Tom Hanks Buys Pacific Palisades Home for $26 Million

March 16, 2010 - California

Actor-producer-director Tom Hanks has purchased the contemporary Pacific Palisades home of veteran producers Kathleen Kennedyand Frank Marshall, according to area real estate agents.

The sales price was listed at slightly more than $26 million at Blockshopper.com, a news and market data service.

Larry Hagman Cuts Price

March 12, 2010 - California

Larry Hagman, who played oil tycoon J.R. Ewing on the prime-time drama "Dallas," has trimmed the price of his Ojai, Calif., estate to $9.5 million, an 11% cut.

Mr. Hagman, 78 years old, and his wife, Maj, built the 43-acre property, about 80 miles northwest of Los Angeles, in 1992.

It includes a Mediterranean-style house with nine bedrooms and a large entertaining space that fits more than 200 guests with a lap pool and retractable roof.

Mel Gibson - Malibu Retreat for Sale

March 09, 2010 - California

Oscar winning actor Mel Gibson recently listed Lavender Hill Farm, his long-time family compound in Serra Retreat community with an asking price of $14.5 million

Lavender Hill Farm is a hacienda-style retreat on 2.57 acres. The grounds include fruit orchards, organic gardens, a tennis court, pool and three guest houses.

The main house rambles over 5,400 square feet of space and offers the owners privacy in a second floor master suite with a separate sitting room.

Former Disney Family Home, Hidden Gem in Malibu’s Paradise View Estates

February 26, 2010 - California

Paradise View Estates is a gated exclusive private community located in Malibu, CA with 17 luxury estates that have Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica Mountain and Canyon views.

It sits on a scenic ridge just above the Pacific Coast Highway, south of Kanan Dume Road and the internationally renowned Zuma Beach.

Completed in the mid 1990's, this exclusive community has a homeowner's association that maintains impeccable standards for well landscaped and manicured homes and permits equestrian uses, tennis and grape growing on resident properties.

Sharon Stone lists her beverly hills home

February 25, 2010 - California

Sharon Stone is trying to unload the Beverly Hills estate she bought in April 2006.

The seven-bedroom Mediterranean estate had been on the market for $12,500,000 and had an accepted offer at that price until it fell out of escrow a couple of months ago.

Therefore the sale did not go through and the Beverly Hills mansion has now been put back on the market for $8,995,000.

St. Regis San Francisco Penthouse For Sale for $49,000,000

February 17, 2010 - California

The St. Regis Hotel & Residences in San Francisco has about 200 hotel guest rooms up to Floor 20 and 103 residences from Floor 22 to 40.

The Penthouse Residence is on the market and has seen a price drop of $21,000,000 in the past six months from $70 million to $49 million.

This one-of-a-kind palatial penthouse spans over 20,000 square feet, which covers 2,900 square feet of terraces – making it one of the largest personal residences in all of San Francisco.

Edra Blixseth's Porcupine Creek On The Market For $75 Million

February 12, 2010 - California

The 249-acre Rancho Mirage, Calif. estate linked to Edra Blixseth, a founder of the billionaires' resort the Yellowstone Club in Montana, is on the market for $75 million.

Ms. Blixseth, who has declared personal bankruptcy, took control of the home as well as of the 13,500-acre private club as part of her 2008 divorce settlement with her ex-husband Tim Blixseth.

The Blixseths built the Porcupine Creek estate about 10 miles away from Palm Springs. It has a waterfall, a fountain with jets whose sprays rise about 80 feet and a private, 19-hole golf course of about 240 acres.

Bay Area Homeownership Rises Among Asians

February 11, 2010 - California

Homeownership among ethnic Asians in the Bay Area is rising.

The 10 most common surnames among Bay Area home buyers last year were Vietnamese, Chinese or Korean, up from five of 10 in 1999, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data provided by MDA DataQuick.

While the surname Nguyen topped the list in both 2009 and 1999, Li, Wang, Liu, Huang and Chan knocked Smith, Johnson, Garcia, Williams and Miller out of the top 10 over the decade.

Media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg Pays $35 Million for Home

February 09, 2010 - California

Media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg - who co-founded the DreamWorks studio and who now serves as chief executive of DreamWorks Animation - has paid $35 million for a house in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The six-acre property, which was never on the market, sits just above the Greystone Mansion, a Beverly Hills landmark.

A long private drive leads to a house on a promontory. Mr. Katzenberg had been shopping for a large property with a view for several years.

Scarlett Johansson Hollywood home for sale

February 08, 2010 - California

Actress Scarlett Johansson has listed her home in the Outpost Estates area of Los Angeles at just $4.995 million with Brett Lawyer of Sotheby's.

The Real Estalker reveals that while Scarlett Johansson bought her home for an even $7 million in 2007, she seems willing to take a deep loss on the home.

The home is a Spanish style estate built in 1931. The gated home has been restored and updated with upgrades that include solar electric.