A few days ago, Yolanda was contacted by a curious reader named Tammy Jo. Our friend TJ kindly requested a review of actress/global sex symbol Megan Fox‘s Malibu home. If any of y’all follow celebrity gossip, you may recall that Miss Fox and her recently-purchased Malibu house were featured on TMZ last week. And good news for gossipers: there is big-time drama with the purchase, y’all.
Condensed version: it seems that Ms. Fox is majorly pissed off and fit to be hog-tied about several problems with the property (mold, features not up to code, a failing slope). And she is now suing the seller for a whopping $5 million. She even called the place a “nightmarish living hell“! Oh dear.
“Show us pictures of her Malibu dump!” demanded TJ.
Well, kiddies, this next statement might shock y’all. But we must confess that Yolanda does not know everything. While we do try to keep tabs on LA real estate, this is a big city and a bigger county. And there is still plenty of stuff that slips right through the cracks. Matter of fact, we had no idea that Miss Megan even owned a house in Malibu. Truly!
Naturally, being the nosy gal we are, we immediately dove headfirst into a massive pile of property records. Soon we discovered that yes, documents clearly show that Ms. Fox used a blind trust to pay $3,300,000 for a 2.03-acre Malibu property back in May 2016.
We have absolutely no idea how we missed this on the first go-around, but we do apologize and beg forgiveness. Like we say, these things happen. Anyway, it does not seem as though any other sites have posted photos of her moldy Malibu mess just yet — so let’s take a quick peek.
Well, the house certainly appears charming enough and nothing like a “nightmarish living hell”, at least in listing photos. Located in the hidden Ramirez Canyon gated community just across PCH from Paradise Cove, the bucolic mini-estate is surrounded by other similarly sized properties, two of them owned by Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth.
Per records, the seller of the house (and the person being sued by Miss Fox) is a lady named Cynthia Pett-Dante, the manager of Brad Pitt and ex-wife of actor Peter Dante.
According to the listing, the 1965 structure has been “extensively” updated with hardwood floors throughout the main level. The living/dining room has some rather unfortunate furniture and a fireplace with stone surround; the kitchen has stainless appliances and an eat-in bar area.
There are a total of four beds and four baths in the architecturally ambiguous 3,328-square-foot residence: the master suite (or “owner’s suite,” as it is referred to in listing deets) has a bedroom with vaulted ceiling and sitting area. The bathroom with built-in jacuzzi tub and a glassy shower — both are surrounded by some rather icky-looking grey stone.
According to Ms. Fox’s lawsuit, the master bedroom and bathroom were the location of much of the residence’s mold. Yikes! (It should be noted that the vaulted ceilings in the master suite have lots of exposed wood. Is the mold hiding in all those crevices? Look! Can y’all see it?!).
Well, the house may be a mold-infested hot mess. But at least the outdoors are pretty, right? Ms. Fox has a couple acres of land for swimming’, hikin’, and loungin’ in the sun. See the mountains! See those trees! Look, there’s the ocean way out in the distance!
But nope. Ms. Fox says this place is a nightmare too, y’all. The blissful facade (allegedly) masks an undercurrent of deceit and despair: failing slopes, non-permitted animal facilities, oh my!
Forgive us if Yolanda seems glib about Ms. Fox’s unfortunate real estate situation. Understand that we have not seen the entire lawsuit, nor are we privy to all the facts and circumstances. We are just judging based on what we read on TMZ. But it seems to your gurl that all of Ms. Fox’s complaints are things that could (and should) have been easily caught during the inspection period prior to her purchase.
Did Ms. Fox waive the inspections? Did she hire an inspector suggested by the seller? If so, we believe that was not a very bright move! Not for any house, really — and especially not for a $3.3 million house.
Of course, a seller should always disclose all potential problems to prospective buyers. And maybe Ms. Fox hired her own inspector — and that person just did a shoddy job. We suppose it is only natural that Ms. Fox would be hoppin’ mad and sue-happy over all that.
Either way, Yolanda always wishes real estate happiness on all folks, be they rich or poor, famous or average Joes and Janes. So get that settlement, Ms. Fox. Get those problems fixed, or get a new pad. Do what you gotta do. Then get to living again.
Listing agents: Chris Cortazzo & Paul Woodman, Coldwell Banker
Megan Fox’s agent: Brenda Catalano, Coldwell Banker