Design gem, quality setting
An architectural trophy in Beverly Hills, a Malibu house with decades of ownership and an Encino estate with a cast of characters in its history were among the most expensive residential property sales in Greater Los Angeles from late August to early September.
Here’s a look at the priciest home sales recorded in the Multiple Listing Service from Aug. 28 to Sept. 10.
$14.25 million — Beverly Hills
Once listed for as much as $19.95 million, a renovated estate on Tower Grove Drive changed hands for $5.7 million less than the original asking price.
Set behind gates on more than an acre, the Bob Ray Offenhauser-designed home was recently renovated in a more contemporary style. Among features is a grand entry hall, two kitchens by Bulthaup and a lower-level theater. A large skylight tops an oversized closet in the master bedroom.
Outdoors, an infinity-edge swimming pool sits at the border of the property. Views take in the surrounding treetops, the city and the Pacific.
The buyer, a limited liability company, lists a Century City condominium owned by Walid
Hajj as its principal address, according to mortgage documents obtained by The Times. Hajj is the chief executive officer of United Arab Emirates-based Cravia, the franchisee behind such U.S. brands as Cinnabon, Five Guys
and Seattle’s Best Coffee.
Stephen Resnick and Jonathan Nash of Hilton & Hyland, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, were the listing agents. James Hancock and Jane Siegal of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage repped the buyer.
$7.53 million — Pacif ic Palisades
A newly built home in the 700 block of Chapala Drive sold for about $1 million less than the original asking price of $8.495 million.
The traditional-style home on a corner lot has an East Coast vibe with its pronounced gables, crisp white siding and black shutters. Inside, nearly 7,200 square feet of white-walled space includes a home theater, a game room with a wet bar, a wine cellar and a gym.
The master suite has a separate sitting room and a fireplace for a total of six bedrooms and seven bedrooms across three floors.
Pocketing glass doors open to a rectangular swimming pool and spa. Lawns, mature trees and
privacy hedges fill out the roughly quarter-acre setting.
Santiago Arana of the Agency had the listing. Laurie Hudson of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties represented the buyer.
$7.5 million — Brentwood
The longtime home of late residential and commercial developer Carl Buck sold in the 300 block of North Cliffwood Avenue for $100,000 over the asking price.
Owned by the family for nearly half a century, the roughly halfacre property centers on a Spanish Revival-style house built in 1929. The 3,477-square-foot house features hardwood floors, three wood-burning fireplaces and a step-down living room that opens to a garden room.
Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a formal dining room and an updated kitchen complete the floor plan.
A swimming pool, fruit trees and vegetable gardens make up the terraced grounds.
Sue-Ellen Douglas of Coldwell
Banker was the listing agent. Patty Cornwall of Berkshire Hathaway represented the buyer, a limited liability company with ties to commercial developer Barry Beitler.
$6.55 million — Malibu
In the 24000 block of Malibu Road, an oceanfront home with 50 feet of frontage sold for the first time in more than six decades. The last time the property changed hands, in 1949, it sold for $2,700.
Entered through a gated courtyard, the multilevel house features an open floor plan, three oceanfacing decks and an office. Unobstructed ocean views extend up and down the coastline.
Three bedrooms and two bathrooms include a guest suite with a separate entrance. The master suite occupies the entire second floor.
Susan Cosentino and Tracy Lynn Testin of Sotheby’s International Realty had the listing. Janice Burns of Pinnacle Estate Properties was the buyer’s agent.
$6.512 million — Encino
A Tuscan-style estate with a recording studio built by a young Harrison Ford sold in the 4000 block of Encino Avenue after listing for sale in April for $8.995 million.
Also cast in its history as a former owner is actor-comedian Dick Van Dyke and, after him, Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes. Mendes, who commissioned the recording studio during his ownership, once hosted soccer great Pelé at the acre-plus estate.
Built in Italian villa style, the estate spans more than 12,000 square feet with grand formal areas, a center-island kitchen, a wine cellar and a home theater. An elevator runs between the house and a subterranean garage.
Rows of French doors open to a long loggia that overlooks the swimming pool and spa. An outdoor kitchen and fireplace, a tennis court, lawns and formal gardens fill the setting.
Jacob Dadon of John Aaroe Group was the listing agent. Lisa Gaber of L.A. Property Investment repped the buyer.