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    A Tech Billionaire’s Epic ‘Sand Castle House’ in San Diego Is Up for Grabs at $108 Million

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    An epic oceanfront estate long owned by billionaire tech entrepreneur and political donor Darwin Deason has hit the market in San Diego. The asking price? A jaw-dropping $108 million, though that amount might seem a tad less outrageous when you consider the property’s lavish features—a private beach donning the same pristine white sand found at Georgia’s Augusta National Golf Club where the Masters Tournament is held and a yacht-style bar room, just for starters.

    Should the place go for anywhere near that amount, it would set a record for the most expensive residential real estate transaction ever recorded in the area—eclipsing the $44 million sale of an oceanfront Del Mar home to private-equity billionaire Egon Durban earlier this year.

    A courtyard fronts the two-story main residence, which is laden with opulent old-world European interiors.

    Austin Ashline/Future Home Photos

    “In the history of La Jolla, there has never been and will never be another property built on the waterfront like The Sand Castle due to the present oceanfront construction standards established by the state of California,” said listing agents Brett Dickinson and Ross Clark of Compass. “The opportunity to adjoin two parcels in this location is so rare, and this fact, coupled with the seller’s no-expense-spared vision to bring the French Riviera to La Jolla’s oceanfront, construction of the sea walls, on-property private beach, as well as the magnificent interiors and exteriors of the main home and guest residence, cannot be reproduced.”

    The Texas-based founder of Affiliated Computer Services—which was acquired in 2009 by Xerox as part of a cash and stock deal valued at $6.4 billion—purchased two separate parcels of land on Spindrift Drive shortly after for about $26 million. He then spent millions more to renovate an existing house built in 2005 by real estate developer Doug Manchester, working in collaboration with architects Drex Patterson and Lisa Krideman to create a vacation retreat inspired by his travels to the French Riviera. He also added a substantial guesthouse.

    An attractive wood-paneled bar room is located in the main house.

    Austin Ashline/Future Home Photos

    Resting amid the picturesque seaside community of La Jolla, the hedged and gated 0.8-acre compound features a combined total of 10 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms in almost 13,000 square feet replete with sweeping ocean and coastline views from three vantage points.

    Seven bedrooms can be found in the primary dwelling, which offers a little more than 9,500 square feet of Timothy Corrigan-designed living space boasting furnishings crafted by global artisans and manufacturers, marble floors, rooms accented with solid gold, and an elevator. In addition to the yacht-inspired bar room, other highlights include a fireside living room with picture windows and access to a wraparound terrace, an elegant oval dining room, and an opulent primary suite that has a balcony, a study, and dual baths. There’s also a fitness center and spa.

    An elevated private beach has the same sand found at Georgia’s Augusta National Golf Club.

    Austin Ashline/Future Home Photos

    An adjoining three-bedroom guest residence spans roughly 3,400 square feet and is showcased by a bar-equipped great room flaunting a pair of 18th-century mermaid statues and sliding glass doors opening out onto a poolside terrace. Also holding court on the premises is the aforementioned private beach that sits directly atop the ocean and sports about $40,000 worth of sand, along with two cabanas, a beachfront “boat bar,” several on-property caves, and gated access to La Jolla Shores Beach.

    Per The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the listing, Deason is selling because he doesn’t spend as much time at the La Jolla vacation home as he does at some of his other residences. In addition to a primary home in Dallas, he owns recreation properties on Cedar Creek Lake near Dallas and in the Mexican city of Cabo San Lucas. He also makes frequent treks to the Mediterranean and Caribbean via his superyacht Apogee.

    Click here for more photos of Darwin Deason’s La Jolla vacation home.

    Austin Ashline/Future Home Photos More

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      Psychic Medium James Van Praagh Wants $4.7 Million for His Enchanting SoCal Oasis

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      Back in 2015, James Van Praagh was seeking a home where he could blend his “meditative, mindful awareness and utilize his clairvoyant abilities to enhance the property and activate a restorative energy that would elicit a natural sense of well-being and love.” He ultimately doled out $2 million and change for a secluded two-acre spread in the San Diego County beach town of Encinitas and then went on to create several “healing gardens” designed to celebrate the senses and to evoke a feeling of peace and serenity. Now, after almost nine years of ownership, the psychic medium is hoping he can channel a buyer who’s willing to shell out the $4.7 million he’s asking for his personal sanctuary-like retreat, with the listing held by Neda Nourani of Compass.

      “Working in unison with my guides from the ‘spirit-world,’ I was directed on which plant material to use, emphasizing the aspects of placement, color, texture, and scent,” says Van Praagh. “My guides lovingly informed me to remember that these gardens did not necessarily just belong to me, but were intended for all those who would choose to be caretakers after me. I, of course, understood this and have always believed that every space we inhabit should be better off from having lived in it.”

      An al fresco lounging and dining patio is flanked by a cascading waterfall topped by a Buddha statue.

      Sam Chen/Aloha Photo

      So, what do the new caretakers get for their somewhat substantial outlay of cash? For starters, a 1990-built home featuring five bedrooms and seven baths filtered across nearly 5,000 square feet of living space. Then there’s the inviting palm- and bamboo-laced grounds, which include a redesigned saltwater pool and spa nestled alongside a pool house bath and an open-air cabana, as well as a fireplace and a cascading waterfall, plus a wealth of al fresco lounging and dining spots and pathways meandering through a dedicated park, a fruit orchard, and hand-selected plants culled from across the globe.

      As for the two-story stucco and terracotta-roof home, it’s tucked away behind hand-crafted redwood gates amid a cul-de-sac parcel within the charming and laid-back Olivenhain enclave and offers up picturesque city lights and coastline views. Visitors are greeted by a circular driveway that empties out at an attached garage that can accommodate up to four vehicles. From there, a walkway passes through a xeriscaped lawn and up to double wood front doors that open into an entry foyer displaying a Buddha statue.

      An open-concept living area features a sky-lit family room that connects to a library via a two-way fireplace.

      Sam Chen/Aloha Photo

      Main-level highlights include formal living and dining rooms that sit across from a wine room and a seated bar. An updated kitchen outfitted with custom cabinetry, quartz countertops, high-end Dacor appliances, an eat-in island, a walk-in pantry, and a breakfast nook adjoins a family room boasting a two-way fireplace that connects on the other side to a bookshelf-clad library.

      Elsewhere on the first floor is a primary suite with a separate lounge area, French doors spilling out to a private indoor/outdoor retreat, a walk-in closet, and a spa-inspired bath featuring dual vanities, a glass-encased shower, and a soaking tub topped by a stained-glass window. Upstairs is a movie theater and an additional primary suite that’s currently being used as a bonus space, and rounding it out, per the listing, is a drivable access path that allows for easy maintenance and creates the potential for a large accessory dwelling unit, a barn, or an animal sanctuary.

      Naps come easy courtesy of this covered bed found among the lush grounds.

      Sam Chen/Aloha Photo

      “This property is truly a unique sanctuary, offering a perfect blend of luxury, privacy, and natural beauty,” says Nourani. “What makes it so special is its serene hillside location combined with the meticulously designed garden experiences that create an enchanting and tranquil atmosphere. There is a special energy here.”

      Van Praagh, 65, became all the rage when he appeared as a resident expert on the paranormal talk show The Other Side in the mid-1990s and subsequently rose to fame after announcing the release of his book Talking to Heaven on Larry King Live. Today, the New York-born psychic is still going strong when it comes to helping folks reconnect with their departed loved ones via live readings, an online school, and his Both Sides Now and Beyond podcast.

      Click here for more photos of James Van Praagh’s house.

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      A Private Equity Billionaire Paid a Record-Breaking $44 Million for This San Diego Home

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      Back in October, an oceanfront Del Mar house sold for a whopping $44.1 million, sending shockwaves through the quietly posh Southern California beach town and setting a new record for the most expensive San Diego County home ever sold. The out-of-left-field, off-market transaction came even as the San Diego real estate market has effectively stalled over the past year, with the deal pipeline choked by high interest rates, recession fears and low inventory. And the transfer also eclipsed Bill Gates’ recent $43 million purchase of an arguably more impressive house on the same strip of sand.

      Property records indicate the $44 million house was purchased by a mysterious Delaware-based LLC, a common business tool used by the wealthy to cover their real estate tracks. But it’s certainly worth noting that the mysterious entity is managed by a longtime associate of Egon Durban—the high-flying, billionaire Silicon Valley dealmaker who has a known affinity for both record-breaking transactions and high-end real estate. Durban, the co-CEO of private equity giant Silver Lake, sports a personal net worth that tops $1.5 billion, according to Forbes.

      Built circa 1940s, the ranch-style compound includes three separate buildings and parking for 20+ cars.

      Google Earth

      Since the house was never on the market, photos are virtually nonexistent and details are few. But certainly the vast majority of its value lies in its oceanfront location—the property spans just over an acre of flat land, right on the sand—rather than the structures themselves. The main residence is unremarkable, large and well-maintained but visually dated. The property was built decades ago by prominent Hollywood real estate developer C.E. Toberman, founder of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Bowl, and remained in the extended Toberman family until Durban’s purchase.

      In addition to the U-shaped main house, which is single-story and painted a deep navy blue, there are two ancillary buildings on the property. Each of those includes a two-car garage and additional living space, likely for guests or live-in staff. The oceanfront compound also boasts a full-size tennis court—a very rare thing on the shores of Del Mar—and a gated, blacktopped driveway with off-street parking for dozens of cars. There’s also an outdoor swimming pool, plus a sizable backyard with a grassy lawn and a wooden deck with stairs descending to the sandy beach. Altogether, the estate sports eight bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms.

      The estate spans more than one flat acre and is one of only a handful of oceanfront Del Mar homes that includes a tennis court.

      Google Earth

      Durban has yet to confirm his ownership of the Del Mar compound, but he’s certainly no stranger to ultra-high-end real estate. Back in 2019, records reveal he and longtime wife Abby dropped $24 million to buy a brand-new mansion in prime Atherton, the small Silicon Valley town famously home to scores of the nation’s wealthiest tech executives. The couple also own a vacation home in California’s scenic Pebble Beach neighborhood worth approximately $10 million.

      The Durbans have also long maintained a seriously impressive blufftop mansion at the exclusive Kukio Golf and Beach Club on Hawaii’s Big Island, where one of their nearest neighbors is fellow billionaire Michael Dell—a longtime Durban business associate and the brash dealmaker’s ownership partner in the professional bull riding team Austin Gamblers. And astute soccer fans will know that Durban was also behind the $500 million purchase of a minority share in Manchester City, a landmark transfer inked in 2019. More

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      In San Diego, a Documentary Filmmaker’s Longtime Victorian Beach House Lists at $3.6 Million

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      Just across the bay from downtown San Diego—on a charming isle best known as the site of the famed Hotel del Coronado—a historic residence long owned by Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker/psychotherapist Ira Wohl has recently come on the market for the first time in almost three decades, asking a smidge over $3.6 million.

      Built way back in 1890—and affectionately referred to by locals as the “red Victorian”—the two-story dwelling lies in the desirable Golden Triangle area and is said to be one of the oldest surviving Queen Anne Victorian-style structures on all of Coronado Island. Three bedrooms and two baths can be found in 1,200 square feet of well-preserved and updated living space, all of it boasting vividly hued rooms complemented by fir floors, wide arched doorways, high ceilings, detailed woodwork, and the original doorknobs and double-hung wood windows. There’s an unfinished attic to boot.

      Steps lead up to a gated and ornately columned wraparound porch, with the front door opening into an entrance foyer displaying a vintage fireplace, as well as a powder room resting beneath a curving staircase. From there, colorful living and dining rooms flow to a small but modernized kitchen outfitted with newer stainless appliances, and other main-level highlights include a window-lined family room.

      Constructed in 1890, the home is one of the oldest surviving Queen Anne Victorian-style structures on Coronado Island.

      John Phillips

      Elsewhere is an upstairs primary bedroom featuring a cozy window seat, plus a tiled bath equipped with a pedestal sink, clawfoot soaking tub and separate shower. Outdoors, the private grounds span less than a quarter-acre, and host an al fresco dining patio flanked by a grassy lawn, along with a lounging spot warmed by a stone fireplace.

      Probably most recognized as the 1979 recipient of a “Best Documentary Feature” Oscar for his film Best Boy, portraying his intellectually disabled cousin’s journey toward greater independence, Wohl went on to produce the sequels Best Man and Best Sister, as well as People Say I’m Crazy, which tells the story of his own struggle with schizophrenia. He’s also a licensed social worker, and has been active in the Academy of Motion Picture’s documentary division and Coronado Island International Film Festival.

      Last sold to Wohl in 1997 for $500,000, and listed by Whitney Benzian of Douglas Elliman, the property falls under the Mills Act, meaning homeowners are eligible for reduced property taxes in exchange for preserving the historic house.

      Click here for more photos of Ira Wohl’s Victorian beach house.

      John Phillips More

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      in Luxury

      On the Heels of Her Wedding, Frances Bean Cobain Buys and Sells Cozy San Diego Houses

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      Earlier this month, rock ‘n’ roll heiress Frances Bean Cobain married Tony Hawk’s son Riley in a small but highly publicized ceremony officiated by R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe. How legendarily ’90s-chic is that?

      Perhaps in preparation for her new marital status, Cobain has also been busy on the real estate front. Property records reveal the only child of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love is changing addresses in the San Diego area, having recently thrown down about $2.3 million to buy a single-level house in the coastal city of Oceanside. Shortly after that, as first reported by Realtor.com, the 31-year-old sold her Point Loma home of two years for nearly $2.5 million.

      Cobain’s purchased this Point Loma home in 2021 and recently sold it for $2.5 million.

      Google Earth

      Built in 1990, Cobain’s former home appears quite modest from the street, fronted as it is by a single-car garage and single-car driveway. But inside, the open-concept floorplan features more than 1,800 square feet of harmonious living space wedded together by new hardwood floors, crisp white walls and a freshly redesigned kitchen with stone countertops.

      Other highlights include three bedrooms, walls of glass doors that spill out to a wooden deck overlooking a heated swimming pool, AstroTurf lawns for carefree maintenance, and tropical landscaping that surrounds a fire-pit seating area and covered lanai. At the far rear of the 7,000-square-foot lot lies a detached two-car garage with discreet alleyway access.

      Cobain and Riley Hawk recently settled into this breezy Oceanside property, a 1920s ranch-style home surrounded by dense landscaping.

      Google Earth

      Cobain’s new house is only slightly smaller than her old place — weighing in at a still-very-reasonable 2,000 square feet — but offers five bedrooms and an impressively large lot with a half-acre of flat land. The property is also located in a more laidback and family-friendly area of town.

      Originally built in 1926 but fully revamped and expanded in recent years, the new Cobain-Hawk digs sport extensive “green energy features,” per the listing, including native landscaping, a new reverse osmosis water system, a solar energy system and EV charging stations. Other notable amenities are a saltwater swimming pool and a separate cedar hot tub, a loft-like room that would be ideal as an art studio, Italian porcelain floors and a kitchen with premium Sub-Zero appliances.

      Cobain, who controls the publicity rights to her famous father’s name and image, previously owned two multimillion-dollar homes in L.A.’s Hollywood Hills. Both those properties were sold off within the last few years, records confirm. More