Ready for this one? Fasten them safety belts.
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.
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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).
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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 Streets residence. More on that place a bit later.
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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.
Although the couple had no children and Mr. Dubbert signed a very detailed prenup, he viciously fought for spousal support of nearly $250,000 per month (!!!). As TMZ eloquently put it, “[Paige’s] Hubby Won’t Settle For Top Ramen“. Indeed.
We hope Ms. Laurie tossed Bo a Gelson’s giftcard. A guy’s gotta eat! But let’s move on from that ugliness.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
Sir Tom Hunter’s agent: Denise Moreno, Hilton & Hyland
Paige Laurie’s agent: Michael Collins, Coldwell Banker