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    ‘Spy Kids’ Filmmaker Asks $8.9 Million for a Snazzy Waterfront Home in Texas

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    After nearly six years of ownership, Robert Rodriguez has decided to part ways with his ranch-style home high above Lake Travis in the Texas capital of Austin. The veteran filmmaker—probably most known for his work on movies such as Sin City, Spy Kids, and From Dusk Till Dawn—is asking $8.9 million for the waterfront spread, which he acquired back in October 2018.

    Originally designed by noted modernist architect O’Neil Ford, who is widely acclaimed for crafting the Trinity University campus and Little Chapel in-the-Woods, the property was built in 1962 and underwent an extensive remodel in the late 1990s at the hands of designer/builders Dick Clark and David Dalgleish. Described as a “seamless blend of historical charm and modern luxury” in marketing materials, the dwelling has been nicknamed The Bond House by its owner for its “sophisticated ambience and international allure of the 1960s Sean Connery James Bond films.”

    RELATED: Justin Timberlake Gets $8 Million for 126-Acre Property in Tennessee

    The midcentury-modern home flaunts floor-to-ceiling glass in almost every room.

    JP Morales/JPM Real Estate Photography

    Featured are four bedrooms and five baths in nearly 5,200 square feet of living space that boasts hardwood floors, exposed brick walls, and soaring wood-beam ceilings throughout. An eye-catching solarium is equipped with an indoor pool and spa, with outdoor amenities including a funicular that descends to a private two-level dock and 200 feet of waterfront footage, plus a waterfall-clad courtyard, a built-in barbecue, a lengthy walking path, and a three-stall carport nestled alongside a motorcourt.

    Tucked away on a woodsy, bluff-top parcel spanning almost 4 acres, the brick structure is secluded behind gates. An arcade entry leads to a sky-lit foyer, which flows to a spacious great room sporting a chandelier-topped dining area and a living room centered around a wood-burning fireplace flanked by built-in shelving. Floor-to-ceiling walls of glass stretching across the entire space provide picturesque water views.

    A cozy fireside family room connects to the kitchen, which is outfitted with stone countertops, an eat-in island, and top-tier stainless appliances. Other highlights consist of a posh primary suite flaunting a seating area overlooking the lake and a tiled bath equipped with dual vanities, a soaking tub, and a steam shower.

    RELATED: Drake Snaps Up a Sprawling Texas Ranch for $15 Million—Here’s a Look Inside

    The voluminous great room holds a dining area and a fireside living room.

    JP Morales/JPM Real Estate Photography

    Per the listing held by Dara Allen and Monica Fabbio of @properties lone star Christie’s International Real Estate, the house served as both a writing oasis and a hidden retreat where the San Antonio-born director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor, and composer could unwind after busy filming schedules, all while enjoying the secluded pool area and lake breezes.

    “Driving just 15 miles from my studio to the Bond House, I’d start my weekend feeling like I was in another country,” Rodriguez said in a press statement. “I’d go right through the great room with its pitched ceilings to the shaded and enclosed pool area, feeling that amazing lake breeze and watching the sunset while sipping a shot glass of tequila. I would instantly feel like I was in another country and completing the most relaxed weekend, even though it was just beginning.”

    Click here for more photos of Robert Rodriguez’s Austin house.

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      Drake Snaps Up a Sprawling Texas Ranch for $15 Million—Here’s a Look Inside

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      Music superstar Aubrey “Drake” Graham already owns an infamous 50,000-square-foot mega-mansion nestled in Toronto’s affluent Bridle Path neighborhood that cost tens of millions of dollars to build. Not to mention a multimillion-dollar estate in Beverly Hills that he picked up from singer Robbie Williams two years ago and is currently shopping around for a whopping $88 million. But the Canadian “Hotline Bling” rapper just couldn’t resist scooping up an even bigger and more secluded luxury resort property in the Texas city of Brenham, between Austin and Houston.

      Records show Drake doled out $15 million in late October for The Inn at Dos Brisas, a 313-acre spread featuring a Mediterranean-style main house plus several haciendas and casitas. There’s also an equestrian center boasting a spacious indoor arena, along with an organic farm, a greenhouse, a sports court, and a restaurant sporting a 7,000-bottle wine cellar.

      Purchased by Houston tech mogul Doug Bosch and his wife Jennifer in 2000 as a family retreat and then converted into a resort in 2004, the much-beloved Relais & Châteaux-branded property shuttered its doors in 2022 due to COVID-related losses. In previous years, it was listed as one of CultureMap Houston’s picks for the 10 best hotels in Texas and claimed the state’s only Forbes Travel Guide five-star restaurant.

      The primary dwelling offers a resort-style swimming pool and spa surrounded by an expansive sundeck.

      James Pharaon Creative

      The main home is highlighted by a bar-equipped lounge area, a fireside dining room, and a large swimming pool and spa surrounded by an expansive sundeck. Five haciendas and four casitas range in size from 800 square feet to 1,795 square feet and include amenities like stone fireplaces, kitchenettes, luxe baths, screened porches, and private plunge pools. Golf carts are readily available for exploring the picturesque grounds, which are laced with pecan trees and wildflowers and host a rose garden, a trio of fishing ponds, and Peach Creek.

      Though it’s unknown whether he plans to resurrect the resort as a business or use it as a high-end country estate, Drake’s new spread “has proven that it can and has been the best in its class as a restaurant and inn,” listing agent Tonya Currie at the Lifestyle Ranch & Home Group of Compass told Mansion Global last May, after she had relisted the property for $2.5 million off its original asking price.

      Going forward, she added, The Inn at Dos Brisas “has the potential to be tapped into for use in so many other areas such as equestrian venues, a festival destination, medical retreat, country club or just for those wanting the best in a personal luxury getaway ranch.”

      Click here for more photos of Drake’s Texas ranch.

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      in Luxury

      Retired NFL Star Derrick Johnson Puts His Lone Star State Home on the Market for $4 Million

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      Former Texas Longhorn and Kansas City Chief linebacker Derrick Johnson—known to his many fans simply as “DJ”—has officially hoisted his swanky estate in Austin’s exclusive Spanish Oaks gated community up for sale.

      The founder and president of the Defend the Dream Foundation, which serves low-income and inner-city youth, acquired the modern residence back in 2018. Now, six years later, the place has returned to the market with a nearly $4 million ask.

      Custom-built by Olson Defendorf in 2015, and designed by Geschke Group Architecture, the creamy stucco and brick structure features five bedrooms and five bathrooms in a little more than 5,400 square feet of multi-level living space boasting an office wing, a gym, movie theater and bar-equipped game room. Other posh amenities can be found amid the landscaped grounds, which span just over 1.5 acres and host a two-level swimming pool with a waterpark-quality slide, fire-pit, children’s playhouse and picturesque views of the surrounding Hill Country terrain.

      A covered al fresco entertaining area off the lower level overlooks a waterslide-equipped swimming pool.

      JP Morales/Compass

      Once inside, highlights include a spacious great room spotlighted by a living area adorned with a linear fireplace flanked by built-in shelving and a wall of glass doors spilling out to a covered al fresco entertaining terrace holding a built-in barbecue station with a Big Green Egg. An adjacent dining area connects to the gourmet kitchen, which is furnished with quartz countertops, an expansive eat-in island and top-tier stainless appliances.

      Elsewhere is a sumptuous master retreat flaunting a walk-in closet, as well as a spa-inspired bath outfitted with dual vanities, a soaking tub and separate shower; and rounding it all out is a motorcourt and attached garages with room for up to three vehicles, along with access to Spanish Oaks facilities ranging from a private golf club with a top-ranked, 18-hole course to a fully stocked fish camp.

      Glass-and-wood double front doors open into a great room showcased by a fireside living room.

      JP Morales/Compass

      Now retired, Johnson was originally selected as the 15th pick in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he earned four Pro Bowls, two All-Pro picks and Pro Bowl Defensive MVP during his 13-season tenure. The 41-year-old Waco, Texas, native then played for the Oakland Raiders for a short time before signing a one-day ceremonial contract to retire with the Chiefs in 2019 as the franchise’s all-time leading tackler. The former Nagurski and Butkus award winner also recently became the 25th Longhorn inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2023.

      The listing is held by Michelle Jones and Todd Grossman of Compass.

      Click here for more photos of Derrick Johnson’s Texas house.

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      in Luxury

      Haylie Duff Is Seeking $3.2 Million for Her Santa Barbara-Style Home in Texas

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      A little over three years ago, during the pandemic, Haylie Duff ditched the bright lights of Hollywood and acquired a new residence in her home state of Texas. The actress and singer recently told People that she and her longtime partner Matt Rosenberg and their two daughters had wanted to “take a chance and do something really different.”

      But that was then! Now Duff has changed her mind and is hoisting her Santa Barbara-style home about 20 minutes northwest of downtown Austin back on the market, asking $3.2 million—or almost $2 million more than the place was originally listed for back in October 2020. But she still maintains a foothold in the area, having purchased and renovated a lakeside vacation house less than a mile away.

      The Santa Barbara-style home sits on an acre in Austin’s exclusive Spanish Oaks neighborhood.

      Frank Garnica/Partner of JPM Real Estate Photography

      Custom built by Eppright Homes and completed in 2013, the creamy stucco and terracotta-roof structure up for sale is tucked securely behind a gated driveway, on a 1-acre parcel in the exclusive Spanish Oaks neighborhood pocket. Inside, four bedrooms and matching number of baths are spread across a little more than 4,200 square feet of two-level living space boasting hardwood floors, coffered ceilings, arched doorways, crown molding and designer light fixtures throughout.

      Main-level highlights include a double-height foyer displaying a formal living room on one side and a curving staircase that leads up to a secluded office space with a built-in desk on the other. From there, a family room has bi-folding glass doors spilling out to a terrace, and a sleekly designed gourmet kitchen is outfitted with quartz countertops, dual islands, high-end stainless appliances, a butler’s pantry and an accompanying dining area flanked by a study nook.

      A snazzy office space can be found up a flight of stairs off the entry foyer.

      Frank Garnica/Partner of JPM Real Estate Photography

      In addition to a lounge space, another study nook and a large covered balcony upstairs, a spacious primary bedroom sports a sitting area nestled alongside a bay window, double-sided walk-in closet, and luxe bath equipped with dual vanities, a soaking tub and glass-encased shower; and outdoors, the grounds are spotlighted by a pool and spa, grilling station and far-reaching greenbelt views. There’s also an attached three-car garage and additional parking for up to four more vehicles, plus a $440-per-month HOA fee that allows the new owner access to the community’s resort-style pool and golf club.

      The 38-year-old film and TV actress first gained mainstream attention in 2004 as Summer Wheatley in Napoleon Dynamite, earning a Teen Choice Award for “Choice Movie Breakout Performance.” The older sister of fellow actress Hilary Duff, she’s also known for her roles in 7th Heaven and Material Girls, as well as The Real Girl’s Kitchen cooking show she hosted back in 2014.  

      The listing is held by Scott Michaels of Compass.

      Click here for more photos of Haylie Duff’s Texas house.

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      in Luxury

      This Tuscany-Inspired Texas Villa Has Ties to Hollywood

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      A Tuscan-inspired villa on the prosperous suburban outskirts of Austin, once owned by late, Texas-based screenwriter Warren Skaaren, has popped up for sale with an asking price just shy of $6.5 million. 

      Skaaren was the executive director of the Texas Film Commission before he began writing scripts. In 1986, he was hired to rewrite “Top Gun” (he’s credited as an associate producer) and is best known for his work on the late 1980s Tim Burton films “Beetlejuice” and “Batman.”

      Inspired by his travels to Tuscany, Skaaren custom built the home in 1984, according to listings held by Katherine Beckworth at Compass, and used it as his “personal writer’s retreat.” Skaaren died of bone cancer in 1990; he was just 44 years old. The property has subsequently had half a dozen owners, including the seller, who purchased the property in late 2021 for an unknown amount. (Texas is a non-disclosure state and, as such, does not make home sale prices public record.)

      A bubbly light fixture provides the dining room with a dash of modernity.

      Brian Cole Photography

      Known as Il Monastero, the 5,900-square-foot residence certainly feels secluded and monastic. Perched above a shallow, wooded ravine in a sunny clearing, the expertly crafted home offers rustic, patinated Old World sophistication along with all the creature comforts of a modern lifestyle. Inside and out are hand-laid patterned brick work, a combination of stone and wood floors, wrought-iron details, and chunky wooden beams across the ceilings. Contemporary light fixtures add panache.

      Just beyond the front door is a hand-carved Cordova stone staircase that gently curves up to the second floor. The step-down living room is dominated by a massive brick fireplace, and a modest study with a built-in desk features French doors that open to a walled patio. Huge picture windows in the living and dining rooms overlook the oak-covered hills that surround the property. The up-to-date kitchen, all white with stainless-steel appliances and lightly veined white marble (or marble-like) counters, is open over a snack bar to a casual lounge for TV watching.

      Interior details highlight the Il Monastero’s custom Cordova stone banisters and bespoke wrought-iron accents.

      Brian Cole Photography

      Among the five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms are a large guest suite with a private sitting area and a spacious primary suite with a bathroom rendered in black and shades of grey. 

      All around the house are walled courtyards and shaded patios, one of which includes a built-in grill. A raised loggia at the back of the house overlooks the swimming pool and the rolling hills. A spa spills into one end of the rectangular pool and, at the other, a pergola-topped stone wall shields a sunken sports court nestled into the treed slope below the house.

      As long as no one repeats the word Beetlejuice three times in a row (wink), Il Monastero is indeed a peaceful spot to reflect (and to entertain!) that’s just a short drive from the hustle-bustle of downtown.

      Click here for more photos of 3 Wren Valley Cove.

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