“Tower Heist” star Ben Stiller and his wife Christine Taylor have unloaded a piece of real estate in the Hollywood Hills. Two years ago, they listed their entire Outpost Canyon compound for $12.5 million, which included two houses and a guest house for a total of 10 bedrooms and 11 baths on almost a full acre parcel. They have sold one of the two homes for $7.325 million, and the other 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath 1930’s Spanish home with a contemporary interior flair still remains on the market for $2.995 million. See below for a photo of the available property:
Update to a Previous Post…
The May 25th post “Hike the Hills” featured a beautiful new Spanish listing that is adjacent to the extremely popular Runyon Canyon park and hiking trails. Well, the home has found a buyer…daughter of the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain…Frances Bean Cobain. According to public records, the house closed escrow in late July for $1,825,000. The 19 year-old purchased the home through a multi-million dollar trust that was set up for her after her father’s death. Francis is also the daughter of Courtney Love of the band Hole, who lost custody of her daughter in 2009 and also was served with a temporary restraining order against her. See below for a photo of them, perhaps from happier times, courtesy of mtv.com:
“The Hills” Star Leaving the Foothills
Lauren Conrad, author, clothing designer and former star of the MTV show “The Hills” has just put her home at the base of the Hollywood Hills on the market. The 1920’s Spanish is located in Sunset Square between Hollywood and Sunset Blvd, just East of Fairfax and is listed at $2.25 million. The 3,000 square foot renovated home features 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, an outdoor fireplace, a gated courtyard, a lap pool and plenty of security cameras for the next potential paparazzi target that chooses to call this house home.
Out of Jail, House on the Market
Sean Avery has slashed the price on his Laurel Canyon home almost immediately after leaving jail for assaulting an officer that came to quiet a party there. Hmmm….wondering if the paparazzi had anything to do with it. Or maybe he was bitter at whichever neighbor decided to call the LAPD over for a visit. Whatever the reason, it must be a motivating one since he dropped it to $859,000 from $929,000, which is $130,000 lower than he paid back in 2005.
The Spanish cottage hillside home is roughly 1,672 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, and could use some light upgrading.
Christina Aguilera Finally Sells…for a Loss
Well after 3 years long and painful years on the market, the new judge of “The Voice” has finally sold one of her two homes in LA, both of which have been listed for sale. The home lucky enough to find a buyer wasn’t so lucky, and sold for $4.6 million or $400,000 less than Aguilera paid for it back in 2003.
The 1960’s Steve Hermann-designed mid-century modern is located above the Sunset Strip with sweeping views of the city. It features 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 6,500 square feet of living space and has luxurious amenities including a pool, spa, media room and bar.
Christina and ex-husband Jordan Bratman’s Beverly Hills Mediterranean Mansion is also on the market for $13,500,000. They purchased the home Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne back in 2005 for $11,500,000.
Matthew Perry Purchases Posh Bachelor Pad in the Doheny Hills

The former friends star just closed escrow on a kick-a** newly-constructed modern crib high above the Sunset Strip in the celebrity-filled Bird Streets area off Doheny Drive in the Hollywood Hills. This 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom, 4,000 square foot residence features all the bells and whistles, including a pool, spa, fire pit, a theater room, views for days, and more. In addition, the home was offered fully-furnished with super high-end finishes and furnishings from companies such as B&B Italia and Poliform. The home was listed at $9.9 million, and the agreed upon sales price was $8.65 million.
Perry concurrently placed his Sierra Towers condo on the market for $2,995,000. It is a 22nd floor Southeast corner unit with a killer view of Sunset Blvd to the East. He purchased the condo from Elton John in 2005 for $3.2 million. It is 1,672 square feet and has two bedrooms and 21/2 bathrooms.
Glee Star Chris Colfer is Moving “Up in the Hills”
Actor, singer, writer and sometimes box-stepping dancer Chris Colfer recently purchased a prime piece of Hollywood Hills real estate in Laurel Canyon. Colfer, who plays fashion-obsessed soprano Kurt Hummel on Glee, purchased the 2 bed/ 2.75 bath (according to public records, that is) contemporary property for $860,000. The home, which is very modest and certainly in need of some refreshing, was built in 1963 and is about 2,462 square feet. The contemporary hillside residence does have it’s selling points: an open floor plan in the main living area that connects the sitting room to an updated kitchen with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, a wet bar and a wine refrigerator. A dramatic staircase flanked by brushed metal railings curves through the home’s three stories, and light hardwood floors make the space feel open and airy. Sliding glass doors open to a deck that overlooks the canyon and a first level fireplace makes for the perfect place to hunker down on chilly nights. Maybe Colfer will invite the Glee gang for an open house party before he leaves their ranks. The actor will be transitioning out of McKinley high School after the upcoming season ends.
Charlie Sheen’s Replacement Closes Escrow
Ashton Kutcher, the upcoming star of Two and a Half Men, just recently closed escrow on his modern home nestled in the Hollywood Hills on Greenvalley Road. Kutcher actually got his hands dirty with his father to participate in the Duncan McIntosh -designed renovation, which he never moved into as a result of his marriage to Demi Moore. He purchased the home in 2004 for a million bucks and then finally re-listed it February for $2.6 million, and ultimately sold it for $2.35 million. The former Punk’D star also opened the home up for tours, with the proceeds of it going to his charity with his wife, the Demi and Ashton Foundation to fight human trafficking. A great house, a great cause and a great sale for the area.
The Wonderful Wonderland School District
One of the most important variables in selecting a home is the school district that the property is located in, especially for buyers with young children. Well, the Laurel Canyon area of the Hollywood Hills just happens to have one the highest rated elementary schools in Los Angeles: Wonderland Avenue School.
Wonderland has been honored with the highly coveted California Distinguished School Award. Their consistently high API (Academic Performance Index) test scores rank them as #2 among all LAUSD elementary schools. The 2010 API score is 973.
Wonderland’s neighborhood school offers a kindergarten and grades 1-5 to students living in the school’s neighborhood. There are few houses within the school’s boundaries that are currently on the market. Below is the view from one of them:
One of the great things about living on Appian Way (besides the school district, of course) is that there are two access points, one from Laurel Canyon and the other from Sunset Plaza Dr, which that has been mentioned in a previous blog post. Very different scenery and feel from each street, and it’s definitely a plus to have different directions depending on the time of day (and the traffic).
This particular property has some sweet features such as high-end designer finishes, top of the line appliances, jet-liner views of well, everything and a YARD, which can be harder to find that you think in the hills, especially when you also have a great view and a price point of under 2 million bucks.
8841 Appian Way is a 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath modern residence with approximately 2500 sqft of living space, and is now priced at $1,795,000. See below for some great photos:
The Bird Streets’ Newest Nest
Anyone who knows anything about LA real estate knows that the Bird Streets is the most exclusive area of the Hollywood Hills. Located on the Western end of the Sunset Strip to the North on Doheny Drive, this prestigious enclave is home to many celebrities (Leonardo DiCaprio) and big-time players such as Sam Nazarian, owner of nightclub/restaurant/hotel powerhouse SBE Entertainment and producer/Oracle heiress Megan Ellison.
In the Doheny Estates area at the very top of Doheny Drive lies Nightingale Dr, considered to be one of the very best of the Bird Streets, where renowned designer Angie Thornbury has created another over-the-top ultra sexy modern view home that fits the lifestyles of many of Hollywood’s elite that reside in the hood.
This 7,000+ square foot residence has 4 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, a two-story theater (with stage and removable stripper pole), 1000 bottle wine cellar, and bar. There is also a pool overlooking the city and an 8+ person spa. Truly fit for a king (or porn star).
This house is top of the line in every regard and can be yours for a mere $13,300,000. Check it out below:
















