As the rich get ever-richer, so too do their luxury properties grow larger. Buying the next-door neighbor’s house is all the rage in the Platinum Triangle. After all, seems like everyone’s got a big mansion these days. To really stand out from the herd, you need a compound.
The latest person to get in on the compound-building action is private equity guru Brian Sheth. Longtime readers may (or may not) recall that Mr. Sheth paid $38,270,000 about 2.5 years ago for a dramatic spec-house high in the Trousdale Estatessection of Beverly Hills.
Built by mega-mansion specialist Nile Niami and designed by acclaimed architect Paul McClean, the place is blinged out with an indoor “auto gallery” and 14,000-square-feet of living space spread across a main level and a full-floor basement. There are oodles of terrazzo and marble surfaces stuffed into the home.
Mr. Sheth’s $38 million home
At the time we wrote about Mr. Sheth’s new house, we commented on the fact that his $38 million pad had no front yard at all. A billionaire with no front yard, that’s just unseemly! So it’s hardly shocking that Mr. Sheth has now opted to purchase the house directly in front of his. Frankly, the only surprise is that it took him 2.5 years to make this acquisition.
Brian & Adria Sheth
43-year-old Mr. Sheth comes from a multi-cultural background — his father is an immigrant from India, his mother an American-born Caucasian — and has long resided in the trendy town of Austin, Texas. He and wifey Adria have two children and are prominent philanthropists through their Sangreal Foundation.
In case y’all didn’t know, Mr. Sheth is a billionaire (Forbes says he’s worth $2 billion, to be precise) through Vista Equity Partners, which he founded with his friend/business partner, Malibu resident Robert Smith. Vista now owns over 50 software companies and has over 65,000 employees worldwide.
Mr. Sheth’s $15.5 million acquisition
Anyway, back to the real estate. Since the neighbor’s property was never publicly listed for sale, Yolanda unfortunately does not have any photographs to share with y’all. But we do know that the ho-hum structure (of ambiguous architectural style) was constructed in 1976 and last transferred back in 1997 for — ready for this? — a paltry $1,150,000 in a probate sale.
Our boy Mr. Sheth just paid a complicated $15,555,500 for the house, which means the sellers — a non-famous couple — saw their property appreciate by 13.5x in 21 years. Yolanda is no math expert, but we’d wager that buying this place is the best investment Mr. and Mrs. Non-famous ever made in their lives. Good for them.
And while we don’t know what interior alterations the sellers made to the property over 21 years of ownership, the home’s exterior appears much the same today as it did in 1997. It doesn’t appear that Mr. & Mrs. Non-famous even changed the paint color!
Anyway, the structure has 8,025-square-feet of living space, quite large for Trousdale. There’s a double-height entryway, 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and a rectangular pool all on more than a half-acre of land.
The $54 million Sheth compound
Naturally we have no idea what Mr. Sheth’s intends to do with his new “spare” 90210 home, but we could easily see him knocking it down and replacing it with gardens and a grassy front yard for his main home. Or maybe he’ll keep it and use it as lodging for guests, relatives and/or his security team. Until he gives us a ring-ring and actually returns the 135,411 messages we’ve left for him, we’ll have to keep guessing.
Of course — like all proper billionaires — homeboy has many other residences scattered across the USA (and maybe the world, we dunno). His longtime main residence is a Mediterranean-style mansion in Austin, Texas with 7 beds and 8 baths in 8,678-square-feet of living space.
Mr. Sheth’s main residence: Austin, Texas
He’s also got another compound in Southern California: this one located in the wealthy Rancho Santa Fe neighborhood of San Diego County. Back in 2012, he and the missus paid $9,200,000 for a “contemporary Spanish” casa with nearly 13,000-square-feet of living space set on a massive 7.5 acre parcel.
Okay kids, that’s all the time we got for you today. Yolanda is off to do our holiday shopping. Be good or we’ll send you that box of coal (free shipping on Amazon, FYI).
It’s no secret that the mountains above Beverly Hills are chock-full of Hollywood veterans. And there’s hardly a more ideal illustration of that fact than the cul-de-sac we shall discuss today. Located in the Coldwater Canyon area of Beverly Hills Hills Post Office (BHPO), the barely-there street contains just six homes. According to Yolanda’s research, all six of them are owned by people who make their living in the entertainment industry — one way or another.
Anyway, the largest and most expensive house on the wee street recently sold for $4,900,000 to a blind trust. So Yolanda did some sniffin’ around and discovered that the folks listed above have a very famous new neighbor. His name is Lee Daniels.
Lee Daniels
Born and bred in Philadelphia, our Mr. Daniels grew up being physically abused by his police officer father. But after his dad was killed in the line of duty, Mr. Daniels experienced freedom to put his vivid imagination to profitable use. He matriculated to Lindenwood University in Missouri, of all places, where he continued to seek an outlet for his creativity.
Mr. Daniels began his career as a nursing agent — like a talent agent but dedicated to “casting” nurses in hospitals and such — before becoming a casting director after a chance meeting with a Hollywood producer. Eventually, after he had amassed sufficient capital, he founded Lee Daniels Entertainment, his own production outfit. Monster’s Ball, his first film production, proved critically successful, and through it Halle Berry became the first black woman to ever win a Best Actress Oscar. He also produced and directed Precious, for which he received a Best Director nomination at the 2009 Academy Awards.
But Mr. Daniels’ most profitable work has almost certainly been on the small screen. He is the co-creator and producer of both the Fox shows Empire and Star, both of which have become commercially successful and spawned multiple seasons.
Now in his late 50s, Mr. Daniels is openly gay and in a longterm relationship with a much younger man named Jahil Fisher. And though he has no biological children, he did adopt his niece and nephew many years ago (the kids are now in their 20s).
While he has spent most of his adult life living in New York City, it appears Mr. Daniels has finally dove headfirst into Lalaland with his impressive new BHPO home. Or maybe this is just a part-time residence and he’ll remain bicoastal. Who knows? Not Yolanda, that’s who.
The unique structure is ideal for a celebrity like Mr. Daniels: set way down a long driveway and behind a hulking gate and a dense tree canopy, the entire house is invisible from the cul-de-sac out front. As y’all might expect, the nearly $5 million property is equipped with a sophisticated security system.
According to records, the house was originally built in 1952, but it’s obviously been redone multiple times in the 65+ years since. The .82-acre mini-estate was last sold back in 2015 for $1,750,000 to a non-famous gentleman who gave the ol’ gurl a radical makeover. Check out the nipped-and-tucked result above.
A large motorcourt rests outside the two-car garage. The charcoal-colored house (ooh, sultry!) features loft-like living spaces spread over multiple levels. Per the listing, there is a generous 5,245-square-feet of living space with 4 beds and 4.5 baths.
Inside, the home aims to impress with huge amounts of slate, granite, marble and exotic-lookin’ hardwoods throughout. Large windows flood the property with light, and open-concept living makes the property appear even larger than it actually is. The massive kitchen directly overlooks lush Coldwater Canyon and features a vaulted ceiling and one of those ultra-chic La Cornue ranges that probably cost more than a new Camry.
We really like the hardwood choice for the kitchen cabinets. Yolanda never would’ve thought that particular wood would look good in a kitchen, but somehow it works. (Or maybe that’s just the alcohol talking.) Oh, somewhere by the steel-and-wood stairwell is an indoor fountain stocked with koi fish.
The lavish upstairs master suite is all-new and spans 1,000-square-feet — or about one-fifth of the entire home. Prairie-like areas within include a bedroom with direct access to a private balcony, a double-sided fireplace, and a massive closet/dressing room area equipped with a skylight. The master bath includes a soaking tub, walls of glass, and a novel shower “cube” smack-dab in the middle of the room.
Personally we prefer a little more privacy with our shower situation, but that’s just Yolanda. Take no heed of our prudish self, Mr. Daniels.
The other three bedroom suites are much smaller but outfitted in a very similar luxe manner: glassy showers, Toto toilets, walls of glass and the like.
In addition to the upstairs deck (equipped with yoga mats), there’s also a huge 2,500-square-foot deck off the lower level that includes a classy rectangular swimming pool and tons of space for outdoor furniture and entertaining.
Also in the backyard is an adorable wee box that functions as a standalone library, per the listing. We must admit that Yolanda would love to curl up in here on a rainy day (like today) with a good Agatha Christie mystery and a bottle of perfectly aged port. Mmmm.
It’s widely known that Mr. Daniels also keeps a home in New York City, but if your gurl is being completely honest — and we always are — we confess that we don’t know a damn thing about that place.
A few days ago, we wrote about several large Malibu homes affected by the devastating Woolsey Fire. After publishing the post, we were almost immediately contacted by our old friend U.N. Owen, real estate expert. Ol’ Mr. Owen inquired as to whether the Malibu home of Viswas Raghavan was still standing.
“Huh?! What are you talking about?” Yolanda replied. We know who Mr. Raghavan is — he’s long been one of the most powerful figures in international finance — but we had no idea that he owned a home in Malibu or anywhere in LA, for that matter. To our knowledge, he solely resides in Europe.
“You blithering idiot,” lamented the rude Mr. Owen. “Of course he has a home in Malibu. Everyone knows that.” And Mr. Owen quickly pointed us to a specific address.
Well, we’re not sure who “everyone” is, but it obviously does not include Yolanda. But anyway, we took a peek at the address in question and discovered that yes indeed, Mr. Raghavan does have a property in Malibu. He bought it last year, back in July 2017. We’re not sure how we missed this one, but it should be noted that his name does not actually appear on the deed — he purchased the home through something called “Ganesha No. 1 Holdings LLC”. (FYI: Ganesha is the Indian god of “new beginnings, success and wisdom”. So there y’all have it.)
Mr. Raghavan – just chillin’
Born and bred in India, Mr. Raghavan came from humble beginnings but clawed his way up the corporate ladder. Shortly after college, he began his career in i-banking. By the late 1990s, he was Lehman Brothers’ “head of equity-linked origination for Europe and Asia“.
In July 2000, our boy defected from Lehman Brothers to arch-rival JP Morgan. Last year (2017), it was announced that Mr. Raghavan would become CEO for the company’s EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Asia). That, kiddies, makes him one of the most powerful bankers on the planet. JP Morgan has 20,000 clients globally and is the second-largest bank on earth, with total assets exceeding $2.5 trillion.
While Yolanda does not know one iota about Mr. Raghavan’s net worth or salary, it’s worth noting that his American counterpart — JP Morgan USA CEO Jamie Dimon — earned nearly $30 million in 2017 alone. And Mr. Raghavan oversees an even larger geographical area than Mr. Dimon, so we’d wager that he makes a (very!) pretty penny in his Chief Executive position.
Now in his early 50s, Mr. Raghavan has long primarily resided in London. Unfortunately, we don’t know anything about his digs across the pond, but y’all can be sure they are some swanky stuff. According to our pal Mr. Wiki Pedia, Mr. Raghavan is married and has four children, but we confess that we also have no idea about the names and ages of his (alleged) kids. It’s all very hush-hush, you understand.
Mr. Raghavan’s new Malibu vacation home has an interesting history, to put it mildly. The contemporary compound was originally built in 2007 by a non-famous couple. Almost as soon as the property was complete, the main structure was torched in a 2007 wildfire (but the guest house survived).
Though Mr. & Mrs. Non-famous rebuilt, their unlucky real estate streak continued. In 2012, they lost the 1.7-acre property to the unforgiving maw of foreclosure. The following year, the estate was sold for a bargain-basement $3,100,000 to new-age “spiritual awakening” guru/entrepreneur Gerard Powell.
Our boy Mr. Powell tossed his Malibu sprawler onto the market in early 2016 with an aggressive $10 million asking price. Several price chops and over a year later, the property eventually sold for a discounted $7,464,000 (in cash) to Mr. Raghavan.
The completely-landscaped estate is comprised of a two-story main house, a large guesthouse, and a full-size tennis court. And just for the record, Yolanda is 99% sure that this property was not affected by the recent Woolsey Fire, though the flames did come close.
The property sits on the “land” side of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and within a private, guarded community. Naturally the $7.5 million estate is completely walled and gated for privacy and security.
Inside the main structure are austere living quarters: an open-concept floorplan and a sleek kitchen with high-end appliances. Elsewhere there’s a big wet bar with plenty of space for boozin’ it up with your closest friends.
The stairwell ascends past a large pond filled with koi fish, and the second-floor master suite features hardwood floors and a built-in soaking tub. Total living space in the main house and guesthouse totals a generous 6,309-square-feet, according to the listing, and includes 6 bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms.
There’s a rather stunning infinity-edged pool with clear sightlines over the Pacific Ocean, the aforementioned full-size tennis court (Mr. Raghavan is a noted tennis aficionado, FYI), and an at-home gym. According to the listing, the house was offered for sale in combo with the $300k Rolls-Royce Ghost in the garage, but no word on whether Mr. Raghavan actually took possession of the luxury auto.
Perhaps the most valuable feature included in the sale, however, was the deeded rights to desirable Escondido Beach. All Mr. Raghavan (and his family) must do is walk down from their home and use the pathway under PCH (yes, kids, there’s actually a tunnel under PCH) to access their blissful stretch of sand. And even stodgy ol’ bankers like Mr. Raghavan can appreciate the beauty of ‘Bu beaches.
Yolanda would like to profusely apologize for not uploading anything this past week. It was not our intention to go on the lam, but our stomach and health clearly had other plans.
We have a whole bunch of fun stories sitting on our desk, but at the moment we’re a bit off our game and need to write something quick ‘n dirty before we return to kneeling in front of the porcelain god. TMI? Sorry. We promise to be back in top form shortly, but at the moment this ditty will have to hold you over.
Got some free time? Well, if you’re like Yolanda and you’ve a taste for bizarre documentaries, have we got a doozy for you today. And this one is all about luxury real estate, so even better.
A wee background: if you’ve ever cruised down iconic Mulholland Drive near the main entrance to the fabled (and guard-gated) Beverly Park community, you’ve probably spotted a massive contemporary mansion sitting just off the road, behind a long gated driveway. It’s highly visible from the street out front. And it’s all-white-everything and huge.
Ballin’ in Beverly Hills (Post Office)
The palatial estate is occupied by a woman named Susan Hannaford. While most of us Yanks have likely never heard of our Ms. Hannaford, she was once a celebrity in her native Australia. Way back in the 1970s, she starred on the long-running TV show The Sullivans, though she mostly disappeared from view after that folded.
Now in her mid-60s, Ms. Hannaford recently agreed to do her first televised interview in more than two decades. She invited cameras from a prominent Australian news network into her manor — which has a retractable glass roof, FYI — and the result has gotta be one of the wackiest things Yolanda has ever witnessed.
Watch and see. Even if y’all don’t know or care about Ms. Hannaford, the interview is still worth peepin’ for the tour she gives of her 14-bedroom home, which she has christened Palazzo Beverly Hills and shares with her two young grandchildren. She also gushes about her famous neighbors.
By the way, the interview was conducted several months ago but was apparently removed from YouTube after Ms. Hannaford — upset with her portrayal — filed a $100 million lawsuit against the network. But it was re-uploaded a few days ago and has already amassed nearly 600,000 views. The lady is once again a star, though probably not in the way she hoped.
Y’all’s first impression of Ms. Hannaford may be that she’s just a ditzy blonde, but it quickly becomes clear that she’s something much more than that. Be warned, though, it’s a 42-minute video.
After her TV series folded and with acting opportunities drying up, Ms. Hannaford — who it does not appear has ever been married — came to Los Angeles practically penniless, by her own account, and yet was somehow able to amass a substantial property portfolio of 22 homes worth nearly $250 million — according to her — at the 2007 peak (before the ensuing recession crash). But now all those homes are gone, lost to foreclosure.
Anyway, we watched the cringe-tastic whole thing — at one point, Ms. Hannaford is asked “Do you have difficulty, Susan, with telling the truth?” to which she fires back “Do you have difficulty with your IQ?” — and came away incredibly confused. Judge for yourselves, if y’all are interested. By the way, Ms. Hannaford refers to her neighborhood as “Billionaires’ Row“, which it kinda is.
Quite possibly the strangest topic discussed in the interview, however, is the ownership of the 90210 mansion where Ms. Hannaford currently resides.
A retractable glass roof
Property records show the lavish spread — set on a multi-acre lot — was acquired by Ms. Hannaford back in 2003 in a bankruptcy sale. She paid $2,690,000 and it appears the deal may have been all-cash. The house has likely appreciated substantially in the 15 years since.
But anyway, Ms. Hannaford no longer owns the home. In 2009, she transferred ownership of the house to her elderly mother Norma Parry. In the interview, however, Ms. Parry does not make an appearance — allegedly because the 96-year-old isn’t feeling well enough to face cameras. Which sounds plausible enough, we suppose.
Yet the interview questions whether Ms. Parry is still alive and there seems to be a not-so-subtle suggestion that she may already be (secretly) deceased. Of course, Yolanda has no idea what the true case may be, but how bizarre is that?
Anywho, if you ever happen to be driving by the BHPO manse, take a quick gander at the place and let us know whether you see an old woman propped up in an upstairs window. Hitchcock vibes, anyone?
Jane Austen famously said “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
But that was back in the day. In 2018, if you’re a wildly-rich young dude, there are a couple things far more wanted than a spouse. They are, of course, a flashy car and a flashy house. Not to sound shallow, but that’s just the way the world works! Or at least that’s how LA works, which is our world.
28-year-old Andrew “Drew” Taggart clearly knows this. While we don’t know what ride he rolls, we’re sure it’s something quite fancy and probably cost him six figures. We do know, however, that he’s a budding property tycoon who already owns three multi-million dollar homes in Los Angeles.
But now he’s onto house #4, and this one is a big upgrade from the first three in every respect — size, price, and location. It’s over in a prime section of the eastern Hollywood Hills, and it’s huge and brand-new. And Mr. Taggart paid $12,000,000! That’s a ton of money for a very young man who’s not yet 30.
Drew Taggart
Before we get to the property, a quick background check on Mr. Taggart. Born and raised in the seaside town of Portland, Maine — hey, isn’t that near where Murder She Wrote‘s Jessica Fletcher lived? — the young DJ earned his stripes as one-half of The Chainsmokers.
The Chainsmokers first came to prominence just four years ago — back in 2014 — with the cringe-inducing “#SELFIE” song. Remember that one? No? (If not, it’s probably a good thing). Many folks were quick to write off the group as a gimmick, just another one-hit wonder.
But Mr. Taggart and his bandmate Alex Pall eventually proved the haters wildly wrong. They returned in summer 2015 with the far more conventional pop ditty “Roses” — that one went top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 — and then followed that up with “Closer“, an insanely-catchy monster smash that went #1 for 12 straight weeks here in the US and spent over six months in the top 10 of the Hot 100. It’s now ranked as one of the biggest hits in chart history. Yes, of all time.
While we imagine Mr. Taggart and Mr. Pall could’ve retired in 2016 and forever remained loaded off “Closer” royalties alone, they instead parlayed their newfound superstar status into a lucrative three-year residency deal with Wynn Nightlife in Las Vegas. And according to Forbes, the duo hauled in a spectacular $45.5 million in 2017 alone, making them one of the highest-paid musical acts on the planet.
The Chainsmokers — high-paid DJs turned budding property moguls
So where has all that money gone? Well, a significant portion of it has been funneled into luxury real estate. The two Chainsmokers have kept their realtor lady busy — over the past two years they’ve purchased no fewer than six multi-million dollar LA homes worth a cumulative $27+ million. More on those in a bit.
Mr. Taggart might seem as though he’s got everything going for him — he’s young and famous, he’s got oodles of money and a jetset lifestyle — but he recently opened up about his secret struggle with depression over the past few years. “Songwriting is my therapy,” he said in part. Yolanda is also happiest when we’re writing, so we feel him on that.
Anyway, onto the real estate. Mr. Taggart’s new house was spec-built in 2018 by a prominent local development group in collaboration with the design folks at ANR Signature Collection. If the ANR name sounds vaguely familiar, it’s probably because this is the same team responsible for the $13.5 million Beverly Hills (Post Office) mansion recently purchased by Little Miss Kylie Jenner.
Mr. Taggart’s new “Architectural Contemporary” bachelor pad weighs in with a portly 10,067-square-feet of interior space and features a box-like shape centered around a courtyard (plus an undulating roofline).
Records show that the 1-acre, very private cul-de-sac property was acquired by the aforementioned group in 2015 for $3,900,000 and just sold to Mr. Taggart for the also-aforementioned $12 million.
Anywho, the listing gushes that the property “feels like Aspen in LA,” and “[affords] the amenities of an elite resort.” And indeed, the blocky house is completely surrounded by a plethora of mature oak (?) and pine trees. Check out the massive pool and the size of that courtyard.
In contrast to the dark gray exteriors, interior spaces feature a neutral, off-white color scheme. Soaring ceilings and disappearing walls of glass make the structure feel even more enormous than it is. According to the listing, there are four different lounge areas/rooms within the home, a formal dining room that can easily seat 10, and a double-sided kitchen — one for “display” and the other for chef prep.
Keep the smelly stuff outta sight and mind, know what we’re sayin’?
Seemingly endless hallways run throughout the 6 bed, 7.25 bath compound — which includes a wee guesthouse. The lavish master suite is decked out in a rather minimalist manner with blondish hardwood floors and includes a private office/lounge plus a monster master bath.
Good gracious, that glass shower could easily fit Mr. Taggart and a half-dozen of his closest friends. Well, we suppose it’s all about water conservation these days.
Some of the estate’s many other luxury features include a home theater, a “bar room” with a huge wine closet, and a downstairs “reception bar”, whatever that is. Just know there’s lots of booze in this place to help Mr. Taggart drown his tears. (Bad joke, sorry).
Though The Chainsmokers only hit it big about four years ago, the pair of gentlemen have already amassed a substantial property portfolio. (And we have a feeling these guys are just getting started!)
Mr. Pall has two multi-million dollar homes in LA — that we know about — but Mr. Taggart has him beat with four. In addition to his huge new Hollywood Hills spread, he’s got one place in WeHo and two out in Sherman Oaks.
Drew Taggart’s WeHo home
Back in August 2016, as we told y’all, Mr. Taggart dropped $3,295,000 for a brand-new, spec-built residence in the proverbial heart of bustling West Hollywood.
Drew Taggart’s Sherman Oaks home
This June (2018), Mr. Taggart spent another $2,434,000 for a 2016 spec-built residence in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Sherman Oaks.
Drew Taggart’s (other) Sherman Oaks home
On the very same day he purchased his Sherman Oaks house, Mr. Taggart followed it up with another $2,257,000 splurge on another property (also in Sherman Oaks). This particular residence was — you guessed it — spec-built in 2016.
We’re not sure why a young, single bloke like Mr. Taggart needs four different multi-million dollar LA properties. Maybe they’re just investments, or maybe they are occupied by family members. Maybe Mr. Taggart will ring us up and us know! But probably not.
Today’s story is by special request for a very nice young follower of this blog. She knows who she is — so shoutout to you, missy.
“Missy” wanted to get our take on Shane Dawson‘s new house. For those of y’all ignorant old fogies like Yolanda, Mr. Dawson is a young dude — he recently turned 30 — who made his fortune on the YouTube contraption. He’s one of the OG YouTubers, actually — he’s been uploading videos since way back in 2008, years before folks even knew that doing so could actually become a viable career.
Mr. Dawson
Nowadays Mr. Dawson has amassed 19 million subscribers on the ‘Tube, racked up 4 billion video views, and he’s rolling in the deep dough. He also founded his own podcast, authored a couple memoirs, and has released has several original songs on iTunes.
On the personal front, Mr. Dawson is a rare LA native — he grew up poor in the still-somewhat-gritty (but rapidly gentrifying) city of Long Beach. Openly bisexual, he dated fellow YouTube star Lisa Schwartz for a number of years but now lives with his long-term boyfriend, Ryland Adams.
Anyway, it’s already widely known that Mr. Dawson just splurged a big new house. He posted a house tour on his vlog — naturally — and the video has already been viewed more than 5.6 million times. See, people like houses!
So here is Yolanda’s take. Our boy’s premium new pad is located in the far-flung western reaches of the San Fernando Valley. The 2.85-acre ranch property includes a “Spanish-style” main house built in 1989.
The late 80s was not an era known for great architecture — to put it mildly — but this place really isn’t so bad. Records show the property was last sold just over a year ago (October 2017) for $1.61 million to big-booty-jeans mogul David Vered. He quickly gave the house a complete and contemporary cosmetic overhaul before flipping it to Mr. Dawson this November for nearly $3 million — $2,955,000, to be exact.
It should be noted that while the property has a Calabasas zip code, we think this place is actually in an unincorporated area just outside the city boundaries. Either way, this is clearly a very different Calabasas than The Oaks, where the Kardashians and all their pro athlete friends reside. Mr. Dawson’s home is way out in the quiet countryside. You’re more likely to spy a horse-drawn carriage trawling along out yonder than a blinged-out Bentley bombing down the boulevard. Well not really, but y’all get the picture.
The estate is completely walled and double-gated for privacy, and (naturally) there’s also a full security system. A tropically-landscaped front island ringed by a circular driveway leads to the residence.
Beyond the driveway, a covered atrium entryway meanders past a spacious center courtyard to the wooden front door, which — rather unusually — opens directly into the formal dining area. Yolanda can’t remember the last time we saw a multi-million dollar house outfitted like this, but to each their own. It’s breezily casual and that’s okay.
To the left of the entryway is a fireplace-equipped living area; to the right is a kitchen with high-end stainless appliances, a center island, and bar-style seating for on-the-go dining situations. Beyond the main living area is a large wall of glass that folds away, allowing direct access to the poolside pavilion.
The open floorplan features hardwood floors throughout the 4,866-square-feet of living space.
According to the listing, there are 6 beds and 4 baths in the spacious residence. The upstairs master features a cavernous bedroom with fireplace and sitting area. Plus there’s a bathroom with dual vanities, glass shower, soaking tub, and a walk-in closet.
The other five bedrooms are much smaller, of course, but also done up in a similarly casual-luxe style.
Other features of the sprawling property include (but are not limited to): an attached two-car garage, a wee barn that’s been converted into a gym, a neat-o firepit, a classy oval-shaped pool w/ spa, a BBQ, and various outdoor dining and lounging areas. There’s also a huge flat swath of dirt suitable for a riding rink or horse stables (or both, maybe).
Oh, did we mention the ol’ wagon (or what’s left of it)? And you thought Yolanda was joking with the horse-drawn carriage crack!
Mr. Dawson’s Studio City home… with a view
Before fleeing hectic LA for the wilds of Calabasas, Mr. Dawson and Mr. Adams bunked up in Studio City, which is also part of the San Fernando Valley but much closer to Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the like. Records show that Mr. Dawson paid $1,710,000 for the property in late 2015, and Yolanda fully expects it will soon be sold (it may already be available as a pocket listing, we dunno).
Some people have all the luck — or wisdom, or some combination thereof — when it comes to real estate. Take Oscar-winning producer Michael Sugar and his wife Lauren Wall Sugar. Less than two years ago — in March 2017 — they paid $5,550,000 for a brand-new mansion in the fashionable San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Encino.
Shane Fogerty’s Encino mansion
We don’t think the Sugars made any major changes to the house since their purchase, but even so they decided to plunk the property back onto the market this November (2018) with a $7 million pricetag. Yep, that’s a 1.5 million buck increase for 20 months of ownership. Sounds a little coo-coo, right?
But wouldn’t ya know, before the house had even cannonballed onto the MLS, a ravenous buyer swooped in and the property was “sold before processing”. Records show the deal was officially done for $6,750,000. And the Sugars walked with a $1.2 million profit and two huge smiles.
The new owner’s identity is carefully concealed behind a blind trust, but Yolanda did her usual sniffin’ around and discovered his name is John Fogerty.
The rockin’ Mr. Fogerty
73-year-old Mr. Fogerty is a famous musician who arguably reached the zenith of his career in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As the co-founder of Creedence Clearwater Revival, he and his bandmates enjoyed a string of hit albums and songs during that period, many of which have gone on to become classics and continue to generate massive royalties in 2018.
But even after the group disbanded in the ’70s, Mr. Fogerty continued to see professional success through his solo efforts — he’s released at least a half-dozen solo albums and remains active as a singer and songwriter. He’s also also a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee (with CCR) and Rolling Stone included him on both their 100 Greatest Guitarists and 100 Greatest Singers all-time lists.
For the record, Yolanda hears through the grapevine that the property will not be occupied by Mr. Fogerty — rather, it was reportedly purchased for one of his sons. Given that our boy has four adult children — two of which are men — we ain’t certain which son will be living here. But we rather suspect it is 27-year-old Shane Fogerty, the elder of the two and also musically inclined like his pops.
The gated 8,077-square-foot house lies on a primo south-of-Ventura Boulevard cul-de-sac. There are just three other homes on this street, none of which are owned by famous folks.
Ice-blue exterior paint differentiates this particular gurl from other spec-built Traditionals, most of which are Alpine white, pearl white, off-white, you get the picture.
The grand double-height entryway is sure to impress the pizza delivery boy. It features cream-colored hardwood floors and a very grand staircase, plus a formal living room tucked just off to the right side. To the left is a windowed office/study.
Further back on the main floor is a large kitchen — outfitted with all the latest high-end appliances, as one might expect — which opens to the family room, which in turn opens (via glass doors) to the yard.
Also on the lower level are a formal dining room and movie theater.
Included in the big casa are a total of six bedrooms — all of which are en-suite — and eight bathrooms. The master suite sports his-and-hers baths with heated floors and dual closets. As for the bedroom, it features a sitting area, fireplace, and a private covered balcony overlooking the backyard.
Some of the property’s other amenities include an open-air rooftop deck, an outdoor dining space, a BBQ/bar area, and the typical swimming pool/spa combo. Mature trees ring the entire .63-acre lot.
Yolanda poked through records and was quite surprised when we discovered that this $6.75 million pad is not the only place in Encino owned by Mr. Fogerty. Back in April (2018), he quietly paid $3,900,000 for another spec-built Traditional nearby — albeit this one smaller and much less private.
It appears this house was also purchased for his son, but apparently he/they had a quick change of heart and decided to upgrade without ever moving into the first abode. So the bigger property was purchased and the smaller one (above) is back on the market with a much-increased $4,499,000 pricetag. Get it? Someone’s got a very generous pops!
But the entire Fogerty family clearly enjoys living lavishly (and very large). Check out the family’s main residence out near Thousand Oaks.
Mr. Fogerty’s current residence, Hidden Valley
Located in a gated area of Hidden Valley and set on 22 pastoral acres, the 13,000-square-foot behemoth is home to the elder Mr. Fogerty — that would be John — and his second wife Julie. The couple scooped up the property for $8,950,000 in 2013 and have since given it a thorough renovation.
Believe it or not, but the Fogertys’ relatively new Hidden Valley estate was actually a downsize for them. Before moving out to Ventura County, they slummed it up in the mountains above Beverly Hills, in an area known as Beverly Hills Post Office. And their digs were fit for royalty.
Mr. Fogerty’s old BHPO house… sold for $18.6 million
The gargantuan Tuscan-style tumor weighs in with more than 16,000-square-feet of living space. It is located in a small gated community known as Bella Vista Estates, which happens to lie directly adjacent to the far more famous Beverly Park gated community. Other Bella Vista homeowners include bigshot talent agent Adam Venit, Ashton Kutcher — who is midway through construction on a sprawling new compound — and at least one Saudi prince.
Anyway, we digress. The Fogertys sold their BHPO beast back in 2014 for $18,600,000. The buyer? Low-profile billionaire Don Hankey, who made his fortune in subprime auto loans and has since branched out into residential real estate development.
Going green has never felt so good. Just ask Chris Ganan, a senior executive at marijuana juggernaut MedMen. (Specifically, his title is Chief Strategy Officer). Our boy has ridden the great ganja way high up to abundant riches. Take a look at his fancy new digs in the tony Brentwood neighborhood of LA.
For those of y’all who do not partake — that includes Yolanda, but we never judge — MedMen is LA-based (specifically, they’re headquartered in Culver City) and is one of the most prominent kush-shilling companies in the country. MedMen made all the headlines when they filed for an IPO on the Canadian Securities Exchange this May (2018), becoming the largest publicly-traded US-based cannabis company at the time. However, the stock has taken a beatin’ since then, igniting controversy over both its future viability and its executive payment plans, which have proven exceedingly (some say outrageously) lucrative for its top brass. Still, plenty of pundits espouse the firm and say it’ll be just fine.
Anyway, Mr. Ganan’s bio on the MedMen website says he “brings vast institutional experience in business operations, private equity, real estate and FinTech. Mr. Ganan was instrumental in MedMen’s capital formation and guides MedMen’s investment strategy.” Well, that’s a far more eloquent summary than anything Yolanda can provide, so there you have it.
Now in his mid-30s, Mr. Ganan and a lady named Stephanie Turner were married in a star-studded ceremony down in Rancho Santa Fe back in July 2013.
Ms. Turner & Mr. Ganan
Ms. Turner is an occasional actress and a daughter of the NFL’s Norv Turner, who currently toils as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. She’s also a writer who received notice for her footballbrat.com blog (her website is under construction at the moment). She and Mr. Ganan have at least one young child.
Anywho, we must profess ignorance as to Mr. Ganan’s net worth and salary, but it’s clear he did quite well from the recent MedMen IPO and such. Before buying this $9,525,000 property, he and the missus resided in a rather charming (but far more modest) bungalow out in the WeHo/Melrose area. They had the remodeled cottage featured in Sunset magazine last year.
The Turner-Ganan bungalow
The wee house has just 2 beds and 1 bath in 1,144-square-feet of living space. Why, that’s positively microscopic by rich people standards!
Moving on. For the record, the Spanish-style Brentwood estate was built in 1999 — though it could easily pass for something decades older — and last sold back in 2001 for $3,500,000. The buyers then were Fox TV CEO Dana Walden and her longtime hubby Matt.
Mrs. Walden is — for those who don’t know — one of the most powerful women in the entertainment industry. And a powerhouse CEO like her requires done-up digs, so she sunk loads of money into renovating and beautifying every inch of the estate during her 17 years of ownership. Yolanda quite likes the result, but judge for yourselves.
Ornate double gates hide a spacious courtyard, and a short brick walkway leads to the wooden front door. Inside, the foyer’s gleaming hardwood floors will impress guests, and the arches and wood detailing will fool everyone into thinking they’re standing in a 1920s Wallace Neff masterpiece. Maybe.
The formal living room features a gigantic fireplace, and the dining room has French doors that allow generous heaps of light (and fresh air if so desired) into the place. If Mr. Ganan wants a doobie with his supper but doesn’t care to let the smoke linger, just swing ’em doors open.
More intimate spaces include a family room (also with a fireplace) that opens to a brick lounge/dining patio (with another fireplace). There’s also a full outdoor kitchen/BBQ area with bar-style seating. Views out yonder take in the verdant lawn with its built-in trampoline.
Beyond the lawn and partially hidden by trees is the pool complex. The sprawling brick terrace has numerous options for sunbathing, and the classy rectangular pool features an inset spa.
The guesthouse includes yet another fireplace, a gym, and a wee bedroom suite.
Back in the main house, there are a total of 4 beds and 4.75 baths, including the romantic upstairs master, which sports a large balcony overlooking the backyard. Somewhere there’s a study/library filled with lots of real books.
In addition to the big new Brentwood place and their WeHo bungalow (which they still own), records show the Turner-Ganans also owned a small Beverly Grove casita. The couple sold that last month (November 2018) for $2,257,000, a nice chunk more than the $1,950,000 they paid for it last year.
The Turner-Ganans cozy former casita
No word yet on where Mr. and Mrs. Walden are moving, but Yolanda would bet big bucks it will be in LA. After all, Mrs. Walden basically runs half of Hollywood. Well not really, of course, but you get the idea.
And on a final note, we wish Mr. Ganan, Ms. Turner, their child(ren) and Mary Jane lots of happiness, health and hemp at their new property.
Listing agent: David Offer, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chris Ganan & Stephanie Turner’s agent: Lindsay Guttman, The Agency
Although the sale has not yet officially recorded in public records, Yolanda has now heard from three different little birdies that there’s a monstrous and very hush-hush deal going down in the mountains above Beverly Hills, in an area known as Beverly Hills Post Office (BHPO).
The property involved is a wildly uber-contemporary compound. Spec-built in 2016 by a developer named John Saca, the manse was hoisted onto the market with an arrhythmia-inducing $48 million asking price. The following year — March 2017, to be exact — the estate was sold for a discounted $38,500,000 to Scottish billionaire Sir Tom Hunter. Truth be told, Yolanda ain’t sure if Sir Tom ever actually moved into the residence, as the house was quickly made available for lease at an are-you-kidding-me rate of $450,000/month before being yanked off the market.
Anyway, Birdie #1 — let’s call her Laurel N. Hardy — chirped that the house is about to be resold to “one of those Walmart people“. Birdie #2, Ollie Oxenfree, squawked that the deal is already done-done-done and the buyer is Walmart heiress Paige Laurie. And Birdie #3, Marco Polo, confirmed the buyer is Ms. Laurie and blabbed that the deal secretly closed “a few days ago“.
Since the transaction has not yet made it into records, Yolanda does not know exactly how much Ms. Laurie is paying for her outrageous new compound. But Mr. Polo told us the house went for “over $40 million“. And our Mr. Oxenfree whispered “low 40s“. So there y’all have it. We shall wait and see.
Y’all, this is a very big deal. Should the alleged $40+ million purchase price prove correct, it will not only be the most ever paid for a house in the so-called Crest Streets — a desirable section of BHPO — our research indicates it will also rank as the most ever paid for a house in all of BHPO. It’s bigger than any transaction ever recorded in ultra-exclusive Beverly Park, in fact.
Paige Laurie
36-year-old Ms. Laurie is a grand-niece of Sam Walton, founder of the whole Walmart shebang. She’s also the granddaughter of his business partner (and younger brother) Bud Walton, and the only child of Bud’s younger daughter Nancy Walton Laurie. With Walmart stock currently at a near-record high, Forbes says Mrs. Walton Laurie’s net worth has soared to lofty new levels — $5.7 billion, to be exact.
Moreover, it’s also long been held that the Waltons are the wealthiest family in all the world. Their unfathomable collective fortune, y’all, is conservatively estimated at somewhere between $150 billion and $175 billion. And yes, that’s billion with a capital “B”. They’re richer than Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, the Koch brothers. Everyone on the planet.
As for Paige, she is best-known for owning Malibu’s Trancas Country Market. She purchased the quaint outfit in 2011 — when she was just a 29-year-old lass — and has since spent many millions to transform it into a major upscale shopping/dining destination for the seaside town. (In case y’all were wondering: Trancas was not damaged in the recent Woolsey Fire, though the flames did come close).
Ms. Laurie’s rustic-chic Trancas Country Market, Malibu
On the personal front, Ms. Laurie was born and raised in Columbia, Missouri, but she has primarily resided in Los Angeles since her 2004 graduation from USC. (Ms. Laurie would later return her USC diploma to the school, but that’s ancient history).
In 2008, Ms. Laurie got hitched in a lavish ceremony to local Missouri boy Bo Dubbert, her high school sweetheart. During their marriage, the couple resided in a contemporary Bird Streetsresidence. More on that place a bit later.
Ms. Laurie and her ex-hubby Bo Dubbert (left) at their Missouri wedding
Unfortunately, the dream marriage eventually morphed into a nightmare. After six years of wedded bliss, the couple were acrimoniously divorced in 2014 amid public accusations of cheatin’ and stealin’. To be specific, Mr. Dubbert claimed his wifey had a steamy affair. Our Ms. Laurie, no shrinking violet, called Mr. Dubbert’s accusations “baseless and pathetic” and alleged that he underhandedly siphoned huge sums of money out of her Malibu retail operation.
We hope Ms. Laurie tossed Bo a Gelson’s giftcard. A guy’s gotta eat! But let’s move on from that ugliness.
The extravagant structure — it’s sometimes described as a “modern barn”, but it’s really a glassy contemporary — is completely walled and gated for privacy and security. Set on a generous 1.03-acre (mostly) flat lot, the complex is centered around a 210-foot, boomerang-shaped infinity pool. (It’s basically like two “regular” pools in one). A huge grassy lawn provides ample space for hosting an outdoor charity luncheon, playing with the dogs, a quick polo match (?), etc.
Total living square footage here is somewhere around 15,000 — spread between the 4-bed main house and the 2-bed guesthouse. We’re not sure why a single, child-free lady like Ms. Laurie needs (or wants) so much space. But if you got it, flaunt it. Right?
The sprawling manor goes for all the wows with an open floorpan laced with marble, exotic hardwoods, and walls of glass. A main living area has two giant double-sided fireplaces that effectively separate the formal living area from the dining and library sections. A chic kitchen has every high-end appliance known to mankind and plenty of bar-style seating for casual dining.
The sumptuous 2,200-square-foot master suite — that’s bigger than many American homes, FYI — includes a bedroom with sitting area, a starkly minimalist bathroom with soaking tub and party-sized shower. Walls of glass flood the place with light and overlook a large swath of the LA basin.
There’s a 22-seat theater, a humongous wine closet, and a separate “entertainment pavilion”, whatever that is. Oh, and somewhere there’s also an 850-square-foot home art gallery. At the time of Sir Tom’s purchase, the gallery was stocked with name-brand contemporary art by Picasso, Warhol and Damien Hirst, all available for purchase separately from the home. (No word on whether Sir Tom actually bought any of the works, however).
Anyway, it’s not particularly surprising that Ms. Laurie would be in the mood for a new residence. After all, she still resides in her once-happy marital home over in the Bird Streets. It’s high time she rid herself of that bad ju-ju and began afresh with a new swingin’ single lady pad.
Ms. Laurie’s Bird Streets nest – bought from Spidey in 2007
Records show that way back in 2007 — when she was a wee lass of 25 — Ms. Laurie paid a very grown-up $10,800,000 for the contemporary casa of Spiderman actor Tobey Maguire. She then spent a whole ton of moolah on renovations before moving into the pad, where she has remained ensconced ever since. One of our informants told us that Ms. Laurie has been looking for a residential upgrade “for years” but didn’t find the perfect home until she finally viewed the Sir Tom estate.
Ms. Laurie’s “starter” house has an infinity-edged pool, 4,704-square-feet of living space, and is situated on the primo “front row” of the neighborhood — a ridgeline named for the unobstructed, jetliner views of the LA basin it provides.
Yolanda fully expects that Ms. Laurie will soon sell her Birds nest, which happens to be right next door to a $31.5 million teardown/development site owned by French billionaire Bernard Arnault. But we digress.
Nancy Walton Laurie’s Bel Air compound (in red)
Meanwhile, Ms. Laurie’s parents — Bill and Nancy Walton Laurie — currently reside on one of East Gate Bel Air‘s largest compounds. The ever-expanding estate currently includes more than 9 acres of land spread across no fewer than 12 contiguous parcels. And we think the property may be worth something close to $100 million at this point.
The Walton Laurie family
Just for giggles, Mrs. Walton Laurie was famously involved in a nasty feud with her next-door neighbor, controversial developer Mohamed Hadid. Back in 2015, she sued him, furiously alleging that his construction cut off the water supply to her “cherished eucalyptus tree” and demanded $90,000 in damages. Must’ve been one nice tree! (RIP).
As the rich get ever-richer, so too do their luxury properties grow larger. Buying the next-door neighbor’s house is all the rage in the Platinum Triangle. After all, seems like everyone’s got a big mansion these days. To really stand out from the herd, you need a compound.
The latest person to get in on the compound-building action is private equity guru Brian Sheth. Longtime readers may (or may not) recall that Mr. Sheth paid $38,270,000 about 2.5 years ago for a dramatic spec-house high in the Trousdale Estatessection of Beverly Hills.
Built by mega-mansion specialist Nile Niami and designed by acclaimed architect Paul McClean, the place is blinged out with an indoor “auto gallery” and 14,000-square-feet of living space spread across a main level and a full-floor basement. There are oodles of terrazzo and marble surfaces stuffed into the home.
Mr. Sheth’s $38 million home
At the time we wrote about Mr. Sheth’s new house, we commented on the fact that his $38 million pad had no front yard at all. A billionaire with no front yard, that’s just unseemly! So it’s hardly shocking that Mr. Sheth has now opted to purchase the house directly in front of his. Frankly, the only surprise is that it took him 2.5 years to make this acquisition.
Brian & Adria Sheth
43-year-old Mr. Sheth comes from a multi-cultural background — his father is an immigrant from India, his mother an American-born Caucasian — and has long resided in the trendy town of Austin, Texas. He and wifey Adria have two children and are prominent philanthropists through their Sangreal Foundation.
In case y’all didn’t know, Mr. Sheth is a billionaire (Forbes says he’s worth $2 billion, to be precise) through Vista Equity Partners, which he founded with his friend/business partner, Malibu resident Robert Smith. Vista now owns over 50 software companies and has over 65,000 employees worldwide.
Mr. Sheth’s $15.5 million acquisition
Anyway, back to the real estate. Since the neighbor’s property was never publicly listed for sale, Yolanda unfortunately does not have any photographs to share with y’all. But we do know that the ho-hum structure (of ambiguous architectural style) was constructed in 1976 and last transferred back in 1997 for — ready for this? — a paltry $1,150,000 in a probate sale.
Our boy Mr. Sheth just paid a complicated $15,555,500 for the house, which means the sellers — a non-famous couple — saw their property appreciate by 13.5x in 21 years. Yolanda is no math expert, but we’d wager that buying this place is the best investment Mr. and Mrs. Non-famous ever made in their lives. Good for them.
And while we don’t know what interior alterations the sellers made to the property over 21 years of ownership, the home’s exterior appears much the same today as it did in 1997. It doesn’t appear that Mr. & Mrs. Non-famous even changed the paint color!
Anyway, the structure has 8,025-square-feet of living space, quite large for Trousdale. There’s a double-height entryway, 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and a rectangular pool all on more than a half-acre of land.
The $54 million Sheth compound
Naturally we have no idea what Mr. Sheth’s intends to do with his new “spare” 90210 home, but we could easily see him knocking it down and replacing it with gardens and a grassy front yard for his main home. Or maybe he’ll keep it and use it as lodging for guests, relatives and/or his security team. Until he gives us a ring-ring and actually returns the 135,411 messages we’ve left for him, we’ll have to keep guessing.
Of course — like all proper billionaires — homeboy has many other residences scattered across the USA (and maybe the world, we dunno). His longtime main residence is a Mediterranean-style mansion in Austin, Texas with 7 beds and 8 baths in 8,678-square-feet of living space.
Mr. Sheth’s main residence: Austin, Texas
He’s also got another compound in Southern California: this one located in the wealthy Rancho Santa Fe neighborhood of San Diego County. Back in 2012, he and the missus paid $9,200,000 for a “contemporary Spanish” casa with nearly 13,000-square-feet of living space set on a massive 7.5 acre parcel.
Okay kids, that’s all the time we got for you today. Yolanda is off to do our holiday shopping. Be good or we’ll send you that box of coal (free shipping on Amazon, FYI).
It’s no secret that the mountains above Beverly Hills are chock-full of Hollywood veterans. And there’s hardly a more ideal illustration of that fact than the cul-de-sac we shall discuss today. Located in the Coldwater Canyon area of Beverly Hills Hills Post Office (BHPO), the barely-there street contains just six homes. According to Yolanda’s research, all six of them are owned by people who make their living in the entertainment industry — one way or another.
Anyway, the largest and most expensive house on the wee street recently sold for $4,900,000 to a blind trust. So Yolanda did some sniffin’ around and discovered that the folks listed above have a very famous new neighbor. His name is Lee Daniels.
Lee Daniels
Born and bred in Philadelphia, our Mr. Daniels grew up being physically abused by his police officer father. But after his dad was killed in the line of duty, Mr. Daniels experienced freedom to put his vivid imagination to profitable use. He matriculated to Lindenwood University in Missouri, of all places, where he continued to seek an outlet for his creativity.
Mr. Daniels began his career as a nursing agent — like a talent agent but dedicated to “casting” nurses in hospitals and such — before becoming a casting director after a chance meeting with a Hollywood producer. Eventually, after he had amassed sufficient capital, he founded Lee Daniels Entertainment, his own production outfit. Monster’s Ball, his first film production, proved critically successful, and through it Halle Berry became the first black woman to ever win a Best Actress Oscar. He also produced and directed Precious, for which he received a Best Director nomination at the 2009 Academy Awards.
But Mr. Daniels’ most profitable work has almost certainly been on the small screen. He is the co-creator and producer of both the Fox shows Empire and Star, both of which have become commercially successful and spawned multiple seasons.
Now in his late 50s, Mr. Daniels is openly gay and in a longterm relationship with a much younger man named Jahil Fisher. And though he has no biological children, he did adopt his niece and nephew many years ago (the kids are now in their 20s).
While he has spent most of his adult life living in New York City, it appears Mr. Daniels has finally dove headfirst into Lalaland with his impressive new BHPO home. Or maybe this is just a part-time residence and he’ll remain bicoastal. Who knows? Not Yolanda, that’s who.
The unique structure is ideal for a celebrity like Mr. Daniels: set way down a long driveway and behind a hulking gate and a dense tree canopy, the entire house is invisible from the cul-de-sac out front. As y’all might expect, the nearly $5 million property is equipped with a sophisticated security system.
According to records, the house was originally built in 1952, but it’s obviously been redone multiple times in the 65+ years since. The .82-acre mini-estate was last sold back in 2015 for $1,750,000 to a non-famous gentleman who gave the ol’ gurl a radical makeover. Check out the nipped-and-tucked result above.
A large motorcourt rests outside the two-car garage. The charcoal-colored house (ooh, sultry!) features loft-like living spaces spread over multiple levels. Per the listing, there is a generous 5,245-square-feet of living space with 4 beds and 4.5 baths.
Inside, the home aims to impress with huge amounts of slate, granite, marble and exotic-lookin’ hardwoods throughout. Large windows flood the property with light, and open-concept living makes the property appear even larger than it actually is. The massive kitchen directly overlooks lush Coldwater Canyon and features a vaulted ceiling and one of those ultra-chic La Cornue ranges that probably cost more than a new Camry.
We really like the hardwood choice for the kitchen cabinets. Yolanda never would’ve thought that particular wood would look good in a kitchen, but somehow it works. (Or maybe that’s just the alcohol talking.) Oh, somewhere by the steel-and-wood stairwell is an indoor fountain stocked with koi fish.
The lavish upstairs master suite is all-new and spans 1,000-square-feet — or about one-fifth of the entire home. Prairie-like areas within include a bedroom with direct access to a private balcony, a double-sided fireplace, and a massive closet/dressing room area equipped with a skylight. The master bath includes a soaking tub, walls of glass, and a novel shower “cube” smack-dab in the middle of the room.
Personally we prefer a little more privacy with our shower situation, but that’s just Yolanda. Take no heed of our prudish self, Mr. Daniels.
The other three bedroom suites are much smaller but outfitted in a very similar luxe manner: glassy showers, Toto toilets, walls of glass and the like.
In addition to the upstairs deck (equipped with yoga mats), there’s also a huge 2,500-square-foot deck off the lower level that includes a classy rectangular swimming pool and tons of space for outdoor furniture and entertaining.
Also in the backyard is an adorable wee box that functions as a standalone library, per the listing. We must admit that Yolanda would love to curl up in here on a rainy day (like today) with a good Agatha Christie mystery and a bottle of perfectly aged port. Mmmm.
It’s widely known that Mr. Daniels also keeps a home in New York City, but if your gurl is being completely honest — and we always are — we confess that we don’t know a damn thing about that place.
A few days ago, we wrote about several large Malibu homes affected by the devastating Woolsey Fire. After publishing the post, we were almost immediately contacted by our old friend U.N. Owen, real estate expert. Ol’ Mr. Owen inquired as to whether the Malibu home of Viswas Raghavan was still standing.
“Huh?! What are you talking about?” Yolanda replied.
“You blithering idiot,” lamented the rude Mr. Owen. “Of course he has a home in Malibu. Everyone knows that.” And Mr. Owen quickly pointed us to a specific address.
Well, we’re not sure who “everyone” is, but it obviously does not include Yolanda. But anyway, we took a peek at the address in question and discovered that yes indeed, Mr. Raghavan does have a property in Malibu. He bought it last year, back in July 2017. We’re not sure how we missed this one, but it should be noted that his name does not actually appear on the deed — he purchased the home through something called “Ganesha No. 1 Holdings LLC”. (FYI: Ganesha is the Hindu god of “new beginnings, success and wisdom”. So there y’all have it.)
Mr. Raghavan – just chillin’
Born and bred in India, Mr. Raghavan came from humble beginnings but clawed his way up the corporate ladder. Shortly after college, he began his career in i-banking. By the late 1990s, he was Lehman Brothers’ “head of equity-linked origination for Europe and Asia“.
In July 2000, our boy defected from Lehman Brothers to arch-rival JP Morgan. Last year (2017), it was announced that Mr. Raghavan would become CEO for the company’s EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Asia). That, kiddies, makes him one of the most powerful bankers on the planet. JP Morgan has 20,000 clients globally and is the second-largest bank on earth, with total assets exceeding $2.5 trillion.
Now in his early 50s, Mr. Raghavan has long primarily resided in London. Unfortunately, we don’t know anything about his digs across the pond, but y’all can be sure they are some swanky stuff. According to our pal Mr. Wiki Pedia, Mr. Raghavan is married and has four children, but we confess that we also have no idea about the names and ages of his (alleged) kids. It’s all very hush-hush, you understand.
Mr. Raghavan’s new Malibu vacation home has an interesting history, to put it mildly. The contemporary compound was originally built in 2007 by a non-famous couple. Almost as soon as the property was complete, the main structure was torched in a 2007 wildfire (but the guest house survived).
Though Mr. & Mrs. Non-famous rebuilt, their unlucky real estate streak continued. In 2012, they lost the 1.7-acre property to the unforgiving maw of foreclosure. The following year, the estate was sold for a bargain-basement $3,100,000 to new-age “spiritual awakening” guru/entrepreneur Gerard Powell.
Our boy Mr. Powell tossed his Malibu sprawler onto the market in early 2016 with an aggressive $10 million asking price. Several price chops and over a year later, the property eventually sold for a discounted $7,464,000 (in cash) to Mr. Raghavan.
The completely-landscaped estate is comprised of a two-story main house, a large guesthouse, and a full-size tennis court. And just for the record, Yolanda is 99% sure that this property was not affected by the recent Woolsey Fire, though the flames did come close.
The property sits on the “land” side of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and within a private, guarded community. Naturally the $7.5 million estate is completely walled and gated for privacy and security.
Inside the main structure are austere living quarters: an open-concept floorplan and a sleek kitchen with high-end appliances. Elsewhere there’s a big wet bar with plenty of space for boozin’ it up with your closest friends.
The stairwell ascends past a large pond filled with koi fish, and the second-floor master suite features hardwood floors and a built-in soaking tub. Total living space in the main house and guesthouse totals a generous 6,309-square-feet, according to the listing, and includes 6 bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms.
There’s a rather stunning infinity-edged pool with clear sightlines over the Pacific Ocean, the aforementioned full-size tennis court (Mr. Raghavan is a noted tennis aficionado, FYI), and an at-home gym. According to the listing, the house was offered for sale in combo with the $300k Rolls-Royce Ghost in the garage, but no word on whether Mr. Raghavan actually took possession of the luxury auto.
Perhaps the most valuable feature included in the sale, however, was the deeded rights to desirable Escondido Beach. All Mr. Raghavan (and his family) must do is walk down from their home and use the pathway under PCH (yes, kids, there’s actually a tunnel under PCH) to access their blissful stretch of sand. And even stodgy ol’ bankers like Mr. Raghavan can appreciate the beauty of ‘Bu beaches.
Yolanda would like to profusely apologize for not uploading anything this past week. It was not our intention to go on the lam, but our stomach and health clearly had other plans.
We have a whole bunch of fun stories sitting on our desk, but at the moment we’re a bit off our game and need to write something quick ‘n dirty before we return to kneeling in front of the porcelain god. TMI? Sorry. We promise to be back in top form shortly, but at the moment this ditty will have to hold you over.
Got some free time? Well, if you’re like Yolanda and you’ve a taste for bizarre documentaries, have we got a doozy for you today. And this one is all about luxury real estate, so even better.
A wee background: if you’ve ever cruised down iconic Mulholland Drive near the main entrance to the fabled (and guard-gated) Beverly Park community, you’ve probably spotted a massive contemporary mansion sitting just off the road, behind a long gated driveway. It’s highly visible from the street out front. And it’s all-white-everything and huge.
Ballin’ in Beverly Hills (Post Office)
The palatial estate is occupied by a woman named Susan Hannaford. While most of us Yanks have likely never heard of our Ms. Hannaford, she was once a celebrity in her native Australia. Way back in the 1970s, she starred on the long-running TV show The Sullivans, though she mostly disappeared from view after that folded.
Now in her mid-60s, Ms. Hannaford recently agreed to do her first televised interview in more than two decades. She invited cameras from a prominent Australian news network into her manor — which has a retractable glass roof, FYI — and the result has gotta be one of the wackiest things Yolanda has ever witnessed.
Watch and see. Even if y’all don’t know or care about Ms. Hannaford, the interview is still worth peepin’ for the tour she gives of her 14-bedroom home, which she has christened Palazzo Beverly Hills and shares with her two young grandchildren. She also gushes about her famous neighbors.
By the way, the interview was conducted several months ago but was apparently removed from YouTube after Ms. Hannaford — upset with her portrayal — filed a $100 million lawsuit against the network. But it was re-uploaded a few days ago and has already amassed nearly 600,000 views. The lady is once again a star, though probably not in the way she hoped.
Y’all’s first impression of Ms. Hannaford may be that she’s just a ditzy blonde, but it quickly becomes clear that she’s something much more than that. Be warned, though, it’s a 42-minute video.
After her TV series folded and with acting opportunities drying up, Ms. Hannaford — who it does not appear has ever been married — came to Los Angeles practically penniless, by her own account, and yet was somehow able to amass a substantial property portfolio of 22 homes worth nearly $250 million — according to her — at the 2007 peak (before the ensuing recession crash). But now all those homes are gone, lost to foreclosure.
Anyway, we watched the cringe-tastic whole thing — at one point, Ms. Hannaford is asked “Do you have difficulty, Susan, with telling the truth?” to which she fires back “Do you have difficulty with your IQ?” — and came away incredibly confused. Judge for yourselves, if y’all are interested. By the way, Ms. Hannaford refers to her neighborhood as “Billionaires’ Row“, which it kinda is.
Quite possibly the strangest topic discussed in the interview, however, is the ownership of the 90210 mansion where Ms. Hannaford currently resides.
A retractable glass roof
Property records show the lavish spread — set on a multi-acre lot — was acquired by Ms. Hannaford back in 2003 in a bankruptcy sale. She paid $2,690,000 and it appears the deal may have been all-cash. The house has likely appreciated substantially in the 15 years since.
But anyway, Ms. Hannaford no longer owns the home. In 2009, she transferred ownership of the house to her elderly mother Norma Parry. In the interview, however, 96-year-old Ms. Parry does not appear.
The interview questions whether Ms. Parry is still alive and there seems to be a not-so-subtle suggestion that she may already be (secretly) deceased. Of course, Yolanda has no idea what the true case may be, but how bizarre is that?
Anywho, if you ever happen to be driving by the BHPO manse, take a quick gander at the place and let us know whether you see an old woman propped up in an upstairs window. Hitchcock vibes, anyone?
Jane Austen famously said “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
But that was back in the day. In 2018, if you’re a wildly-rich young dude, there are a couple things far more wanted than a spouse. They are, of course, a flashy car and a flashy house. Not to sound shallow, but that’s just the way the world works! Or at least that’s how LA works, which is our world.
28-year-old Andrew “Drew” Taggart clearly knows this. While we don’t know what ride he rolls, we’re sure it’s something quite fancy and probably cost him six figures. We do know, however, that he’s a budding property tycoon who already owns three multi-million dollar homes in Los Angeles.
But now he’s onto house #4, and this one is a big upgrade from the first three in every respect — size, price, and location. It’s over in a prime section of the eastern Hollywood Hills, and it’s huge and brand-new. And Mr. Taggart paid $12,000,000! That’s a ton of money for a very young man who’s not yet 30.
Drew Taggart
Before we get to the property, a quick background check on Mr. Taggart. Born and raised in the seaside town of Portland, Maine — hey, isn’t that near where Murder She Wrote‘s Jessica Fletcher lived? — the young DJ earned his stripes as one-half of The Chainsmokers.
The Chainsmokers first came to prominence just four years ago — back in 2014 — with the cringe-inducing “#SELFIE” song. Remember that one? No? (If not, it’s probably a good thing). Many folks were quick to write off the group as a gimmick, just another one-hit wonder.
But Mr. Taggart and his bandmate Alex Pall eventually proved the haters wildly wrong. They returned in summer 2015 with the far more conventional pop ditty “Roses” — that one went top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 — and then followed that up with “Closer“, an insanely-catchy monster smash that went #1 for 12 straight weeks here in the US and spent over six months in the top 10 of the Hot 100. It’s now ranked as one of the biggest hits in chart history. Yes, of all time.
While we imagine Mr. Taggart and Mr. Pall could’ve retired in 2016 and forever remained loaded off “Closer” royalties alone, they instead parlayed their newfound superstar status into a lucrative three-year residency deal with Wynn Nightlife in Las Vegas. And according to Forbes, the duo hauled in a spectacular $45.5 million in 2017 alone, making them one of the highest-paid musical acts on the planet.
The Chainsmokers — high-paid DJs turned budding property moguls
So where has all that money gone? Well, a significant portion of it has been funneled into luxury real estate. The two Chainsmokers have kept their realtor lady busy — over the past two years they’ve purchased no fewer than six multi-million dollar LA homes worth a cumulative $27+ million. More on those in a bit.
Mr. Taggart might seem as though he’s got everything going for him — he’s young and famous, he’s got oodles of money and a jetset lifestyle — but he recently opened up about his secret struggle with depression over the past few years. “Songwriting is my therapy,” he said in part. Yolanda is also happiest when we’re writing, so we feel him on that.
Anyway, onto the real estate. Mr. Taggart’s new house was spec-built in 2018 by a prominent local development group in collaboration with the design folks at ANR Signature Collection. If the ANR name sounds vaguely familiar, it’s probably because this is the same team responsible for the $13.5 million Beverly Hills (Post Office) mansion recently purchased by Little Miss Kylie Jenner.
Mr. Taggart’s new “Architectural Contemporary” bachelor pad weighs in with a portly 10,067-square-feet of interior space and features a box-like shape centered around a courtyard (plus an undulating roofline).
Records show that the 1-acre, very private cul-de-sac property was acquired by the aforementioned group in 2015 for $3,900,000 and just sold to Mr. Taggart for the also-aforementioned $12 million.
Anywho, the listing gushes that the property “feels like Aspen in LA,” and “[affords] the amenities of an elite resort.” And indeed, the blocky house is completely surrounded by a plethora of mature oak (?) and pine trees. Check out the massive pool and the size of that courtyard.
In contrast to the dark gray exteriors, interior spaces feature a neutral, off-white color scheme. Soaring ceilings and disappearing walls of glass make the structure feel even more enormous than it is. According to the listing, there are four different lounge areas/rooms within the home, a formal dining room that can easily seat 10, and a double-sided kitchen — one for “display” and the other for chef prep.
Keep the smelly stuff outta sight and mind, know what we’re sayin’?
Seemingly endless hallways run throughout the 6 bed, 7.25 bath compound — which includes a wee guesthouse. The lavish master suite is decked out in a rather minimalist manner with blondish hardwood floors and includes a private office/lounge plus a monster master bath.
Good gracious, that glass shower could easily fit Mr. Taggart and a half-dozen of his closest friends. Well, we suppose it’s all about water conservation these days.
Some of the estate’s many other luxury features include a home theater, a “bar room” with a huge wine closet, and a downstairs “reception bar”, whatever that is. Just know there’s lots of booze in this place to help Mr. Taggart drown his tears. (Bad joke, sorry).
Though The Chainsmokers only hit it big about four years ago, the pair of gentlemen have already amassed a substantial property portfolio. (And we have a feeling these guys are just getting started!)
Mr. Pall has two multi-million dollar homes in LA — that we know about — but Mr. Taggart has him beat with four. In addition to his huge new Hollywood Hills spread, he’s got one place in WeHo and two out in Sherman Oaks.
Drew Taggart’s WeHo home
Back in August 2016, as we told y’all, Mr. Taggart dropped $3,295,000 for a brand-new, spec-built residence in the proverbial heart of bustling West Hollywood.
Drew Taggart’s Sherman Oaks home
This June (2018), Mr. Taggart spent another $2,434,000 for a 2016 spec-built residence in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Sherman Oaks.
Drew Taggart’s (other) Sherman Oaks home
On the very same day he purchased his Sherman Oaks house, Mr. Taggart followed it up with another $2,257,000 splurge on another property (also in Sherman Oaks). This particular residence was — you guessed it — spec-built in 2016.
We’re not sure why a young, single bloke like Mr. Taggart needs four different multi-million dollar LA properties. Maybe they’re just investments, or maybe they are occupied by family members. Maybe Mr. Taggart will ring us up and us know! But probably not.
Today’s story is by special request for a very nice young follower of this blog. She knows who she is — so shoutout to you, missy.
“Missy” wanted to get our take on Shane Dawson‘s new house. For those of y’all ignorant old fogies like Yolanda, Mr. Dawson is a young dude — he recently turned 30 — who made his fortune on the YouTube contraption. He’s one of the OG YouTubers, actually — he’s been uploading videos since way back in 2008, years before folks even knew that doing so could actually become a viable career.
Mr. Dawson
Nowadays Mr. Dawson has amassed 19 million subscribers on the ‘Tube, racked up 4 billion video views, and he’s rolling in the deep dough. He also founded his own podcast, authored a couple memoirs, and has released has several original songs on iTunes.
On the personal front, Mr. Dawson is a rare LA native — he grew up poor in the still-somewhat-gritty (but rapidly gentrifying) city of Long Beach. Openly bisexual, he dated fellow YouTube star Lisa Schwartz for a number of years but now lives with his long-term boyfriend, Ryland Adams.
Anyway, it’s already widely known that Mr. Dawson just splurged a big new house. He posted a house tour on his vlog — naturally — and the video has already been viewed more than 5.6 million times. See, people like houses!
So here is Yolanda’s take. Our boy’s premium new pad is located in the far-flung western reaches of the San Fernando Valley. The 2.85-acre ranch property includes a “Spanish-style” main house built in 1989.
The late 80s was not an era known for great architecture — to put it mildly — but this place really isn’t so bad. Records show the property was last sold just over a year ago (October 2017) for $1.61 million to big-booty-jeans mogul David Vered. He quickly gave the house a complete and contemporary cosmetic overhaul before flipping it to Mr. Dawson this November for nearly $3 million — $2,955,000, to be exact.
It should be noted that while the property has a Calabasas zip code, we think this place is actually in an unincorporated area just outside the city boundaries. Either way, this is clearly a very different Calabasas than The Oaks, where the Kardashians and all their pro athlete friends reside. Mr. Dawson’s home is way out in the quiet countryside. You’re more likely to spy a horse-drawn carriage trawling along out yonder than a blinged-out Bentley bombing down the boulevard. Well not really, but y’all get the picture.
The estate is completely walled and double-gated for privacy, and (naturally) there’s also a full security system. A tropically-landscaped front island ringed by a circular driveway leads to the residence.
Beyond the driveway, a covered atrium entryway meanders past a spacious center courtyard to the wooden front door, which — rather unusually — opens directly into the formal dining area. Yolanda can’t remember the last time we saw a multi-million dollar house outfitted like this, but to each their own. It’s breezily casual and that’s okay.
To the left of the entryway is a fireplace-equipped living area; to the right is a kitchen with high-end stainless appliances, a center island, and bar-style seating for on-the-go dining situations. Beyond the main living area is a large wall of glass that folds away, allowing direct access to the poolside pavilion.
The open floorplan features hardwood floors throughout the 4,866-square-feet of living space.
According to the listing, there are 6 beds and 4 baths in the spacious residence. The upstairs master features a cavernous bedroom with fireplace and sitting area. Plus there’s a bathroom with dual vanities, glass shower, soaking tub, and a walk-in closet.
The other five bedrooms are much smaller, of course, but also done up in a similarly casual-luxe style.
Other features of the sprawling property include (but are not limited to): an attached two-car garage, a wee barn that’s been converted into a gym, a neat-o firepit, a classy oval-shaped pool w/ spa, a BBQ, and various outdoor dining and lounging areas. There’s also a huge flat swath of dirt suitable for a riding rink or horse stables (or both, maybe).
Oh, did we mention the ol’ wagon (or what’s left of it)? And you thought Yolanda was joking with the horse-drawn carriage crack!
Mr. Dawson’s Studio City home… with a view
Before fleeing hectic LA for the wilds of Calabasas, Mr. Dawson and Mr. Adams bunked up in Studio City, which is also part of the San Fernando Valley but much closer to Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the like. Records show that Mr. Dawson paid $1,710,000 for the property in late 2015, and Yolanda fully expects it will soon be sold (it may already be available as a pocket listing, we dunno).
Some people have all the luck — or wisdom, or some combination thereof — when it comes to real estate. Take Oscar-winning producer Michael Sugar and his wife Lauren Wall Sugar. Less than two years ago — in March 2017 — they paid $5,550,000 for a brand-new mansion in the fashionable San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Encino.
Shane Fogerty’s Encino mansion
We don’t think the Sugars made any major changes to the house since their purchase, but even so they decided to plunk the property back onto the market this November (2018) with a $7 million pricetag. Yep, that’s a 1.5 million buck increase for 20 months of ownership. Sounds a little coo-coo, right?
But wouldn’t ya know, before the house had even cannonballed onto the MLS, a ravenous buyer swooped in and the property was “sold before processing”. Records show the deal was officially done for $6,750,000. And the Sugars walked with a $1.2 million profit and two huge smiles.
The new owner’s identity is carefully concealed behind a blind trust, but Yolanda did her usual sniffin’ around and discovered his name is John Fogerty.
The rockin’ Mr. Fogerty
73-year-old Mr. Fogerty is a famous musician who arguably reached the zenith of his career in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As the co-founder of Creedence Clearwater Revival, he and his bandmates enjoyed a string of hit albums and songs during that period, many of which have gone on to become classics and continue to generate massive royalties in 2018.
But even after the group disbanded in the ’70s, Mr. Fogerty continued to see professional success through his solo efforts — he’s released at least a half-dozen solo albums and remains active as a singer and songwriter. He’s also also a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee (with CCR) and Rolling Stone included him on both their 100 Greatest Guitarists and 100 Greatest Singers all-time lists.
For the record, Yolanda hears through the grapevine that the property will not be occupied by Mr. Fogerty — rather, it was reportedly purchased for one of his sons. Given that our boy has four adult children — two of which are men — we ain’t certain which son will be living here. But we rather suspect it is 27-year-old Shane Fogerty, the elder of the two and also musically inclined like his pops.
The gated 8,077-square-foot house lies on a primo south-of-Ventura Boulevard cul-de-sac. There are just three other homes on this street, none of which are owned by famous folks.
Ice-blue exterior paint differentiates this particular gurl from other spec-built Traditionals, most of which are Alpine white, pearl white, off-white, you get the picture.
The grand double-height entryway is sure to impress the pizza delivery boy. It features cream-colored hardwood floors and a very grand staircase, plus a formal living room tucked just off to the right side. To the left is a windowed office/study.
Further back on the main floor is a large kitchen — outfitted with all the latest high-end appliances, as one might expect — which opens to the family room, which in turn opens (via glass doors) to the yard.
Also on the lower level are a formal dining room and movie theater.
Included in the big casa are a total of six bedrooms — all of which are en-suite — and eight bathrooms. The master suite sports his-and-hers baths with heated floors and dual closets. As for the bedroom, it features a sitting area, fireplace, and a private covered balcony overlooking the backyard.
Some of the property’s other amenities include an open-air rooftop deck, an outdoor dining space, a BBQ/bar area, and the typical swimming pool/spa combo. Mature trees ring the entire .63-acre lot.
Yolanda poked through records and was quite surprised when we discovered that this $6.75 million pad is not the only place in Encino owned by Mr. Fogerty. Back in April (2018), he quietly paid $3,900,000 for another spec-built Traditional nearby — albeit this one smaller and much less private.
It appears this house was also purchased for his son, but apparently he/they had a quick change of heart and decided to upgrade without ever moving into the first abode. So the bigger property was purchased and the smaller one (above) is back on the market with a much-increased $4,499,000 pricetag. Get it? Someone’s got a very generous pops!
But the entire Fogerty family clearly enjoys living lavishly (and very large). Check out the family’s main residence out near Thousand Oaks.
Mr. Fogerty’s current residence, Hidden Valley
Located in a gated area of Hidden Valley and set on 22 pastoral acres, the 13,000-square-foot behemoth is home to the elder Mr. Fogerty — that would be John — and his second wife Julie. The couple scooped up the property for $8,950,000 in 2013 and have since given it a thorough renovation.
Believe it or not, but the Fogertys’ relatively new Hidden Valley estate was actually a downsize for them. Before moving out to Ventura County, they slummed it up in the mountains above Beverly Hills, in an area known as Beverly Hills Post Office. And their digs were fit for royalty.
Mr. Fogerty’s old BHPO house… sold for $18.6 million
The gargantuan Tuscan-style tumor weighs in with more than 16,000-square-feet of living space. It is located in a small gated community known as Bella Vista Estates, which happens to lie directly adjacent to the far more famous Beverly Park gated community. Other Bella Vista homeowners include bigshot talent agent Adam Venit, Ashton Kutcher — who is midway through construction on a sprawling new compound — and at least one Saudi prince.
Anyway, we digress. The Fogertys sold their BHPO beast back in 2014 for $18,600,000. The buyer? Low-profile billionaire Don Hankey, who made his fortune in subprime auto loans and has since branched out into residential real estate development.
Going green has never felt so good. Just ask Chris Ganan, a senior executive at marijuana juggernaut MedMen. (Specifically, his title is Chief Strategy Officer). Our boy has ridden the great ganja way high up to abundant riches. Take a look at his fancy new digs in the tony Brentwood neighborhood of LA.
For those of y’all who do not partake — that includes Yolanda, but we never judge — MedMen is LA-based (specifically, they’re headquartered in Culver City) and is one of the most prominent kush-shilling companies in the country. MedMen made all the headlines when they filed for an IPO on the Canadian Securities Exchange this May (2018), becoming the largest publicly-traded US-based cannabis company at the time. However, the stock has taken a beatin’ since then, igniting controversy over both its future viability and its executive payment plans, which have proven exceedingly (some say outrageously) lucrative for its top brass. Still, plenty of pundits espouse the firm and say it’ll be just fine.
Anyway, Mr. Ganan’s bio on the MedMen website says he “brings vast institutional experience in business operations, private equity, real estate and FinTech. Mr. Ganan was instrumental in MedMen’s capital formation and guides MedMen’s investment strategy.” Well, that’s a far more eloquent summary than anything Yolanda can provide, so there you have it.
Now in his mid-30s, Mr. Ganan and a lady named Stephanie Turner were married in a star-studded ceremony down in Rancho Santa Fe back in July 2013.
Ms. Turner & Mr. Ganan
Ms. Turner is an occasional actress and a daughter of the NFL’s Norv Turner, who currently toils as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. She’s also a writer who received notice for her footballbrat.com blog (her website is under construction at the moment). She and Mr. Ganan have at least one young child.
Anywho, we must profess ignorance as to Mr. Ganan’s net worth and salary, but it’s clear he did quite well from the recent MedMen IPO and such. Before buying this $9,525,000 property, he and the missus resided in a rather charming (but far more modest) bungalow out in the WeHo/Melrose area. They had the remodeled cottage featured in Sunset magazine last year.
The Turner-Ganan bungalow
The wee house has just 2 beds and 1 bath in 1,144-square-feet of living space. Why, that’s positively microscopic by rich people standards!
Moving on. For the record, the Spanish-style Brentwood estate was built in 1999 — though it could easily pass for something decades older — and last sold back in 2001 for $3,500,000. The buyers then were Fox TV CEO Dana Walden and her longtime hubby Matt.
Mrs. Walden is — for those who don’t know — one of the most powerful women in the entertainment industry. And a powerhouse CEO like her requires done-up digs, so she sunk loads of money into renovating and beautifying every inch of the estate during her 17 years of ownership. Yolanda quite likes the result, but judge for yourselves.
Ornate double gates hide a spacious courtyard, and a short brick walkway leads to the wooden front door. Inside, the foyer’s gleaming hardwood floors will impress guests, and the arches and wood detailing will fool everyone into thinking they’re standing in a 1920s Wallace Neff masterpiece. Maybe.
The formal living room features a gigantic fireplace, and the dining room has French doors that allow generous heaps of light (and fresh air if so desired) into the place. If Mr. Ganan wants a doobie with his supper but doesn’t care to let the smoke linger, just swing ’em doors open.
More intimate spaces include a family room (also with a fireplace) that opens to a brick lounge/dining patio (with another fireplace). There’s also a full outdoor kitchen/BBQ area with bar-style seating. Views out yonder take in the verdant lawn with its built-in trampoline.
Beyond the lawn and partially hidden by trees is the pool complex. The sprawling brick terrace has numerous options for sunbathing, and the classy rectangular pool features an inset spa.
The guesthouse includes yet another fireplace, a gym, and a wee bedroom suite.
Back in the main house, there are a total of 4 beds and 4.75 baths, including the romantic upstairs master, which sports a large balcony overlooking the backyard. Somewhere there’s a study/library filled with lots of real books.
In addition to the big new Brentwood place and their WeHo bungalow (which they still own), records show the Turner-Ganans also owned a small Beverly Grove casita. The couple sold that last month (November 2018) for $2,257,000, a nice chunk more than the $1,950,000 they paid for it last year.
The Turner-Ganans cozy former casita
No word yet on where Mr. and Mrs. Walden are moving, but Yolanda would bet big bucks it will be in LA. After all, Mrs. Walden basically runs half of Hollywood. Well not really, of course, but you get the idea.
And on a final note, we wish Mr. Ganan, Ms. Turner, their child(ren) and Mary Jane lots of happiness, health and hemp at their new property.
Listing agent: David Offer, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chris Ganan & Stephanie Turner’s agent: Lindsay Guttman, The Agency
Yesterday we discussed a rather stunning Brentwood estate sold by powerhouse entertainment industry exec Dana Walden and her longtime hubby Matt. And we were a bit perplexed because the Waldens seemed to have vanished without a trace — at least as far as property records are concerned.
The former Walden estate — isn’t she lovely?
Yolanda found it difficult to believe that an important lady like Mrs. Walden would deign to rent some stranger’s house, so we supposed she was doing a leaseback on her old home through the holidays.
We also supposed that the Waldens would be in the mood to downsize their residential circumstances. The soon-to-be empty nesters have two teenage daughters, one of whom is away at college in New York and the other presumably soon to follow.
But Yolanda was proven utterly wrong on both counts. Shoot, we should’ve remembered the Golden Rule: when you’re one of the mightiest (and wealthiest) CEOs in media, never ever downsize. Especially not in this town, where image is everything.
After pullin’ out ye olde magnifying glass and porin’ through records, we discovered that Mrs. Walden used a mysteriously-named trust to quietly pay a whopping $19,000,000 for a huge new Brentwood mansion. This transaction went down way back in April (2018).
Ready for her close-up
Well, spank Yolanda’s fanny! Mrs. Walden is loaded. Well everyone already knew that, of course, but we mean she’s seriously loaded. Brentwood is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in LA, y’all, but $19 million is still one fat hunk of cheddar. Even for out there! In fact, this is one of the area’s five biggest deals of 2018.
Before we get to dissectin’ her decadent digs, a wee background on Mrs. Walden, who had an interesting — some might say highly unorthodox — climb up the corporate ladder.
Mrs. Walden
Now in her mid-50s, Mrs. Walden is one of those rare LA natives. She grew up in Studio City, in a well-to-do Jewish family, and rode show hunters competitively as a child. After matriculating to USC, Mrs. Walden earned a Communications degree and entered the PR world. The lady first worked as the late Larry Goldman‘s assistant — “I was an awful assistant,” she admits — before joining Arsenio Hall‘s production company.
In 1992, Mrs. Walden scored a PR gig at 20th Century TV. Two years later came a pivotal point in her career — she refers to it as her Jerry Maguire moment — when she gave a surprise presentation to studio execs during a company retreat. That moment led to her being named a programming exec, at which she excelled. In 1999, she and Gary Newman were made co-CEOs of the Fox studio. And in 2014, the pair were promoted to chairperson-CEOs of Fox Television Group.
This October (2018) it was announced that Mrs. Walden will soon become chairwoman of the Disney Television Studios and the Disney-ABC Television Group. Quite a come up from those “awful assistant” days, huh?
In addition to her red-hot career, Mrs. Walden takes the time to serve on several boards: the Los Angeles Zoo, Live Nation Entertainment and Hulu among them. In her spare time, she enjoys skiing (she and Mr. Walden reportedly keep an Empire Pass condo in the winter resort town of Deer Valley, Utah).
But anyway, onto the real estate. Although the Brentwood mansion is brand-new, this is not a developer spec-special of the variety we normally discuss. Nope, this baby was custom-built over a 4+ year period by none other than Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac fame and fortune.
With love, from Lindsey
Your gurl doesn’t know if Mr. Buckingham always intended to sell the property or if he and the missus simply got cold feet before moving in — our guess would be the former, but that’s just a guess — but either way, he appears to have realized a substantial profit on the land he paid $5,800,000 for back in 2012. Even with mountainous construction costs, we’d bet big doughnuts he still walked with millions.
On the whole, Yolanda is of the opinion that Mr. Buckingham did a good job designing this beast. We’re not crazy about the architectural style or the light fixtures inside, but that’s just personal preference.
Described as a “Modern Georgian Estate”, the very large house (the listing does not call out square footage, but records say it clocks in at 10,307) is situated north of Sunset Boulevard on one of Brentwood’s most prestigious streets. The nearly one-acre lot is narrow and deep, so the structure itself is set well back from the road and privately behind walls, gates, and tall hedges.
The staged interiors feature a neutral color scheme and honey-hued hardwood floors. A formal living room has a fireplace and large windows, the formal dining room opens to a large patio.
There are not one but two kitchens: the first a “chef’s” kitchen and the other a “catering” kitchen. Fancy! Both, of course, are outfitted with every conceivable high-end appliance.
Not to be outdone, there are also two separate family rooms: one called the “adult” room for its marble wet bar. The other one — the kids’ room, we’re guessing — makes do with a fireplace, vaulted ceiling and a disappearing wall of glass that leads out back. But no booze. Boo.
There are six beds and a total of 7.75 baths contained within these walls. The master bedroom is large enough to host a dinner party (with food from the catering kitchen) and sports his-and-hers bathrooms and closets.
Numerous other amenities include a library, gym, massage room, two laundry rooms and much more.
The resort-like backyard features al fresco dining spaces, a firepit, and a large rectangular swimming pool with inset spa. There’s also a huge grassy lawn and views over the surrounding canyon. Oh, and beyond the pool is a wee cabana with a sitting area and a bathroom. Perfect for those times when you don’t wanna traipse your wet feet through a $19 million house just to go potty.
Alright kids, that’s all Yolanda has time for today. We’re off to hit the malls and we ain’t afraid of them crowds. In case anyone was wondering, our innovative strategy — and we put a lot of thought into this — is to shop until we (literally) drop and the paramedics wheel us out of Saks on an extra wide gurney.
Listing & Selling agent: David Offer, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
We’re writing about this one mainly because the house is “pretty cool,” as our friend Susan Hannaford would say. Originally built in 1971 by noted mid-century modern architect Matthew Leizer, the property last sold two years ago, when it was acquired by businessman Adam Bold for the sum of $5,200,000.
Our Mr. Bold hails from Kansas City, Kansas and made his fortune through founding the Mutual Fund Store, a multi-state investment advisement firm. After nearly 20 years of steady growth, Mr. Bold’s business was acquired for $560 million in 2015. (Ka-ching!)
Presumably a significant chunk of that cheddar meandered its way into Mr. Bold’s bank account. And suddenly K.C. felt a bit too small for homeboy, so he tossed his Rimowa luggage onto a private jet and headed way out west. The bright lights and botoxed mugs of Tinseltown proved just too tempting!
Mr. Bold’s first LA house came courtesy of a $16,596,100 splurge on a contemporary casa. Located in western Bel Air, the hilltop mansion (below) sits on 1.3 acres of land and serves as his main residence.
Mr. Bold’s main residence, western Bel Air
Though the house was fine when he bought it, Mr. Bold nonetheless spent many more millions to completely rebuild and expand the structure, so the place looks significantly different today.
In addition to his $20+ million Bel Air main residence and his entertainment industry investments, our boy also acquired a new wife and the investment property we are discussin’ today, which is located on a quiet cul-de-sac in western Bel Air. Over the past two years, he has completely rebuilt and restored the 1971 structure, surely at great cost.
This December (2018), Mr. Bold managed to unload the stylish spread for $9.6 million to Jim & Jackie McKenzie. Though the McKenzies are not famous in any way — they’re just ordinary rich people — they did make it into one of Yolanda’s previous stories. A few years ago, you see, they sold their old Bel Air house for exactly $20 million to their neighbor: some random dude named Elon Musk. (For the record, ol’ Musky tossed the keys to his ex-wife Talulah Riley, but we digress.)
The flag lot property is enviably private, sequestered down a long, tree-lined driveway and behind a security gate. The 1.4-acre lot is large for this neighborhood, but a significant chunk of that land is unusable hillside.
Called a “private oasis” in listing materials, the low-slung house greets visitors with a row of chunky concrete block columns. Beyond the glassy entryway is an open-concept main living space with various dining, living and lounging areas.
Vaulted ceilings and skylights lend the place an outdoorsy feel, and terrazzo floors continue throughout the entire 6,624-square-feet of living space. Check out that fireplace — you could roast a few human sacrifices on that thing! (Not that you should, but you could.) Above the fireplace, per the listing, is “an original frieze interpretation of The Doors.” (The house was originally built for The Doors’ Robby Krieger.)
Behind one wall is an all-custom Miele kitchen with floor-to-ceiling walls of glass. Mesmerizing westward views take in the Getty and a hint of the Pacific Ocean.
There are 4 beds and 4.5 baths, and the master suite includes a fireplace and peek-a-boo views of the western skyline.
Perhaps the property’s one major failing — if y’all look at it that way — is that it doesn’t have the backyard infinity pool that so many richie-rich buyers expect nowadays. The cement pond here is in a central courtyard and completely encircled by the house. Personally Yolanda doesn’t need all that extra visual drama — we have enough drama in our silly life already — so we’re good with this setup.
Other fresh-air amenities include a wee grassy lawn, firepit with a giant seating surround, a built-in BBQ and a portico perfect for al fresco dining.
Adam Bold was represented in this transaction by Josh Flagg, the now blogging and vlogging Million Dollar Listing cast member. Patty Best of Douglas Elliman repped the buyers.
A few days ago, Vlad the Revealer asked Yolanda to scope out a massive home recently sold to a trust. Who could the buyer be, the curious, dewy-eyed fella wondered. Records show the San Fernando Valley property — 1.2 acres of mostly flat land — features a brand-new mansion and went for $3,875,000, which is a big number for the Tarzana neighborhood.
Always up for a challenge, Yolanda was only too glad to oblige. Soon we discovered that the proud new owner is a rapper turned songwriter named Ahmad Balshe — better known by his stage name, Belly.
We’d never before heard of Mr. Belly, but props on the unique moniker. (It’s short for “Rebellyus”, in case anyone was wondering). And if the name conjures up images of a rather, um, large person — know that Mr. Belly is actually not obese at all, especially following his recent weight loss.
Anyway, it only took a couple minutes of Googlin’ for Yolanda to realize that Mr. Belly is a seriously major deal in the music industry. Although he loves to rap and perform — he’s released two studio albums and eleven mixtapes over the past dozen plus years — his biggest successes (by far) have been in the songwriting department. And that’s a good thing for his bank account. As any successful musician will tell y’all, the big money in this industry is made in writing. Those fat royalty checks have rewarded countless folks with the gift of prose (or whatever) with stupendous wealth.
Mr. Belly is signed to music phenom The Weeknd’s XO record label and snagged eleven co-writing credits on his two most recent albums, both of which were huge hits. He’s also signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label (since 2015) and co-wrote the critically-lauded song “6 Inch” from Beyoncé’s mega-successful album Lemonade. And he’s received credit for the hits of many other R&B/hip-hop artists, as well.
Belly & Jay-Z plotting their world takeover
So for anyone wondering how this dude can afford a nearly $4 million mansion, there you go. And let’s be real — when you co-write a Beyoncé hit single, kids, the music industry’s doors slam open fast enough to blow your knickers off. And soon you can afford any house you want. That’s the power of Ms. Knowles.
Born in Palestine to a Muslim family and raised in Ottawa, Canada, 34-year-old Mr. Belly is single (we think) and has no children at the present. But he does have more than 600,000 followers on the Instagram contraption. So even better.
The brand-new mansion — it’s of no particular architectural style, unless “real damn big” is a style — spans approximately 8,000-square-feet of living space and sits securely behind walls and security camera-equipped gates. There are six beds and seven baths, plenty of space for a typical entourage.
If you ask us, this portly ol’ gurl looks as though she could stand to shed a few pounds. She’s bulging at the seams! Just call her Villa Belly.
And pity about those garage doors — you’d think the developer could’ve slapped them on the side and out of sight rather than right up front, especially with all the land available here. They kinda lend the place a warehouse vibe, don’t they? Oh well.
Our final quibble is that this place is very grey, inside and out. We hope our Mr. Belly will bring some cheerful art and furniture to liven up the rather dreary color scheme.
On the other hand, the vast interior spaces are undeniably luxurious. There’s a family room that opens to the backyard via a disappearing wall of glass, a screening room, double-height living and dining areas, and a temperature-controlled wine storage room.
The kitchen flaunts top-of-the-line appliances and expensive quartz countertops, although those hanging light fixtures appear a wee bit undersized to Yolanda.
The master suite sports a fireplace and sitting area in the bedroom, steam shower and soaking tub in the bathroom, two walk-in closets, a gym, and a balcony overlooking the expansive grounds.
The beauty of the San Fernando Valley is the amount of space you can get for the cash. Check out that huge backyard! The 1.2 acres also include the grassy hillside behind the pool — on top of that hill is a secondary flat plot of land (not pictured). That undeveloped pad is also part of Mr. Belly’s estate and the listing mentions that building a “N/S tennis court may be possible.” Of course, we really don’t know what (if anything) Mr. Belly intends to do with that land.
Just try finding a property this size on the Westside for under $4 million. Ain’t gonna happen!
