Some people have all the luck — or wisdom, or some combination thereof — when it comes to real estate. Take Oscar-winning producer Michael Sugar and his wife Lauren Wall Sugar. Less than two years ago — in March 2017 — they paid $5,550,000 for a brand-new mansion in the fashionable San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Encino.
We don’t think the Sugars made any major changes to the house since their purchase, but even so they decided to plunk the property back onto the market this November (2018) with a $7 million pricetag. Yep, that’s a 1.5 million buck increase for 20 months of ownership. Sounds a little coo-coo, right?
But wouldn’t ya know, before the house had even cannonballed onto the MLS, a ravenous buyer swooped in and the property was “sold before processing”. Records show the deal was officially done for $6,750,000. And the Sugars walked with a $1.2 million profit and two huge smiles.
The new owner’s identity is carefully concealed behind a blind trust, but Yolanda did her usual sniffin’ around and discovered his name is John Fogerty.
73-year-old Mr. Fogerty is a famous musician who arguably reached the zenith of his career in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As the co-founder of Creedence Clearwater Revival, he and his bandmates enjoyed a string of hit albums and songs during that period, many of which have gone on to become classics and continue to generate massive royalties in 2018.
But even after the group disbanded in the ’70s, Mr. Fogerty continued to see professional success through his solo efforts — he’s released at least a half-dozen solo albums and remains active as a singer and songwriter. He’s also also a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee (with CCR) and Rolling Stone included him on both their 100 Greatest Guitarists and 100 Greatest Singers all-time lists.
For the record, Yolanda hears through the grapevine that the property will not be occupied by Mr. Fogerty — rather, it was reportedly purchased for one of his sons. Given that our boy has four adult children — two of which are men — we ain’t certain which son will be living here. But we rather suspect it is 27-year-old Shane Fogerty, the elder of the two and also musically inclined like his pops.
The gated 8,077-square-foot house lies on a primo south-of-Ventura Boulevard cul-de-sac. There are just three other homes on this street, none of which are owned by famous folks.
Ice-blue exterior paint differentiates this particular gurl from other spec-built Traditionals, most of which are Alpine white, pearl white, off-white, you get the picture.
The grand double-height entryway is sure to impress the pizza delivery boy. It features cream-colored hardwood floors and a very grand staircase, plus a formal living room tucked just off to the right side. To the left is a windowed office/study.
Further back on the main floor is a large kitchen — outfitted with all the latest high-end appliances, as one might expect — which opens to the family room, which in turn opens (via glass doors) to the yard.
Also on the lower level are a formal dining room and movie theater.
Included in the big casa are a total of six bedrooms — all of which are en-suite — and eight bathrooms. The master suite sports his-and-hers baths with heated floors and dual closets. As for the bedroom, it features a sitting area, fireplace, and a private covered balcony overlooking the backyard.
Some of the property’s other amenities include an open-air rooftop deck, an outdoor dining space, a BBQ/bar area, and the typical swimming pool/spa combo. Mature trees ring the entire .63-acre lot.
Yolanda poked through records and was quite surprised when we discovered that this $6.75 million pad is not the only place in Encino owned by Mr. Fogerty. Back in April (2018), he quietly paid $3,900,000 for another spec-built Traditional nearby — albeit this one smaller and much less private.
It appears this house was also purchased for his son, but apparently he/they had a quick change of heart and decided to upgrade without ever moving into the first abode. So the bigger property was purchased and the smaller one (above) is back on the market with a much-increased $4,499,000 pricetag. Get it? Someone’s got a very generous pops!
But the entire Fogerty family clearly enjoys living lavishly (and very large). Check out the family’s main residence out near Thousand Oaks.
Located in a gated area of Hidden Valley and set on 22 pastoral acres, the 13,000-square-foot behemoth is home to the elder Mr. Fogerty — that would be John — and his second wife Julie. The couple scooped up the property for $8,950,000 in 2013 and have since given it a thorough renovation.
Believe it or not, but the Fogertys’ relatively new Hidden Valley estate was actually a downsize for them. Before moving out to Ventura County, they slummed it up in the mountains above Beverly Hills, in an area known as Beverly Hills Post Office. And their digs were fit for royalty.
The gargantuan Tuscan-style tumor weighs in with more than 16,000-square-feet of living space. It is located in a small gated community known as Bella Vista Estates, which happens to lie directly adjacent to the far more famous Beverly Park gated community. Other Bella Vista homeowners include bigshot talent agent Adam Venit, Ashton Kutcher — who is midway through construction on a sprawling new compound — and at least one Saudi prince.
Anyway, we digress. The Fogertys sold their BHPO beast back in 2014 for $18,600,000. The buyer? Low-profile billionaire Don Hankey, who made his fortune in subprime auto loans and has since branched out into residential real estate development.
Listing agent: Oren Mordkowitz, Pinnacle Estate Properties
John Fogerty’s agent: Dianna Dingman, Aviara Real Estate