Yeah yeah, Yolanda is keenly aware that everyone else has already discussed this, but we just can’t resist putting our hard-earned two cents in on poor Demi Lovato’s unfortunate (and dirty!) residential situation.
A couple days ago, celebrity gossip juggernaut TMZ reported that Miss Lovato’s $8 million Hollywood Hills house was in danger of falling off a mountain. Literally. You see, the rains came and about 20 tons of dirt cascaded from the hillside directly above her house and completely buried the road out front. Worst case scenario, the hillside will continue to crumble and the residence above could either obliterate Miss Lovato’s or trigger a chain reaction landslide on her own property.
Apparently Miss Lovato hasn’t even moved in yet, which is kinda sad but also probably for the best. Although it doesn’t appear that the slide actually pummeled her own home, her driveway gate out front looks to be completely buried.
To be precise, the landslide comes courtesy of the large home directly above Miss Lovato’s property. According to records, that particular house is owned by elderly philanthropist/socialite Joni Smith, and Mrs. Smith was seen assessing the damage for herself following the incident.
The sorta-funny thing about all this that Yolanda had no clue that Miss Lovato owned an $8 million house in the Hollywood Hills. Somehow her purchase slipped right under our noses. But now that we go back and check property records, we see that a blind trust easily linked to Miss Lovato did, in fact, pay $8,300,000 for the house in question back in September (2016).
We were a bit surprised, to say the least. What?! Did anyone else think that Miss Lovato can afford an $8.3 million house?! We know we’re a bit outta the loop, but Yolanda was absolutely shocked that she has this much money. So we did what anyone else would do, we ran to Our Mama at Variety and bawled out some nonsense about “how the heck does this Demi chick afford a $8.3 million house???”
Our Mama spanked us hard and reminded us that Miss Lovato is a real, real successful young lady. A big ol’ star, in fact. “She’s been working since she came outta the womb” is the way Mama put it. Trufax.
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After working her tot-sized behind off on Barney & Friends, Miss Lovato became nationally famous with her star role in the Disney film Camp Rock. Since then, she has recorded and released five studio albums, all of which debuted within the top 5 of the Billboard 200 chart. She also served as a judge on the X-Factor. On a more personal note, Miss Lovato has gained fame/notoriety for her relationships with Joe Jonas and bad boy Wilmer Valderrama as well as a highly-publicized stint in rehab.
Nowadays, in addition to her career accomplishments, Miss Lovato is known for her steadfast support of the LGBT community. She won the annual GLAAD Vanguard award in 2016 in recognition of her efforts.
Anyway, let’s take a quick look at the seriously expensive house, which has been flagged by the city of Los Angeles (for being unsafe to enter) until further notice.
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Located at the very end of an ultra-thin dead-end street and perched high up above twisty Laurel Canyon, the contemporary three-story house was originally built in 1979 but obviously underwent a major renovation by developers who bought it in 2014 for just over $4 million and flipped it to Miss Lovato. There is 5,546-square-feet of living space and a total of 4 bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms.
A look at aerial images of the slide area shows that the dirt actually piled down onto Miss Lovato’s next-door neighbor’s home, possibly damaging her front driveway gate in the process but otherwise leaving the actual house unscathed.
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Grandly-scaled living spaces drink in the superb views with enormous disappearing walls of glass. The neutral colors and unfussy hardwood floors work well in here, Yolanda thinks. Nothing is distracting from that incredible view.
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The kitchen is referred to as a “Lifestyle Center” in listing materials. In any case, it has — as you’d expect — every fancy appliance known to man. We like the teal cabinetry mixed with the marble countertops. And that’s perhaps one of the largest sink faucets Yolanda has ever laid eyes on.
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The creature comforts continue to abound outdoors with a zero-edge swimming pool and spa, full grill and dining areas, and a cutesy gazebo at the far rear of the property whose view is unfortunately obscured by an ugly black fence.
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The master suite is located on the second floor and features a king-size bed and an enormous sitting room with marble fireplace and views to the private balcony and the LA basin below. The bathroom has dual vanities, a standalone soaking tub, and a glass-enclosed shower.
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Referred to in marketing materials as the “Upper Club Level”, the third floor appears to be one cathedral-sized room with an unfathomably huge sectional couch and an equally oversized flatscreen TV. A wall of glass disappears to grant access to the “Sky Lounge” roof terrace. Perfect for (sober) parties or watching fireworks. Or maybe seeing a neighbor’s home get buried under a few truckloads of dirt. Whatever floats your dinghy.
Unfortunately, all these amenities are currently wasted on Miss Lovato because the home has been red-tagged while inspectors and engineers assess the hillside above for the potential of future landslides. Meanwhile — according to Our Mama — Miss Lovato continues to reside in the guest house of the Sherman Oaks mini-compound that she generously bought for her family back in 2010. Nice lady.
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Presumably Miss Lovato will stay holed up in her family’s Sherman Oaks home for the foreseeable future while she anxiously awaits news of her Hills home’s eventual destiny. From there, she’ll either attempt to flip the unlived-in property (at a loss) or maybe — if she’s really brave and the hill is “stabilized” — she will move on in.
But Miss Lovato, if you want Yolanda’s advice, stick it out for a couple more years in Sherman Oaks. Then sell the Hills place and move on. The public has a notoriously short memory and even though these incidents must be disclosed in a real estate transactions, a little landslide long ago won’t mean much to a buyer who dreams of owning a prime piece of property in Los Angeles, the land of endless sunshine (and drought!). So don’t let this little kerfuffle bring you down, k?
Listing agent: Ernie Carswell, Teles Properties
Miss Lovato’s agent: Sam Jacobson, Keller Williams Hollywood Hills