As the Real Estate season heated up our reporting of juicy Celebrity Real Estate News took a back seat. This week we have some hot stories compliments of Zillow.com. It appears Dr. Phil wants to sell his Beverly Hills home for $16.5 million and for $40,000 a month you can rent Ozzie Osbourn's home in Malibu! Read on and find out what other great scoops there are…

This week we have some juicy Celebrity Real Estate News provided by Zillow.com. We have Octo-Mom facing foreclosure, The Boss sells his Palm Beach Home, a Boxing Champ getting knocked out with a foreclosure and Mel Gibson selling his Malibu Home. It appears even the Stars are having hard times with foreclosures.

Just when you thought you have heard the last of Nadya Suleman (aka “Octo-mom”) comes word that she could be evicted from the home she occupies with her 14 kids.

Suleman leases this home from her father, who has a mortgage agreement with Amer Haddadin. Haddadin sold the home to Octo-mom’s father in March 2009 for $450,000 under these conditions: Monthly payments of $4,139, and a final balloon payment was due on March 10 to fulfill the entire $450,000 mortgage. Haddadin reports the last $4,139 payment was never made, as well as the final balloon payment. Now, Haddadin is planning on going to the courts to foreclose on the family.

As actor Mel Gibson proceeded with his highly publicized divorce from wife Robyn last year, it was revealed that a lot of Gibson’s wealth is tied up in real estate. Last year, he put his Old Mill Farm estate on the market for $35 million and it looks like it’s still for sale, but at a big price cut. The Greenwich, CT property is now listed for $29,750,000. (See more celebrity price cuts).

Now, another Gibson estate is up for sale, but this one is on the other coast. Gibson’s Lavender Hill Farm is for sale for $14.5 million. Located in a secluded area of Malibu known as Serra Retreat, it is Gibson’s own private escape. The 2.75-acre grounds have mature trees, a fruit orchard, and organic gardens.

The home is newly remodeled and has 6 bedrooms and 6 baths with a hardwood/stone floors. The master bedroom is on the upper floor and includes a sitting room. Extras include a lighted tennis court, pool, three guest houses, two offices, a detached gym, library, and a garden cabana with game room. It sounds, well, divine. But, don’t take our word for it — see more photos of Mel Gibson’s Malibu home.

Former boxing champ Thomas Hearns might be in retirement, but he’s facing a new opponent: foreclosure.

According to the Detroit News, Hearns is past-due on taxes and mortgage payments, owing a total of $961,156. Just on Hearns’ home alone, he owes $512,965 and the bank has filed notice that his home is scheduled for a foreclosure sale on March 23, according to The Legal News (free subscription required to access article).

Hearns is an eight-time world champ whose 15-year pro boxing career spanned six different weight categories.

According to Hearns’ lawyer, the former champ is working on keeping the house and paying off his debts.

American rock icon Bruce Springsteen and wife, Patti Scialfa, sold one of their side-by-side homes in Wellington, FL to Chicago philanthropists Daniel and Ellen Podell Crown for $2.95 million, reports the Palm Beach Daily News.

Springsteen’s home that was sold is located in Equestrian Club Estates, which is a gated community for equestrian types. Does The Boss have a special affinity for equestrian activites? No, but Bruce and Patti’s daughter, Jessica, is evidently an equestrian prodigy. Who knew?

According to Real Estalker, Springsteen purchased the property in 2008 for $3.1 million, then, a few months later, Bruce purchased the home next door for $4.6 million. Although Springsteen got $2.95 million for the first home, he initially listed it for sale for $3.95 million. And, he bought it for $3.1 million, so he sustained a loss of $150,000.

Yes you read that right…$6,500 per night to rent the "Jersey Shore" house! I don't need to see the TV show to know that this is almost as crazy and the Brangelina house. Seriously, you can rent a truly amazing home for $6,500 a night…or a mega yacht. This is simply a mega-rip-off to me. More great celebrity real estate news this week – Bernie Madoff finds a buyer, Scarlett Johansson's home goes on the market, Joely Fisher sells her home and then the crazy "Jersey Shore" home.

JERSEY SHORE HOUSE FOR RENT! For all you Guido and Guidette wannabes who want to gym/tan/laundry in the actual space where the “Jersey Shore” cast of characters hung out, you can because the Jersey Shore house is for rent! The rental prices are for single nights only and they have a definite spike for seasonality. For example, the house is renting for $3,500/per night until May 1, then it jumps to $6,500 per night from May 1-July 15. See more photos of Jersey Shore house. 

Original post:

In case you’re caught up in the tan-sanity of MTV’s latest reality series “Jersey Shore,” you’re probably wondering what’s “The Situation” on the Jersey Shore house where Snooki, Pauly, Vinny and the rest of the crew spend their days and late, late nights. The brown-shingled party house is located at 1209 Ocean Terrace, Seaside Heights, NJ 08751 and it’s just behind a row of shops on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, NJ – including the T-shirt shop where they all work (click on the photo above and drag to the left to see the boardwalk).

The show airs Thursday nights on MTV and has commanded its share of headlines due to a cast with strong personalities who like to ”gym/tan/laundry,” get into fights and call themselves “Guidos” and “Guidettes.” Ironically, while the house is located on the Jersey shore and the show is about the happenings at the Jersey shore, only one cast member — Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola of Hazlet, NJ — is actually from the Garden State.

Many Italian-American organizations and MTV advertisers have taken exception to their behavior and self-described monikers and call the group offensive and exploitative of a stereotype.

“I don’t see any redeeming value in the show,” DiMino told the NY Times. “They are an embarrassment to themselves and to their families.” — Andre DiMino, president of the largest Italian-American service organization in the U.S.

Philadelphia blog Phillyist says this is not the real Jersey shore – or at least the part of the Jersey shore that Philadelphians would dare venture into.

Meanwhile, the show is rocketing up the ratings scale for MTV, last Thursday capturing the No. 1 slot on cable for the 12-34-year-old demographic. (Twelve-year-olds are watching this?)

Want to see your share of tans, muscles and plenty of hormone-fueled drama?  Tune into Jersey Shore on Thursday at 10 p.m. on MTV.  We won’t tell…

Ooh, this has to hurt: Actress Scarlett Johansson purchased this Hollywood Hills home in 2007, paying $7 million and now she has listed it for sale for $4,950,000 — a price reduction of $2,050,000 (see percentage of Hollywood Hills homes sold for a loss).

This gated Spanish Villa was built in 1931 and just underwent a complete restoration, including some green upgrades such as solar power. A gourmet period-style kitchen includes “Big Chill” appliances (retro, baby). Rooms flow in and out to terraces, patios and cascading gardens.

Johansson has starred in films such as “Lost in Translation,” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” and is reportedly spending more time in New York where she is making her Broadway debut to rave reviews in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge.”

> See more photos of Johansson’s home

It looks like Bernie Madoff’s penthouse apartment in Manhattan’s Upper East Side has gone into contract for an undisclosed price, according to Curbed (via the Wall Street Journal). While the apartment at 133 E 64th St, New York, NY, 10065 still shows a $8.9 million price tag, it was originally listed at $9.9 million last fall.

Of Madoff’s three real estate holdings that were seized by U.S. Marshalls for resale with proceeds going to victims of Madoff’s spectacular Ponzi scheme,  Madoff’s Montauk beach house sold first for $9.4 million. Now that the Manhattan penthouse appears to be locked up by an unknown buyer, the only Madoff property left is the Palm Beach home for $7,250,000, which appears to have been reduced twice now — from $8.5 million to $7.9 million and now to $7.25 million.

Joely Fisher, sitcom star of ‘Til Death and the daughter of a celebrated Hollywood couple (Eddie Fisher and Connie Stevens; her half-sister is Carrie Fisher) just sold her Encino, CA home for $2.4 million.

According to the LA Times, “…the four-bedroom, seven-bathroom contemporary had been on and off the market since mid-2007.” According to public records, Fisher purchased the house in October of 2005 for $3,350,000.

The 1955 home was redone in 2005, employing Asian-style touches. A home theater is included in the 4,511 square feet of living space, and it has city and mountain views, plus a lagoon pool with a pool house.

> See more photos of Joely Fisher’s house, courtesy of Realestalker.

This week's Celebrity Real Estate News courtesy of Zillow.com leads us to a Lost Island, a Ranch in Aspen, Sinbad and Fantasia setting the record straight. Enjoy this week's edition and we will see you next week for more juicy Celebrity Real Estate stories.

The season premiere of Lost is upon us (yes! finally!) so we will find out exactly what has been going on, right? RIGHT?

One of the best characters on the show is the island itself, with its gorgeous beaches, lush tropical forest and mountains. Turns out, the island is not quite so hard to reach – most of the filming is done on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu.

According to my extensive Lost Internet research, many of the beach scenes are filmed on Oahu’s North Shore, which is famous for its amazing waves and surfing. However, much of the filming is done on a sound-stage (yawn) in Honolulu, HI.

Interested in losing yourself? There are some lovely homes for sale on the North Shore, many in Haleiwa, HI:

1. Check out the lovely porch at 59-660 Alapio Rd Haleiwa, HI (below) – perfect for keeping an eye out for smoke monsters, I’m sure.

2. This stunning new construction at 61-300 Kamehameha Hwy Haleiwa, HI (below) looks like paradise itself.

3. If you don’t get enough sun outside, the light-filled home at 66-023 Alapii St Haleiwa, HI (below) will make sure it is never dark. Ever.

Fantasia Sets the Record Straight: No Foreclosure

By: Whitney Tyner, Zillow PR Specialist | February 4, 2010

American Idol’s Season 3 winner, Fantasia Barrino, is hitting the talk-show circuit to promote her new album and set the record straight on her much-publicized financial drama. The 25-year-old singer owed  $65,000 that she borrowed in 2006 to pay back taxes she owed the IRS and as a result, was at risk of losing her home.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Fantasia spilled all.

“The house problem wasn’t a foreclosure, and it wasn’t that I didn’t have the money. I’m not the richest, but I’ve always been a hard worker … and I thank God I’m still able to make ends meet. It could have been a lot better for me though if I would have had better management and better accountants…They ended up not paying my taxes and I had to clean up all that stuff. I had to hustle and bustle and make sure that was taken care of.”

Fantasia also told Oprah Winfrey that the situation was “very embarrassing” and confirmed that it was an auction on her home, not a foreclosure, that was threatening ownership of Fantasia’s Charlotte, NC home.

An attorney for the Broward Energy Partners lending company said in a statement that the auction was called off because an agreement has been reached between both parties. If the agreement between the two parties had not been reached, the singer’s home would have been sold at auction on Monday, Jan. 12.

Zillow’s Zestimate for the home is $1.16 million and it is located in the Rain Tree neighborhood of Charlotte where the Zillow Home Value Index is $263,300, down 8.8% from the previous year. In Rain Tree, 0.09% of all homes were foreclosed upon in November 2009.

Barrino is looking to reclaim her superstar status with a new VH1 reality series “Fantasia For Real“.

In December, we reported that actor/comedian Sinbad was in trouble with the IRS, owing $2.1 million to the state of California, as well as another $8.5 million in delinquent federal taxes and the U.S. Attorney General’s office wanted his house sold to pay the debt, according to The Detroit News.

Well, it looks like it’s happened: Sinbad’s home at 5950 Spring Valley Rd, Hidden Hills, CA 91302 is now for sale for $3 million. See more photos of Sinbad’s home.

It seems that there is an endless supply of juicy celebrity real estate news. This week we have the Bachelor House, Anderson Cooper, Justin Timberlake and the late Michael Jackson making headlines.

Between late 2007 and 2008, the late Michael Jackson rented a home in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Las Vegas at 2785 S. Monte Cristo Way, Las Vegas, NV. Today, the Las Vegas Sun is reporting Jackson’s home was sold for $3.1 million, after being listed for $3,950,000.

On Zillow, the video tour of Jackson’s house shows a status of “pending,” so take a look before the video comes down.

The home is gated and has 8-foot walls around the entire one-acre property. At 6,400-square-feet, it includes au pair quarters (attached apartment with two beds, one bath), tennis and basketball courts, fitness rooms, sauna, theater, orchestra loft, seven bedroom suites, three office suites, elevator, and large formal entertainment rooms. The master bedroom in incredibly huge — over 2,000 square feet — with a large covered patio, plus it has private access to a rooftop deck designed for sun bathing and Zen zone.

According to the Sun, “… the home was ultimately taken back by the lender, Eastern Savings Bank, in lieu of it going through foreclosure with the previous owner.” A California couple bought the home with cash. The percentage of foreclosure re-sales in Spring Valley in November is 65.8%. and foreclosure re-sales for Las Vegas is 64.7%.

While we associate Jackson with his Neverland Ranch, he actually spent a lot of time in Las Vegas and was reportedly on the verge of buying a Las Vegas estate he dubbed “Wonderland,” prior to his shocking death.

Justin Timberlake recently made a posh purchase in Tribeca, paying $4.689 million (down from $6.75 million, what a steal!) for the fifth floor of the Pearline Soap Factory lofts on Washington Street. Sounds like a good deal, except the penthouse apartment right above Timberlake’s (with the EXACT same layout) reportedly sold for just $4.1 million. Oops — $589,000 down the drain, but if anyone can handle it, JT can.

The Pearline Soap company used the building, on 414 Washington Street, as its factory headquarters in the late 1800s according to the NY Condo Blog. The building followed the trend of so many former factories and warehouses in the area and was converted into seven fancy-pants condominiums.

And we do mean fancy: Brazilian teak floors, twelve triple-pane windows, and a Control 4 System which is something that dims lights, closes the blinds, heats the house, and turns on jazz, according to the listing site. Jazz and Justin Timberlake? Sounds like a cool-cat match.

Photos of model units below are courtesy Pearline Lofts:

This season of The Bachelor follows Jake “The Pilot” Pavelka on his grand search for love and a wife. But, if you need to know only one thing about The Bachelor this season, know this: Jake is really, really boring. The women are, of course, fascinating to watch, but Jake is about as exciting as dry toast, IMHO.

And, as opposed to Jake’s boring personality, the Tuscan-style house where Jake entertains his many lady friends is simply AMAZING. The Bachelor house is located at 2351 Kanan Rd, Agoura Hills, CA 91301 and it has six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a four-car garage, gourmet kitchen, an infinity pool with a swim-up barbecue and bar, and a detached 4,000 square foot studio/office area.

The pool where the ladies seem to spend much of their time:

And the living room where there are so many fights:

While globe-hopping CNN anchor Anderson Cooper covers the tragedy in Haiti, he makes his own personal headlines back in the states.  Go figure. Curbed is reporting (via NY Post) that the silver fox is the secret buyer of a historic Greenwich Village firehouse. What fun!

Located at 64 West 3rd Street in Greenwich Village, Cooper reportedly purchased the Beaux Arts-style building for $4.3 million last September from the New York Board of Fire Underwriters. Even though it has not served as an active firehouse since 2006, it still has its original spiral staircases, brass fire poles, and the walls are covered with murals saluting the fire patrol’s history.

No word on what Cooper plans to do with the 8,240 square feet of space (there’s also a two-story former stable in the back), but workers are already doing some demolition. Cooper also owns a penthouse duplex on West 38th Street.

This week has has some spectacular Juicy Celebrity Real Estate News including the Brangelina Compound, a George Bush teardown, a Detroit Lion in a lion's den of trouble, and Christina  Aguilera selling her home. All of these great stories are provided by Zillow.com.

We last reported on the expanding Brangelina compound last winter and it looks like Brad Pitt was in the purchasing mood again. The always-on-top-of-things Big Time Listings reported that Pitt bought another house, which turns out to be the critical piece to unify all five of his properties in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Pitt’s most recent purchase is a home that was built in 1920 and is rather small with only two bedrooms on 0.25-acres. Turns out Pitt got quite the deal – the home was originally listed for $2 million.

Pitt’s other properties, which are all adjacent to each other, include:

5769 Briarcliff Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90068

On the other side of the Briarcliff residence, along Valley Oak Drive are:
5742 Valley Oak Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90068
5750 Valley Oak Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90068
5752 Valley Oak Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90068

According to Big Time Listings, all of the properties together results in more than 1.8 acres of land.

Song-bird Christina Aguilera’s home is back on the market, after a brief absence, for $6.25 million. The home was originally listed for $7,995,000 back in April 2008, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The 6,500 square foot home, built in 1960, is located in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles; it has 5 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms. There is also  a “private screening room” which seats 18, plus a gym, pool, 12-person spa and fireplace.

She bought the home in 2003 for $5 million after it was remodeled by designer Steve Hermann.

And of course, there is a view of the ocean.

This past November, workers from Billy Nabors Wrecking pulled up to 10151 Daria Pl, Dallas, TX 75229 and tore the house down. The house belonged to former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, who also own the house next door at 10141 Daria Pl, Dallas, TX 75229;  the 10141 address is the home the Bushes moved into last February.

Dallas Dirt’s Candy Evans speculates why the Bushes tore it down:

The former first family apparently wants to expand their present yard. Realtors familiar with the home, which was listed last year for $1.6 million, say it is not all that desirable for building anyhow,  since a creek runs along the northern edge, and it really needed to be scraped.

WFAA.com interviewed a worker from Billy Nabors Wrecking who said he believes the lot will stay vacant and the Bushes simply wanted a bigger yard.

Neighbors of the Bushes in Preston Hollow include Mark Cuban (owner of NBA’s Dallas Mavericks), H. Ross Perot (billionaire and former Independent candidate for president), and Tom Hicks (co-owner of NHL’s Dallas Stars and Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers).

It’s heartbreaking to hear stories of foreclosure, but when it’s a celebrity foreclosure, you wonder how it can happen. Former Detroit Lions lineman Luther Elliss, 36, who was paid almost $11.6 million from 2000-04, already lost his Utah home to foreclosure and now Elliss is prepared to walk away from his Oakland Township home.

According to The Detroit News, Elliss has filed bankruptcy, his savings are gone and he is relying on area churches and friends to help him land in a safe place. Evidently, Elliss made some poor investment choices and had liabilities that included mortgage debts on two homes (one in Utah and one in the Detroit area), an office building, delinquent taxes, credit card charges, legal fees and tuition at a Christian school. The married father of 11 had this to say about his predicament:

“The Lions did a good job, they put on financial programs that we had to attend talking about investing and saving money, gave statistics on how many of us would be broke,” Elliss said. “Guys were saying, ‘It’s not going to be me, I’m too smart for that.’ And here I am, one of those guys.”

Here’s a data point that is shocking: A recent Sports Illustrated article “How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke” reported that 78 percent of former NFL players will either file for bankruptcy or experience financial distress within two year of retirement and within five years of retirement, an estimated 60% of former NBA players are broke.

We have some really juicy Celebrity News this week courtesy of Zillow.com including a Madonna Farm in the Hamptons, Walter Cronkite's Co-op, a Falcon and a Porsche, and Nora Jone fighting over some windows!

All lot of juicy Celebrity Real Estate News stories have happened in 2009 and this is our top 3 picks for 2009. Celebrity Real Estate News courtesy of Zillow.com has been our Real Estate Round Up listeners and our weekly newsletter favorite topics for 2009.

Best of Celebrity News for 2009

3. Obama Family Voted Most Desirable Celebrity Neighbor for 2010

If you’re a regular listener to our show, you know how much I love our celebrity real estate and all the accompanying eye candy.  This week I have the results of the third annual Celebrity Neighbor Survey. The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, asks more than 2,000 U.S. Adults who they would most like to be their neighbor, and who they wouldn’t want to share a fence with.

This year, the Obama family was voted the most desirable celebrity neighbor(s) for 2010. Ellen DeGeneres and Portia DeRossi, and Sarah Palin tied for second place. However, not all ‘celebrities’ make good neighbors. “Octomom” Nadya Suleman was named the least desirable neighbor of 2009, followed closely by Jon and Kate Gosselin.

In light of recent news, adults appear to be indecisive about whether or not professional golfer Tiger Woods would make a good neighbor. Three percent of adults found him to be a desirable neighbor for 2010, while only slightly more (4%) thought he was the worst neighbor of 2009. The same confusion surrounds Sarah Palin, who last year was ranked number one on the most desirable list. This year, while 12% thought Palin to be a desirable neighbor for 2010, 11% voted her as the worst neighbor of 2009 – ranking her near the top of both lists simultaneously.

 2. “The Brangelina” House Built in Edmond, OK

File this one under real estate oddities. In one of the more bizarre real estate stories comes “The Brangelina,” a home built in Edmond, OK, that was done as a tribute to the domestic bliss of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

It is a 4,000 sq ft, $500,000 house built near Pitt’s birthplace in Oklahoma City.  The clincher of this story is the creation of a life-size sculpture of Pitt and Jolie in a passionate embrace titled “Brangelina Forever” This statue reportedly contains crushed glass from the wine glasses Pitt and Jolie drank from during their first meeting on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The sculpture is being attached to the ceiling of the home’s master bedroom “… to inspire a ’sexual healing’ for the room’s occupants.” Want to buy the home? It comes with a proviso that the owner “…must offer honorary ownership to Pitt and Jolie and put them up every time they come to town to visit Pitt’s grandmother.”

 1. Crypt Directly Above Marilyn Monroe. Bids Starting at $500,000

When Marilyn Monroe was laid to rest in crypt #24 at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park, the real estate around her became instantly valuable.  Even Playboy king Hugh Hefner has claimed a space next to her.

Years ago, Monroe’s deeply devoted former husband, baseball great Joe DiMaggio, purchased two crypts near Marilyn: one directly above and another kitty-corner to Monroe’s. But when DiMaggio and Monroe divorced in 1954, DiMaggio sold the two crypts to a friend of his, Richard Posner. Posner didn’t realize the purchase he made would be as lucrative as it is since Monroe’s celebrity status wasn’t fully realized at that point; she died of an overdose in 1962.

When Posner died in 1986, he had a wish that his wife, Elsie, fulfilled:

“He said, ‘If I croak, if you don’t put me upside down over Marilyn, I’ll haunt you the rest of my life.’ “

So there lies Posner for the past 23 years — lying face down above Marilyn, his wish fulfilled. However, that will soon change. Elsie would like to  sell the crypt where her husband is entombed and move him to the crypt next door — the one reserved for her — and sell his crypt on eBay for a starting bid of $500,000. Bidding ends on Aug. 24 at noon and so far, 18 bids have come in with the top bid $4.5 million.

According to the LA Times, Elsie would like to take the money from the auction and pay off the $1.6-million mortgage on her Beverly Hills home so she can “… leave it free and clear for my kids.”

Elsie doesn’t need space on “the wall” since her wish is to be cremated.  Bidding ended at 4.6 million for the highly sought after crypt but the supposed buyer from  Japan backed out due to “paying problems”.  No further update at this time.

Some great juicy Celebrity News this week right before the holidays. We have a Buc’s Beach Mansion, a penthouse apartment in New York City and a Fashion Designer’s $17.9Mil tear down in Southhampton.

(Photo courtesy Sotheby’s)

Fashion designer Tory Burch has listed her oceanfront Southampton, NY estate for $17.9 million; it is located somewhere on Meadow Lane.

Even though there is an existing home and pool on the 4.5-acre property, plans call for the construction of a 7-bed, 9-bath, 7,100 sq ft beach house. It is being designed by architect Daniel Romualdez.

According to Hamptons Curbed, Burch will take a loss on the property after buying the home from her ex-husband for $22.5 million in July 2008. Burch has reportedly purchased the Howard Gittis home around the corner at 500 Ox Pasture Road, Southampton, NY.

Dominick Dunne’s NYC Apartment Listed for $1,250,000

By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | December 15, 2009

Vanity Fair fans will be the most curious around the recent news that the New York City penthouse apartment of the late investigative journalist Dominick Dunne is listed for $1,250,000.

Dunne’s Turtle Bay-area penthouse apartment has one bedroom and one bathroom and includes French doors that open to a wrap terrace, a small study, and a living room with wood-burning fireplace.

After the tragic murder of his daughter, Dominique in 1982, Dunne became absorbed in covering crimes that had an element of celebrity; he covered the trials of O.J. Simpson, Claus von Bulow, Michael Skakel, William Kennedy Smith, and the Menendez brothers for Vanity Fair. Dunne was also from a family of celebrities. Dominique was an actress, son Griffin is an actor and director, his late brother was the novelist John Gregory Dunne and his sister-in-law is Joan Didion, the National Book Award winner in 2005 for “The Year of Magical Thinking.”

Dunne died this past August after losing a two-year battle to bladder cancer.

NFL Tampa Bay Bucs’ Owner Glazer Sells Palm Beach Mansion for $24 Million

By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | December 11, 2009

“Le Bellucia,” an amazing $25+ million listing in Palm Beach, was on the market for less than 30 days and sold for just a few million short of the asking price.  Is the luxury market back? At least it is in Palm Beach.

This sale is the priciest in Palm Beach this year and the lucky seller is NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer (pictured) — also a partial owner of soccer team Manchester United — who sold 1200 S Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach, FL for $24 million.

Originally listed for $27.5 million, it has 3.8 acres along the oceanfront and has nearly 12,000 sq ft of living space. Real estate investor Jeff Greene is reportedly the buyer.

Interestingly, Glazer purchased Le Bellucia in 2000 for $14 million, but he never lived in it — mainly because he was planning on a thorough renovation that never happened. The oceanfront home contains 9 bedrooms, 9.5 bathrooms home,  and has stone and hardwood floors, outdoor terraces and an oversized swimming pool.

The home was originally built by Willey J. Kingsley, a physician and capitalist in Rome, N.Y., and named it “Beautiful Lucy” after his wife, Lucy. It was built by celebrated American resort architect Addison Mizner.

We have some really juicy Celebrity Real Estate News this week compliments of Zillow.com. There is a Tree House, a Halle Berry home, a famous author and “The Brangelian House” which is just creepy.

“The Brangelina” House Built in Edmond, OK

By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | December 8, 2009

File this one under real estate oddities. In one of the more bizarre real estate stories comes “The Brangelina,” a home built in Edmond, OK, that was done as a tribute to the domestic bliss of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

It is a 4,000 sq ft, $500,000 house built near Pitt’s birthplace in Oklahoma City. We’re not quite sure of the exact location of this home (it’s reportedly in the Thornbrooke neighborhood of Edmond), but the clincher of this story is the creation of a life-size sculpture of Pitt and Jolie in a passionate embrace titled “Brangelina Forever” (linking to TMZ since we’re a G-rated site). This statue reportedly contains crushed glass from the wine glasses Pitt and Jolie drank from during their first meeting on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. And we all know what happened there.

But, wait — that’s not the end of it. The sculpture is being attached to the ceiling of the home’s master bedroom “… to inspire a ’sexual healing’ for the room’s occupants.”

Behind the creation and conception of The Brangelina is Los Angeles artist Xvala, artist Daniel Edwards, and filmaker Dave Smith. It was done as a documentary titled “Domestic Bliss: The Daniel Edwards/XVALA Project.”

Want to buy the home? It comes with a proviso that the owner “…must offer honorary ownership to Pitt and Jolie and put them up every time they come to town to visit Pitt’s grandmother.”

This project started two years ago before rumors of a Brangelina breakup started dominating the news.

Author Tom Clancy Buys $12.6 Million Ritz-Carlton Penthouse in Baltimore

By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | December 9, 2009

Novelist Tom Clancy, who has made a nice living writing military/espionage thrillers with the fictional Jack Ryan as the hero (”The Hunt for the Red October,” “Patriot Games”), has taken his literary earnings and purchased a Ritz-Carlton penthouse in Baltimore for $12.6 million. Clancy was born in Annapolis, so his roots are deep as a Marylander.

Actually, Clancy’s penthouse is made up of three separate penthouses, comprising nearly 12,000-square feet. It contains 4 bedrooms, 6 1/2 bathrooms, 3 semi-private elevators, a theater, and six balconies with views of the Inner Harbor.

Clancy seems to have started a trend in super-sizing penthouses at Baltimore’s Ritz-Carlton, with other buyers interested in the “buy two, turn them into one” strategy, but the Ritz-Carlton folks says it is a challenge to reconfigure spaces to accommodate new plumbing and electrical work. The Ritz completed construction in Baltimore in May 2008, helping to inject vitality and status along the waterfront.

Interested in a condo at the Ritz-Carlton on the Inner Harbor in Baltimore? There are more than a handful of condos for sale and many with a price tag under $1 million.

Once owned by comedian/talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and later, by the late actor Heath Ledger, it’s known just as the “Tree House” and it’s for sale for $3,695,000, according to Luxist.

Located in Hollywood Hills, it’s a cozy, private two-bed, two-bath hideaway that was sold in June 2008 for $2.5 million. The listing description says:

Celeb Sanctuary. Very special Shangri-La remodel with exceptional privacy. Stunning forest-like view from tremendous deck with amazing outdoor screening room and other areas of added living space. So close to everything yet feels as though you are on an enchanting zen retreat. Handsomely redone kitchen and baths. Certainly worthy of its “star” history.

Photos courtesy Prudential California Realty. See more photos of the Tree House

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Halle Berry’s Beverly Hills Home Listed for $5 Million

By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | December 3, 2009

While this quaint and rustic Old World Mediterranean home looks like it should be located in Europe, it’s actually Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry’s Beverly Hills home and it’s listed for $5 million.

Berry purchased the home in 2001 for $2,275,000. It was built in 1948 and has two bedrooms and two baths and features private gardens, al fresco dining and seating area, a fire pit and stone spa set in a lush canyon setting. The listing description states:

The vibe is majestic, yet casual, with vaulted heavy wood-beamed ceilings, wide-planked wood floors, detailed custom-made ironwork, stone-carved fireplaces, a dramatic staircase, banks of French doors/windows & a master suite tube carved out of stone. Gourmet cook’s kitchen. State of the art Crestron system. For your entertainment/creative clientele.

No word why Berry is selling.

Prominent NYC Real Estate Developer Elie Hirschfeld Selling his East Hamptons Home for $25 Million

By: Sarah Greenleaf, PR Intern | December 7, 2009

Prominent New York City real estate developer Elie Hirschfeld, president of Hirschfeld Properties (developers of New York City’s Grand Sutton, the Hotel Pennsylvania, the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Park Avenue Court, the Gotham and Exchange Tower) is selling his own oceanfront East Hamptons home for $25 million.

The Hirschfeld home is located on the prominent Lily Pond Lane (just down the road from Grey Gardens) and occupies 1.2 acres with 200 feet of oceanfront. It has 8 bedrooms, 7.5 baths, 5 fireplaces, heated pool, a sun/game room, large living salon, library, formal dining room and gourmet kitchen.

Not sure if the sale of the East Hampton home is tied to the dissolution of Elie and Susan Hirschfeld’s estate after some headline-grabbing accusations, but here are some photos of the Hirshfeld property:

There is just too much good stuff going in on Celebrity Real Estate News. This week with the launch of New Moon last night at midnight, this Twilight home is a MUST see!

We have a bunch of juicy celebrity news for this weeks compliments of Zillow.com. We have the richest man in the world, a housewife, a rocker, and a 49′er!

Is this another sign that the economy is on the upswing? Microsoftie bids $35,000 to tour Bill Gates’ home. Last year, the winning bid was $8,600.

Each fall as part of Microsoft’s charitable giving campaign, people at the company donate products, services and experiences for their fellow employees to bid on. The item that typically fetches the highest bid is a tour of Gates’ Lake Washington home for the winner and a small group of friends, guided by Gates, with appetizers at the end.

Last year, in the middle of the economic meltdown, the winning bid was $8,600. This year, with things starting to rebound, the bidding rose to $35,000. No word on who was willing to pay that much, but presumably it wasn’t a junior tester.

It pains me to write this, but it appears some of the “Real Housewives” are, indeed, just like the rest of us. They foreclose on their homes (shout out to Lisa Wu Hartwell and Sheree Whitfield of Atlanta, and Jeana Keough in the OC) attempt to sell their home in a down market (Danielle, that’s you, Jersey girl) and face eviction when they don’t pay the bills ( tsk tsk, Lynn Curtin).

The latest Real Housewife drama centers around Real Housewife of Orange County drama queen Tamra Barney. The reality TV diva (and self proclaimed “hottest housewife in Orange County”)  listed her home located at 3 Pointe Cir, Ladera Ranch, CA 92694 for sale last November for $1.6 million with the intention of selling the property and pouncing on one of the many bargains in the OC area.  Barney said more privacy was another motivation to move. She and her husband are raising four kids and feel their current neighborhood, Ladera Ranch, offers little in the way  of security against folks wanting to occasionally gaze at a celebrity’s home

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Unfortunately, the original plan to sell for a gain failed. Barney reduced the price of the home nearly 30% to $1,149,000 and the home is now in escrow under contract as a short sale. The family purchased the property in September 2005 for $1.3 million. Tamra Barney is a real estate agent and listed the property herself. According to the listing description, the Tuscan-style 5-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom home boasts many semi-luxurious amenities such as a gourmet kitchen, saltwater pool, and a spa with waterfall.

Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has reduced the price on his Pacific Heights home, located at 2505 Divisadero St San Francisco, CA 94115.  It’s considered in the Georgian architecture style and had 9 beds, 7 baths.

The Wall Street Journal reports, “The listing price is just under $9 million, down nearly 30% from the $12.5 million asking price in 2005. Mr. Hammett, 46, paid $2.56 million for the gated, Georgian-style home in 1993.”

The home also has a music studio (of course) and a basement billiard room complete with bar.

Hammett has been a member of the band since 1983 and is credited with developing many of the band’s most recognizable riffs, including the one in “Enter Sandman.”

According to the Metallica Web site:

[Hammett] lives in San Francisco along with a large collection of old Hollywood movie memorabilia, his two dogs Darla and Hoku, plus cats . . . Oh, and for the record, Kirk plays his guitar at least 361 days a year.

It’s a price that reflects his former team’s name — coincidence or intentional? Former San Francisco 49er quarterback great Joe Montana and his wife, Jennifer, have put their wine country home — that extends into both Napa and Sonoma counties — on the market for $49 million.

Located outside of Calistoga, CA, “Village Montana” is a 9,700 sq ft Tuscan villa-style estate, which was inspired by the Montana’s love of Italy. It sits on 500 acres of lush, wine country land, with creeks, wide-open views and even a private pond stocked with fish. The grounds also include an equestrian center, a full-sized basketball court, skeet shooting range, gym, pool and spa.

The Montanas have moved to the Thousand Oaks, CA, area reportedly to be closer to their football playing sons, although someone’s geography doesn’t jive since Nick Montana is attending will attend the University of Washington and brother, Nate left Notre Dame to play at Pasadena Community College.

Nevertheless, the Montanas have listed their property for the a sum that will be a record for the county — if they get it. According to the Press-Democrat

A sale even in the ballpark of the asking $49 million price would be a record for the county. The most expensive home sales recorded on the county’s Multiple Listing Service were two properties that went for $15 million each in 2001, according to Rick Laws of Coldwell Banker in Santa Rosa.

Looks like Greg Norman is selling more of his property…this one is amazing. We also have some juicy info on Lakers’ Lamar Odom’s Beach Home and Lisa Marie Presley has her house for sale.

Greg Norman’s Jupiter Island Home Listed for $60 Million

By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | November 2, 2009

Last week, we wrote about golf star Greg Norman’s Colorado ranch that is for sale for $55 million.

Today, we’re focusing on Norman’s Jupiter Island home located at 382 S Beach Rd, Hobe Sound, FL, which is also for sale — for a handsome sum of $60 million.

Called “Tranquility,” the estate is on 8.04 acres on Jupiter Island, FL, with 172 feet of oceanfront and 370 feet on the Intracoastal Waterway. The property includes six buildings, which includes garage space for 17 cars.

Norman’s life is anything but tranquil these days. After splitting with his wife of 25 years in 2006, Norman married tennis star Chris Evert in 2008. In an October surprise announcement, Norman and Evert split after just 15 months of marriage. The reasons for their split range from huge egos to never making a home together. Norman kept his Jupiter Island estate and Evert kept her Boca Raton estate.

>> See more photos of Norman’s Jupiter Island estate.

Lakers’ Lamar Odom Lists Manhattan Beach Home

By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | October 29, 2009

No — Lamar’s not being traded, so there’s nothing to worry about, Laker fans. Described as a place to entertain his fellow Lakers, forward Lamar Odom has listed his Manhattan Beach home for $2,399,000. Located at 1639 5th St, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, Odom’s Mediterranean-style home has 5 beds, 5 baths, a family room with custom-made bar, three stone fireplaces and swimming pool with spa. When Odom and his Laker buddies visit, they can see views of downtown LA.

Since Odom married reality TV star Khloe Kardashian in September, the Manhattan Beach bachelor pad is no longer necessary. And, for a man whose salary is $33 million over four years, a home with a Zestimate of $2,239,500 looks like a drop in the bucket to us mere mortals.

Lisa Marie Presley’s Home for Sale for $8,995,000

By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | November 4, 2009

Singer/songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, whose birthright is as the only child of rock ‘n roll’s most famous performer, Elvis, has listed her Hidden Hills, CA home, located at 24895 Long Valley Rd, Hidden Hills, CA 91302, for $8,995,000.

According to Realestalker, Presley is relocating to London with fourth husband Michael Lockwood (previous husbands include Danny Keough, Nicolas Cage, and Michael Jackson).

According to public records, Presley purchased the home in 1993 for $2.6 million. It has 8,000 sq ft of living space, 5 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, and sits on 3.14 acres. There are also separate guest quarters (where Keough reportedly lives with two of their four children, according to Realestalker) and a free-form pool, spa and waterfall.

This week we have some great stories: A little bit about Obama’s neighbor, James Franco, a steller Greg Norman property and Le Reve!

The “Obama factor” didn’t pan out as planned, so the owners of 5040 S Greenwood Ave, Chicago IL 60615 yesterday were forced to officially set a price and put the home in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). It is listed for sale for $1,849,000. This comes after the owners tried a unique route of selling it unpriced and using word-of-mouth marketing and great media exposure since the home is right next door to President Barack Obama’s Chicago home.

It’s not that the house didn’t get any attention. Inquiries came in from Singapore, Saudia Arabia, London, New York, and California and the 5040 Greenwood Web site generated over 100,000 page views, but only a few formal offers were made — all unacceptable.

The Grimshaws purchased the home in 1973 for $40,000. Homes comparable to the Grimshaw’s in the Kenwood neighborhood sell for about $1 million to $2 million.

Take a look at Barack Obama’s house.

James Franco’s Hollywood Hills Home on Market for $3,695,000

By: Sarah Greenleaf, PR Intern | October 28, 2009

Actor/screenwriter/director James Franco is selling his Spanish-style Hollywood Hills, CA villa for $3,695,000.

Located at 8222 Marmont Ln Los Angeles, CA 90069, the home was built in 1923 and contains 3 bedrooms and 3 baths. The home also boasts city views, a 19th century marble bathtub, as well as a swimming pool, patios and a guest house. The views of the interior show a home that is simple sophistication, with white walls and natural wood beams.

Franco won a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his performance as James Dean in the bio-pic of the same name. He is also known for his performance as the new Green Goblin in the Spider-Man series and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his drug pusher role in Pineapple Express, but it was his performance in the cult television hit Freaks and Geeks that garnered him most of his fan base.

Golfer Greg Norman Lists Colorado Ranch for $55 Million

By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | October 26, 2009

Golf star Greg Norman and former tennis star Chris Evert left their longtime spouses for each other in 2006 and then, 15 months later, Norman and Evert split, leaving a wake of speculation as to why — among them, a disagreement on where they should live together.

Coincidentally or not, Norman’s ginormous Colorado ranch is on the market for $55 million. Located in the White River National Forest at 11808 County Road 8, Meeker, CO 81641,  the Seven Lakes Ranch is spread over 11,600 acres and is a premier trophy ranch full of mountains, lakes and rivers. Set up for private big-game hunting and gold medal fly fishing, it also has a sporting clays course, renovated dance hall, horse barn, main staff office, ranch house and maintenance shop. The property also includes Seven Lakes Lodge parcel, Pollard Ranch (working horse ranch, shooting course, high desert) and Dry Creek (hunting).

The main lodge consists of 13,907 square feet and includes an executive guest cabin, fitness center and spa, sportsman’s lodge, and equestrian facilities.

Le Rêve on Market for $45 Million

By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | October 27, 2009

Cast your eyes on one of America’s largest, most ornate residences that just happens to be for sale. Le Rêve is described as a modern-day chateau complete with formal gardens, fountains, and statues on 72 acres of land just north of Atlanta. Think of it as Versailles in the Deep South. The living space adds  up to 47,000 sq ft.

Le Rêve is located at 2015 Trammell Rd, Cumming, GA, 30041, about 45 minutes north of Atlanta, and was built for businessman Hubert Humphrey (no relation to the former VP) and his wife, Norma in 2004 (completed in 2007) by Atlanta architect Norman Askins. Humphrey founded World Leadership Group, which is a marketing and mortgage brokerage company that shuttered its doors in 2008 due to the mortgage crisis. Prior to striking it rich, Humphrey was a freight train conductor for 17 years.

As you can see in the photo above, the 72 acres of the estate are elaborate, consisting of formal gardens, statues, fountains, a golf course, a lake and a great lawn that is four times the size of a football field.

Outdoor grounds:

• 9-hole golf course (two holes are modeled after Augusta National’s 11th and 12th greens).
• a 4 ½ acre lake
• horseback riding trails
• Venetian-shaped elliptical swimming pools fed by natural creeks
• an amphitheatre carved into a grotto
• a lawn tennis court
• formal French gardens with an English maze
• flower garden
• orchard

Indoor:

• 82 rooms
• 6 guest suites
• billiards room
• 27-seat movie theatre styled after Moorish style of Atlanta’s landmark Fox Theatre
• model train room
• virtual golf room
• massage room
• arcade
• corporate business suite with conference facilities
• two-lane bowling alley
• 1950s style diner
• 10 fireplaces
• 12 full and 11 half bathrooms
• ballroom, with terrazzo floors and crystal and bronze chandeliers
• 10-car garage
• security guard houses and high-tech security, electronics and utilities systems

This home has been on the market since last year and according to high-end real estate agents and brokers who deal with luxury properties, “It’s just being in the right place with the right people, ” said Rosina Seydel, an agent with Atlanta Fine Homes.

This week we have a great selection of juicy celebrity Real Estate News courtesy of Zillow’s Celebrity Real Estate Blog

When a house goes up for sale by a pro athlete, gossip is sure to happen. So, when Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn’s house went on the market yesterday, he stated all the reasons why:

• House is too big
• Sick of 30-minute commute to training facility
• Too much upkeep for a single guy

Or, maybe the Browns and Quinn both know a trade is coming before next week’s trading deadline? Both the Browns and Quinn flatly deny a trade. Quinn was lifted in favor of Derek Anderson at halftime of the Browns’ 34-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, relegating Quinn to a backup role at QB.

Meanwhile, Quinn’s home at 32288 Regency Ct, Avon Lake, OH 44012 went on the market for $775,000. We’ll have to wait until Tuesday’s trading deadline to see if Quinn and the Browns soured on each other or if Quinn really doesn’t like the commute and owning a house too big.

Toni Braxton Faces Foreclosure

By: Sarah Greenleaf, PR Intern | October 14, 2009

Toni Braxton just can’t get a break. After undergoing a very public bankruptcy in the late 90s and heart problems that developed after the birth of her second child, Braxton is facing possible foreclosure, according to TMZ.

Allegedly she owes $12,500 on her Century City, CA mansion. Toni is best known for her song “Un-Break My Heart” and for her unique, low vocals.

Last year, Braxton was a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars” and made it to the 5th round. She has won six Grammys and is a spokesperson for the American Heart Association.

Nicolas Cage’s Haunted House in New Orleans for Sale

By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | October 13, 2009

Actor Nicolas Cage has never shied away from huge real estate investments. He just sold his Midtown penthouse in New York, is looking for back-up offers on his Bel Air Tudor, has his Las Vegas home on the market for $9,490,000, and is looking to sell two gorgeous New Orleans properties — one which is claimed to be a haunted house.

Since it’s nearing Halloween and haunted places are on everyone’s mind, we’ll focus on his New Orleans properties — one in the French Quarter and one in the Garden District.

Cage’s French Quarter house at 1140 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116 is for sale for $3,550,000 (photo above). Known as the “LaLaurie Mansion,” it is considered the most haunted house in New Orleans. During an interview with David Letterman last year, Cage was quoted as saying the mansion is:

“…a very notorious house, a very famous house, meaning it is allegedly the most severely haunted house in the United States of America. “Some people have beach-front property, I have ghost-front property.”

Is the house really haunted? Or, does the LaLaurie story make for good urban legend? Cage’s problems with his homes aren’t because of some spiritual encounter, but more to do with the government. Cage owes the IRS more than $6.6 million in income taxes.

>> Take a look at photos of “Cage’s haunted house.”

Cage’s New Orleans Garden District house is for sale for $3.45 million and is located at 2523 Prytania St, New Orleans, LA 70130 (aerial view below).

Into haunted places? See our list of Famous Scary Homes.

Al Capone’s Wisconsin Hideout to be Auctioned

By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | October 7, 2009

Update (10/9/09): More than 30 people showed up to watch Al Capone’s Wisconsin hideout auctioned off in a sheriff’s sale on the Sawyer County courthouse steps on Thursday, but only one bidder came forward: The Chippewa Valley Bank — the same bank that foreclosed on it in 2008. The bank purchased it for $2.6 million, which is the price the bank set as a minimum. It plans to sell it on the real estate market.

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Original post: When the heat was on, Chicago gangster Al Capone allegedly stole away to a Wisconsin cabin to avoid his enemies and the authorities. If you’re a Scarface fan, you can have a piece of history: Al Capone’s Wisconsin hideout is now on the auction block, according to “Wausau Family in CNN’s iReport, and will go to the highest bidder in front of the Sawyer County courthouse tomorrow. The starting bid is $2.6 million.

Guy Houston was the owner of Capone hideout until he foreclosed on the property last April. Once the Chippewa Valley Bank took over, an ad to auction the property was placed in the Chicago Tribune, driving intense interest and national publicity.

Houston’s family bought the property in the 1950s and turned it into a tourist attraction called  “The Hideout,” but he could not sustain the costs to keep the place running. Capone’s Wisconsin lodge is located at 12101 W County RD CC, Couderay, WI, but details about the property on Zillow are scant.

Many theories abound as to whether Capone ever stayed in the lodge, although his family owned it in the 1920s. The property is quite unique, sitting on 407 acres and overlooking Blueberry Lake. The main home has walls 18 inches thick, a hand-cut stone fireplace and custom-made spiral staircases created in Chicago. More details from Wausau Family:

It also has a stone gun tower (photo above), where machine gun-armed guards watched out for the authorities. There is also a caretaker’s cottage and a bunkhouse. A barn on the estate is supposed to have housed chickens, so the gangster could have fresh eggs. There is even a jail house on the grounds (photo below), a very small single cell surrounded by a brick wall. It was later turned into a restaurant and tourist attraction.

And if you’re really into Scarface, Al Capone’s Chicago home is still on the market for $450,000.

(Photos courtesy Mike Duchek and CNN)