Pacific Palisades

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    ‘Grand Theft Auto’ Creator Flips Spare L.A. Home Back Up for Sale at $9.2 Million

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    Though it’s been barely a year since Dan Houser and Krystyna Jakubiak doled out $8.5 million for a traditional New England-inspired home in Los Angeles, the English video game mogul and his longtime Russian voice actress wife are already looking to unload their place in an inland Pacific Palisades neighborhood with a nearly $700,000 jump in price, asking a speck under $9.2 million.

    Newly built in 2018—and purchased by the couple in spring 2023 at a substantial $1.5 million discount off its original ask—the wood-shingled structure sits atop an attached two-car garage and basement, and features six bedrooms and seven baths in 7,000 square feet of multi-level living space boasting blonde hardwood floors, high ceilings and wainscoted walls throughout.

    Especially standing out on the main level is a gourmet kitchen decked out with an expansive eat-in island, top-tier Miele, Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances, and an accompanying breakfast nook and butler’s pantry, plus a fireside family room displaying glass doors spilling out to a landscaped backyard enclosed with a hedge-topped stone wall, and hosting a pool and spa, built-in barbecue and custom fire-pit. Elsewhere are formal living and dining rooms, along with a bookshelf-lined library.

    A winding skylight-topped staircase heads upstairs, where the primary bedroom sports a sitting area nestled beside a fireplace, private balcony and walk-in closet, as well as an Ann Sacks-tiled bath equipped with dual vanities, a soaking tub and shower; and the basement level holds a movie theater, and an entertainment room flaunting a wet bar and temperature-controlled wine cellar.

    Houser is best known for co-founding Rockstar Games with his older brother Sam in 1998 and producing the Grand Theft Auto franchise, which has generated revenues of almost $10 billion worldwide and become the highest-grossing media title of all time. After officially stepping down from the company in 2020, the 50-year-old formed Absurd Ventures, which specializes in producing multimedia projects spread across video games, TV, film and comics; his estimated net worth is around $150 million.

    Houser and Jakubiak recently sold an elegant Brentwood mansion to Canadian Reuters heiress Taylor Thomson for $16 million. But the couple still owns a $12.5 million mansion in New York City’s posh Brooklyn Heights neighborhood that’s got the added cache of having once belonged to Truman Capote, a Santa Monica beach getaway that cost them $6 million in summer 2021 and another Pacific Palisades home they picked up unfinished back in summer 2021 for a whopping $31 million. More

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      Actor Max Greenfield Is Selling His Revamped L.A. Beach House for $3 Million

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      Back in 2020, while some folks were learning to speak another language or taking up a new hobby to bide their time during the pandemic, Tess Sanchez went a completely different route. The longtime wife of veteran actor Max Greenfield—probably best known for his role as Schmidt in the sitcom New Girl—decided to while away her spare time remodeling a “neglected and odd” beach house in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades that the couple had picked up for $1.6 million in late 2019.

      “I was home all the time, for the first time,” the former Fox casting executive and mother of two told Sunset magazine in a 2022 article. “My kids didn’t know what to do with me. I got laid off at the beginning of quarantine in 2020. And I’m not good with idle time.”

      Armed with an ardent love for home-renovation shows, and help from K&M Contractors, Sanchez went on to convert the formerly cramped, dark space into a haven of natural light and beautiful textures, as well as to fully cover a façade emblazoned with a funky beach-themed mural with copious amounts of white paint. Now, a little more than four years later, the revamped cottage has popped up on the market again, this time asking a smidge under $3 million.

      A before photo shows the mural-painted house as it appeared prior to Greenfield’s purchase.

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      Originally built in the late 1940s, the two-story structure rests amid a compact hillside parcel atop the sought-after and secluded Castellammare community, just steps from a pedestrian bridge leading to Will Rogers State Historic Park, and offers “stunning ocean and mountain views,” per the listing.

      Three bedrooms and two bathrooms are packed into just over 1,900 square feet of living space boasting white, cream and beige interiors complemented by hardwood floors, high ceilings and plentiful windows allowing for an abundance of natural light. Highlights include a stylish living room displaying an oversized wood-burning brick fireplace with a floating hearth, plus sliding glass doors spilling out to a fenced wraparound deck overlooking the Pacific.

      Also standing out on the main level is a marble-clad kitchen, which comes complete with hanging shelves, a wine cooler, an eat-in breakfast bar and a pass-through window opening to a seated bar on the deck. An adjacent dining area has a built-in buffet, while the primary bedroom suite’s bath is decked out with dual vanities.

      A laundry room, another bath and two guest bedrooms are sequestered on the lower level, including one with two sets of double built-in bunk beds and another that could easily double as a media room; and rounding it all out is a driveway and an attached garage that can accommodate up to two vehicles.

      In addition to their for-sale Pacific Palisades home, Greenfield and Sanchez still maintain a primary residence in L.A.’s Hancock Park enclave that they paid Emmy-winning television producer Scott Stone $2.8 million for back in 2014. More

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      Chuck Lorre Gets $13 Million for His Spare Los Angeles Estate

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      The so-called Sitcom King has yet another hit on his hands, except this one’s not of the television variety. Property records reveal Chuck Lorre has raked in $13.8 million by selling one of his two Pacific Palisades homes, in an off-market transaction that closed in the final days of 2023. The nearly half-acre property happens to sit right next door to the prolific TV creator’s (Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, The Kominsky Method, Mom) main residence, a charming Country English-style estate that he’s owned for nearly 30 years.

      The just-sold house hasn’t been offered on the public market in many years, so photos and details are unfortunately scant. But tax records say the two-story traditional was built in the 1930s and is large but not quite mansion-sized, with four bedrooms and five bathrooms in about 5,400 square feet of living space. The hillside property has no pool but does offer a broad backyard patio, well-tended gardens, manicured lawns front and rear, and over-the-treetops views of the Pacific Ocean. Out front, a large sycamore obscures most of the house from public view.

      Originally built in the 1930s, the East Coast traditional-style house has been extensively modified over the years.

      Google Earth

      Lorre acquired the property back in the fall of 2020 for $9.5 million, so he’s walking with a hefty profit for three years of ownership and maintenance. According to reports from the time of his purchase, the 71-year-old initially bought the house because he needed a place to live while his main residence next door underwent a major, multi-year renovation and expansion, rendering it uninhabitable for some time. But that construction is now completed, and so Lorre no longer has any need of his “spare” house.

      The new owner of Lorre’s secondary Palisades home, records reveal, is Dean McKillen—a widely known developer in L.A.’s high-end property circuit, and a son of Irish business tycoon Paddy McKillen.

      And as one might expect from a man with a net worth reported to exceed $500 million, Lorre and his third wife Arielle Lorre have no shortage of places to live. In addition to their main Palisades estate, the TV titan and the Instagram influencer 33 years his junior currently maintain a multimillion-dollar luxury condo in New York City and an $8 million oceanfront home in Malibu, the latter property acquired by Lorre way back in 2011 from Tony Danza. More

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      Michelle Pfeiffer Pays $10 Million for a Sophisticated L.A. Estate on the Palisades Riviera

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      It’s no secret that Michelle Pfeiffer and her television producer husband David E. Kelley have a thing for the posh Westside of Los Angeles. The couple has bought and sold a number of homes there over the past few years, frequently at eye-popping prices. Two years ago, they inked a widely publicized deal to sell a Pacific Palisades mansion for $25 million to the ex-wife of a major TikTok investor. And way back in 2005, they sold a palatial Brentwood home for $18 million to its current owner—Disney CEO Bob Iger.

      Now the serial house flippers are at it again; records indicate they’ve ponied up $10.6 million to acquire a house located in a particularly prime pocket of the so-called Pacific Palisades Riviera. The 7,600-square-foot mansion happens to sit right next door to Bill Cosby’s longtime L.A. home, and it’s also sugar-borrowing distance from the lavish estates of Steven Spielberg, Sugar Ray Leonard and Dan Castellaneta.

      Built in 1993, the Mediterranean-inspired mansion last sold in 1995 for $2.8 million to legendary winemaker Al Scheid, who died in the house earlier this year. Kelley and Pfeiffer were eager to secure the keys to their very beige new castle, as they paid some $130,000 over the Scheid family’s initial asking price.

      The flat 0.38-acre lot is defined by the exceptionally tall trees that ring its perimeter; they dominate the front motorcourt, which is double-gated and features an attached three-car garage. Arched double front doors open into a grand formal entryway highlighted by a sweeping staircase. To the right of the foyer lies a fireplace-equipped living room brightened by multi-pane windows.

      Many of the other rooms are pleasingly luxurious ’90s decorative throwbacks, including the family room—with its granite-topped wet bar and burled hardwood floors—and the kitchen, which spills out into “an informal secondary family room,” per the listing. Upstairs are four of the home’s five bedrooms, all of them decked out in wall-to-wall carpeting. The supersized primary suite features a fireplace, dual closets, a sitting area and a private balcony overlooking the grassy yard.

      Out back, a vine-draped loggia hosts an outdoor dining patio, while terracotta tile steps lead down to rectangular swimming pool shaded by manicured hedgerows and multiple palm trees.

      Pfeiffer and Kelley also have ties to this smaller Palisades home, currently for sale at $7.4 million.

      Open House Foto

      Records also indicate that this is not the only Pacific Palisades property Pfeiffer and Kelley currently own. They’ve also got a far smaller and older house elsewhere in the neighborhood, which happens to be currently up for grabs at $7.4 million. The couple quietly bought that 1940s place in late 2021, paying $6.9 million. More

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      Fashion Designer Gigi Caruso Spends $9.5 Million on a Dreamy California Home

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      She’s just 23 years old, but Gianna “Gigi” Caruso is already the CEO and founder of a successful clothing company with the sort of finger-on-the-collective-pulse clout many more established apparel moguls would kill to have. Founded in 2017, Caruso’s Gigi C swimwear line is a pricey hit, with her $200 bikini sets having racked up a host of celebrity fans that include Eva Longoria, January Jones, Selma Blair and Elizabeth Banks. And it’s no wonder that the brand’s continued growth, coupled with its owner’s chic personal style, has turned Caruso a popular social media influencer.

      Of course, it’s also worth noting that Caruso is the only daughter of Rick Caruso, the high-profile real estate developer and onetime L.A. mayoral candidate who has built and owns some of the country’s most successful shopping malls. The elder Caruso’s personal net worth tops $5.3 billion, per Forbes.

      So it’s hardly a surprise that Gigi Caruso can afford some very nice things. The recent USC grad recently forked out $9.5 million for a stunningly refined house in prime Pacific Palisades, the seaside neighborhood well known for the upscale, and Rick Caruso-developed, Palisades Village outdoor shopping area.

      The 100-year-old heritage olive trees arguably upstage the elegant house itself.

      Built in 2007 but extensively renovated in 2019, the contemporary quasi-Spanish-Mediterranean villa was in demand, with Caruso ponying up $30,000 over the asking price just to secure the keys. Gnarled, century-old olive tees line the long private driveway, which is guarded by an electronic gate and butts up against an attached two-car garage. Also on tap outside are tranquil gardens and a private studio space ideal for the at-home artist.

      Inside, the long and narrow house packs a generous seven bedrooms and seven baths into nearly 6,000 square feet of sun-drenched living space. Medium brown hardwood floors neatly contrast against the pale decor, a neutral palette filled mostly with whites and some pops of light gray.

      The main floor features numerous sets of French doors and multiple fireplaces.

      On the main floor are dual fireplaces and a dizzying number of open living and dining areas, plus two guest bedrooms and a fashionably updated chef’s kitchen. Upstairs is the primary suite, where a private balcony overlooks the lush backyard, along with four additional family bedrooms.

      Out back, the 0.33-acre lot is defined by its oversized swimming pool, which neatly connects the main house to a detached casita. Guests will enjoy dining al fresco amid the manicured gardens, along with a built-in bbq center and a separate lounge area with a fire pit overlooking impressive canyon views.

      Privately surrounded by hedges and eucalyptus trees, the backyard is a resort-style sanctuary.

      Records reveal the seller home’s was James Barker, a trucking mogul and private equity veteran who recently paid $16.5 million to upgrade into a significantly larger and more lavish estate elsewhere in the Palisades. As for Caruso, she’s certainly not new to the area. Her parents have long owned one of the largest properties in L.A.’s Brentwood Park community; Vanity Fair recently described the palatial Caruso family estate as “a creamy Italianate compound of rolling grasses, waterfalls, a pond, a rowboat, a tennis court, and an outdoor bar.” More

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      Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Passed on This L.A. Mansion. Now It Can Be Yours for $30 Million.

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      Earlier this year, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck initiated escrow on a $34.5 million “Hamptons-esque” estate in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles after a lengthy home search. Alas, though most folks thought they had finally found true real estate love, the merger was not in the cards. Instead, the A-list couple wound up pulling out of the real estate deal, before ultimately paying all cash this past spring for a $61 million compound high in the mountains above Beverly Hills.

      Now the place that got away has popped up for sale once again, and it could be yours for a speck under $30 million. Sam Palmer and Blair Chang of The Agency hold the listing.

      A porte-cochère empties out at a motorcourt fronting the two-story home.

      Tucked away behind walls and gates amid a 1-acre parcel in the Benedict Canyon neighborhood, and designed by architect Ken Ungar, the recently built spec mansion features seven bedrooms and 13 baths sprawled across 15,000 square feet of two-level living space crafted by The House of Porter. There also are plenty of amenities, including a study, wet bar-equipped parlor room, movie theater, wine cellar, gym and spa.

      Among the main-level highlights is a formal living room sporting a wood-burning fireplace and floor-to-ceiling glass doors spilling outside. Another fireplace and a bar can be found in the formal dining room, while a cozy family room links to a marble-clad kitchen outfitted with double islands, top-tier stainless appliances, a separate prep kitchen and breakfast nook.

      A study has sliding doors leading out to a covered deck ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining.

      Upstairs, the fireside master retreat comes complete with a sitting room and private balcony overlooking the backyard, as well as dual walk-in closets and baths; and outdoors, the resort-inspired grounds are laced with native sycamore trees and grassy lawns, and host a kitchen and an al fresco dining setup, a fire-pit, and pool and spa. 

      Also holding court on the property is a detached one-bedroom guesthouse with its own living and dining rooms, along with an arched brick porte-cochère that leads to a gravel motorcourt flanked by a six-car garage.

      The backyard is decked out with a full outdoor kitchen and dark-bottom pool.

      Lopez recently sold her lavish Bel Air retreat for $34 million to Taiwanese businessman Walter Wang, president and CEO of L.A.-based JM Eagle, the world’s largest manufacturer of plastic and PVC pipe, and his wife Shirley, founder and CEO of Plastpro, a top fiberglass door manufacturer, who already own two properties just a few doors away. Affleck also let his Pacific Palisades bachelor pad go back in October 2022 for $28.5 million

      Between them, the couple also owns an 87-acre Georgia estate that’s currently on the market for $8.9 million, as well as a New York City penthouse, mansion in the Hamptons and petite cottage in L.A.’s Encino neighborhood.

      Click here for more photos of 14330 West Sunset. More

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      Reese Witherspoon Just Spent $17 Million on a Sumptuous L.A. Estate

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      Reese Witherspoon might not yet be a billionaire, but she’s currently the world’s richest actress, per Forbes, with a net worth widely reported to be north of $400 million. So it’s no surprise that while the media maven continues to reside mainly in Tennessee, she’s also now splashed out $17.5 million for a house in prime Los Angeles, on the Pacific Palisades Riviera.

      Designed by noted architecture firm Morgan, Walls & Clements, the same company behind the design of L.A.’s El Capitan theater, the roughly 7,500-square-foot traditional home was completed in 1933 for film writer/director Oliver H. P. Garrett and once owned by acclaimed TV producer Steven Bochco. Enveloped by towering eucalyptus trees and verdant hedges, the nearly 1.1-acre property is supremely private and suitable for a major celebrity.

      From the street, past a meandering brick pathway, guests are welcomed to the home via a teal front door and double-height foyer. Seamlessly connected to that space is a notably oversized great room with a brick fireplace and access via French doors to the backyard; branch off from the great room and you’ll find a chef’s kitchen equipped with its commercial-grade appliances and breakfast nook, plus a den equipped with its own wet bar and fireplace.

      Built in the 1930s, the multi-winged house has been renovated and modernized in the decades since.

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      Three of the home’s six bedrooms are located upstairs, but the spacious master retreat is actually located on the ground floor, where it flaunts a spa-style bathroom, walk-in closet and fireplace. Also on tap is a finished basement level equipped with a large games room and another bar area.

      Out back, the a sparkling pool is surrounded by a well-watered lawn, and there are multiple seating areas overlooking tree-shaded canyon views. The property is also only a short jog from the Riviera Country Club, where initiation dues reportedly top $300,000 and members include Larry David, Adam Sandler and Ari Emanuel.

      Witherspoon is known as something of a real estate maven, frequently buying and selling expensive homes in Nashville and on the posh Westside of Los Angeles. Thus, while her holdings are always subject to change, her property portfolio currently includes several Nashville properties, including her main residence — an $18 million compound in the Belle Meade area — and a $5 million home in L.A.’s Brentwood neighborhood. More

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      ‘NYPD Blue’ Creator’s $25 Million L.A. Spread Sells to a Prominent Media Financier

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      Last year, Joe Ravitch warned Variety of further upcoming media upheaval and the looming prospect of a “good recession.” But that hasn’t stopped the veteran media financier — his Raine Group famously took home $65 million in fees for advising the WWE on its recent takeover by the Endeavor Group — from investing lots of money into Los Angeles real estate. Ravitch and his wife Sonya were the buyers who recently paid $25 million for a rather stunning Pacific Palisades compound with a very Hollywood history.

      Built in 1937 and designed by famed architect Paul R. Williams, the Tudor-esque home was reportedly occupied Sylvester Stallone during the 1970s. In 1997, it was acquired by prolific and Emmy-winning producer Steven Bochco, who created some of the most beloved television shows of all time — NYPD Blue, Hill Street Blues and Doogie Howser, M.D., to name a few.

      Sited on the Pacific Palisades Riviera, the compound is equipped with a lighted tennis court.

      Anthony Barcelo

      Bochco utilized the 1.4-acre spread as a main residence until his 2018 death, after which it was inherited by his son Jesse. The younger Bochco put the Palisades Riviera estate up for grabs last summer, asking $35 million, but it took a year and several big price chops before Ravitch came calling.

      Completely walled and surrounded by an enormous hedge, the very private compound features two gated driveways and a two-story, mansion-sized main house that was recently renovated and painted a crisp white throughout, per the listing. But the real star of this show are the property’s park-like grounds, which also encompass a detached guesthouse, a full-size tennis court and a poolside cabana. All told, the place offers seven bedrooms and 10 baths in nearly 11,000 square feet of living space.

      The kitchen has a pizza oven, marble countertops and a breakfast nook with garden views.

      Anthony Barcelo

      In the main house, indoor highlights include a modernized kitchen kitted out with a wood-burning pizza oven and stone countertops, plus a library with a built-in bookshelves, a family room with a drop-down projector screen, a wine cellar and a separate guest wing. The detached guesthouse has a bedroom and bathroom, plus its own kitchen and gym.

      Outdoors, the rolling grounds include vast swaths of grassy lawn, mature trees and a sparkling pool set well away from the main house. Scattered throughout the property are several spots ideal for al fresco dining and entertaining.

      The lush grounds span 1.4 fully landscaped acres.

      Anthony Barcelo

      Ravitch, 61, is relocating to L.A. from New York, where he owns a home in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park neighborhood. That three-bedroom apartment sports contemporary finishes and is currently listed for sale, asking $5 million.

      The listing was held by Aaron Kirman, Morgan Trent and Dalton Gomez of Aaron Kirman Group at Compass.

      Click here for more photos of the Bochco Estate. More

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      Sugar Ray Leonard Just Relisted His Pacific Palisades Compound for $45 Million

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      Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard listed his Los Angeles mansion for $46.5 million last summer. Now the estate is now back on the market with $1.5 million price cut.

      Located at 1550 Amalfi Drive, the “Leonard Estate” is located in the Upper Riviera area of the tony Pacific Palisades community. It spans 16,773 square feet with a three-story main house and guest house, and together they account for eight bedrooms and 15 bathrooms. Designed by renowned architect Richard Landry, a.k.a. the “King of the Megamansion,” the now $45 million abode is like a Florentine villa set on the Southern California coast.

      An aerial view of the palatial digs at 1550 Amalfi Drive

      Anthony Barcelo

      The 66-year-old former boxer, born Ray Charles Leonard, and his wife Bern Leonard are now empty nesters and looking to downsize, according tothe Wall Street Journal. The couple first brought it to market back in 2019 but took it off shortly after listing it for $52 million. New images of the home reveal that little has changed beyond the interior decor—and the price.

      Upon entering the seven-bedroom main residence, you’ll spot custom features like exposed wood beam ceilings, ornate tile flooring and ample windows that offer both mountain and ocean views. The two-story family room, like most of the home, is a light-filled retreat with gorgeous glass doors and soaring ceilings. It’s anchored by one of the property’s three fireplaces.

      Elsewhere, you’ll find a chef’s kitchen with upscale appliances, custom cabinetry, marble countertops and a peninsula/bar with space for seating. There’s also a formal dining room and multiple lounge areas—all of which are connected via winding staircases and corridors with stone flooring. When you’re ready for some private time, the spacious primary suite offers ocean-view balconies to help you unwind.

      Inside the light-filled, two-story family room

      Anthony Barcelo

      Other standout amenities include a gym, office, den and theater room. The guest house, which has one bedroom, is set in the backyard along with a circular pool, cabanas, a tennis court and the property’s lush landscaping. There’s also a designated putting green to practice your short game.

      Set just minutes from the Pacific Coast Highway and coastal beaches, the “Leonard Estate” is ideal for those that value their privacy but crave easy access to the ocean. Aaron Kirman, Kirby Gillon, Bryce Lowe and Daniel Milstein of the Aaron Kirman Group at Compass hold the listing.  

      Click here for more images of the property.

      Anthony Barcelo More