There’s just a spec of scandal
A trio of home sales of $26.5 million or more in the Beverly Hills area capped off a year in which Los Angeles County saw sales volume of $19.8 billion, up 7% from the previous year, according to the Multiple Listing Service.
Among the hefty transactions recorded in the last two weeks of December were sales involving an L.A. Clippers’ Westside home and two properties at the center of an international scandal.
$33 million — Beverly Hills
A contemporary-style mansion connected to an international embezzlement case sold in the 1200 block of Laurel Way for $33 million — $5 million less than the asking price of $38 million.
The 11,200-square-foot spec house was one of four high-end homes in the L.A. area that federal prosecutors alleged were purchased by Malaysian officials using money misappropriated from a public development fund.
Other assets purchased with the stolen funds include a stake in the 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street,” The Times previously reported.
Completed in 2014, the multilevel home boasts tempered walls of glass, an all-glass garage and a zero-edge swimming pool. A thin moat-style water feature circles the perimeter of the six-bedroom, 10-bedroom home.
Mauricio Umansky and Farrah Aldjufrie of the Agency were the listing agents. Christopher Dyson, also with the Agency, represented the buyer.
$32 million — Beverly Hills
Skyview Capital, a private investment firm founded by Alex Soltani, sold a vacant lot on North Hillcrest Road in a deal completed outside the Multiple Listing Service.
Skyview Capital purchased the roughly one-acre property, which was also tied to the recent Malaysian scandal, in October for $22.4 million, public records show.
The roughly one-acre parcel sits in the same pocket of Trousdale Estates as Minecraft creator Markus Persson’s home, which sold two years ago for $70 million. Unobstructed views from the property extend from downtown L.A. to the Pacific Ocean.
$26.5 million — Beverly Hills
In a deal between two Delaware-based LLCs, the former Beverly Park home of Barry Bonds changed hands for about 20% more than what the retired baseball player sold it for three years ago: $22 million.
The Italian villa-style mansion, built in 1988, draws from Old World style and features imported limestone columns, silk carpeting and crystal chandeliers. Hand-painted murals accentuate rooms as high as 30 feet.
A walnut-paneled office, a 12-seat theater, a game room, a wine cellar and a gym are within 17,100 square feet of living space. There are seven bedrooms and 13 bathrooms as well as a two-bedroom guesthouse.
Alla Furman and Branden and Rayni Williams of Hilton & Hyland, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, were the listing agents. Nancy Chan of Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices California Properties represented the buyer.
$11.8 million — Bel-Air
A French chateau-style mansion on Moraga Lane sold in a deal completed outside the Multiple Listing Service.
Known as Chateau Philippe, the gated estate includes a sixbedroom main house, a two-bedroom guesthouse and an infinityedge swimming pool, on about an acre of land.
The 18,500 square feet of living space features a two-story foyer with a sweeping staircase that opens to a great room. Other living spaces include a library, a ballroom, a game room, a wine cellar and a cigar room. There’s also a subterranean sound studio, gym and garage.
$11.75 million — Pacif ic Palisades
L.A. Clippers center DeAndre Jordan sold his home on Amalfi Drive to Curtis Macnguyen, the founder and chief investment officer of Ivory Investment Management, for $650,000 less than the asking price of $12.4 million.
Built in 2014, the Cape Codinspired three-story has 10,500 square feet of living space, or slightly more floor space than two regulation basketball courts.
Among features of note: a home theater with a 130-inch screen, an indoor exercise pool, an elevator and a gym. A glass-enclosed wine cellar sits beneath the staircase, and a secret office/room is accessed by a thumbprint entry system. There are seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms including a master suite with a private balcony.
Pocketing glass doors extend the living space outside, where LED lighting provides ambience for a tiered patio. A basketball half-court and a swimming pool complete the grounds.
Jordan Cohen of RE/MAX Olson & Associates was the listing agent, according to the Multiple Listing Service. Enzo Ricciardelli of Sotheby’s International Realty repped the buyer.