Hot Property: Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi flip the home script in Beverly Hills - Los Angeles Times
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Hot Property: Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi flip the home script in Beverly Hills

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After spending much of the last year changing spots in Santa Barbara County, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are turning their attention back to L.A.

In recent weeks, the entertainment power couple has bought a Beverly Hills home steeped in Old Hollywood history for $15 million. They’ve also quietly sold another home in the area for $35 million, records show.

The home they just bought — a Hollywood Regency designed by architect-to-the-stars John Elgin Woolf and built in 1962 — was the longtime home of late actress and philanthropist Marjorie Lord. Lord was best known for her role as wife to Danny Thomas’ character in “Make Room for Daddy” as well as the spinoff “Make Room for Granddaddy.”

After Lord’s death in 2015, the property came up for sale in 2016 and sold for $8.3 million. It has since been restored by Los Angeles-based design firm Marmol Radziner.

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Now polished to a fine sheen, the single-story house boasts scaled formal rooms, web-patterned wood ceilings and original Pullman entry doors. A circular foyer sits beyond the entry. Floor-to-ceiling windows in nearly every room take in city-to-ocean views.

The 5,100 square feet of living space also holds a reimagined kitchen with a skylight-topped island, a breakfast nook, a family room and a den/office.

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The curving design of the house encapsulates private courtyards for each of the five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. A covered patio lined with columns, a barbecue and a small swimming pool complete the grounds.

The home DeGeneres and de Rossi sold sits on about three-quarters of an acre. It has four bedrooms, eight bathrooms and nearly 6,000 square feet of living space, tax records show. The couple had owned the property for about three years.

Linda May and Drew Fenton of Hilton & Hyland held the listing for the former Lord residence. Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency represented the buyers. The other property was sold off-market to Sue Gross, the ex-wife of billionaire investor Bill Gross.

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DeGeneres, 60, has won multiple Emmys for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” which premiered in 2003. Last year she co-created and produced the show “Little Big Shots” with Steve Harvey.

De Rossi, 45, has television credits that include the legal drama “Ally McBeal” and the sitcom “Arrested Development.”

A-lister completes his scene change

Veteran film actor Edward Norton has called it a wrap on Malibu’s Las Flores Beach, selling his home in the beach community after more than a decade of ownership for $4.395 million.

The oceanfront retreat is prime for income potential with a split floor plan that includes three bedrooms, two bathrooms and two full kitchens. There are fireplaces in the family and living rooms.

Outside, expansive decking meets 43 feet of sandy beachfront. A tiki-hut-style bar, an above-ground spa, a sun deck and tall palms complete the setting.

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The property came up for sale in February with an asking price of $5.25 million but was more recently listed for $4.5 million. Norton bought the place in 2008 for $2.72 million, real estate records show.

Norton, 49, is known for his Oscar-nominated roles in “Primal Fear” (1996), “American History X” (1998) and “Birdman” (2015). His upcoming projects include “Motherless Brooklyn,” a crime drama that he co-wrote, directed and stars in.

The sale is not a complete departure from Malibu for Norton. Last year, he paid $11.8 million for a John Lautner-designed home in a different beach community, The Times previously reported.

Chris Cortazzo of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage was the listing agent, according to the Multiple Listing Service. Brandon Williams and Rayni Williams of Hilton & Hyland represented the buyer.

It’s hard to keep up with this family

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The real estate wheels keep on turning for the Kardashian-Jenner family.

A trust linked to the reality television clan has paid $12 million for a minimalist mansion in La Quinta’s Madison Club community. Details are foggy on which member of the family snapped up the 11,000-square-foot home, but records show the trust that bought the estate is linked to family matriarch Kris Jenner.

Built in 2016, the modern estate offers seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms and a host of expansive living spaces. Modern chandeliers top the kitchen and dining room in the open floor plan, and the indoor-outdoor living room holds a built-in fireplace.

Out front, there’s a courtyard with parallel fire pits. In the back, pocketing doors unfold to a sleek covered patio that takes in golf course and mountain views.

A massive infinity-edge swimming pool fills out the rest of the nearly one-acre grounds.

Ginger Glass of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage held the listing.

The sale represents an eastward expansion for the group, whose properties mostly lie in Los Angeles County hot spots like Calabasas, Malibu, Hidden Hills and Bel-Air.

Last year, Jenner and her daughter, Kim Kardashian West, each bought condos in the upscale Avanti community in Calabasas. The 15th season of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” a reality series that follows the family, premiered in August.

Unfinished business comes with a high price

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In Malibu, a three-parcel spread with a half-finished mansion is being shopped by retired NBA big man Kevin Garnett.

The 15-time All Star has set the price at $19.9 million, or more than three times what he paid for the property, which originally held a six-bedroom villa, in 2003 for $6.4 million.

Spreading across seven acres of grounds, the estate sits at the end of a gated driveway that ends at a circular motor court.

An 11,000-square-foot mansion is the focal point of the ocean-view property. The home is under construction and slated to be finished in 12 months, according to the listing agent Eric Hassan. Should a buyer snap it up before then, there would be an opportunity to customize certain parts not yet completed.

The new home, which sports an L-shaped design, borders a swimming pool and spa.

Hassan and Barbara Tenenbaum of Hilton & Hyland hold the listing.

Garnett, 42, played for the Timberwolves, Celtics and Nets during a decorated career that saw him win an MVP award with Minnesota and an NBA championship with Boston. In 21 seasons, he tallied 14,662 rebounds, good for ninth most in league history.

Spinning up sales from coast-to-coast

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DJ Khaled has found his next major key: a 12,750-square-foot mansion in Miami Beach.

The hip-hop producer turned social-media star closed out September by paying $21.75 million for the waterfront estate of Michael Lerner, the entrepreneur known for popularizing the “Baby on Board” sign.

The minimalist-vibe residence boasts five bedrooms and a mix of open-plan living spaces. Among them is an expansive great room topped by Cumaru wood ceilings and a formal dining room that resembles a corporate boardroom. An oversized island anchors the kitchen.

On the upper level, reached by a floating staircase or elevator, a mahogany-draped master suite opens to a private balcony. Other second-story perks include a safe room and a movie theater.

The backyard adds an 80-foot swimming pool and a two-story gazebo with a kitchen and an outdoor shower. A four-bedroom guesthouse sits on the other end of the one-acre property.

Eloy Carmenate and Mick Duchon of Douglas Elliman held the listing. Orli Rudolph of NextHome Realty Professionals represented Khaled.

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Khaled, 42, has released 10 studio albums and boasts collaborations with Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Drake and Kanye West. He became an internet sensation in recent years for his motivational posts in which he details the “keys to success.”

[email protected] | Twitter: @LATHotProperty

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