Entrepreneurial celeb couple Bill & Giuliana Rancic have a passion for real estate, a passion that has been documented by several of the (many) TV shows on which they’ve popped up since their 2007 nuptials.
The couple had their Giuliana and Bill reality show for seven seasons, which semi-followed their series of house renovations and flips. Though the TV show has folded — at least temporarily — the property show ain’t over ’til the proverbial fat lady sings. AKA until the market crashes again.
Mr. Rancic was the OG winner of Donald Trump’s Apprentice reality show, and continued working under the Trump Organization umbrella in subsequent years. He co-hosted the America Now TV news program with Leeza Gibbons, wrote and published his own novel, and toils as a spokesperson for Rogaine.
As for Mrs. Rancic, she has also taken a multi-pronged approach to her career. While probably best-known for her many years as a celebrity gossip reporter for E! News, she’s got her own line of prosecco (sold at Target!) and a clothing line called G by Giuliana, which was sold on the Home Shopping Network. She and her hubby also own RPM restaurants, a steak-and-Italian chain with locations in Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Now in their mid-40s, the couple are onto their 12th real estate project. And as their entrepreneurial ventures have grown more successful — and their wallets likewise grown fatter — they’ve moved onto a series of ever-pricier house flips, culminating in today’s property. It’s their most expensive project of all (so far). Located in one of LA’s most affluent neighborhood pockets — the low-key but fearsomely expensive Brentwood Park — the 1986-built “Classic Georgian” abode is ripe for a trendy facelift.
Although nobody will call the new Rancic pad cheap, it does appear the pair negotiated a decent deal on the mini-estate. Originally listed at $9.25 million, the Rancics coughed up just $7,675,000 for the keys.
And it appears that Mr. and Mrs. Rancic are wasting no time with the renovations — Mr. Rancic has already posted an Instagram video showing a roll-off dumpster being deposited on the premises. Presumably there are walls to be knocked down, floors to be ripped up and etc.
The house was sold to the Rancics by one Susan Maguire, an ex-wife of prominent real estate developer Robert F. Maguire III. Though not really “famous”, Ms. Maguire got her 15 minutes in the limelight after admitting in court that she paid over $1 million to Anthony Pellicano — LA’s notorious “private detective to the stars” in return for him investigating her philandering ex-husband and his mistress.
Anyway, Ms. Maguire owned the home for over 20 years — since the mid-90s — and it appears exquisitely maintained. However, Yolanda also believes it could benefit from some contemporary updates. The walled property has two entrances: the main gate leads to a motorcourt and the home’s front door, while a secondary service gate takes one to the home’s discreet two-car garage and lower level.
Carefully clipped hedges and mature trees adorn the brick walkway to the home’s formal entrance, and the foyer has parquet floors and a soaring ceiling.
A gracious dining room has wainscoting and salmon-colored walls, while the butler’s pantry has lighted shelves for glassware storage, a sink, and a refrigerator. Elsewhere on the main floor are a formal living room, a library, and a breakfast nook with fireplace. The kitchen sports butcher block countertops and expensive Viking appliances, though we think it could stand a modern redo.
There are 5 bedrooms and 5.75 bathrooms in the home’s current configuration, including maid’s quarters on the main floor and three guest bedroom suites upstairs. The indulgent master suite has a bedroom with sitting area plus two separate sitting rooms, a bathroom with built-in soaking tub and steam shower, and a roomy walk-in closet.
In addition to the garage, the home’s lower level includes a laundry room and a so-called “playroom with fireplace” (currently outfitted with exercise machines and a pool table).
Up on the main floor, French doors open to the property’s lush backyard. There’s a rectangular pool, formal rose gardens, a grassy lawn, and a romantic brick terrace surrounded by thickets of hedges — perfect for breezy al fresco dining. The .45-acre lot isn’t particularly huge, but it’s roomy enough and a typical size for this neighborhood.
$7.7 million for this “fixer” mansion may seem a big hunk o’ cheddar, but it’s arguably cheap for Brentwood Park. Right next door to the Rancic project is a property recently sold as a $9 million teardown to Disney bigwig Sean Bailey. (He’s now midway through construction on a huge new custom home).
Also within walking distance is the $20 million home of Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff and the $14 million estate of South Park creator Trey Parker. And just down the road is a $27+ million, triple-wide vacant lot owned by hedgie Steven Romick. He’s plotting an epic compound for the property, but we digress.
Although Yolanda ain’t know exactly what the Rancics intend to do with their renovation, we do know that this is not the couple’s first Brentwood home purchase. Way back in August 2012, they shelled out $4,290,000 for a brand-new Traditional in a less fashionable area of town. The property was flipped one year later for exactly $5 million to a non-famous married couple.
Most of Mr. and Mrs. Rancic’s other property projects have been located in or around the city of Chicago, where they have long primarily resided. Last year, they listed a historic mansion on Chicago’s Gold Coast with a $6.8 million asking price.
The couple also keep an Idaho cabin that was recently featured in Architectural Digest. Located just outside the resort town of Coeur d’Alene, the structure boasts idyllic lakefront views.
Listing agent: Sue Kohl, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
Bill & Giuliana Rancic’s agent: Monique Contro Navarro, The Agency