It’s certainly no secret that the far-flung San Fernando Valley communities of Calabasas and Hidden Hills have become somewhat of a residential mecca to celebrities from the music and pro sports industries. Yolanda can’t say for sure why that is, but we do know that Calabasas is one of LA County’s newest cities. And the homes there — for the most part — were all built in the mid-90s or later. So the tidy and quintessentially suburban streets are lined with newish mansions, all with carefully manicured lawns and hedges. You won’t find any derelict teardowns out here. And then there’s the upscale Commons area, which provides a variety of luxe dining and shopping options.
A large house in the Mountain View Estates guard-gated community recently sold for $3,800,000. Though the buyer’s identity is cloaked behind an LLC, Yolanda happens to know it is former NBA star Al Harrington and his longtime wife Michelle.
Our 6’9″ Mr. Harrington played professional basketball for all of 17 years, which is quite a tenure in the world of professional sports. What Yolanda finds even more eye-popping, however, is that the itchy-footed Mr. Harrington played for seven different teams during that time. Holy mackerel! That’s a lot of jumping around.
Since his 2015 retirement, Mr. Harrington has been living the good life in Calabasas — specifically in The Oaks, the city’s most prestigious guard-gated community. But it seems as though he felt like switching things up by bidding adieu to The Oaks and saying hello to nearby Mountain View.
Oh, we should also mention that Mr. Harrington has kept busy in the years following his retirement by attempting to become a marijuana mogul. Yes, y’all — weed. Mr. Harrington’s company Viola Extracts is named after his grandma, a chronic pain sufferer who found relief through the green. That’s sort of sweet, we suppose.
Mr. Harrington’s new Calabasas home is a classic ’90s Mediterranean McMansion with 6,733-square-feet of living space and 7 beds/6.25 baths. The property itself if among the most private in the Mountain View community, as it is tucked into the end of a cul-de-sac on a .9-acre lot. The generous parcel size gives the property privacy and space for recreational amenities such as a lagoon-style pool and a full-size sport court. Views take in the mostly barren surrounding hills.
The interiors were recently redone by the non-celebrity sellers — a European couple who recently upgraded to a larger house in nearby Hidden Hills, in case y’all are curious — and some of the formal rooms have an Asian-style flair. Check out all the red countertops, walls, and backsplash. Yolanda also spies some chintzy chinoiserie goin’ on up in that dining room. At least the kitchen has top-of-the-line Viking appliances, and the hardwood floors look nice.
The commodious family room is equipped with a fireplace and opens via French doors to the various outdoor entertaining areas, which include a full outdoor kitchen and dining area next to an outdoor fireplace.
The upstairs master suite has a private balcony overlooking the backyard, a built-in soaking tub, and a sitting area with a fireplace. Yolanda cannot explain the photos of those creepy-looking skeletons — maybe it’s the cool thing for the kids to be into these days — but it gives your gurl the chills somethin’ awful.
Some of Mr. Harrington’s new neighbors in Mountain View Estates include reality TV star Kendra Wilkinson and her ex-NFL star hubby Hank Baskett, current NFL star Kenny Britt, retired NBA star Mark Jackson, and musician Frankie Vallie.
As luck would have it, Mr. Harrington successfully unloaded his former Calabasas pad just a couple days back. Though we do not yet see the sale recorded in public records, the MLS says the Oaks house went for $4,620,000 — nearly $800,000 more than he paid more than three years ago! Congrats.
The 6,797-square-foot Mediterranean McMansion was built in 2007 and — just like his new house — is located on a cul-de-sac with views overlooking the surrounding hills. The .7-acre property features an infinity-edged pool plus a half-size sport court and a full outdoor kitchen. Sound vaguely familiar?
Other famous residents of The Oaks include a couple of those krazy Kardashian sisters, Michael Jackson’s momma Katherine, reality TV star Tamar Braxton (who is reportedly facing foreclosure on her $10.5 million mansion, yikes!), big-time music producer Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, and rapper Iggy Azalea, who is currently leasing a house just a couple doors down from the house Mr. Harrington has now sold.
Yolanda does not know why Mr. Harrington would trade the Calabasas house he owned for only three years for another similarly-sized (but much older) Calabasas abode that is barely cheaper and is located in an arguably less prestigious gated community, but folks with money to burn can be silly about these things. Maybe he just wanted a change of scenery. Or maybe he got tired of the Kardashians asking to borrow sugar?
Listing agents (Mountain View Estates): Peter Radd, Dana Olmes & Jeff Biebuyck, Compass
Selling agent (Mountain View Estates): Howard Zuckerman, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
Listing agents (The Oaks): Howard Zuckerman & Meirav Leibovici, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
Selling agent (The Oaks): J’Naiya Ermon, Rodeo Realty