Time is money as cash guru Buffett offers ocean views
LOS ANGELES — Warren Buffett is ready to cash in an investment spanning five decades.
The 86-year-old business magnate has listed an ocean-view home in Laguna Beach in Orange County, California, for sale at $11 million US — quite a markup from the $150,000 Buffett paid for the property in 1971, property records show.
The multilevel home, built in 1936 and remodelled during Buffett’s ownership, sits on a corner lot and has a view of Emerald Bay.
The 3,588 square feet of white-walled living space includes a family room with a fireplace, a dining room area, a skylight-topped kitchen, five bedrooms and seven bathrooms. Two of the bedrooms were designed for entertaining guests and have separate entrances.
Walls of glass and ocean-facing decks extend the living space outdoors. A pair of garages can accommodate three cars.
Buffett is the chairman and largest shareholder of conglomerate holding company Berkshire Hathaway. The Omaha-based investor reportedly has a net worth of nearly $74 billion, making him among the richest individuals in the world.
Period of transition for revival home
Veteran CBS executive John Wentworth and his partner, restaurateur Jamie Gluck, have sold their home in Los Angeles’ historic Windsor Square for $3.4 million.
The Mediterranean Revival-style house was built in 1921 and later renovated and restored by architect William Hefner, whose other works include the 60,000-square-foot mansion in Bel-Air known as Chateau des Fleurs.
Filled with classic character and contemporary details, the 3,902-squarefoot home has arched doors and windows, subdued hues and a formal entry with the original iron staircase. Custom millwork is another period feature of the home.
A formal living room with a fireplace and painted beams, a formal dining room and a media room/den are among living spaces. Including a detached guesthouse, which has a separate gym and patio, there are five bedrooms and four bathrooms.
French doors open to a covered portico that opens to a swimming pool. Formal gardens and privacy hedges complete the setting.
Wentworth has spent more than three decades with CBS Television Distribution, where he serves as the executive vice-president of communications. He is planning to retire from the company in March.
Gluck is the owner of the antipasti bar/deli Bell Street Farm in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Modern Family’s Stonestreet makes traditional deal
Actor Eric Stonestreet, of Modern Family fame, has sold a home in Studio City for $1.1 million, $1,000 more than the asking price.
The traditional-style cottage, built in 1948, has a brick-lined walkway that leads up to the black-painted front door. Vertical white siding and diamondpattern windows enhance the charming front facade.
The 1,653 square feet of living space includes a galley-style kitchen, living and dining rooms, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. A family room/den sits off the kitchen and has a fireplace and French doors that open to the backyard.
Outside, mature trees shade a deck and patio area. There’s also a detached garage. Stonestreet, 45, has won two Emmy Awards for his role on Modern Family. Among his other acting credits is the show CSI: Crime Scene Investigator and the films Bad Teacher (2012) and Identity Thief (2013).
Robert Kennedy’s son lists Malibu beachhead
Actor Cheryl Hines and her husband, lawyer-activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are ready to part with their West Coast beachhead of sorts, listing their home in Malibu for $6.45 million.
Set behind fences and gates in Point Dume, the bucolic property centres on a barn-style main house with East Coast flair. Also within the grounds, and painted the same shade of firehouse red, are two guesthouses, a pool house, a two-storey treehouse and a wine shed.
Within 3,000 square feet of living space are an updated kitchen, a dining area and a family/media room reached by a custom sliding door. Walls of builtin bookshelves enclose the living room, which has a brick-lined fireplace. A reading room sits off the living room area.
The master suite boasts an updated bathroom and newly added walk-in closet, for a total of four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
French and sliding doors extend the living space outdoors, where brick decking surrounds a tiled swimming pool and spa. Rolling lawns and mature trees complete the nearly one-acre setting.
Kennedy, 63, is president of Waterkeeper Alliance, a nonprofit organization focused on protecting global waterways. He is the son of Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
Hines, 51, has acting credits that include Curb Your Enthusiasm and Suburgatory. She currently stars in the liveaction/animated series Son of Zorn.
They bought the property three years ago for $4.995 million, the Los Angeles Times previously reported.
Businessman’s property is a paradise for dogs
The home of billionaire philanthropist and businessman David Duffield is for sale in Alamo, California, for $39 million.
The co-founder of PeopleSoft and Workday, with his wife, Cheryl, spent seven years crafting their English manor estate, adding features not only for man, but also man’s best friend: a dog park, a dog spa and two paw-washing stations.
The Duffields, who created the no-kill pet shelter Maddie’s Fund in 1994, will donate the proceeds of the home sale to the foundation.
Beyond the arched front door, the living areas for people include grand formal spaces, a great room with a wet bar, a wine cellar, a wood-lined den and a 14-seat movie theatre. Eight bedrooms are among the 32 rooms, and there are five fireplaces in 20,467 square feet of interiors.
Outdoors, 21.5 sprawling acres includes an aviary, separate swimming and plunge pools, a teen lounge and a car barn. A 25-metre suspension bridge connects the lounge and a custom treehouse. There’s also a separate guesthouse.
Duffield amassed his fortune as founder of enterprise software company PeopleSoft, which was acquired by Oracle in 2005 for $10.7 billion. He is chairman of management software company Workday. Last year, the Duffields sold another East Bay home for $9.2 million.