Oh Lawdy, she’s at it again. Perennially nomadic and Porsche-driving showbiz stalwart Ellen DeGeneres has just dropped the big bucks on yet another swanky new pad. Before we begin, we must give credit for this story to our longtime friend/tipster Barbara Bane, who is based in Santa Barbara.
Ms. DeGeneres — arguably the most voracious real estate-lovin’ celebrity on the planet — is known for her love of the Santa Barbara/Montecito area, with its near-perfect climate and relaxed atmosphere. Thus, it is probably not such a surprise that she has elected to purchase an oceanfront compound on a low-key but super-expensive street (Padaro Lane) where several other celebrities also reside, in Carpinteria (CA), just south of Montecito.
Astute readers may recall that last Yolanda discussed Padaro Lane a few months back, when Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis forked over $10 million cash for their own compound on the sand. And as you might expect for a lady with an (estimated) net worth of $400 million, Ms. DeGeneres’s own Padaro Lane compound is even bigger than the Kunis-Kutcher’s pad and a unique piece of architecture.
A thorough analysis of records leads Yolanda to believe that the 1.13 acre property was acquired by prominent LA developer Robert F. Maguire III way back in 1997 for just $3,150,000. For reasons unbeknownst to us, it appears that Mr. Maguire lost the property to foreclosure earlier this year (in June 2017). It was the bank who sold the comely compound to Ms. DeGeneres for $18.6 million.
A long eucalyptus-shaded drive leads past a tennis court and guest house before it ends at a spacious motorcourt in front of the main residence and attached three car garage.
The 5,979-square-foot main house sports soaring ceilings and walls of glass, and was originally built in 1979. Upgraded hardwood floors grace most of the rooms, and the spacious kitchen has been fancified with top-grade appliances and fluorescent lighting.
The main house includes 4 bedrooms and 4.5 baths, and the master suite features more walls of glass plus a balcony overlooking the sand and Pacific below. Other perks include a free-standing, built-in soaking tub and an enormous walk-in closet that looks more like a fancy boutique with its skylights and polished hardwood floors.
The glassy modern also includes an office/library, an outdoor fireplace and outdoor daybed, and even a built-in spa. Apparently patriotism is big up in Carpinteria — just like Ashton & Mila’s new place, Ellen’s also sports a flag pole of its own.
Elsewhere on the property is an 883-square-foot guest house with 1 bedroom, 2 full bathrooms, and a vaguely Mayan-inspired architectural vernacular. Or is that just Yolanda’s early mornin’ cocktails talking?
Other estate amenities a lighted clay tennis court (overlooked by the glass walls of the guest house) and — of course — the spectacular Carpinteria ocean vistas.
$18.6 million may seem like a ton of money for a house this size, but steel yourselves because this property was once listed at a hilariously unrealistic $37,500,000 ask way back in 2008. So depending on how you look at is, Ms. Degeneres got a good deal.
Yolanda has long heard vicious rumors from connected sources that Ms. DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi — her actress wife of nearly a decade — are on the brink of divorce. But as of now they are still together. So let’s keep those nasty thoughts out of our heads, capiche?
Anyway, the couple has owned so many spectacular homes over the years that Yolanda can simply not track them all. But there was that contemporary Beverly Hills compound up in Coldwater Canyon that they sold (at a huge loss) to Ryan Seacrest for $39.5 million. Then there was their Marmol Radziner-designed Hollywood Hills home that they bought in 2005 and sold to heiress Allison Milgard in 2007. They later bought that house back in 2014 and sold it again in 2016 for $9.9 million to Calvin Klein co-founder Barry Schwartz. Out in Malibu, they once owned a blufftop architectural that was purchased from Brad Pitt in 2011 for $12 million and sold — less than a year later, mind you — to makeup mogul Victoria Jackson for $13 million. And let’s not forget their A. Quincy Jones-designed Holmby Hills stunner that they bought in early 2014 for just under $40 million and sold six months later for $49.5 million to Facebook billionaire Sean Parker.
Ms. DeGeneres’s current property portfolio includes her main residence — a privately-situated mid-century in a fabulous pocket of Beverly Hills that lies just north of Sunset Boulevard. She picked up that house in late 2015 for right around $16 million. She’s also got a big-ass 17-acre compound in Santa Barbara that she picked up in 2013 for $28.8 million, renovated, and currently has available for purchase at $45 million.
In addition to Mr. & Mrs. Kutcher, some of Ellen’s higher-profile new Padaro Lane neighbors include George Lucas, Oscar winner Kevin Costner, soap opera actor Doug Davidson, their friend Barry Schwartz, direct marketing guru Greg Renker, billionaire hedge funder Bruce Kovner, and internet entrepreneur Lynda Weinman.
Listing agent: Mk Properties, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services
Ellen DeGeneres’s agent: Suzanne Perkins, Sotheby’s International Realty