gates in the Royal Oaks neighborhood, the 5,368-square-foot house was owned by the late actress from 1988 to 1995. And if architectural pedigree is your jam, it has that too. Arthur Kelly, who designed the Playboy Mansion, was the architect behind the 1950s Country Colonial.
ShondaLand expands her network
Speaking of entertainment royalty, TV queen Shonda Rhimes has apparently taken a shine to Hancock Park. The producer, director and writer of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” fame recently paid $4.6 million for an English Country-style home in the historic neighborhood.
Built in 1924, the two-story house has about 4,900 square feet of living space, five bedrooms and a library. A swimming pool and pool house highlight the happenings outdoors.
A new spot to entertain
Jahron Brathwaite, better known as PartyNextDoor, has bought a house worthy of the name. The rapper recently shelled out $2.5 million for an over-the-top spread on about five acres in Santa Rosa Valley.
Among features of note is a resort-style swimming pool complete with a beach entry, spa and water slide. A total of six bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms means there is plenty of space to crash when the party’s over.
It’s still got that organic vibe
The Hollywood Hills home that John Legend and Chrissy Teigen once owned hits all the right notes when it comes to indoor-outdoor living.
The 1960s property boasts 2,200 square feet of open-plan space and oversized glass doors leading to a covered patio. In the master suite, a glass-enclosed shower has a door that opens to an outdoor bathing room.
The couple sold the property three years ago for $2 million. This time around it’ll cost you a little bit more: $2.495 million.
A real-life shark tank
Lil Wayne has officially checked out of his flashy Miami Beach mansion, selling the waterfront property for a cool $10 million.
The hip-hop artist apparently took a page from the Dr. Evil playbook during his ownership. The 15,101-square-foot, glass-and-steel mansion features an interior lagoon filled with sharks. There’s also a skatepark on the roof, because why not?
From the archives
Thirty years ago this week Kenny Rogers and his third wife, Marianne, pulled up stakes on the Westside when they gave notice on the Beverly Hills house they were renting for $30,000 a month. The couple, who would decamp to Rogers’ 332-acre compound in Georgia, also sold a lot they owned in Beverly Parks Estates to producer Richard Zanuck.
Jennifer Lopez, a Hot Property staple for years, made her first appearance in the column 20 years ago this week when she leased a compound in Beverly Hills. Built in Country French style, the 7,000-square-foot house had all the appointments for a rising star: a 1,500-square-foot master suite, a center courtyard with a pool and a two-story living room. She would pay $8,000 a month for a year to lease the property.
Also making headlines this week in 1997 was the sale of John Candy’s Westside estate. The beloved comic, who died three years earlier, lived in a 2.5-acre compound in Brentwood that included main and guest houses, a 2,500-square-foot gym, a tennis court and a swimming pool. It sold for about $4.5 million, The Times reported.
What we’re reading
It’s no $250-million spec house in Bel-Air, but a Vancouver mansion is gunning for an area price record after coming to market for 63 million Canadian dollars, or about $47 million. The Wall Street Journal reports that, at that price, the 22,000-square-foot, European-inspired mansion would surpass the previous Vancouver price record of about $42 million.
Here’s a house destined to disappear … from the market. A Harlem home once owned by magician Harry Houdini has listed for sale at $4.6 million. Houdini bought the residence in 1904 for $25,000 and lived there until his death in 1926, according to Newsweek.
And finally, announced last week were the latest winners of the National Assn. of Real Estate Editors annual journalism awards, reports Talking Biz News. The annual contest identifies excellence in reporting, writing and editing about residential and commercial real estate. We offer a well-deserved tip o’ the cap to the recent winners.
Twitter: @LATHotProperty
– Neal J. Leitereg and Lauren Beale
