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      Mindy Kaling Drops Millions on a Beverly Hills Fixer-Upper Estate

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      Mindy Kaling already owns two enviable homes in the Los Angeles area, a nearly $10 million Malibu beach house that used to belong to Frank Sinatra and a historic Hancock Park estate that was featured in the pages of Architectural Digest back in 2017, following a nearly year-long makeover.

      Now the always-busy and successful actress, writer and producer has decided to take on another project, having picked up a traditional Hamptons-esque fixer-upper in the city of Beverly Hills, just minutes from The Beverly Hills Hotel and Rodeo Drive.

      Records show the property surfaced on the market earlier this year, asking a speck under $17 million. But Kaling was able to snag the place at a heavily discounted $15 million. That chalks up as a loss for the seller, Russian insurance billionaire Sergey Sarkisov, who purchased the house for $16.2 million in 2017 and also lays claim to the much larger mansion right next door.

      Originally built in the early 1950s, and formerly owned by the late and powerful Hollywood business manager and producer Edgar F. Gross, the shingled and brick-accented structure is hidden down a lengthy driveway, and rests on two parcels of walled and hedged land spanning over an acre. It’s also quite literally around the corner from Taylor Swift’s landmarked mansion, the former home of MGM producer Samuel L. Goldwyn.

      Though photos are scarce, marketing materials show the existing two-story structure offers six bedrooms and six bathrooms in a little more than 6,000 square feet of living space. But the house could potentially be bulldozed to make way for a newer and bigger mansion, complete with up to 15,000 square feet of living space.

      It’s not yet clear what Kaling plans to do with her newly acquired digs, but according to listing agent Ernie Carswell of Douglas Elliman, who presented the home in a recent YouTube video, this is “an opportunity property, one where someone with creative vision is going to come and take the essentials here—a large lot, beautiful tennis court, guest house, pool, main house, all in a sumptuous verdant lot—and take it to the next level.”

      In addition to this project, Kaling recently sold a $2.4 million New York City apartment in the trendy Soho neighborhood that she had extensively remodeled in collaboration with One Kings Lane designer Sally Gotfredson.

      Carswell shared the Beverly Hills listing with Rita Benelian of Keller Williams Hollywood Hills; Kaling was repped by Matt Altman of Douglas Elliman. More

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      Kyle Dean Massey and Taylor Frey are Seeking $4 Million for Their Glitzy Las Vegas Mansion

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      Now that they’re planning to relocate across the pond to London, Kyle Dean Massey and Taylor Frey’s stylish mansion in the affluent Spanish Hills community of Las Vegas has unsurprisingly popped up for sale.

      The married acting duo—Massey best known for his work on Broadway in Pippin and Wicked, and Frey who penned and is set to star alongside Kyle Richards and Rick Cosnett in the upcoming film The Holiday Exchange—are asking just under $4 million for the sprawling ranch-style home they picked up for $1.5 million a little over two years ago, back in spring 2021.

      Originally built in 2002, but since extensively renovated and customized to suit the couple’s personal tastes, the white stucco and terra-cotta-roof structure rests on one-third of an acre, within an exclusive guard-gated community that also has been home to Nicolas Cage and Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil through the years. Inside, five bedrooms and three baths are filtered across 6,000 square feet of single-level living space accented throughout with gleaming marble floors, high ceilings, designer lighting, and Versace, Roberto Cavalli and Phillip Jeffries wallpaper treatments.

      A formal living room just off the foyer has a marble fireplace and more than enough space to put a grand piano.

      John Martorano

      Glassy double front doors open into a soaring foyer, which flows to a formal living room boasting a fireplace and plenty of room for a grand piano. Other highlights include an office space warmed by a fireplace and secluded by a curving floor-to-ceiling wall of glass with automated curtains, and an open-concept great room holding a fireside family room that connects to a gourmet kitchen outfitted with custom cabinetry, quartz countertops, dual islands, a swath of top-tier stainless appliances and an accompanying breakfast nook.

      A massive primary bedroom has French doors that open directly to the pool and spa area.

      John Martorano

      Sequestered in one of two bedroom wings by itself is a luxe master retreat, which comes complete with yet another fireplace, a sitting area, spacious walk-in closets, and a spa-inspired bath spotlighted by a steam shower and round soaking tub resting on a bed of lava rock.

      French doors lead to the resort-like backyard, which is laced with fruit trees, and hosts a pool with a cascading waterfall and spa, as well as several spots ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining. There’s also an attached four-car garage sporting an EV charger.

      The listing is held by Avi Dan-Goor of Douglas Elliman.

      Click here for more photos of Kyle Dean Massey and Taylor Frey’s Las Vegas house.

      John Martorano More

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      Late Fashion Designer Oleg Cassini’s Manhattan Home Hits the Market for $14 Million

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      It’s been more than 50 years since Oleg Cassini’s Manhattan home was last on the market. Now, the late fashion designer’s elegant townhouse can be yours for a cool $14 million.  

      The lavish Gramercy Park abode, also known as the Joseph B. Thomas House, is one of New York City’s last remaining architecturally significant townhouses up for private sale, Bloomberg first reported. Dating back to the 17th century, the home was originally built in Amsterdam, and in 1845, it was dismantled and shipped to the Upper West Side. The home was moved again in 1910 to its coveted spot on East 19th Street, where it was completed by British architect Frederick J. Sterner.

      Late designer Oleg Cassini’s N.Y.C. townhouse is up for sale.

      Tim Waltman of Evan Joseph Studio

      Sporting a Gothic style, the five-story dwelling is “somewhere in the middle of a castle, a mansion, a townhouse, and a church or synagogue,” Compass agent Jim St. André, who holds the listing together with colleague Peter Gordenstein, told Bloomberg. Outside, you’ll find gargoyles on the façade, along with stained-glass windows and decorative stone inlays. Internally, the aesthetic continues with a soaring seven-foot fireplace, dark wood paneling, and ornate plasterwork. 

      The massive foyer is decked out with Flemish-patterned stone flooring, while the two-story great room features a barrel-vaulted ceiling. From here, you can step into a stunning, sun-drenched solarium. Altogether, the 7,000-square-foot property comprises six bedrooms, five-and-a-half baths, a gourmet chef’s kitchen with a dumbwaiter, a formal dining room, and a wine cellar.

      The century-old home has tons of Gothic details like stained-glass windows

      Tim Waltman of Evan Joseph Studio

      Cassini, best known as a dressmaker for Jackie Kennedy, died from a stroke in 2006. Following his passing, the townhouse became the subject of a bitter estate dispute between his widow and grandchildren. The current owners, who bought the palatial pad at auction for $5 million last year, chose to rehab some of the existing elements before deciding to sell. “Someone will walk in the door, feel a connection to the property, and want to use or rehabilitate and restore what’s here,” added St. André.

      Click here to see all the photos of Oleg Cassini’s Manhattan townhouse. 

      Tim Waltman of Evan Joseph Studio More

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      Madeleine Albright’s Longtime Georgetown Home Packs in More Than 50 Years of Political History

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      Ever wish walls could talk? Well, if the ones within this Washington, D.C., property long owned by the late former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright could indeed speak, they most assuredly would have their share of fascinating tales to spin.

      Think stories of all the distinguished guests who visited the storied premises at some point during her 50-plus-year tenure—from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, to Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and George Shultz, just for starters.

      Madeleine Albright chats with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat during a 2000 luncheon held at her Georgetown home.

      George Bridges/AFP via Getty Images

      Now, almost two years after the trailblazing politician died from cancer at age 84, the 19th-century residence is up for grabs, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

      Tucked away in the historic Georgetown enclave of Washington, D.C.—and reportedly purchased by Albright and her husband Joe in 1968 for around $100,000—the Federal-style row house is being offered for $4 million by Michael Rankin and Logan MacKethan of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty.

      Built in the early 1850s, the traditional red brick structure features four bedrooms and five baths in just over 4,700 square feet of multi-level living space rife with wide-plank hardwood floors, elegant crown molding and decorative millwork. Access is granted via a teal-hued front door, which opens into a lengthy entrance hallway providing views of an expansive terrace and a stone fountain holding court in the garden-laced backyard.

      A double living room has two fireplaces and French doors flowing to the rear terrace.

      Townsend Visuals for TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

      From there, a double living room painted in a pale shade of yellow and warmed by dual wood-burning fireplaces has two sets of French doors spilling outside. A formal dining room with built-in shelving leads to a kitchen that’s been sleekly updated by local architect Anne Decker, complete with marble countertops, an island, Viking and Sub-Zero appliances, a breakfast nook, and butler’s pantry boasting a Miele washer and dryer.

      The second floor holds a bookshelf-clad library and primary bedroom suite hosting a spacious closet, plus a newly renovated marble bath equipped with heated floors; and elsewhere is a garden room, along with an office and a basement. There’s also a detached two-car garage with a full bath and storage space.

      Click here for more photos of Madeleine Albright’s Georgetown house.

      Townsend Visuals for TTR Sotheby’s International Realty More

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      The One That Got Away: Inside Katy Perry’s Fight Over a $15 Million Montecito Estate

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      In October 2020, Katy Perry paid $14.2 million for a hillside estate in Montecito, the seaside enclave that has long been considered one of California‘s poshest neighborhoods. The purchase was widely reported, and the pop star and her fiancée Orlando Bloom promptly made the 9-acre compound their main residence.

      What went unreported at the time was that Perry’s scenic new estate was not the property she had really wanted to buy. Back in July 2020, court records now show, and following an extensive house hunt, the “California Gurl” entered into an agreement to pay $15 million for a different Montecito estate, this one significantly smaller but also much closer to Montecito’s trendy downtown area than the other. But what initially seemed a clear-cut transaction has since devolved into a messy three years of legal wrangling and lurid allegations.

      Perry paid $14.2 million for this Montecito tennis court estate in late 2020, but it wasn’t the house she really wanted.

      Google Earth

      In 2020, amid the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, wealthy residents from Los Angeles, San Francisco and other major cities fled to peaceful Montecito, sending real estate prices skyrocketing. In May 2020, Dallas-based entrepreneur Carl Westcott — the founder of 1-800-Flowers — paid $11.3 million for a 2.5-acre property sitting just a few doors away from Oprah Winfrey’s storied “Promised Land” complex.

      Within a month of his purchase, Westcott had already hired an agent to court potential buyers who wanted to buy his new home. One of them was Maria Shriver, who offered $13 million for the nearly 10,000 square foot house, which sports eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. Facing competition, California’s former First Lady subsequently upped her offer to $13.5 million. But Shriver was ultimately outbid by Perry, who ponied up the $15 million now in dispute. On July 14, 2020, Westcott signed the agreement to sell the house for $3.7 million more than he had paid less than two months prior.

      Almost immediately, Westcott appears to have had second thoughts about the deal. On July 22, 2020, according to a deposition, the 84-year-old contacted his real estate agent and asked about cancelling the contract, citing capital gains taxes and his girlfriend’s reluctance to move again. Two days later, an attorney hired by Perry’s business manager contacted Westcott, informing him that Perry and Bloom still wanted to buy the house and reminding him of his contractual obligation to complete the sale.

      The Montecito house at the center of the multimillion-dollar legal war has formal gardens, a guesthouse and sits on 2.5 acres of land.

      Google Earth

      In August 2020, Westcott sued Perry’s business manager, claiming through his attorneys that the real estate contract should be voided because “the combination of age, frailty from his back condition and recent surgery, and the opiates he was taking several times a day rendered [Westcott] of unsound mind.”

      Perry promptly countersued Westcott for millions in damages and has scoffed at his claims, noting that “[Westcott] was competent when he hired an experienced real estate broker, vetted the brokerage commission rate, arranged showings of the property, entertained multiple offers, sought alternative houses, and ultimately negotiated a highly lucrative sale.”

      For now, the Montecito estate’s property title remains in Westcott’s name, though the high-maintenance estate has reportedly been left vacant as the three-plus-year legal battle unfolded. In any case, a judicial decision on the matter could finally be reached as soon as November; the two sides are currently battling it out in a Los Angeles courtroom.

      And for whatever reason, this is not the first time Perry has faced a dispute with elderly people over pricey real estate. Back in 2014, Perry was involved in another legal tussle with several nuns after the local Archdiocese accepted her $14.5 million offer for a 22,000-square-foot convent in Los Angeles, which the singer intended to convert into a single-family home. Perry won that battle after years of wrangling, but ultimately lost interest in the property and declined to complete her purchase. More

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      An L.A. Estate With a Star-Studded Past Hits the Market for the First Time in Two Decades

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      Owned by The Wallflowers frontman Jakob Dylan in the 1990s, and also a onetime outpost of veteran actress Renée Zellweger—who acquired it around the same time she won a 2001 Golden Globe award for her role in Nurse Betty—this celeb-pedigreed pad in the Nichols Canyon area of the Hollywood Hills was originally built six decades ago, but has since been “completely redone.”

      Last sold in 2003 for roughly $2.5 million to United Talent Agency partner and former Johnny Depp agent Tracey Jacobs, the ivy-laced estate has returned to the market once again, this time asking nearly $5 million. The listing is held by Josh Flagg of Douglas Elliman.

      Tucked away behind walls and a lengthy gated driveway—on almost an acre of land flanked by properties owned by Beverly D’Angelo and Seth Rogen—the single-level abode has three bedrooms and four baths in 3,400 square feet of living space, all of it adorned with dark hardwood floors and wood-beam ceilings.

      A chandelier-topped library lined with bookshelves flows to a family room resting beneath a vaulted wood-beam ceiling.

      Paul Barnaby

      Among the highlights is a living room spotlighted by a fireplace, custom built-ins and French doors spilling out to the backyard. A formal dining room sports another fireplace, a library has floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and the family room connects to a gourmet kitchen outfitted with marble countertops and top-tier appliances.

      Elsewhere is a sumptuous primary bedroom flaunting a sitting area, cedar walk-in closet, and marble-clad bath equipped with a fireplace, heated floors, dual vanities, a soaking tub and steam shower; and outdoors, the oasis-like grounds host a pool and spa surrounded by a sundeck, plus an al fresco dining area with a built-in barbecue. There’s also a detached two-car garage out front.

      A backyard laced with mature trees is enhanced with a waterfall-fed pool and sundeck.

      Paul Barnaby

      In case you’re wondering, Jacobs is upgrading her residential circumstances. The industry stalwart recently ponied up $10.3 million for Rihanna’s Tudor-style house in the mountains above Beverly Hills.

      Click here for more photos of Tracey Jacobs‘ Hollywood Hills house.

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      This Celeb-Pedigreed Los Angeles Home Is Available for the First Time in 28 Years

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      Actress Daryl Hannah and singer/songwriter Jackson Browne began dating shortly before her star-making turn as a mermaid in the 1984 rom-com fantasy film Splash. It wasn’t too long before they bought a house together, a handsome East Coast-style shingled traditional home just half a block from the beach in one of the most coveted areas of Santa Monica. They split in 1992 but didn’t sell the house until 1995 when it was purchased by late Emmy-winning TV writer-producer John Bowman and his TV writer-producer wife Shannon Gaughan.

      Bowman, a co-creator of the Martin Lawrence sitcom Martin, who also served as the head writer on In Living Color, died in 2021, and Gaughan, who was awarded an Emmy for her work on Saturday Night Live, now has their longtime family home on the market. Initially listed for $22.5 million, the price for the traditional estate now stands at $16.85 million. For those who might like to give the home a test run, it’s also available as a rental at $65,000 per month. Justin Alexander of The Alexander Group at Compass holds the listing.

      The living room has a fireplace and French doors to the backyard.

      Engel Studios

      The mid-block parcel measures more than half an acre and has three substantial structures among its mature gardens. Altogether, there are seven bedrooms and six bathrooms across 7,200 square feet. The five-bedroom main house has a center hall entry complemented by spacious formal living and dining rooms, while the eat-in kitchen is up-to-date with marble counters and the sunlight-filled fireside family room has French doors to the gardens.

      Bedrooms are sprinkled throughout the house and include a spacious second-floor primary suite with vaulted ceilings, a tile-accented fireplace, a large walk-in closet, and a tiled bathroom. Elsewhere are a home office and a hidden children’s playroom.

      High hedges ensure privacy from neighboring homes.

      Engel Studios

      The verdant, manicured grounds include a horseshoe driveway, a huge deck for dining and relaxing, a swimming pool and spa, lush lawns, a picket-fenced rose garden, and a sports court. Mature specimen trees and high hedging shield the property from neighboring homes.

      In addition to the main house, there’s a self-contained two-bedroom guesthouse with a kitchen and bath, which provides plenty of room for guests or staff, and a separate, two-story ivy-covered cottage that’s perfect for pursuing creative and/or professional endeavors.

      Click here for more photos of 226 Palisades Avenue.

      Engel Studios More