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    Home of the Week: This $39 Million Hawaiian Compound Has 4 Homes and 150 Feet of Pristine Coastline

    This grand Hawaiian estate on Maui was certainly designed for entertaining.

    The sprawling property, located along a spectacular stretch of coastline, had long been owned by Jerry Moss, the late record producer and co-founder of A&M Records. Moss, who passed away in August 2023 at the age of 88, acquired the first part of the compound in 1995 for $2.5 million, according to the WSJ. In 2000, he purchased an adjoining parcel and later acquired another. Together, he amassed 1.4 acres. During this time, Old Makena Road was known for its rustic dirt lanes and secluded beaches. Today, the area has several mansions and beachfront properties.

    The open-plan living areas spread out over multiple levels.

    Travis Rowan

    On the market for $39 million, it’s currently the most expensive active listing in the state of Hawaii. The gated property has 148 feet of beach frontage along Po’olenalena Beach and comprises four houses, which Moss and his family built over the years. Together, there are a collective seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms in 6,352 square feet of living space. Unlike many modern-day multi-million-dollar Hawaiian compounds, the four residences are all modest in size, and each bungalow boasts an intimate vibe and indoor-outdoor living.

    Moss and his wife, Tina, whom he married in 2019, replaced the wood siding of the four homes with smooth stucco and weather-resistant ipe wood. Inside, the homes feature teak detailing and local materials, such as the stone fireplace in the main residence. Throughout the homes, there is quintessential island-style decor, like wooden paddles, tiki heads, surfboards, and ukuleles hanging along the walls.

    The covered lanai of the main residence has a particularly appealing view.

    Travis Rowan

    The main residence features an open, airy layout with vaulted, wood-beamed ceilings. There is a chef’s kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances and a nearby large dining area. Down a few steps is the cozy living room with panoramic windows and perfectly framed views of the beach and Pacific Ocean. Sliding glass pocket doors open to the covered lanai with a fire pit. Upstairs is the home’s primary bedroom, which connects to a covered terrace.

    There’s also an outdoor kitchen with a barbecue off to the side of the home and a nearby outdoor dining table. A manicured lawn, sprinkled with tropical foliage and swaying palm trees, is the only thing that separates the house from a pristine stretch of beach. The lawn features sun loungers and a hammock to enjoy the postcard views on breezy Hawaiian afternoons.

    The homes are clustered together. However, each is surrounded by lush landscaping that gives it a sense of privacy. Bright flowers and native plants line the walkway between the homes. The property also features a large swimming pool with stunning ocean views, as well as an outdoor lava rock shower with a bright mosaic wall. Tiki torches illuminate the grounds at night.

    The pool overlooking the ocean.

    Travis Rowan

    According to the WSJ, Moss and his family moved to Hawaii full-time during the COVID pandemic; the family has decided to sell and create new memories elsewhere. The property is co-listed by Nancy Callahan of Coldwell Banker Island Properties and Paul Stukin of Deep Blue HI. 

    Moss, who founded A&M Records alongside Herb Alpert, oversaw an impressive roster of musicians, including Liza Minelli, Sting, Janet Jackson, Carole King, and many others. Shortly after the music industry mandarin died last year, the family also listed a Bel-Air mansion for $53 million. The home was built in 1937 and has five bedrooms and 13 bathrooms.

    Click here for more photos of 4610 Makena Road. More

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    Mark Zuckerburg Is Reportedly Building Himself a $270 Million Survivalist Compound in Hawaii

    Mark Zuckerberg is making sure that when doomsday comes, he’s prepared with an ultra-secluded, Leave the World Behind-type hideaway.

    Per a recent investigation by Wired, the Meta CEO is reportedly building himself a sprawling 1,400-acre compound in Hawaii that will comprise at least 30 bedrooms and 30 bathrooms, divided among more than a dozen different structures. According to documents obtained by the publication, the Facebook founder has already shelled out a whopping $170 million in land purchases in Kauai beginning in August 2014 and will eventually fork over at least another $100 million in building costs.

    At the center of the vast compound, called Koolau Ranch, will be two mansions sitting atop a survivalist bunker. The two residential buildings will total about 57,000 square feet and include elevators, an industrial kitchen, and conference rooms. Plans show that many of the doors throughout the home are expected to be soundproofed and operated via keypad. The dwellings will be joined by a secret tunnel that leads to a 5,000-square-foot underground shelter that’s protected behind a metal door filled with concrete. The bunker will feature its own living space, a mechanical room, and an escape hatch. The property aims to be further self-sufficient with an 18-foot-tall water tank and the ability to produce its own energy and food supplies.

    Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is building himself a 1,400-acre residential compound in Kauai named Koolau Ranch.

    Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images

    The compound won’t, however, be all post-apocalyptic doom and gloom. Not only does it function as a comfortable family retreat, but there are plans for a wellness center that includes a full-size gym, multiple pools, a sauna, a steam room, and a tennis court. Elsewhere, 11 circular treehouses will be joined by rope bridges so that visitors can climb from one treehouse to the next without stepping foot on the ground.

    The compound’s residential structures are hidden from the road, tucked behind a six-foot wall, and monitored by round-the-clock security guards. And, due to the scope and nature of the project, anyone who works on Zuckerberg’s property signs a strict nondisclosure agreement, sources told the publication. “For a private project to have an NDA attached to it is very rare,” a local construction official explained to Wired.

    Whether the tech billionaire will use Koolau Ranch as a part-time or full-time family retreat is still unknown. However, the magazine reported that he’s already hosted two different corporate events at the compound, so its charms, luxuries, and secrets may not stay so secret for long.

    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, dining, travel and topics…

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    A Former Hollywood Filmmaker Just Relisted His Custom Hawaii Getaway

    Almost a year after it first hit the market with a $24 million price tag, a just-like-new residence near Hanalei Bay, on the sought-after North Shore of the Hawaii island of Kauai, has popped up for sale again. But you’ll still need a substantial chunk of change to pick up the custom-built bungalow, which is now listed for $18 million.

    Scott Sloan—who previously owned a Los Angeles film production company, and is most known for the independent features Dog Gone Love, Steaming Milk, and Jack and Jill vs. the World—and his wife Brittany, acquired a three-quarter-acre property for $2.8 million some 10 years ago. The Santa Barbara-based couple then subdivided the lot, renovated and sold an existing structure known as the “Bounty House” for $3.5 million in 2018, and enlisted California architect Kevin A. Clark to craft a new four-bedroom, five-bath vacation house for them on the remaining half-acre of land.

    The home’s gracious outdoor space is highlighted by custom Ipe-wood decks and railings.

    Travis Rowan Photography

    Completed in October 2022, the board-and-batten and corrugated copper-roof structure is nestled amid a double corner lot, just steps from world-class surf breaks, beaches, hiking trails, and the shops and restaurants of Hanalei Town. Tucked away behind automated tropical hardwood gates and a lava rock wall, the stylish abode has a little more than 3,700 square feet boasting wide-plank oak floors, high ceilings, wood-paneled walls and loads of built-ins throughout, plus Lutron lighting, audio-visual, solar and Tesla Powerwall systems. There’s also more than 1,000 square feet of outdoor space adorned with Ipe-wood decks and railings.

    Especially standing out is an open-concept great room featuring a soaring living room with an integrated entertainment center and sliding glass doors spilling outside. A dining area with a built-in banquette connects to the kitchen, which is outfitted with custom cabinetry, white marble countertops, an expansive eat-in island, and high-end Miele, Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances.

    The living room rests beneath a vaulted ceiling and has sliding glass doors leading outside.

    Travis Rowan Photography

    Elsewhere is a primary bedroom suite displaying a sitting area and walk-in closet, as well as a spa-inspired bath flaunting dual vanities, a huge granite soaking tub and access to an open-air rainfall shower for two people. Topping it all off are lush professionally landscaped grounds overlooking picturesque mountain vistas, and hosting a custom “spool” with an electric cover and wraparound lanai sporting a built-in Kalamazoo grill, along with an attached single-car garage.

    Sold fully furnished, complete with indoor/outdoor artwork, the turnkey home is being offered by Neal Norman of Hawaii Life.

    Click here for more photos of Scott Sloan’s Hawaiian retreat.

    Travis Rowan Photography More

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    Forget Vacation Homes. These Luxe Alternatives Give You Second—or Third—Residences Without All the Paperwork

    If you’ve been looking to buy a vacation home in the past decade, it may have crossed your mind that a fractional or club-based alternative might be a viable and attractive alternative option. Proponents suggest it offers the ideal compromise: all the upside of having a second or third home, with none of the admin or paperwork to keep it operational. But the various approaches can be confusing, and it seems almost deliberately muddled, with overlapping terminology and complementary, yet distinct, business models. So here, a pithy primer for anyone considering a part-time home away from home. 

    Residence Clubs

    Timbers Resorts

    The earliest incarnation of luxury fractional residences was this model, which derives from the time-share concept. Think of it more like a plug-and-play second home for your annual vacation. Typically, a residence-club developer will build several properties in a desirable, well-known location—Hawaii, perhaps, or Tuscany—bundling ample services and amenities alongside the units. It will then sell the right to stay there for several weeks per year to multiple shared owners, who each receive a deeded interest in that specific unit. Some schemes allow you to trade those weeks with other owners, but you’ll usually return to the same property repeatedly. 

    Key Players: Timbers Resorts, Pacaso Best For: Traditional second homers 

    Destination Clubs

    Inspirato

    The destination club emerged a decade or so ago and could be thought of as the more youthful sibling of the residence-club model. “Younger consumers are less motivated by owning than by flexibility, variety, and different experiences, so some are deciding that owning something in perpetuity doesn’t always make a lot of sense,” says Richard Ragatz, president of Ragatz Associates, a consulting firm in the resort real-estate industry. Rather than locking owners in with an equity stake, these operate more like passport-powered country clubs with an initiation fee and annual dues; there might be occasional surcharges for particular overnights, too. “You have no equity, but you have access to great vacation homes as well as access to hotels or trips like Antarctica or a safari,” says Nick Copley, a shared-ownership expert who runs SherpaReport. “Whatever the annual spend, though, it’s a sunk cost with no equity accruing year on year.” 

    Key Players: Inspirato, Exclusive ResortsBest For: Adventure-minded younger families 

    Equity Clubs

    Equity Residences

    This investment-minded alternative acts as the vacation world’s answer to a real-estate investment trust. An operator will create a fund, much like a VC, and offer individuals the chance to invest, say, $300,000 for one share. The fund will use those monies to buy up to 15 properties, all of them wholly owned and operated by a management company; each share confers the right to stay for three weeks per year at any of the locations. At the end of an agreed period, perhaps a decade, the fund will begin to sell its homes and divide the spoils among its investors. “There should be a financial return if the managers have done a good job, though I haven’t seen hard numbers on ROI,” says Copley. “They take on board investor feedback. But make sure, if it’s an up-and-running fund, that where they said they intend to buy jells with where you want to travel.” 

    Key Players: Equity Residences, Equity Estates Best For: Real-estate speculators with wanderlust 

    Other Options

    21-5

    Keep an eye on another approach that takes the equity club even further, reshaping it more in the image of a Manhattan co-op. With the rather literal approach of 21-5, a Danish company, 21 families pool their resources to buy five places in different destinations—an Alpine ski lodge, perhaps, or a beachfront villa in Greece—and make equal investments; each family is able to spend 12 weeks per year total at these homes. They have control over the investment and can collectively decide when to liquidate a property and replace it with a new home elsewhere. It has successfully operated in Europe since 2011, with more than 1,200 families participating. The recently launched GoForth, founded by a veteran of the equity-club space, Adam Capes, hopes to popularize the idea among Americans using a similar model. 

    Key Players: 21-5, GoForthBest For: Hands-on homeowners keen on complete control  More

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    Kris Kristofferson’s Sprawling Northern California Ranch Hits the Market for $17.2 Million

    Country superstar Kris Kristofferson has placed his Northern California ranch of almost 40 years on the market. Nestled on 557 lush acres outside of Elk, about three hours north of San Francisco, the retired singer-songwriter recently listed the sprawling oceanfront compound for a cool $17.2 million, The Wall Street Journal first reported.

    Kristofferson originally bought the ranch in 1980 and, over the decades since, has leased a good chunk of the land for cattle grazing, which shouldn’t really come as a surprise. He is a Texas native, after all.

    Kris Kristofferson put his Northern California ranch up for sale

    Anthony Wells/Mendo Sotheby’s International Realty

    “The ranch has always been a place of creativity and inspiration,” the A Star Is Born actor told the newspaper. Dating back to the 1800s, the legacy ranch began as a dairy farm and still includes some of the original structures. In addition to the 2,400-square-foot barn that Kristofferson and his wife used as a vacation house, there is also a 1,900-square-foot ranch house, a dairy barn, and a feed barn, all of which are in need of a little TLC.

    Listed for $17.2 million, the compound includes original buildings from its beginnings as a dairy farm

    Anthony Wells/Mendo Sotheby’s International Realty

    As it stands, the property features 300 acres of open pasture and approximately 250 acres of forestland that are dotted with old-growth redwood and fir trees. Offering up a mile of Pacific Ocean frontage, the property sits right below Devils Basin. Given the scale and location, there’s a possibility that the land could be subdivided or even expanded upon. “I grew up here, and this property, in a lot of ways, is steeped in history,” Justin Nadeau of Mendo Sotheby’s International Realty told the WSJ. “Nobody has seen a property like this one come to market.”

    The property measures over 550 acres

    Anthony Wells/Mendo Sotheby’s International Realty

    Kristofferson and his wife still own another home in Hawaii, on Maui, which has become their main residence. As for the ranch, Nadeau added at the time of the listing that the couple feels like “it’s time to let it go and move on.” 

    Click here to see all the photos of The Kristofferson Ranch. 

    Anthony Wells/Mendo Sotheby’s International Realty More

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    As Sales of Second Homes Collapse, Sellers Hunker Down for the Long Haul

    For those living in cramped, Covid-infested cities, vacation homes are worth more than gold. In the US, anyone who has one is living there right now. In countries with a stricter lockdown, retreating to a rural weekend bolthole is less straightforward—Scotland’s chief medical officer had to resign on Monday after being given a police warning […] More