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    Inside a $3.3 Million One-Bedroom Condo in L.A.’s Famed Sierra Towers

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    Sierra Towers, the 31-story condo skyscraper located at the bustling intersection of Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and the Sunset Strip’s western end, has been a favored celebrity haunt since its completion in the 1960s. But while the midcentury modern landmark normally sees little turnover, the building has seen a glut of luxury listings and sales over the past couple of years.

    Courteney Cox recently sold her Sierra Towers perch, as did Sandra Bullock. Katy Perry recently bought a double-wide penthouse, and there are at least four other units currently on the market. The newest of those, an 17th-floor pied-a-terre, popped up for sale just a few days ago.

    Since its inception in the 1960s, Sierra Towers has been an iconic part of L.A.’s skyline and a favored celebrity haunt.

    Evan Ramzi

    Once one of L.A.’s only high-end condo skyscrapers, Sierra Towers has faced strong competition in recent years from a vast array of newer and glitzier buildings. A common criticism of Sierra Towers is that while unit prices and HOA dues are sky-high, residents must make do with the building’s low midcentury ceilings and dated interiors. But this particular condo addresses at least one of those complaints with its all-new, ultra-chic interiors that bring a heaping dash of contemporary flavor to the premises.

    The petite unit’s current owner is Amir Ensani, a prolific investor in high-end L.A. condos and a luxury new development specialist currently spearheading sales at the exclusive Beverly West Residences. Records show Ensani acquired the one-bedroom, 1.5-bath unit back in early 2022, paying about $1.7 million, and subsequently spent much of the past two years giving the interiors a total overhaul. The 1,300-square-foot residence now includes a masterful blend of wood, glass and stone, a sultry combination further enhanced by its magnificent north-facing views.

    Now priced at nearly $3.3 million, the home’s stylish centerpiece is undoubtedly its eat-in kitchen, which flaunts striking marble countertops and backsplash. The large center island has bar seating, and there’s also a more formal dining area with birds-eye views of the Bird Streets neighborhood. Top-of-the-line Miele appliances are seamlessly integrated into warm-toned hardwood cabinetry.

    The primary bathroom is slathered in imported marble, and an oval freestanding tub takes visual center stage.

    Evan Ramzi

    Just off the open living/kitchen area, the cozy bedroom features wood paneling. A showroom closet with custom built-ins and decadent backlighting stands between the marble bathroom, which offers a freestanding tub and roomy shower with a rainfall showerhead. For convenience, the unit is also equipped with a powder room, also marble-swaddled and ideal for guests.

    The lucky new homeowner, whether it’s a well-to-do bachelor, bachelorette or child-free power couple, will enjoy the new and fully integrated sound system and floor-to-ceiling glass Fleetwood doors throughout, which provide panoramic vistas of the Hollywood Hills, the Sunset Strip and occasionally snowcapped San Gabriel Mountains.

    Building amenities include a communal outdoor pool on one of the lower floors, 24/7 concierge, valet parking, private security guards and a state-of-the-art fitness facility, per the listing. For those services—and more—a buyer can expect to cough up a hefty $2,319 per month in HOA dues.

    Tomer Fridman of the Jones Fridman International group at Compass holds the listing.

    Click here for more photos of Amir Ensani’s Sierra Towers condo.

    Evan Ramzi More

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      Annie Leibovitz Lists a Century-Old Northern California Ranch For $9 Million

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      Photographer Annie Leibovitz, whose work has appeared on the glossy pages of Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair for decades, is parting ways with her historic Northern California ranch, now on the market for $8.995 million.

      Leibovitz, who has shot everyone from Richard Nixon to Queen Elizabeth to John Lennon and Yoko Ono and regularly shoots covers of Vogue, purchased the incredible 65-acre ranch in 2019. Located in the famously reclusive seaside community of Bolinas, a favorite, under-the-radar Northern California hideaway for artists, Hollywood types, and the Silicon Valley set, the hilltop ranch dates back to the 1800s, when the first settlers of the area called the ranch home.

      Known today as The Hideaway, the ranch brims with creative history. Photographer Ansel Adams famously shot images here that were part of a traveling Smithsonian exhibit, and later on, Warren Hellman, businessman and founder of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festival, lived here. 

      The kitchen remodel is in keeping with the relaxed charm of the coastal ranch property.

      Jacob Elliott

      The rural coastal retreat is located where the Pacific Ocean meets Mount Tamalpais, and there are stunning views of the Bolinas Lagoon, Stinson Beach, Mount Tamalpais, and San Francisco, which is just an hour away. Several of the ranch’s many structures date back to the 1920s and ‘30s, and a few date back to the original settlers. After purchasing the property in 2019, Leibovitz spent nearly $2 million on renovations, which saw the addition of a new kitchen and major upgrades to the infrastructure. Still, the home retains its unassuming farmhouse charm. 

      In total, there are seven structures, four of which comprise the residential portion of the compound. The remodeled 1920s main residence has four light-filled bedrooms, a charming updated kitchen, and quaint living spaces. There is also a one-bedroom guesthouse, a caretaker’s residence, and a converted garage. Elsewhere on the property, a dairy barn includes a recording studio that was added during Hellman’s ownership, while the remaining structures, a hay barn and a seven-stall horse barn, are dedicated to equestrian facilities. There’s also a 100-foot x 200-foot year-round riding arena, additional horse and livestock stalls, and fenced pastures. 

      “The Hideaway at 605 Horseshoe Hill Road stands as a historic property with generations of notable stewardship,” said Alexander Lurie, a listing agent with Compass, who is co-listing the property with Nick Svenson, in a press statement. “During Hellman’s ownership, the agrarian and equestrian wonderland served as a gathering for musicians of his time. The site of many special events, concerts, and weddings over more than a century, The Hideaway has an indelible place in history—both for the San Francisco Bay Area and globally. This special space has served as a launching pad of creative inspiration for renowned musical and visual artists of international repute.”

      Millions have been spent to update infrastructure as well as the ranch’s seven humble structures.

      Jacob Elliott

      In addition to panoramic water and mountain views, the ranch property is filled with rolling hills, verdant forest, lush pastures, and nearby bird and seal sanctuaries.

      Leibovitz, currently serving as the first IKEA Artist in Residence, has been much in the real estate news lately. Though she still owns an equestrian property in New York’s Hudson Valley, she sold a duplex apartment in a distinguished building on New York City’s Central Park West earlier this year for $10.6 million—more than $600,000 less than she paid about 10 years ago—and her 3,200-square-foot live-work studio overlooking the Hudson River in the West Village was put up for sale in January and is now in contract with an asking price of $8.5 million.

      Click here for more photos of The Hideaway.

      Jacob Elliott More

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      After Two Years, Sofia Vergara Finally Unloads Her $13 Million Beverly Hills Estate

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      After a long slog on the market, Sofia Vergara has finally succeeded in unloading her Beverly Hills white elephant. First listed in June 2022 with a nearly $20 million asking price, the 11,000-square-foot Mediterranean villa-style manor eventually saw its price tag slashed all the way down to $14 million. The new owners, who closed on the house yesterday, paid an even lower $13.7 million.

      For the moment, the discount-minded buyers remain nameless, but they are reportedly not famous. And of course, it is worth noting that $13.7 million is still a very large sum of money—and a hefty $3.1 million more than what Vergara herself paid for the house a decade ago.

      Though hidden behind gates and an enormous front hedge, Vergara’s just-sold home actually sits quite near to a fairly busy street in the Benedict Canyon area.

      Google Earth

      During her 10 years of ownership, Vergara gave the 2006-built structure a contemporary interior makeover overseen by designer Jennifer Bevan. Hidden behind gates and a notably overgrown hedge, the creamy beige house is described in the listing as  “refined and romantic,” and features seven bedrooms, all of them outfitted with ensuite full bathrooms.

      Inside, highlights include a double-height foyer displaying a striking curving staircase, which flows to formal living and dining rooms. The family room has French doors opening to the outside, and adjoins a sleekly designed gourmet kitchen outfitted with a large center island, high-end Viking appliances and a breakfast nook.

      The bedrooms include an upper-level primary retreat sporting dual closets and spa-inspired baths, while the lower level is primed for entertaining with a substantial wet bar, a 3,000-bottle wine cellar and tasting room, a 10-seat movie theater and a gym with its own sauna. Outdoors, the steeply sloped backyard isn’t especially huge, but it does contain a lovely grassy lawn, privacy hedges and mature trees. There’s also a swimming pool and several areas dedicated to al fresco lounging and dining.

      Vergara, who shared this house with former husband Joe Manganiello, long ago moved to a 17,000-square-foot mansion just up the hill, in the guard-gated community of Beverly Park. She acquired that place—essentially a much larger and grander version of this house—back in 2020, paying $26 million.

      The Colombian-born actress and model—probably best known for her 11-season run as Gloria on the TV series Modern Family—ranked as the highest-paid television actress for many years. Today, her personal net worth stands at a reported $180 million. More

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      Matt Damon Just Snagged an $8 Million L.A. Condo

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      Last fall, powerful Comcast CEO Brian Roberts shelled out nearly $9 million for a fifth-floor unit at 8899 Beverly, one of L.A.’s newest and most luxurious condo buildings. Now an arguably even bigger name has followed suit—records indicate an $8.6 million, fourth-floor unit at the same building was recently acquired by actor Matt Damon.

      The condo in question is a notably lavish pied-a-terre ideal for an out-of-state resident who occasionally works in Tinseltown, offering two bedrooms and two bathrooms in just under 2,900 square feet of living space. Brand new and first offered last summer at nearly $9 million, the residence offers walls of glass and north-facing views of the Hollywood Hills from nearly every year.

      Chief among the unit’s amenities is a 1,600-square-foot private outdoor terrace, which the listing notes is one of “the grandest and most expansive outdoor spaces available in the building.” Other bespoke touches include a handcrafted leather door handle leading to the gourmet kitchen, which offers top-of-the-line Sub-Zero, Miele and Gagganeau appliances. The primary bedroom suite, flaunting unobstructed views of the entirety of the Hollywood Hills, also includes dual walk-in closets and a lavish bathroom.

      Damon’s new residence is one of 40 ultra-luxe condos at the 8899 Beverly development.

      Getty Images

      Designed by prestigious architecture firm Olson Kundig, 8899 Beverly is the tallest residential building in West Hollywood, per marketing materials, and sits in a high-density area just blocks from Beverly Hills and a short walk to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Prices for the building’s 40 condo residences start at about $5 million and can essentially touch the sky from there—Robb Report has heard unconfirmed reports that a penthouse at the building may currently be in escrow for north of $20 million with a San Francisco-based tycoon, but that deal has yet to close.

      The 8899 Beverly development also houses 15 affordable housing units on its first floor, where rental fees are capped by market rates, so potentially even non-millionaires can share the premises with rich and famous residents that include Damon and Roberts.

      As for HOA dues, Damon will shell out nearly $5,000 per month for the privilege of living at his luxe new building, where amenities include a 24-hour concierge, fitness center and yoga studio, private auto stable for two vehicles. Outside, an expansive open-air space hosts a pool and spa, fireplaces and a covered dining area. The brand-new, onsite Italian restaurant Stella West Hollywood is also located on the premises.

      Damon and his wife previously owned a tropically-themed mansion in Pacific Palisades that they bought in 2012 for $15 million and sold for $18 million in 2021 to its current owners, former Warner Bros CEO Ann Sarnoff and her husband, private equity guru Richard Sarnoff. For the last several years, the Damon family has primarily resided in New York, where they split their time between a $16 million townhouse in N.Y.C.’s trendy Brooklyn Heights neighborhood and an $8 million getaway estate in the upstate neighborhood of Bedford Hills. More

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      John Fogerty Asks $21 Million for Sylvester Stallone’s Former L.A. Estate

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      Though it’s been barely seven months since John Fogerty paid Sylvester Stallone just over $17 million for his 2.2-acre ranch deep in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, the former Creedence Clearwater Revival founder and frontman is already seeking a new owner for his place in the ritzy guard-gated community of Hidden Hills with a hefty $4.3 million bump in price, asking $21.5 million.

      Fogerty picked up the equestrian property last October for well under Stallone’s $22.5 million asking price, or $1 million less than the Rambo and Rocky star paid for the keys back in spring 2022. But it appears that neither of the gents made any substantial alterations to the place during their short stays, with the home having originally been decked out with East Coast-inspired interiors by celebrity designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard for a previous owner.

      Built in 2014, and tucked away behind gates and mature trees at the end of a secluded cul-de-sac, the estate includes a white wood-shingled main house and detached guesthouse—for a total of five bedrooms and eight baths in a little more than 10,400 square feet. Also on tap are a large poolside cabana warmed by a fireplace and four-stall horse barn, plus a professional-size riding arena, greenhouse and an attached garage that can accommodate up to four vehicles.

      In addition to a riding arena, the 2.2-acre spread contains four separate structures.

      Google Earth

      Especially standing out in the two-story primary dwelling is a spacious great room sporting a vaulted wood-beam ceiling topped with skylights, fireplace and walls of glass spilling out to a covered terrace. A formal dining room and family room connect to the gourmet kitchen, which is outfitted with an eat-in island, and top-tier Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances. There’s also a projector-equipped media room, mirror-walled gym and wine cellar with a tasting room.

      Upstairs, the primary suite comes complete with a sitting area, private balcony, two showroom-style closets, and a luxe bath sporting dual vanities, a soaking tub and glassy steam shower; and outdoors, the sprawling grounds are laced with fruit and avocado trees, organic vegetable gardens and a koi pond, and host a custom swimming pool with a Baja shelf and spa, fire-pit, as well as plenty of spots ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining.

      In addition to their Hidden Hills spread, Fogerty and his longtime wife Julie still own an even larger estate out in the Hidden Valley community near Thousand Oaks. That 20-acre compound was up for grabs at $20 million in early 2023, though it’s since been removed from the market. As for Stallone, he and wife Jennifer have traded California for Florida, where they own a $35 million Palm Beach mansion. More

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      Shaun White Lists His Midcentury Modern Hideaway in the Hollywood Hills for $5 Million

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      Almost a year ago, Shaun White and his longtime partner, The Vampire Diaries actress Nina Dobrev, jointly purchased an updated midcentury modern home secluded high in the hills above Hollywood. So it’s hardly surprising that White’s old house—a smaller but no less stylish and glass-walled midcentury modern elsewhere in the Hollywood Hills—has now popped up for sale, asking exactly $5 million.

      White bought his former bachelor pad in 2018, paying $3.8 million, and has since given the circa-1955 post and beam-style structure a much-needed contemporary makeover, transforming the dowdy and dated interiors into terrazzo-floored and white-walled open spaces that more accurately reflect the home’s groovy heyday.

      Due to the floor-to-ceiling windows throughout that flood the place with natural light, the house feels larger than its cozy stats would suggest. Per tax records and listing information, the structure has three bedrooms and two bathrooms in less than 1,900 square feet.

      The house itself lies out of public view, shielded from passersby by a concrete wall and a gated entryway.

      Google Earth

      Tucked away on a little-known cul-de-sac in the Outpost Estates neighborhood, the 0.33-acre property offers a two-car carport and a petite driveway. The house itself is screened off from the street via a cement block wall painted a crisp white, while a gated walkway leads past a long thicket of bamboo on its way to the front door.

      Once inside the residence, guests will be wowed by the combo living/dining/kitchen area, which is essentially one huge room full of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Hollywood and the L.A. skyline. The kitchen sports new cabinetry and premium stainless appliances, while sliding glass doors effortlessly blur the line between indoors and out.

      Neither of the bedrooms or bathrooms are particularly large, but they all are nicely updated. At least one of the bedrooms has direct access to the backyard, where a classic kidney-shaped pool reigns supreme and is surrounded by tropically-landscaped patio area ideal for dedicated sunbathers. Beyond that, a big grassy lawn tumbles down to a fire-pit seating area with more big views of the city lights.

      In an odd coincidence—or maybe it’s really not—White’s for-sale Hollywood Hills home happens to sit right next door to much larger contemporary mansion that he also used to own. After buying that larger house in 2015 for $6.4 million, White flipped the place two years later for $6.7 million to Shark Tank judge Robert Herjavec, who eventually sold the house at a loss to its current owner, a non-famous businessman.

      White, 37, is a retired professional snowboarder and three-time Olympic gold medalist in half-pipe snowboarding. The San Diego native is also an entrepreneur with an ownership stake in Mammoth Mountain and his own lifestyle brand.  More

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      Lori Loughlin Is Seeking $17 Million for Her Lavish L.A. Mansion

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      Four years after she and longtime husband Mossimo Giannulli bought the place for $9.5 million, Lori Loughlin is returning her impressive “Full House” in guard-gated Hidden Hills back to the market, asking a much-increased $17.5 million. Fashionably dressed in the modern farmhouse architectural style and featuring a host of top-of-the-line amenities throughout, the 2019-built structure boasts six bedrooms and 7.5 baths in nearly 12,000 square feet of open-plan living space.

      The big jump in price reflects Hidden Hills’ increased desirability, as buyer interest in L.A.’s gated communities has soared over the past few years. And it’s certainly worth noting that Loughlin and Giannulli have made some noteworthy improvements to the 1.5-acre property during their ownership tenure. The couple installed new landscaping—more than a dozen mature olive trees now hug the front of the property, providing increased seclusion and serenity. There are new contemporary chandeliers inside, a darker paint on the home’s outside, and a fully re-landscaped backyard with elegant new hedges, a fire-pit seating area, a bocce ball court and the same tranquil views of the hills that surround Calabasas.

      Built on speculation in 2019, the modern farmhouse sits at the very end of a particularly prestigious cul-de-sac.

      Google Earth

      Behind equestrian-oriented Hidden Hills’ ubiquitous white picket fences, a short pathway leads to the house itself. Inside, guests will be impressed by the colossal foyer, which features soaring ceilings and clerestory windows that bathe the interiors in light.

      The decor theme of warm tones — reinforced by creamy white walls and maple floors — continues throughout the home’s open-plan living spaces. The great room offers a chunky marble fireplace and a unique ceiling with parallel rows of skylights, while the dining room lies directly across from a temperature-controlled wine closet—which is currently equipped with a motorcycle—and can easily seat a dozen merrymakers.

      As expected, the chef’s kitchen is undeniably lavish, sporting custom white cabinetry, marble countertops, and a bevy of high-end appliances. Wide banks of glass sliders blur the line between indoor/outdoor living and spill out to a massive covered dining loggia overlooking the backyard lawn and pool.

      Other luxe spaces include a home gym with plenty of space for a row machine or two, a movie theater, and a large executive office. Upstairs, the primary suite offers a bedroom with a marble fireplace and private balcony, plus a spa-style bath and a bespoke dressing room.

      Even if Giannulli and Aunt Becky were to sell their Hidden Hills house tomorrow, they assuredly won’t be homeless. The couple also still owns a $13 million desert vacation retreat at the Madison Club in California‘s Coachella Valley, where some of their nearest neighbors include Apple’s Tim Cook, Nike’s Phil Knight, Justin Bieber and multiple members of the Kardashian clan. More

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      ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Director Unloads Pastoral California Estate for $5 Million

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      About six months ago, Hollywood producer/director Jon M. Chu dropped $11 million to buy Halsey’s lush estate in the semi-remote mountains between Malibu and Calabasas. So it’s hardly surprising that the prolific filmmaker—he’s best known as the director of the 2018 blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians—has now sold his old house, a smaller but likewise gated and lush estate in the same general neighborhood as Halsey’s former spread.

      Tucked into the unincorporated region known as Monte Nido, the nearly 2.7-acre ranch is about as quiet and secluded as any property in the greater L.A. area, set at the very end of a hidden cul-de-sac accessed via a whimsical wooden bridge. Screened behind stone walls and big gates, the estate features a Craftsman-style main house originally built in 1954, per tax records. Painted a rich henna color with teal trim, the nearly 4,800-square-foot structure packs in five bedrooms, lustrous pine floors, and numerous custom upgrades.

      The house sold for just a hair under $5 million, a healthy jump over the $3.7 million Chu paid for the place just over three years ago. Per records, the buyer is an LLC linked to New Jersey-based real estate developer Robert Paulus.

      Secreted away behind gates and ancient trees, the bucolic property spans about 2.7 acres.

      Google Earth

      On the main level, the house offers an airy living room is accented by massive wooden ceiling beams, triangular clerestory windows, a stone fireplace, and two sets of glassy French doors leading to the gardens. Likewise, the formal dining room also sports French doors of its own and a vaulted ceiling, while the adjoining kitchen has a distinctly 2000s flare with speckled granite countertops, plus custom cabinetry and top-of-the-line Wolf and SubZero appliances.

      There’s also a huge den with enough space for large-scale events, and somewhere lies a so-called “bonus den,” with wood-paneled walls and big picture windows, that could be a home office or library. For social-distanced exercising, Chu and his wife Kristin (née Hodge) will enjoy a private gym. Upstairs, the master bedroom includes a cinematic wraparound wall of windows with  views of the oak tree-studded grounds, and shoehorned into one corner of the room is a unique circular banquette-style lounge, perfect for curling up with a good book. For its part, the master bath is somewhat dated but offers dual vanities, redwood cabinetry, and a built-in soaking tub overlooked by skylights.

      But the real star of the property show are the sprawling, ultra-private grounds, which contain native plantings, a canopy of mature oaks, fields of California poppies, and a fruit/veggie garden with plum, peach, and apricot trees. Various play and picnic areas line the trail to the far rear of the property, where there’s a large swimmer’s pool set into a stone patio, plus a BBQ and spa. Elsewhere on the lot is a detached five-car garage, plus off-street parking for several more vehicles.

      Chu, 41, was born and raised by a Taiwanese mother and a Mainland Chinese father in California’s Silicon Valley. Before “Crazy Rich Asians,” he was perhaps best-known for directing the second and third installments of the critically-panned “Step Up” film series, in addition to directing Justin Bieber’s lucrative 2011 and 2013 concert films. More

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      A Chinese Billionaire Just Spent More Than $250 Million on Lavish Mansions Spanning Half the Globe

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      Three months ago, Asia-based real estate blog Mingtiandi reported on the sale of one of Hong Kong’s most extravagant homes, a nearly 12,000-square-foot hilltop mansion in the ultra-prestigious Peak neighborhood. The house, a limestone-faced and liberally embellished two-story structure with unobstructed views of the city skyline and Victoria Harbour, sold for HK$838 million, or roughly $107 million USD.

      The sale was notable not just because it ranks as one of Hong Kong’s biggest real estate deals over the past couple of years, but because it’s one of the few ultra-luxury Hong Kong homes that have sold to a Mainland Chinese buyer in recent years, amid an ongoing Hong Kong housing slump and a sluggish mainland economy. Per property records, the house was acquired by an entity controlled by a Shenzhen-based woman named Gu Fang.

      The palatial mansion sold for a discounted $107 million in early 2024, a rare bright spot in Hong Kong’s sluggish real estate market.

      Google Earth

      People familiar with the properties now tell Robb Report that the same woman, Gu, is also directly linked to the purchase of three of the most expensive U.S. homes that have sold in the past 18 months, two of them being high-profile estates with Hollywood celebrity ties. In October 2022, a mystery buyer paid $55 million for the Newport Coast mansion of reality TV personalities Dr. Terry and Heather Dubrow. Four months later, a mystery buyer dropped another $55 million on the wildly extravagant Beverly Hills mansion of actor Mark Wahlberg.

      Although the new owner’s name was not revealed at that time, it was widely reported that both the Dubrows’ home and Wahlberg’s estate were acquired by the same buyer, an anonymous Mainland Chinese billionaire now believed to be directly associated with Gu.

      In late 2022, Heather Dubrow’s 20,000-square-foot Newport Coast mansion sold for $55 million to an LLC linked to Gu Fang.

      Google Earth

      Gu, believed to be in her 50s, is the longtime wife of Xu Hang, one of China’s richest men and the co-founder of Mindray Medical, China’s largest medical device manufacturer.

      It’s perhaps not such a surprise that Xu and Gu would be on the hunt for ultra-luxury homes, despite China’s broader economic slowdown. The Covid-19 pandemic proved extraordinarily lucrative for Mindray; in 2020, the net worth of company cofounder Li Xiting—Singapore’s richest man—was reported to be increasing by a mind-bending $1 billion per month due to high worldwide demand for ventilators. As for Xu, Forbes says his personal net worth has likewise ballooned over the past few years, from $1.8 billion in 2018 to a peak of $19.5 billion in 2021. The Bloomberg Billionaire Index pegs his current wealth at $12.1 billion, making him Shenzhen’s richest man, while Forbes notes he is the world’s fourth-wealthiest man in the healthcare industry.

      Located in the Beverly Park gated community, Mark Wahlberg’s house sold in early 2023 for $55 million to an LLC linked to Gu Fang.

      Google Earth

      As it turns out, the Beverly Hills, Newport Coast and Hong Kong mansions are not the only extravagant homes in Xu’s portfolio. In early 2023, billionaire real estate developer Stephen Ross sold his mansion-sized penthouse at the Time Warner Center in New York City for $40 million, a major discount off the unit’s original $75 million ask. The buyer, records show, was yet another LLC with links to Xu and Gu.

      A lavish penthouse at Manhattan’s Time Warner Center sold in early 2023 for $40 million to an LLC linked to Gu Fang.

      Getty Images

      Putting all four purchases together reveals Xu has spent $257 million—in cash—on luxury real estate since late 2022, though it’s also worth noting that the tycoon has scored major discounts on at least three of his four new properties. The Hong Kong manor, sold for $107 million, had been originally offered at a lofty $166 million. Similarly, the Wahlberg house and Manhattan penthouse were also acquired at substantial discounts—the Wahlberg property at a 37% discount off its $87.5 million list and the N.Y.C. place at 47% below the original ask.

      In all, Xu shaved off a combined $126 million from the asking prices three homes alone. The fourth property, the Dubrow estate, was never officially listed on the open market, though it had reportedly been marketed as a pocket listing with an asking price of more than $60 million. More