News and thoughts from behind the FrontDoor
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.
http://www.frontdoor.com/home-finance/Top-10-Celebrity-Homes-For-Sale/55319
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | October 15, 2009
From our Cool Houses Daily files: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 | October 2, 2009
From our Cool Houses Daily files:
Another one of disgraced stockbroker Bernie Madoff’s properties is on the market — this time in Palm Beach, Florida.
Just months after Madoff was sentenced to a 150-year prison term, the Palm Beach home he owned with wife Ruth is up for sale for just under $8.5 million.
Like his Hamptons property, which sold in mid-September, the home is relatively bare inside since U.S. Marshalls have cleared out the Madoff’s furnishings and personal belongings to sell at auction.
The rest of the furniture will be cleared out when a lucky buyer wins this unfortunate historical icon. All the profits from the sale of the home will go towards restitution for the victims of Madoff’s Ponzi scheme.
The listing touts the property as “a return to classic Florida island living,” and something about the property’s casual furnishings and landscaping are reminiscent of days gone by.
The home was purchased and renovated in the early 90s by developer Michael Burrows, so it does include fairly recent updates and some of his classic features: a 22-foot Cypress beamed ceiling with stainless steel hardware, a Honduran Mahogany front door, and large rooms with high ceilings. The home also has enough closets to fit even a Ruth Madoff-sized wardrobe.
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 5, 2009
None of my friends are real estate agents. And a lot of my friends’ friends aren’t agents either. They just never happened to roll in my social circles. Not really sure why that is. Perhaps it’s because I’m naturally skeptical of people who make a living from selling things — be it a house, insurance, a car or a story pitch.
So you’d understand why people like me who don’t normally socialize with real estate agents in our personal lives would feel weird about “friending” an agent on Facebook without having met him/her in person and establishing some sort of relationship. Even now, as a homebuyer, I’m not going to search for agents to friend.
So it was especially interesting to listen to a panel for real estate agents about using Facebook as a professional tool.
(The FrontDoor team is in San Francisco this week for a real estate and technology conference called “Real Estate Connect,” hosted by Inman News.)
FrontDoor, for one, has a Facebook fan page (thanks to those of you who’ve joined it!) and is doing some interesting things with social media, such as integrate Facebook Connect on the site so readers can comment on articles through their Facebook profile.
At the panel, Craig Donato, CEO of online classifieds site Oodle, talked about their service, which would allow agents to automatically load their listings into their news feed and their friends’ feeds. Someone in the audience quickly pointed out that that was the “fastest way to get me to de-friend you.” Indeed. I know I would.
So that begs the question — what is the proper etiquette, for any business, to build relationships on social networking services like Facebook and Twitter, without scaring away people? We’re discussing that here at Inman Connect. If you’ve got an idea, please share it!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | July 27, 2009
Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook are a great resource for journalists like me, especially when you’re on deadline in a city where you don’t have very many contacts. Case in point — before a recent trip to Chicago, I wanted to connect with a local Realtor and film a home tour for FrontDoor’s vlog. The catch — I had a two-hour block in which to film.
Rather than google Chicago-area Realtors and filter through hundreds of agent profiles, I put a call out to our more than 1,000 fans on Facebook. Et voila! Scott Curcio of Coldwell Banker posted a reply saying he would be happy to help.
Next month, I’ll be in LA, San Francisco, Boston and Seattle. If you have a great real estate story, share it with our Facebook community! I may even feature it in our vlog.
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 14, 2009
What makes a city or town a “best place to live”?
It varies so greatly from person to person and yet we see these types of lists all the time. Heck, FrontDoor.com is coming up with one too — stay tuned for it!
Not sure if Money Magazine’s new list of Best 100 Small Towns to Live will spur a homebuying spree in the named places, most of which are in middle America.
According to Money, these are the places that ranked highest in terms of factors we value, including a strong local economy, housing affordability, income, education and job growth.
The top spot went to Louisville, CO, which is where we found this 3,200-square-foot, 4-bed, 3.5-bath house listed for $469,500.
Here’s the top 10 and if Money’s list has you longing to move to these places, click on the link and browse homes for sale in that town:
1. Louisville, CO
2. Chanhassen, MN
3. Papillion, NE
4. Middleton, WI
5. Milton, MA
6. Warren, NJ
7. Keller, TX
8. Peachtree City, GA
9. Lake St. Louis, MO
10. Mukilteo, WA
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.
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