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    Justin Bieber Quietly Spent $16 Million on a California Desert Retreat

    Although records reveal the transaction was actually inked last year, it’s only now become public knowledge that it was Justin Bieber and his wife, prominent model and socialite Hailey Rhode Bieber, were the buyers who shelled out $16.6 million for an extravagant estate behind the guarded gates of The Madison Club, arguably the most celebrity-beloved enclave in California‘s desert resort-themed Coachella Valley.

    Sited on one of the most desirable streets in the community, Bieber’s west-facing new vacation home is surrounded by homes containing other very famous faces. Directly next door is an ultra-contemporary mansion owned by Kris Jenner, and just two doors away is an even larger house that was custom-built for Kylie Jenner. Other high-profile Madison Club residents include Tim Cook, Adele, Kourtney Kardashian, Scooter Braun and Nike’s Phil Knight. With HOA dues of $1,652 per month, residents have full access to the golf community’s exclusive amenities—a clubhouse, five-star dining, spa facilities, a Tom Fazio-designed golf course, and much more.

    Originally constructed in the late 2000s, the French-influenced mansion was given a multimillion-dollar contemporary remodel in recent years.

    Google Earth

    Built in 2009, the house last sold in April 2019 for $6.3 million to Beverly Hills-based investor Alon Abady, who very lucratively flipped the place to Bieber just four years later for well over double what he had paid.

    Because the house was never listed on the open market, details are scant and photos few. But it’s clear from aerial views that Abady gave the originally French-influenced manor a glossy, contemporary renovation during his four years of ownership. Perhaps most notably, he replaced the original outdoor swimming pool with a giant, practically Olympic-length infinity pool that runs nearly the the entire width of the backyard. There’s also a sports court, AstroTurf lawns, a backyard fire-pit, a detached guesthouse, a four-car garage and two separate motorcourts with parking for well over a dozen cars.

    Perhaps the property’s most striking amenity is the backyard infinity pool, which frames views of the San Jacinto Mountains.

    Google Earth

    According to tax records, the sprawling single-story residence encompasses seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms in nearly 10,000 square feet of living space. The 1.02-acre lot is gated and hedged for privacy, naturally, and features a driveway flanked by mature Italian cypresses.

    Bieber continues to maintain his primary residence, a $25.8 million mansion in the mountains high above Beverly Hills, in the guard-gated Beverly Park community. Now 30, the former teen pop phenom sold the rights to his pre-2022 music last year for a reported $200 million. More

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    Pamela Churchill Harriman’s Onetime Georgetown Home Hits the Market for $10 Million

    While participating in an interview in the living room of her private apartment at the Embassy residence in Paris back in 1996—shortly before she passed away the following year at age 76—Pamela Churchill Harriman was asked if there was anything she wished she had done differently when it came to her “free-flowing” existence. According to her obituary in The New York Times, her response was, “No … I consider I have had a very fortunate life … I drank deep of the well.”

    And drink deep of the well she did, indeed. At just 19 years old, the British-born socialite wed Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s only son Randolph, then went on to become a confidante and hostess for her new father-in-law after her husband went off to war. She later wound up serving as a top figure in the Democratic Party and U.S. Ambassador to France under President Bill Clinton’s administration; and, in-between, the woman who was named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” in ’93 managed to marry a trio of the world’s richest and most influential men, including W. Averell Harriman, a former governor of New York, ambassador to the Soviet Union and heir to the Union Pacific Railroad fortune.

    An ornate fireplace serves as the centerpiece of a formal living room.

    Michael Rankin/TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

    It was at the Harriman’s abode tucked away in the historic Georgetown enclave of Washington, D.C., that the political hostess held a wealth of fund-raising receptions and dinners for the Democratic Party, attracting the likes of House Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill and Sen. Gary Hart, just to name a couple. Now, almost three decades after her death, the 19th-century residence has popped up for sale, asking a speck under $10 million. The listing is held by Michael Rankin of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty.

    Designed by architect Thomas Franklin Schneider in the early 1890s for local shoe merchant Wolf Nordlinger, the stately red brick structure also was occupied through the years by Nellie Keating, who established an upscale boarding house on the premises, and Carolyne Hudson, who sold the property to Harriman and his former wife Marie in 1970. Pamela Harriman subsequently transferred the home in 1995 for $990,000 to its current owner, who enlisted Solís Betancourt & Sherrill to undertake an extensive renovation and restoration of the place in collaboration with Ivy Construction.

    An updated kitchen boasts a central island and top-tier stainless appliances.

    Michael Rankin/TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

    Today, the historic dwelling features eight bedrooms and a matching number of bathrooms in a little more than 9,300 square feet of multi-story living space adorned throughout with wide-plank hardwood floors, high ceilings, intricate moldings, detailed casement openings, elegant wallpaper and an elevator to all levels. Entry is granted via a grand foyer, which flows to a formal living room warmed by an ornate fireplace and an adjacent fireside music room. A banquet-sized dining room with yet another fireplace leads to a sleekly designed kitchen outfitted with a central island, high-end stainless appliances and a breakfast nook sporting glass-paneled doors spilling out to a deck.

    The roof deck provides sweeping views of the city.

    Michael Rankin/TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

    Three bedrooms can be found on the second floor, including an inviting primary suite hosting dual fireplaces and walk-in closets, a balcony, and spa-like bath equipped with a large soaking tub and shower. The floor above has two more bedrooms—one with its own bath, and another with access to an oversized turreted playroom—and elsewhere is an office space, a sitting room and roof deck overlooking the skyline, plus a basement housing a staff suite, laundry facilities and storage.

    Rounding it all out are the landscaped grounds, which span less than a quarter-acre, and come complete with mature trees, manicured gardens and numerous terraces. Per the listing, there’s also parking for multiple vehicles.

    Click here for more photos of Pamela Churchill Harriman’s Georgetown house.

    Michael Rankin/TTR Sotheby’s International Realty More

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    Former Talk Show Host Jenny Jones Sells $8 Million Beverly Hills Mansion

    Three years ago, Jenny Jones—who long lived in L.A.’s exclusive Mulholland Estates community—bought a $3.7 million house in the far-flung L.A. suburb of Westlake Village, within the posh Sherwood Country Club guard-gated enclave. The house, which sits on a particularly pretty 0.67-acre lot with views of golf greens and the surrounding hills, offers four bedrooms and 4.5 baths in nearly 5,000 square feet of luxe living space. So it’s not entirely surprising that records reveal Jones has now sold her old L.A. house, in an $8 million deal inked last month.

    Though she may no longer sport a high-profile name recognizable to most young people, Jenny Jones was a talk show titan of her day, right up there with veterans that included Geraldo Rivera, Phil Donahue, Leeza Gibbons, Arsenio Hall and Rosie O’Donnell. Originally introduced in 1991, The Jenny Jones Show lasted until 2003, and during its run the series helped usher in a new wave of internet-fueled, more intimate pop culture.

    Jones, now 77 and born in Palestine but raised in Canada, enjoyed 12 lucrative years of TV syndication through her Warner Bros. distributor. In its first two seasons, her show had a traditional, Oprah-style talk show bent, but later seasons moved toward Maury Povitch and Jerry Springer territory with themes that included paternity tests and makeovers for strippers. Unfortunately, The Jenny Jones Show is probably best-remembered today for its part in a 1995 murder; in March, a Michigan man named Scott Amedure and his neighbor Jonathan Schmitz were featured on a taped episode in which Amedure confessed his love to an unsuspecting Schmitz. Three days later, Schmitz shot and killed Amedure. (Though Amedure’s family later sued Jones’ show for $25 million and initially won, the case was ultimately overturned.)

    Located in an exclusive gated community, the 90210 estate was owned by Jones for nearly 20 years.

    As for Jones’s old Mulholland Estates house, the large clapboard-sided, Cape Cod-inspired traditional mansion sits high in the mountains between Beverly Hills and Sherman Oaks. Though the $8 million deal was inked off-market, thus rendering photos and details scant, tax records indicate the 7,600-square-foot residence features five bedrooms and seven bathrooms. While the home’s new owners are not famous the ex-Jones property sits right next door to the longtime home of reality TV superstar Kendall Jenner. Other celebrity homeowners in the same neighborhood include Christina Aguilera, Rob Dyrdek, Vanna White and Paris Hilton.

    Built in 1991, Jones acquired the property in 2005 for $6.4 million. Other features and amenities include a lagoon-style pool and spa surrounded by a flagstone patio and white picket fence, a private tennis court and a three-car garage, all of it set on a nearly one-acre lot shaded by mature trees. More

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    A Beverage Maven’s Groovy Palm Springs Midcentury Hits the Market Again for $5.2 Million

    Back in 2015, an article in Palm Springs Life magazine touted the fact that this “white, bright and ready-to-entertain” midcentury-modern villa in the California desert city’s Old Las Palmas neighborhood revealed the chosen passions of its entrepreneurial owners in “wildly colorful fashion.” Think retro-esque interiors offering up a one-of-a-kind office bathed in fuscia and British-themed den hosting a vintage motorcycle collection, plus a fun little music room filled with collectible guitars and stereo equipment thrown in for good measure.

    Originally designed and built in the early 1960s as the personal residence of the late real estate developer Robert Marx—son of “Gummo,” a member of the famed Marx Brothers vaudeville act—the house turned out to be a study in Bacchanalia-style extravagance, complete with a swath of Corinthian and Ionic columns. The next owners were Spa Girl Cocktails founder Karen Haines and her husband Chris, proprietor of an off-road motorcycle tour company, who picked up the place for a mere $895,000 back in spring 2012.

    Now, after first floating the home up for sale at $4.8 million in summer 2022, the couple has opted to return the stylish pad to the market, this time with an increased $5.2 million price tag. But the pair did give the premises a “wall-to-wall makeover” during their tenure, which included adding a touch of Hollywood Regency flair.

    Armed with a British motif, the den is adorned with pop art, vintage racing motorcycles and an area rug bearing the traditional flag of England.

    Oscar Flink

    Resting amid a nearly half-acre parcel hidden away behind gates and tall hedges, and known as “Villa del Leone,” the private property features panoramic views of the San Jacinto Mountains. Four bedrooms and three bathrooms are spread across a little more than 4,300 square feet of U-shaped living space, which is punctuated throughout by floor-to-ceiling walls of glass, white epoxy tile floors, original molding and custom lighting.

    A set of hand-carved front doors opens into an entry foyer, which flows to an open-concept great room holding a fireside living area, as well as a bookshelf- and mirror-lined dining room resting beneath a concave dome ceiling topped by a gold and crystal chandelier embellished with silver ornaments. Other highlights include the aforementioned den, which is adjoined by a wet bar, and a gourmet kitchen decked out with high-end stainless appliances,

    One of the house’s four bedrooms was converted into a brightly colored office for the owner’s ready-to-drink cocktail company.

    Oscar Flink

    Secluded in a separate bedroom wing, the lavishly wallpapered master retreat is showcased by two walk-in closets, and a marble-clad bath equipped with dual vanities, an elaborate soaking tub and a glass-encased shower; and outdoors, the palm tree-laced backyard holds a swimming pool flanked by a grassy lawn, along with a harlequin-patterned patio ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining. There’s also an attached two-car garage out front.

    According to listing agents Lloyd Ross and David Williams of Douglas Elliman, the entrepreneurial couple have decided to sell so they can “continue to pursue new adventures and opportunities.”

    Click here for more photos of the Haines house.

    Oscar Flink More

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    Jeff Bezos Just Dropped $90 Million on a Third Indian Creek Island Property

    Jeff Bezos’s South Florida spending spree continues.

    The Amazon founder has splashed out a whopping $90 million in an off-market deal for a third waterfront estate on the coveted Indian Creek Island, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. According to the outlet, Bezos, who recently landed in third place on Forbes’s ranking of the world’s richest people, will live at the six-bedroom mansion while work is done on the two other properties he previously purchased.

    Tax records reveal that the Blue Origin founder’s new digs were last sold in 1998 for just $2.5 million, which goes to show how much home prices on the guard-gated Billionaire Bunker have skyrocketed. The Real Deal reported that the roughly two-acre spread was originally built in 1956 and later expanded upon in 1986 and once again in 2014. Altogether, the palatial pad features a swimming pool, a boat dock on Biscayne Bay, and 10,000 square feet of living space. 

    An aerial view of Jeff Bezos’s new home on Indian Creek Island, his third purchase on the guard-gated enclave.

    Google Earth

    Last November, the former CEO of Amazon announced in the most modern of ways—on his Instagram—that he was officially relocating from Seattle to Miami, noting that he wanted to be closer to his parents and his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez. “I’ve lived in Seattle longer than I’ve lived anywhere else and have so many amazing memories here,” he captioned the post. “As exciting as the move is, it’s an emotional decision for me. Seattle, you will always have a piece of my heart.”

    Several months earlier, in August 2023, Bezos dropped $68 million in a clandestine, off-market transaction for a three-bedroom, three-bath home on the man-made barrier island. At the time, he was reportedly eyeing the house next door too, and it was only a few months before he worked out another under-the-radar deal to acquire it for $79 million. The existing home, with seven bedrooms, spans more than 19,000 square feet.

    The estate includes a swimming pool, a pool house, a putting green, and a small dock.

    Google Earth

    Bezos now owns three of the roughly 40 homes on the 300-acre island, at a cost of nearly a quarter billion dollars—$237 million, to be exact.

    Other notable figures that reside on Indian Creek include Tom Brady, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, and investor Carl Icahn. The community, which is connected to the mainland via a short bridge, sports a private 18-hole golf course, and residents have access to the country club. 

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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    Snapchat’s Billionaire CEO Is Seeking $20 Million for Harrison Ford’s Former L.A. Estate

    In June 1983, less than a month after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi debuted in movie theaters, Harrison Ford paid exactly $1 million for this genteel Los Angeles estate. Originally designed by noted architect Gerard Colcord, the Brentwood house served as Ford’s home base for nearly 30 years, until he sold it in 2012 for $8.2 million to Kevin Reilly, the former Chief Content Officer of HBO Max.

    Reilly held onto the house for just four years, flipping it in 2016 for $12 million to Evan Spiegel, the billionaire Snapchat CEO who is married to model Miranda Kerr. After about eight years in residence, Spiegel and Kerr recently packed up and moved out of the place—not really such a surprise, considering their new $120 million mega-estate in the nearby Holmby Hills neighborhood is finally nearing completion.

    Now on the market, the house and its 0.8 acres of land are available for just under $20 million. Listing information shows the main mansion, set on a knoll high above the street and just below The Getty Museum, was originally built in 1951 and encompasses 7,164 square feet with four bedrooms, all of them with ensuite bathrooms. There’s an additional poolside guesthouse, plus a detached guesthouse with two additional guest suites. There are a total of seven bathrooms on the property, according to listing information.

    The hillside property features several separate structures, plus a swimming pool and lush gardens.

    Google Earth

    The main house features a two-story foyer with custom wood paneling, a very large formal living room, a wood-paneled formal dining room, and a more intimate library and family room, nearly all of which feature extensive built-in cabinetry and beautiful moldings. There’s also an eat-in, updated kitchen with skylights, marble countertops and top-of-the-line appliances that include a glass-fronted SubZero refrigerator. Additional rooms and amenities are not limited to an office, wine cellar, and four original fireplaces.

    The gated estate has a long and gated driveway that climbs to a circular motorcourt and two-car attached garage, terraced gardens, brick terraces, tree-ringed flat lawns dappled with shade, and several upper-level balconies with treetop city views.

    Ford still splits his time between Brentwood, where he long ago moved on to a larger home in the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood pocket, and Wyoming’s Jackson Hole community, where he’s long owned a stunningly picturesque ranch just south of downtown. More

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    ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Star Ariana Madix Just Picked Up a New L.A. House in the Hills

    It’s been one heck of a whirlwind year for Ariana Madix. Not only did the popular Vanderpump Rules star part ways with her longtime boyfriend Tom Sandoval after a particularly salacious cheating scandal, but the former bartender also found a new East Coast love interest and made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago. She also came in third place on the most recent season of Dancing With the Stars and was just tapped as the new host of Love Island USA.

    But, perhaps most importantly, the 38-year-old Florida native has finally managed to move out of the trendy modern farmhouse-style home in the Valley Village area of Los Angeles that she purchased with her former flame in 2019 for $2 million and then continued to share long after their much-publicized split.

    Though the pair are reportedly still at odds over what to do with the property—he wants to buy out her portion of the home, while she would like to sell it and split the proceeds—records show Madix has nonetheless gone ahead and shelled out $1.6 million to buy her own midcentury-modern residence high atop the Outpost Estates neighborhood of Hollywood Hills. And per the New York Post, which first reported the news, “Ariana has fallen in love with this home and is excited for a new chapter.”

    Originally built in the early 1960s, but recently having received an extensive renovation, Madix’s new digs come complete with three bedrooms and two bathrooms spread across two levels of living space offering up picturesque views of the iconic Hollywood Sign.

    Unfortunately, images of the home are unavailable, but listing materials note that the updated structure is highlighted by an open-concept main level featuring a combined living/dining area that connects to a kitchen outfitted with brass finishes and stainless appliances.

    Upstairs, a “generously sized” primary suite boasts a sitting area and modern bath; and outdoors, the private grounds span less than a quarter-acre, and host a terraced backyard sporting an al fresco entertaining space that’s big enough for a gathering of up to 20 friends, as well as a meditation deck. There’s also an attached two-car garage out front. More