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      in Luxury

      Reclusive French Entertainer Claudine Longet Lists $60 Million Aspen Estate

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      Over the summer, a 5.4-acre estate within the private Red Mountain Ranch enclave just north of downtown Aspen, Colo., came to market with an $80 million price tag. Had it sold for anywhere near the sky-high asking price, it would have easily surpassed the current record—$72.5 million—for the most expensive home ever sold in the wealthy and notoriously pricy Rocky Mountain retreat. Alas, with no takers ready to break that real estate record, the price has since tumbled by about 25% to its current (and still eye-popping!) $59.5 million. 

      Described in marketing material as “Aspen’s last great property,” the unpretentious estate “offers privacy, luxury, and stunning views from Aspen Mountain to Mount Sopris.” In addition to the main house, which disperses three bedrooms and three bathrooms over about 3,500 square feet, there’s an almost 1,400-square-foot studio/guesthouse with another bedroom and bath, plus a detached two-car garage.

      The main house sits just above a small private pond.

      Mountain Home Photo/Sotheby’s International Realty

      Capped by a green metal roof, the wood-clad two-story main house spills out to a huge deck and a flagstone patio perched above a boulder-strewn lawn that rolls down to and surrounds a postcard-ready private pond with the Rocky Mountains as its dramatic backdrop. The guesthouse, which also has a deck with stunning mountain views, is privately squirreled away from the main house amid a forest of mature cottonwood and aspen trees. 

      Gorgeous and alluring at every time of year, with a slender stream that meanders through it, the picturesque property has the potential to be split into several lots, according to listings held by Lex Tarumianz of Aspen Snowmass Sotheby’s International Realty and Brian Hazen at Coldwell Banker Mason Morse.

      A stream meanders through the estate’s rolling landscape.

      Mountain Home Photo/Sotheby’s International Realty

      Tax records show the property is owned by French entertainer Claudine Longet, now in her 80s. Longet skyrocketed to showbiz stardom in the early 1960s when she married crooner Andy “Mr. Christmas” Williams. During her time in the showbiz limelight, she released numerous albums and appeared in many TV programs and movies, including opposite Peter Sellers in Blake Edwards’s 1968 box-office hit The Party. (She also sang the dreamy song Nothing to Lose in the film.)

      Sometime after she and Williams split up in 1970, Longet moved to Aspen, where she’s lived a quiet life among the world’s snow skiing glitterati since she was convicted in 1977 on a negligent homicide charge in connection to the accidental shooting death of her then boyfriend, former Olympic skier Spider Sabich. She later married local Aspen attorney Ron Austin, who represented her at her trial. The couple has long maintained a home in Hawaii as well.

      Click here for all the photos of 209 East Reds Road.

      Mountain Home Photo/Sotheby’s International Realty More

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      in Luxury

      A Pizza Mogul’s $34 Million Beverly Park Mansion Sells to a Prominent Surgeon

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      After first putting his Beverly Hills-adjacent home up for sale at the beginning of this year, pizza pie tycoon Larry Flax and his wife Joni have successfully unloaded the elaborate spread, complete with its healthy extra helping of custom ingredients, for $34.4 million. While that’s significantly less than the California Pizza Kitchen cofounder’s original $48.5 million asking price, it’s still a very impressive number for the guarded Beverly Park enclave, arguably the most desirable gated community in Los Angeles.

      Records confirm the spendy buyer is an entity tied to Dr. Bardia Anvar, a Beverly Hills-based general surgeon and founder of the national surgical-based Skilled Wound Care chain, and his wife Tania Pourat, a dentist. Anvar and Pourat, who also own a custom-built home in the Beverly Hills Flats neighborhood, now hold title to a 14,000-square-foot Beverly Park manor sporting seven bedrooms and some 12 bathrooms.

      Completed in 1994, and tucked away behind gates and a circular motorcourt embellished with a tiered fountain, the property includes a French chateau-inspired main house and detached guesthouse spread across a 2.8-acre parcel of lushly landscaped land.

      Wrought-iron and wood-trimmed doors open into a limestone-clad foyer, which displays a sweeping staircase and gold-leaf dome boasting a marbled alabaster skylight. From there, the formal living room has a glass-encased entertaining area and floor-to-ceiling French doors spilling out to a covered loggia with a fireplace, plus a 20-seat dining room adorned with a coved ceiling and hand-painted wall paneling flanked by a china room with plenty of felt-lined storage space.

      The house offers walls of glass overlooking the lush grounds.

      Adrian Van Anz

      And that’s not even the topping on this proverbial real estate pizza! There’s also a limestone-bathed family room with its own marble fireplace and wet bar, connecting via pocket doors to a gourmet kitchen outfitted with a wraparound granite island, commercial-grade appliances, a butler’s pantry and fireside dining area overlooking an 1,800-bottle wine cellar.

      Other highlights include a wood-paneled library and glass conservatory topped by a Murano glass chandelier, along with a sumptuous upstairs master retreat that comes complete with a separate seating area with fireplace, kitchenette and private balcony, as well as dual bathroom suites equipped with walk-in closets, a soaking tub, fireplace and an office. Also on tap is a movie theater with a velvet stage curtain.

      Outside, the rigidly manicured grounds feature rose gardens, a big grassy lawn, a full-size tennis court and meandering pathways. Spacious patios provide plenty of opportunities for al fresco lounging and entertaining, and there’s a 70-foot swimmer’s pool with a spa serviced by an outdoor kitchen and built-in BBQ.

      Rounding it all out is garaging for five cars, and monthly HOA dues of nearly $5,200 just for the privilege of calling the exclusive community home. Some of the nearest neighbors include Adele, Denzel Washington, Sofia Vergara, Rod Stewart and Eddie Murphy.

      This is hardly Dr. Anvar’s first brush with celebrity. Less than two years ago, he paid $10.3 million for the oceanfront Malibu home of actor Leo DiCaprio. As for Flax, he’s moved on to a $12.5 million condo at the Century, one of L.A.’s most prestigious residential skyscrapers.

      Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker and Linda May of Carolwood Estates repped both Flax and Anvar in the Beverly Park transaction.

      Click here to see more photos of the Beverly Park mansion that pizza built. More

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      in Luxury

      An Apple Cofounder’s Sprawling Central California Ranch Sells to The Wildlands Conservancy

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      After first popping up for sale back in 2013 for nearly $60 million, and then undergoing several price chops through the years, a 14,100-acre Central California ranch long owned by Apple cofounder and former CEO Mike Markkula and his wife Linda has finally been snapped up by The Wildlands Conservancy.

      One of the largest historic landholdings in Monterey County—stretching a lengthy eight miles through the Upper Carmel Valley—the massive spread was acquired by the San Bernardino County-based nonprofit in late July for a still hefty $35 million. Funding was provided via a mix of public and private financing, with the largest $24 million chunk coming from the California Wildlife Conservation Board.

      The traditional homeland of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, the conservancy plans to partner with the tribe to help steward the land, restore its fish and wildlife, and provide free recreational opportunities to the public. The group currently operates more than 20 other nature preserves on the West Coast.

      The 14,100-acre property includes a main home, guesthouse, conference center, private lake, riding arena, two barns and a 2,900-foot airstrip.

      Hall and Hall

      The Markkulas purchased the original 9,000-acre ranch back in early 1982 for just over $8 million, and subsequently tacked on numerous adjoining properties to expand the acreage. Nestled between the Salinas Valley and Santa Lucia Range, the working cattle ranch/owner’s retreat is showcased by a 5,413-square-foot, one-bedroom main house with a Western-themed bar and swimming pool, plus an attached two-bedroom guest wing accessible via a covered walkway.

      Additional buildings include a separate two-bedroom guesthouse with its own four-car garage, multiple offices and staff quarters, and a two-story conference center. There’s also a private lake, riding arena, two barns, a 2,900-foot airstrip and helipad.

      In the late 1970s, after retiring from Intel, Markkula gave then-unknown computer programmers Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak $250,000 to help form Apple. He became the third employee, served as chairman and CEO, and at one time owned 26 percent of the company. Markkula, who has an estimated net worth of around $1.2 billion, also owns homes in Woodside, Calif., and Hawaii.

      Bill McDavid of Hall and Hall repped both sides of the deal.

      Click here for more photos of Rana Creek Ranch.

      Hall and Hall More

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      in Luxury

      RZA Pays $10 Million for Lavish Hilltop Estate in Malibu

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      RZA’s career has spanned well over 30 years. Over that time, the legendary hip-hop music producer has tried his hand at everything from film scoring (most notably with the “Kill Bill” franchise), acting (“American Gangster,” “Californication”) and directing (“The Man With the Iron Fists”). 

      Now the Wu-Tang Clan mastermind and namesake of Rihanna’s son has decided his next adventure is becoming a real estate mogul. Property records show the 54-year-old Brooklyn native has paid $9.8 million for a sprawling Malibu estate, adding to a portfolio that includes his longtime New Jersey home and a more recently acquired spread in Bell Canyon, a guard-gated neighborhood in the northwestern outskirts of Los Angeles.

      Built in 2001 by Houston property developer Vincent Kickerillo, the property last sold in 2019 for $7.8 million to a non-famous buyer who gave the nearly 11,000-square-foot mansion a contemporary remodel. Set behind gates and a spectacularly long driveway on more than 5 acres of hillside land, the notably grand residence includes soaring ceilings, travertine floors, walls of glass and a newly open-concept floorplan.

      Other highlights are not limited to an elevator, a surround-sound system, a chef’s kitchen with granite countertops and premium appliances, a butler’s pantry and multiple sets of French doors spilling out to the grounds. Upstairs are dual master retreats, two of the home’s seven bedrooms, and each include walnut floors, a fireplace, bespoke closets, spa-style bathrooms and private balconies.

      But the outdoors is where this landlocked estate truly shines brightest; the manicured grounds include verdant fruit orchards and mature specimen trees, plus a full outdoor kitchen, ample patio space, parking for north of a dozen cars and a petite guesthouse. Best of all, an infinity-edge swimming pool boasts unobstructed panoramic views of the Malibu coastline, directly overlooking both the Encinal bluffs and El Matador State beach. More

    • 175 Shares99 Views

      in Vacation Homes

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

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      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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      in Luxury

      The Weeknd’s Los Angeles Penthouse Sells at a $3 Million Loss

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      After nearly two years on the market, The Weeknd has finally managed to unload his little-used penthouse in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Occupying the entire 18th floor of the prestigious Beverly West building, the mansion-sized condo sold to married Drs. David and Andrea Feinberg, the former president and CEO of the UCLA Health System and current chairman of Oracle Health.

      Property records reveal the Feinbergs forked over $18 million, among the highest condo prices ever paid in Los Angeles but well under the unit’s original $22.5 million ask. That discounted sales price is also exactly $3 million less than what The Weeknd paid for the place four years ago. Still, it is unlikely he’ll suffer because of the big loss —- the 33-year-old Canadian entertainer, born Abel Tesfaye, long ago upgraded to a $69 million estate in prime Bel Air.

      The star of this real estate show are undoubtedly the condo’s 360-degree views, which include panoramic vistas of Downtown Los Angeles, the Pacific Ocean and Santa Monica Mountains. Floor-to-ceiling walls of glass also drink in the Los Angeles Country Club and its lush golf greens, which adjoin the Beverly West building.

      There are four bedrooms and eight bathrooms in nearly 8,000 square feet of contemporary living space, all of it flaunting tall ceilings, designer lighting fixtures and walnut paneling throughout. The master retreat is stunningly lavish — it features a boutique showroom-style closet, an apartment-sized bathroom with a steam shower and soaking tub, and a private balcony.

      The great room offers panoramic views and space for grand-scale entertaining.

      Carston Schertzer for The Luxury Level

      Other highlights are not limited to a backlit and temperature-controlled “wine vault,” a mirror-walled gym, a great room that includes a living room and a wet bar with a TV wall, wide-plank white oak floors and a bespoke kitchen designed in Italy that is outfitted with top-of-the-line Miele appliances.

      Completed in the 2010s, the Beverly West building includes just 35 luxury condos, all of which offer numerous communal amenities that include valet parking, 24/7 concierge, security guards, a sparkling pool, and a rooftop helipad. None of that comes cheap, however — monthly HOA dues for this particular penthouse top $8,000.

      Click here for more photos of The Weeknd’s just-sold penthouse. More

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      in Luxury

      Diane Sawyer Is Asking $24 Million for Her Coastal New England Oasis

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      A sprawling seaside compound owned by veteran news anchor Diane Sawyer has popped up for sale in the coastal Massachusetts enclave of Martha’s Vineyard.

      Nestled amid windswept dunes directly overlooking water views from every vantage point, on two separate parcels of land tucked between Vineyard Sound and Lake Tashmoo, the estate known as “Chip Chop” just hit the market for $24 million, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

      Records show the TV broadcast journalist and her late film director husband Mike Nichols paid $5.3 million back in 1995 for the property, and subsequently embarked on an extensive restoration in collaboration with Tate Builders. Spanning 20 acres, the seaside spread is showcased by a nearly 5,000-square-foot main house boasting three bedrooms and numerous other structures, all with access to a combined mile of private shoreline.

      Originally designed in the late 1930s for noted stage actress Katharine Cornell by Neoclassical architect Eric Gugler—most known for his remodeling work on the West Wing of the White House during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration—the wood-shingled, New England-style main house was ultimately completed in the mid-1940s.

      Other buildings include a two-bedroom caretaker’s cottage and two modern beach cottages affectionately referred to as “The Shacks” because of the fishing shacks they replaced, plus two more detached guest bedroom suites known as the Pond and Ocean pavilions. There’s also a swimming pool and Har-Tru tennis court on the premises.

      According to WSJ, the 77-year-old anchor known for programs such as ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America and 20/20, is selling because the rhythms of summer have changed” as her family has grown, and “there is less free time for long visits to the island.”

      “Five grandchildren have run through the halls, learned to swim in the warm waters, gathered moss in the forest,” she said. “At Thanksgiving, both enormous fireplaces in the great room give off warmth and golden light. We have always felt so lucky to be together in this magic place.”

      The listing is held by Mark Jenkins of Wallace and Co. Sotheby’s International Realty.

      Click here for more photos of Diane Sawyer’s house. More

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      The Tom’s of Maine Founders Are Selling Their Longtime New England Estate

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      Back in the early 1980s, Tom and Kate Chappell acquired a historic estate in the heart of Kennebunk, a charming coastal city in the southern reaches of Maine. There, in what is often referred to as a “true piece of Kennebunk Maine’s history,” the founders of Tom’s of Maine raised five children who are now grown and married, and they became widely known as artists, authors and philanthropists.

      The couple also sold a majority stake of the successful natural oral and personal care product company that they launched together in 1970 to Colgate-Palmolive in 2006 for a whopping $100 million. Now, 40 years later, the Chappells are finally ready to part with their longtime home, putting the 20-room structure up for sale at just over $2 million.

      Originally built for merchant Nathaniel Frost in 1799, and meticulously restored and upgraded during the Chappell’s tenure, the Federal-style premises were also occupied at one time by New Hampshire Sen. Charles Cutts, who was elected as the U.S. Secretary of State in 1814.

      Built in the late 1700s, the Chappell’s Federal-style house is often referred to as a “true piece of Kennebunk Maine’s history.”

      Photography by Peter G. Morneau

      Sited on almost an acre of land dotted with organic gardens bearing apple trees, herbs and vegetables, the property includes a main house and guest quarters—for a total of six bedrooms and a matching number of baths in nearly 7,500 square feet of living space boasting no less than eight wood-burning fireplaces throughout. There’s also an attached three-car garage that resembles a big red barn.

      Especially standing out on the main level is a double-height entry foyer displaying a curving traditional staircase, which flows to a living room on one side and formal dining room on the other. A traditional arched door off the foyer leads to the rear of the home, which holds a classic kitchen outfitted with leathered granite countertops, a French Lacanche range, slate farmhouse sink and walk-in pantry.

      In the formal dining room, homeowner and artist Kate Chappell has painstakingly matched the original stenciling done by Moses Eaton.

      Photography by Peter G. Morneau

      An adjacent octagonal-shaped sunroom is currently being used as a casual dining area, and sports a vaulted wood ceiling, freestanding gas stove, and sliding glass doors spilling out to a wood deck and grassy courtyard; and elsewhere are an office, a family room and study, plus a trio of upstairs en-suite bedrooms that each have a fireplace.

      As for the guest quarters, two separate apartments come complete with a total of three bedrooms, as well as their own living room and kitchen. The property also is powered with solar panels, and warmed by a geothermal heat system and energy-efficient heat pumps; and per the listing held by Andi Robinson and Elaine Prendergast of Sotheby’s International Realty, the Chappell family likes to say, “The home is all natural.”

      Click here for more photos of 99 Main Street. More