SavvySugar

Former Fixer-Upper of DJ AM Is For Sale

CasaSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:00:30 -0800

The former Beverly Hills home of the late DJ AM has been listed for $3.8 million. The 4-bedroom, 4.5-bath midcentury home is private and gated with both canyon and city views. It boasts "rich mahogany floors, custom built-in theater, Crestron system, and flat-screen TVs throughout, two-sided fireplace, office, large kitchen with stainless steel appliances and carrerra marble countertops," according to the listing.

AM purchased the property for $1.9 million in the Spring of 2007, and made some wonderful changes to it before his death. I love how he landscaped the pool with grass and slate tiles to complement its prismatic shape and chime in on its modern aesthetic. When he bought the property there were also some awful Ionic columns out front, which were completely amiss with the midcentury architecture, and it looks like he replaced them with something simple or just covered them up with shrubbery. He also added one and one-half bathrooms. He modernized the two-sided fireplace in the living room and had a custom built-in theater built above it. And I suspect he installed a television which rises from the foot of bed. It's unfortunate that he wasn't able to see the profits of his terrific renovations.

To look at photos from before and after he renovated, read more.

Before:

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After:

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Modesty Is the Policy For Colin Hanks's Los Angeles Purchase

CasaSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:30 -0700

You might expect the son of a renowned star like Tom Hanks to swoop up a sprawling Hollywood mansion at first chance, courtesy of Dad. But Colin Hanks is determined to be an actor in his own right and has his priorities straight. Thus, he's quietly purchased a modest two-bedroom, 1.75-bath home in Los Angeles for just over $1 million. While not opulent by any means, the property, designed by distinguished architect Paul R. Williams, does have historical value. It features a large open living room with high ceilings, a fireplace, and a bank of windows, a full dining room, and a sunny kitchen. The home's two bedrooms are raised a few steps and each have en-suite baths and a library. The house has wonderful city views and lush landscaping that I imagine offers lots of privacy for the budding star. I think it's a really sharp house, and elements like marble countertops, beautiful hardwood floors, and rich ceiling beams are great selling points. Take a tour when you read more.

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Source

Meg Ryan Reduces the Price of Her Bel-Air Mansion

CasaSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:11 -0700

Nearly a year ago to date, I let you know that Meg Ryan had listed her six-bedroom, seven-bath Bel-Air home for the tune of $19.5 million. With no bites, she took it off the market in February. Now, she's relisted the property with a new real estate agent, knocking the price down to $14.2 million. Even though Meg's been reeling in the big-screen bucks since the '80s, I suspect that even for her, a $5 million loss makes a difference. Think of all the Joe Versus the Volcano-style vacations she could take with that moola!

The listing for the Holmby Hills-area Spanish-style compound reads:

Museum quality restoration of a classic Spanish estate sited on promontory with wide open city and ocean views across layers of greenery. Wonderful arches, resort-like grounds and complete privacy. Stenciled and painted wood ceilings, tiles, ironwork, rich wood floors, doors and windows, arches, etc. French doors throughout open to loggia, dining pavilion, expansive lawn and pool. Stunning kitchen, generous living room and dining room, separate bar room, two family rooms and screening room.

To see interior and exterior photos of the property, read more.

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Whitney Houston Lists Her Round House

CasaSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:57:15 -0700

Whitney Houston has put her 12,561-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-and-one-half-bath Mendham, NJ, house on the market for $2.5 million. The most notable element of the house, which was featured on her short-lived reality show Being Bobby Brown, is that it's entirely round. It also has soaring ceilings and beautiful natural light, but if you have a thing for angles, this house won't do. According to the listing, it was built in 1992, while Real Estalker says Houston snapped up the mansion at the height of her fame in 1987. But regardless, it looks pretty '80s to me! I do like her Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired glass panes, but the vertical blinds, peach-colored décor, and drapey window valances are beyond tacky. Take a look at the photos, and tell me what you think when you read more.

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Coveted Crib: Abbijane Schifrin's Technicolor Townhouse

CasaSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:00:33 -0700

The Gramercy Park townhouse of the late fashion designer Abbijane Schifrin is on the market for $8.75 million, and it's truly a dream. The five-story 1855 building sits on a delightful, tree-lined street and looks quite prim from the exterior, with a pair of 21 Club-esque jockeys and a cast-iron gate. But inside the house is dressed with glitzy gilt walls, bright turquoise and pink paint, and Mediterranean-style arts and crafts tilework - a drastic deviation from what passersby see. Dramatic art-deco furniture, animal-print upholstery make the zany space a treat to tour. The style is not for everyone but definitely fun! See more photos when you read more.

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Cost of 4-Bedroom Homes in the Most and Least Pricey Cities

SavvySugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:32:16 -0700

Homes are one category where you cannot judge the cost by its cover. Housing prices vary wildly depending on geography - the same chunk of change can buy a 1,000 square-foot condo in one part of the country or a 5,200 spacious home in another area.

The 2009 Coldwell Banker Home Price Comparison Index was released this week, and it's an "apples-to-apples" comparison of the prices around the nation for 2,200-square-foot, four-bedroom, two-and-one-half bath, single-family homes. See a side-by-side cost comparison of the 10 most and least affordable cities below.

Location	Price	Location	Price
La Jolla, CA	$2,125,000	Grayling, MI	$112,675
Beverly Hills, CA	$1,981,750	Akron, OH	$121,885
Greenwich, CT	$1,519,250	Fayetteville, NC	$130,875
Palo Alto, CA	$1,489,726	Canton, OH	$131,867
Santa Monica, CA	$1,460,912	Detroit, MI	$132,000

See five more comparisons when you read more.

Location	Price	Location	Price
San Francisco, CA	$1,363,250	Arlington, TX	$138,775
Boston, MA	$1,337,578	Macon, GA	$139,007
Newport Beach, CA	$1,315,505	Eau Claire, WI	$141,270
Palos Verdes, CA	$1,237,041	Port Charlotte, FL	$142,750
San Mateo, CA	$1,090,000	Wichita, KS	$144,625

January Jones Buys a Fixer-Upper in Los Feliz

CasaSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0700

January Jones's character in Mad Men may live in a picture-perfect house, but in real life, the actress doesn't mind a little work. January just snatched up a fixer-upper in LA's Los Feliz neighborhood for just over $1 million. The 2,200-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath 1920s Mediterranean villa is definitely dated, and a far cry from some of the slickly renovated homes of her contemporaries.

The kitchen, with its sad linoleum floors and vintage cabinets, could be reconfigured and remodeled. But overall the space is charming and bright with beautiful landscaping, and it would make an ideal place to throw a '60s-inspired cocktail party. See photos when you read more.

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Ben Stiller Meets the Market

CasaSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:54 -0700

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor have put their 10-bedroom, 11-bath Hollywood Hills compound on the market for a cool $12.5 million.

The 1929 Spanish-style spread includes two houses and a one-bedroom guest house on an acre of lushly landscaped grounds. It boasts beautiful terracotta tiles and colorful inlays, a magnificent pool, an outdoor dining and living area with built-in seating, French doors, three fireplaces, six garage bays, hardwood flooring, and naturally, a home theater. The house looks flawless and is a great example of a California hacienda-style home. But what really impresses me is the property's privacy. Los Angeles has plenty of homes over $10 million sitting on a mere acre, and it baffles me that people would pay so much to live so close to their neighbors. The lush landscaping on Stiller's home though seems to offer ideal seclusion. See photos when you read more.

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Source

7 Guidelines For First-Time Home Buyers

SavvySugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 04:30:22 -0700

Just about a year ago, our financial system as we knew it was collapsing - Wall Street was in shambles. Things kept getting worse in pretty much every corner of the economy, and we're still trying to figure out whether or not the country has reached a state of recovery. The housing market has been particularly tumultuous, but many new buyers are taking advantage of lower home prices and finding themselves in escrow for the first time.

Home-buying is a different game than it used to be, so The New York Times' Ron Lieber gathered a list of seven suggestions for navigating the new housing economy.

Start with the basics. Lieber lays the foundation for conservatively getting into the market and says, "Put 20 percent down, so you have less of a chance of owing more than your home is worth if prices fall again. Get a fixed-rate mortgage, so the biggest part of your monthly housing bill remains stable." On top of that, he recommends spending no more than about 35 percent of your pretax income on mortgage, property tax and home insurance payments.
Consider your income. Income overconfidence may have had something to do with the mortgage mess, but Princeton economics professor Harvey S. Rosen thinks “People can, on average, make reasonably good predictions of their future incomes and act on them in sensible ways by buying bigger houses."
Bow to unknowns. Financial planner Bobbie D. Munroe encourages her clients, especially the younger ones, to model their budget in three ways: with both spouses working full time, one working part time, and one staying at home for a few years (and maybe even practicing living on one income).

See the four more guidelines when you read more.

Map out expenses. Financial planner Dennis G. Stearns "estimates that owners of a newer home that do some work for themselves but contract major work out to others will pay 3.6 percent of the original purchase price annually for maintenance and 4.5 percent if it’s an older home."
Buy best (or cheapest). Financial planner Michael Kalscheur "suggests buying the dream house you covet (if you can afford it) or an inexpensive starter house but not anything in the middle." He reasons that buying the entry-level home instead of the second place home will allow you to save enough money to buy what you really want down the road.
Stretch the house. Stretching out your tenure in a home by making periodic upgrades might be more sensible than ever moving from that first home.
The eight-hour rule. Lieber advises, "If an impending loan has you stretching for the Ambien, it’s a pretty good sign that the loan is a bit of a stretch as well." In other words, sleep on it before making any decisions.

On the Market: Melrose Place Apartments

CasaSugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:00:36 -0700

If you ever dreamed of living in West Hollywood's most scandalous courtyard complex, now's your chance to make life at Melrose Place a real estate reality - sort of. To promote the new series of the '90s prime time drama, a fake real estate listing for Melrose Place Apartments has hit the web, complete with photos of an apartment in the complex and a panoramic tour. Features include "hardwood floors, an absolutely killer kitchen, vintage appliances, water pressure to-die-for, huge bedrooms, French doors, an original clawfoot tub, and closet space for two."

Sound appealing? A rental application is available for any of you interested parties. Be prepared to list your publicist, agent, mistress, and long-lost child as references, and answer questions like, "Do you consider yourself a strong swimmer/ skinny dipper?" to be accepted, though. If you're curious about the complex demographics, you can also check out links to the Twitter pages of some of the building's "satisfied residents." Want to take a peek? Take a video tour and see some photos of the digs when you read more.

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