Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Seacrest Buys DeGeneres' Bev Hills Estate

BUYER: Ryan Seacrest
SELLER: Ellen DeGeneres (and Portia de Rossi)
LOCATION: Beverly Hills, CA
PRICE: somewhere under $49,000,000
SIZE: It's complicated

YOUR MAMAS NOTES. The big deals just keep rolling in like a tidal wave this week. First there was news Time Warner widow Courtney Sale Ross sold her duplex at 740 Park Avenue for $52,500,000.

Quickly on its heels came word that casino king Steve Wynn dropped $70,000,000 on a nearly 11,000 square foot duplex apartment at The Ritz Carlton on New York's Central Park South.

Now comes news from gossip juggernaut TMZ that chat show hostess Ellen DeGeneres and lady-wife Portia de Rossi have sold their Beverly Hills estate to well-manicured American Idol host and reality tee-vee power player Ryan Seacrest.

Believe it or not, Your Mama actually first heard this more than two weeks ago now when Our Fairy Godmother in Beverly Hills who sent a covert communique that said that was word on the Bev Hills real estate street. We were a little incredulous and sat on the scuttlebutt even though we knew through various Platinum Triangle real estate sources that Mister Seacrest was on a very serious Platinum Triangle house hunt in the $35-40,000,000 range.

We quickly queried a second contact who told us he'd heard whispers of the same rumor and a third little birdie told Your Mama "there's lots of chatter about that." We finally got in touch with a fourth informant—the almost frighteningly plugged in Knancy Knowsthedish—who told us yesterday that our trio of sources were "very knowledgeable."

Missus DeGeneres bought the heart of the multi-parcel estate in early 2007 from Will & Grace co-creator Max Mutchnick for just under thirty million clams. The main house measures more than 9,000 square feet with seamless indoor/outdoor living spaces. There's also a detached guest house with two bedrooms and under—yes under—the negative-edge swimming pool and adjacent pavilion there are additional living quarters and garage space where Missus DeGeneres parks her Porsches.

Shortly after buying Mister Mutchnick's mansion Missus DeGeneres paid $8,500,000 for the house next door that she quickly razed and replaced with gardens that girdle a private pond. Missus DeGeneres, a real estate compound lover if there ever was one, quickly snatched up two adjacent residences as buffers against paps and looky loos at a combined cost of $10,500,000. By Your Mama's rudimentary (and unscientific) calculations Missus DeGeneres spent an astonishing combined (and approximate) $48,000,000 to cobble her Bev Hills compound together.

She and Portia de Rossi were legally married in the backyard in August 2008 and a couple years later de Rossi legally took Degeneres' last name.

The real estate mad comedienne was rumored to have shopped the multi-residence compound off-market before officially listing it in May 2011 with a rumored and reported asking price of $49,000,000.  

TMZ's source told them the agreed upon sale price was within a few million less than the $49,000,000 asking price. We heard a bit lower than that and The Wall Street Journal's close-to-the-transaction source says it's $37,000,000.

Mister Seacrest owns a house near the top of Nichols Canyon in Los Angeles currently on the market for $11,985,000 and Miz DeGeneres still owns—as far as we know—an equestrian-oriented compound out near Thousand Oaks, CA briefly listed last year on the open market with a $16,500,000 asking price. Miz DeGeneres also owns a very-contemporary bluff-top house in Malibu she bought last year from Brad Pitt for $12,000,000.

Expect news shortly about the Beverly Hills house Your Mama hears through the celebrity real estate gossip grapevine the Missus DeGeneres are in the process of acquiring.

listing photos: Westside Estate Agency

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fascinating. I had emailed our Mama way back when she was in NYC visitin, that the Ellen property was off the Westside Estate Agency website. Mama you said you was traveling but would check it out??!! How did this go under the radar??

Anonymous said...

Dont do that to us!! Has the house Degeneres (lets not kid ourselves who in this couple buys these properties)is supposedly purchasing, appeared on the open market before? Ryan will undoubtedly love the privacy of Ellens for boys nights out(side).

Anonymous said...

WSJ has it at $37 Mil-
http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2012/05/15/ryan-seacrest-buys-ellen-degeneress-beverly-hills-estate/

Anonymous said...

It sold for $37M mama.

Candy Spelling said...

I think we can safely say that this is the gayest compound in BH!

Petra's said...

Mama, could this new house be 1115 Calle Vista?! You know... the one right next door to Ellen's man-friend Tommy Cruise?

Annie said...

I wonder how Brian Dunkleman is taking the news.... forgive me I couldn't resist.

Anonymous said...

At least it is staying in the "family".

Desert Donna said...

If it sold for 37M that means Ellen took a massive hit to the pocket book..or whatever Lesbians carry these days.

Anonymous said...

Isn't the house Ryan is trying to sell in Nichols Canyon a former Ellen house also? I could swear I remember that.

Anonymous said...

Ryan Seacrest would like to personally thank all the morons that watch The Kardashians for giving him the money to buy this place. Seriously, people in this country are downright stupid. No wonder other countries are beating us left and right.

Anonymous said...

"Association" is an interesting concept. When I was reading this story Rock Hudson popped into my mind. I hope Ryan has a much fun in/with his properties as Rock had with his. Hopefully, Ellen will have all the hot babes off the property so Ryan has room for the boys.

Anonymous said...

Rock lived like a pauper compared to Ryan. A nothing Spanish style house with the most hideous furniture ever. Rock certailny did not get the full gay gene.

Ryan Reynolds, Chace Crawford, & Zac Efron said...

Oooh yessss!!! This is the most fab-u-lous news of the year! Ryan will turn this sausage-deprived compound into the gay man's Mecca it was always meant to be! Forget Geffen, girlfriends let us tell you that we are so sick of having that wrinkly Methuselah grope our privates. Can you imagine the upcoming orgies!!!!! We can't wait!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Mama, I remember you saying years ago, that Degeneres would make a smacking big loss on this property, and you were right. We don't know how much she spent on tearing down and making up once she had bought all four houses, but I bet the total loss comes close to $15m. It makes my eyes water just to think of it.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm i love looking at pretty houses and such, but am i the only one who finds it sickening that when so many average joes are struggling to pay their mortgage and put food on their tables while working 2 jobs - somebody who gets paid trillions to stand in front of a camera parted with $40 million for a house that probably only 2 people will live in for a few months a year...

When does a person get so out of touch with reality that they think they need a house like this???!!!!