COURTESY TopTenRealEstateDeals.com
PHOTO CREDIT Todd Goodman
SOURCE www.compass.com
Leonardo DiCaprio has come a long way in 20 years. He has leapfrogged from Romper Room and Friends to become a Hollywood A-lister. Along the way, he has built a real estate portfolio that might make even Ellen DeGeneres envious.
His collection includes a home in Los Angeles, which he purchased in the 1990s from Madonna; a fabulous mid-century modern abode in Palm Springs acquired in 2014, which was built for Dinah Shore; and a Malibu home that he grabbed in 2017 for US$ 23 million.
But all his purchases don’t remain in his portfolio because some are gifted to family members.
Leonardo recently purchased the Los Feliz home of Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson for his mother Irmelin Indenbirken for 7.1 million dollars. A few years ago, he bought another home in Los Feliz for his dad George DiCaprio for US$ 4.9 million.
A dilemma many Hollywood celebrities face is where to put their money in an upside-down world and several have opted for the security of real estate. While some stars have taken their real estate investments out of California due to high taxes, DiCaprio has the bulk of his properties – except for an apartment in New York City and an island in Belize – in the Golden State.
One of LA’s prettiest homes is the one that was previously owned by Gwen Stefani and then Jesse Tyler Ferguson. The gated Spanish colonial style home occupies almost 5,000 sq ft with loads of character and charming outdoor spaces. Comprising four bedrooms and six baths, the formal living and dining rooms have soaring ceilings, as well as romantic Juliet balconies.
Built in 1928 and completely renovated, careful execution of work on the house retained and enhanced its period details. There are arched doorways, a tiled roof and floors, stained-glass windows, multiple fireplaces, elegant bathrooms, sweeping staircases, an intricately carved entry door and inlaid ceilings.
The eat-in kitchen has all the bells and whistles that make it both pretty and functional, and the family room can alternatively be used as a media room with its drop down screen.
Almost all the rooms open out to attractively landscaped terraces, colourful gardens, courtyards, fountains and views of the Griffith Observatory. There is also a detached bathroom by the pool and spa, and a detached Zen, meditation or yoga room.
FOOTNOTE Brett Lawyer of Hilton & Hyland represented DiCaprio while the listing was held by Compass’ Jennifer Akbari of Beverly Hills.