Hot Property: Picture this
Some houses we write about sound pretty much the same. Others have vivid characteristics that make them stand out almost as much as their celebrity connections.
Among real estate deals of note this week, screenwriter Alan Ball, who won an Oscar for “American Beauty,” snared a buyer for his distinctive Arts and Crafts compound. It’s got an aviary and a rustic wood-clad exterior.
Once you’re done checking out these star-studded transactions, visit and like our Facebook page, where you can find Hot Property stories and updates throughout the week. That’s also a fine place to leave a tip about a celebrity home deal.
– Neal J. Leitereg and Lauren Beale
Roll the credits
“American Beauty” screenwriter Alan Ball has parted ways with his longtime home in Hollywood Hills, selling the more-than-one-acre compound for $7.115 million.
Within the hilltop grounds are a wood-clad 1954 Craftsman house, a detached guesthouse, a two-story gym with a steam room and a studio/pool house. The structures contain six bedrooms and six bathrooms with 6,000 square feet of living space.
Outdoors, stone steps lead away from the main house to a swimming pool and spa. A fire pit with a seating area takes in city and canyon views. There’s also a large aviary.
Ball, 60, is the creator and producer of such shows as “True Blood” and “Six Feet Under.” More recently, he served as an executive producer for the television film drama “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” starring Oprah Winfrey.
Meditate on this
David Arquette has sold his historic Craftsman home in the Windsor Square area of Los Angeles for $8.342 million.
Built in 1909, the Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument has been meticulously restored and features handcrafted mahogany doors, beamed ceilings and six wood-burning fireplaces. One of the signature features of the place is a meditation pond.
Beyond the wood-paneled foyer, common spaces include a formal living room, a dining room, a den, a family room and a wet bar. There are seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms within 9,708 square feet of living space.
Outdoors, landscaped grounds include the aforementioned pond and a swimming pool. A large outdoor fireplace sits near the pool area.
The 45-year-old Arquette, an actor and producer, is known for film roles in “Eight Legged Freaks (2002), “Never Been Kissed” (1999) and the “Scream” franchise.
Crash pad of sorts
Here’s a house that brings a scene to mind. The Beverly Hills home where Howard Hughes once crash-landed a plane has come on the market for $14.45 million.
The filmmaker and aviator was flying an XF-11, a reconnaissance aircraft commissioned by the U.S Air Force, on its maiden voyage in 1946 when he experienced engine problems mid-flight. Failing to reach the Los Angeles Country Club for an emergency landing, the plane careened into a pocket of homes on North Linden Drive and Whittier Drive, including the one now for sale.
The plane’s right wing sliced through the upstairs bedroom of the home. Hughes was critically injured but survived.
Designed and built in 1926 by architect Wallace Neff, the extensively renovated house sits on more than a third of an acre.
He’ll be right at home
Actor Jeremy Piven has bought a home for $6.8 million in keeping with his power agent role on the long-running HBO series “Entourage.” The bold and dramatic Hollywood Hills West house is perched on a hilltop in the Mount Olympus area.
The modern residence has a switchback design that vaults the dining room ceiling and creates a rooftop terrace above.
The 4,800 square feet of open-plan living space includes an artistic floating staircase, four bedrooms and five bathrooms.
Piven, 51, won multiple Primetime Emmys during his eight-season run on “Entourage.” More recently he starred in the British drama series “Mr. Selfridge.”
Coming out a winner
Television producer David Broome has seen major gains from his recent home sale.
Broome, who created the weight-loss competition show “The Biggest Loser,” last month sold his estate in a gated Calabasas community for $8.1 million — $2.7 million more than he paid for the property four years ago.
The most remarkable visual of the European-inspired house, built in 2007, is the two-story library tower. A large antler chandelier hangs in the center of the room.
Outdoors, the 1.2 acres of grounds center on a glass-bottomed mosaic swimming pool. The garage is equipped with an auto-lift for subterranean car storage.
Broome’s other credits include “Shedding for the Wedding” and “Ultimate Beastmaster.”
Her favorite room
What’s not to love about a closet so large and well-used that it claims billing as a favorite space? Welcome to reality actress Heather Dubrow’s studio-apartment-sized affair. The “Real Housewives of Orange County” star has equipped her closet with a Champagne call button that she uses to request refreshments from the kitchen.
From the archives
Ten years ago, British actor John Cleese listed his 16-acre equestrian ranch in Montecito at $28 million. An arena for dressage and a 16,000-square-foot, 24-stall horse barn were among the structures accompanying the Mediterranean-style main house.
Twenty years ago, Jason Priestley of “Beverly Hills, 90210” fame leased a Mediterranean-style house in the Sunset Strip area for four months at $10,000 a month. The fully furnished house had three bedrooms and maid’s quarters in 4,000 square feet.
Thirty years ago, Elton John leased a house in the area known as “the flats of Beverly Hills” at an estimated $25,000 a month. The home had a tennis court, a swimming pool and a guest house.
What we’re reading
And on that other coast… The luxury rental market on Long Island got a hefty infusion of cash and flash as Adam Sandler and Chris Rock rented several properties in Sands Point for the summer while they film the Netflix comedy “The Week Of,” reports Newsday.
A New Orleans-style home once owned by country chart topper Steve Holy is for sale in Greenville, Texas, according to Candysdirt.com. Asking price for the 2003 two-story is $895,000.
