Posted by Annalisa Burgos | November 24, 2009
Thanksgiving is around the corner, meaning less focus on buying and selling a home, and more focus on preparing your current home for the holidays, shopping for presents and getting together with family.
If you’re like me, you’ll probably check out the movie “New Moon” to see what all the hype is about (if you haven’t seen it already). FrontDoor got into the vampire spirit with a slideshow showcasing the Cullen House from the popular “Twilight” movies, which is listed for under $3.3 million.
But if you’re among those hard-core homebuyers or sellers who won’t (or can’t) stop just because turkey’s on the table, here are some holiday tips from your friends at HGTV’s FrontDoor.com.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | October 27, 2009
Even celebrities are having a tough time unloading their multi-million dollar properties in this market.
From rapper 50 Cent’s money pit to pop star Ryan Cabrera’s short sale, you may find a deal if you’re in the market for a luxury home.
Check out these 10 celebrity homes for sale:
http://www.frontdoor.com/home-finance/Top-10-Celebrity-Homes-For-Sale/55319
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | October 15, 2009
Live next door to the President of the United States — the Obamas’ Chicago neighbors have put their home on the market.
Apparently, Matt Garrison, the listing agent with Coldwell Banker, hasn’t put an asking price on the house and will let the market dictate its value. How appropriate.
According to a report in The New York Times, the current owners paid $35,000 for the 6,000-square-foot house at 5040 South Greenwood Avenue in 1973. Other homes in the Hyde Park area have sold for $1 million to $2.5 million. But surely the appeal of living next to the President should tack on a few more mil. I wonder what kinds of background checks you’ll have to go through to close this deal.
About the property: The turn-of-the-century home is directly next to the Obama’s home, and the neighborhood is filled with Chicago’s business, political and intellectual rock stars. From this distance, you could ask the President for his famous chili recipe, borrow a cup of sugar from First Lady Michelle, or watch “First Daughters” Sasha and Malia, as the current owners often did.
The home was built in 1906 by A.R. Clark, who was also the original owner of President Obama’s home at 5046 South Greenwood. During World War II, the home was used to house officers, and eventually became a boarding house for a small military school.
The current owners purchased the home from the Colonel who ran the school. The home needs a little restoration, but still has all the original woodwork, stained glass windows, 6,000 square feet of living space, and a hefty yard by Chicago standards. Plus, as long as you don’t mind the occasional security hassles and Secret Service agents milling about, you can’t beat the location.
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | September 15, 2009
From our Cool Houses Daily files:
Danielle Staub, resident cougar of Bravo’s New Jersey iteration of their Real Housewives franchise, is selling her Tudor-style mansion in Wayne, New Jersey.
The leather-wearing mother of two and divorcee wants a new house to run. According to The RealEstalker, the former model and ex-husband Tom acquired the home in 1998 for a little over $1 million. It’s listed for $1.495 million.
The 10,500-square-foot home has 7 bedrooms, 5 full and 2 half baths and a huge stone foyer that’s grand enough to impress the most discerning New Jersey housewife.
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | August 26, 2009
From our Cool Houses Daily files:
Iconic “Baywatch” and “Knight Rider” star David Hasselhoff has relisted his 5-bed, 5-and-a-half-bath home in Encino, Calif., at a reduced price of just under $4.2 million (a discount from the original $5.95 million price tag earlier this year).
The “America’s Got Talent” judge is selling the estate as part of his divorce settlement with ex Pamela Bach.
The estate has almost 9,000 square feet of living space, with a two-story entry foyer and his-and-hers closets in the master suite.
In the chef’s kitchen, there’s a whole wall devoted to Hasselhoff’s gold and platinum late-1980s European pop albums, but you fill the wall space with your own personal accolades when you snap up the property.
Outside, the home features a pool with a waterfall, tennis court and a huge motorcourt for all of the Hoff’s celebrity get-togethers.
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | August 13, 2009
This from our Cool Houses Daily files:
Rapper 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson III, slashed the asking price on his massive Farmington, Connecticut mansion again, hoping to unload the former money pit he rarely used.
It was originally listed at $18.5 million in 2007 and reduced late last year to $14.5 mil. Now, he’s asking $10.9 million — surely to cover the $4.1 million he shelled out for it in 2003 and the additional $6 mil he spent on repairs and upgrades.
The 17-acre estate has been the subject of an ongoing court battle between “Fitty” and an engineering firm he hired to repair and improve the home. Fitty sued BVH Integrated Services, claiming the firm owed him $3 million for maintenance repairs that were not included in its original repair estimate of about $500,000. Terms of the settlement in June were not disclosed.
The mansion has a whopping 21 bedrooms and 25 baths, a private lake with gazebo, an indoor/outdoor pool, gym and grand media room, all spread nicely over 48,000 square feet of living space.
If you love Fitty’s house like, er, a fat kid loves cake, view the listing to find out more about his crib.
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | July 15, 2009
If she could turn back time, Cher probably would have accepted a reported offer for her massive Malibu estate, which she listed last August for $45 million but pulled off the market after nine months, says “Mama” from the popular Real Estalker blog.
Now the singing-songwriting diva has relisted her famous Italian Renaissance-style mansion for $41 million — still a bit stiff for a market where ultra high-end homebuyers are clearly in the minority.
We’ve discovered that the luxury market is not exempt from the recession as once thought.
That said, if you are in the market for a lavish home, the house that Cher built won’t disappoint. She is, after all, Cher.
The 13,000+ square foot, 6-bed, 7-bath home sits on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and features a theatre, gym, infinity pool, tennis court and multiple verandas.
Cher, do you believe in getting your asking price after renovating? I really don’t think that’s strong enough.
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | July 9, 2009
Las Vegas visionary Steve Wynn’s Manhattan home is just as luxurious as the world-class resorts he builds.
The mind behind such Sin City landmarks as the Bellagio, Wynn and Encore has listed his seventh-floor condo at 817 Fifth Avenue (at 63rd Street) for $25 million. Furniture included.
Wynn reportedly paid $7 million for the unit in late 2000, but made some extensive renovations. The 3,500+ square foot luxury home features nine rooms, including a master suite and bath fit for a billionaire like Wynn.
The original living room, formal dining room and library were combined to form one massive living area and media center.
The unit has a new formal dining room and a state-of-the-art electronics system. And check out the breathtaking views from those windows — beautiful Central Park and New York City.
See more pictures of Wynn’s home for sale in the Sotheby’s International Realty listing on FrontDoor.com.
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | July 7, 2009
NFL fans are mourning the loss of football great Steve McNair, who was tragically killed on July 4.
The former quarterback of the Tennessee Titans and later the Baltimore Ravens was found in a Nashville condo he rented, shot dead, along with his 20-year-old girlfriend Sahel Kazemi. Police ruled McNair’s death a homicide and are investigating the case as a possible murder-suicide.
According to reports, the then-married McNair had planned to divorce his wife. The couple had listed their 9-bed, 9.5-bath mansion in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville for $3 million.
The 14,000+ square foot home in Woodmont Estates features 26 spacious rooms, vaulted ceilings, a theater room, pool, sauna and hot tub/spa.
See more pictures of the inside and outside of this 1.33-acre estate in the listing on FrontDoor.com.
Perhaps a die-hard Titan fan will find value in walking the halls McNair once did.
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | June 26, 2009
Everyone dreams of their perfect home, but very few get the chance to actually live in it.
The King of Pop was one of them.
In 1987, Michael Jackson shelled out $17 million for more than 2,500 acres in Los Olivos, Calif. (about 125 miles north of Los Angeles).
He designed his dream home, complete with 22 buildings, including a Tudor-style mansion, a zoo and an amusement park with a Ferris wheel, bumper cars and other rides. The Neverland Ranch — named after the island in “Peter Pan” where children never grow up — was estimated to be worth more than $100 million.
But the dream home later became a nightmare, after Jackson faced charges of molesting a boy on the property. He moved out of Neverland in 2005, and the neglected estate went into disrepair.
By 2008, Jackson had defaulted on the mortgage and faced foreclosure if he failed to pay back a $24.5 million loan. An investment company stepped in at the last minute and bought some of the property rights for $35 million, with Jackson maintaining partial ownership.
Now with the legendary artist’s death, what will become of the Neverland Ranch? Personally, I hope the owners will fix up the estate and turn it into a museum and memorial to MJ, similar to what Graceland became for Elvis Presley.
Because Neverland Ranch was always shrouded in mystery, opening it to the public would allow fans to connect with the pop icon at a new level. After all, what better way to get to know a person than by seeing their home.
And I’m sure ticket sales would more than pay off MJ’s massive debt.
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