This week we have a great selection of juicy celebrity Real Estate News courtesy of Zillow’s Celebrity Real Estate Blog
Home of Cleveland Browns QB Brady Quinn on Market
By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | October 14, 2009
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.*****
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)
