Beverly Hills…Just the name evokes mental images of gorgeous weather, palm trees, celebrities, and some of the most breathtaking real estate in the United States. Each and every year, many people enjoy reading the annual list put out by Forbes, outlining the nation’s most highly paid celebrities.
Curbed Los Angeles reported a story in which the creator of Minecraft, Markus “Notch” Persson, snatched away an unbelievable Beverly Hills mansion from Los Angeles celebrity royalty Beyonce and Jay Z, for a staggering $70,000,000.
The original asking price for this megamansion was $85,000,000 and featured an unbelievable list of amenities and features, including a candy room, a car showroom, vodka and tequila bars, a 54 foot tall curved glass door that opens out onto the pool, eight bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, a movie theater, and walk in closets as big as some apartments in Los Angeles.
According to a press release from the agency representing Persson in this transaction, this is the highest paid price ever to be paid for a house in Beverly Hills, and the sale closed in an unheard of six days.
Persson is from Sweden, and the press release also goes on to add the importance of overseas buyers in the ultra luxury “trophy” property market of Los Angeles. Compared with the rest of the world, trophy properties in the greater Los Angeles area are underpriced, and therefore seen by international buyers as a way to enjoy the lifestyle now, and then make a substantial profit down the road.
If you’ve never seen this property, be sure to check out the pictures. The house and grounds are stunning, and aren’t to be missed.
Another notable celebrity real estate purchase came at the hands of one of Hollywood’s other power couples, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. The pair recently purchased the home directly adjacent to their amazing new $20,000,000 Hidden Hills mansion, paying close to $3,000,000 for the 2842 square foot home located on almost 150 acres. Their plans for the property? They will be tearing down the house, in an effort to own the entire block and earn some extra privacy for their family’s ultra-public lives.
Facebook creator and CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently pulled a similar move, paying a collective $30,000,000 to snap up all of the homes around his $7,000,000 Palo Alto, CA home. Other celebrities to utilize this same real estate strategy are the Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and former Disney executive Michael Eisner.
Celebrities often own winter getaway homes, in addition to their equally luxurious homes. Some of the most beautiful vacation homes of the highest paid celebrities include Tom Cruise’s 281 luxury estate in Telluride, Rihanna’s lux Aspen digs, Bruce Willis’s ranch in Idaho, Jimmy Buffet’s modern compound in Beverly Hills, and Celine Dion’s estate (complete with a water park!) in Jupiter, Florida.
Other celebs who purchased new homes in 2014 include Reese Witherspoon, who purchased a brand new home in Pacific Palisades, Jennifer Lawrence, who purchased Jessica Simpson’s former home, Iggy Azalea, who moved into Selena Gomez’s past trophy home, Katie Holmes, who moved to Calabasas, and Khloe Kardashian, who recently purchased Justin Bieber’s former estate.
Searching Los Angeles Real Estate
If you are ready to call Los Angeles home, or if you already do call LA home but are searching for a new home, then you have come to the right place! I am Steve Geller, and I would love the opportunity to earn your business – and your trust. I know the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles areas better than anyone else, having been born and raised here. I have proudly served by clients over the past 20 years, working tirelessly to ensure that each of them have successful and positive transactions. Please feel free to browse through my website to learn more about our area, and then give me a call or connect online when you’re ready to find your dream home!