L.A.’s luxury market shows signs of life

After slow sales to start the year, the market for L.A.’s high-end homes may finally be picking up steam. Recent sales have included a pair of $20-million-plus deals and a high-water transaction in Venice.

Here’s a look at the most expensive homes sold in the last two weeks.

$23 million — Beverly Hills

In the 1000 block of Summit Drive, the estate of late cardiologist and AHI Healthcare Systems co-founder Leonardo Berezovsky sold to Shahpar Akhtarzad.

Set on slightly more than an acre, the Italian-inspired villa of 11,000 square feet came to market in August for $29 million and was more recently listed at $24.9 million, records show.

The 1930s home, reimagined by Chilean-born designer Juan Pablo Molyneux, features such worldly details as a custom mural imported from Paris, a fountain done in Portuguese tile and Sienna Venetian plaster walls speckled with gold flake accents.

Other custom amenities include a safe room with Kevlar-lined walls, a gym/sauna, a temperature-controlled wine cellar and an eight-seat theater.

A lighted tennis court and a decorative swimming pool and spa highlight the hedged and gated grounds.

Jeff Kohl and Mauricio Umansky of the Agency represented both sides of the transaction.

$20.9 million — Beverly Hills

A Georgian-style traditional in the 700 block of North Alta Drive sold for $4.095 million less than the November list price of $24.995 million. The seller was Alta Property Group, a limited liability company based in West Hollywood; the buyer was another entity based out of Beverly Hills.

A copy of the grant deed obtained by The Times shows the taxes will be mailed to the Hollywood office of Docler Holding, a Luxembourg-based enterprise founded by Hungarian billionaire Gyorgy Gattyan. Gattyan is the creator of the adult webcam site Livejasmin.com.

Completed in 2014, the 18,087-square-foot home boasts grand formal rooms, a wood-paneled office, a kitchen with two islands, seven bedrooms and 14 bathrooms. A lower-level lounge has a game room, a gym, a theater and a glass-enclosed wine cellar.

A swimming pool and spa lies within the more than half-acre site.

Coldwell Banker agents Joyce Rey, Stephen Apelian and Christopher Damon co-listed the property with Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency. Monty Beisel and Dustin Cumming of Hilton & Hyland, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, repped the buyers.

$15.5 million — Hollywood Hills West

Gateway Inc. co-founder Ted Waitt sold a 6,200-square-foot home in the 1500 block of Blue Jay Way to Latvian philanthropist and film producer Boris Teterev. It had been listed for sale at $17.9 million.

Built in 2009, multilevel contemporary has an exotic tone, with stone walls, wood finishes and furniture with patterned prints. A custom aquarium serves as the centerpiece for a curving wet bar.

Formal living areas, a game/media room, a gym and an office make up the floor plan. Walls of glass take in city, canyon and ocean views.

Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency and Ryan Davis of John Aaroe Group were the co-listing agents. Davis and Paul Stukin, also of John Aaroe, represented the buyer.

$9.775 million — Brentwood

The Brentwood Park estate of the late Patricia Anawalt, a UCLA anthropologist and former chairman of Anawalt Lumber Co., sold in the 100 block of South Rockingham Avenue for the most recent asking price.

The 4,310-square-foot main house, built in Craftsman style in 1965, is distinguished by its rafter tails, heavy beams and built-ins. Walls of windows bring in light and views of the park-like grounds.

A stone pathway leads across the lawn to a garden house designed by Santa Monica architect John Byers. A covered porch, a patio and a three-car garage fill the more than half-acre site.

Tami Pardee of Pardee Properties was the listing agent. Kevin Booker and Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency repped the buyer, Rockingham Development.

$9.4 million — Venice

In the 2700 block of Ocean Front Walk, a Cape Cod-inspired home designed by Newport Beach architect Ian Harrison changed hands in one of the priciest transactions historically for the Westside community.

The $9.4-million sales price is the highest paid for a single-family home in Venice since late 2014, according to property records.

Built last year, the 3,849-square-foot home has a four-stop elevator, a chef’s kitchen and multiple terrace patios. An oceanfront master suite occupies its own floor and has a steam shower with a Bluetooth-enabled audio system.

A rooftop deck, with a stone fireplace and an outdoor kitchen, takes in views extending from the Venice Pier up to Malibu.

Kelly and Timothy Doyle of Sail Realty were the listing agents. Kathryn Perkins and Tami Pardee of Pardee Properties represented the buyer.

These are among the top residential real estate sales reported on the combined L.A./Westside Listing Service for the period from April 3 through April 16.

hotproperty@latimes.com