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Book Review: San Fernando Valley by Marc Wanamaker, an Images of America Book

Wednesday, August 31, 2011 / No Comments
Marty McFly here to talk about a new and exciting book that debuted on June 27th, 2011 titled, San Fernando Valley by local author Marc Wanamaker which is part of the Images of America series published by Arcadia Publishing.

Berfore I talk about the book, just some brief background info on the Images of America series. According to Wikipedia
It was founded in Dover, New Hampshire in 1993 by United Kingdom-based Tempus Publishing, but became independent in 2004........Its formula for regional publishing is to use local writers or historians to write about their community using 180 to 240 black-and-white photographs with captions and introductory paragraphs in a 128 page book.
These books are easy to read that a child can read it faster than some adults I know. The books are essentially picture books with captions and brief introductory paragraphs for each chapter. What I really like about these books are the rare and never before seen photos that were usually acquired/owned by the author or released under special permission by another source due to that author's special relationships and/or connections. However, the one thing I dislike about the book or wish they could change is if some of the pics could be printed in color. I know that some of the pics are originally in color which would enhance the images but I believe they are in black and white to maintain a low price which can be typically purchased for $10 - $20 depending on the Vendor.  

In addition to the San Fernando Valley book, you can also purchase Granada Hills, Encino, Los Angeles River, Glendale: 1940 - 2000, St. Francis Dam Disaster, Early Universal City, Early Warner Bros. Studios (also by Wanamaker), and Griffith Park which all cover the San Fernando Valley. I own and have reviewed the first three on the list so I now have some books to add to my Amazon wish list. But to be honest the list of books published for CA alone is massive, its possible I missed a book as these books are not only used to document the history of cities and locations but also unique subjects such as U.S. Navy Seals in San Diego or Historic Hotels of Los Angeles and Hollywood. So the number of books that reference the San Fernando Valley in a couple of pages is difficult for me to know without obviously reading all the books which is a negative right now. 

Anyways, back to the book and author. Marc Wanamaker is the owner of Bison Photo Archives which specializes in photo collections of the motion picture and television industry in the U.S. and also including images of Southern California which has been in business since 1971. Marc Wanamaker is a world class expert and consultant in film history who has worked in many areas of the film industry for several decades. He has also written or contributed to numerous books covering film history and other Southern California subjects like the San Fernando Valley. 

According to the book's introduction, Marc grew up in North Hollywood where his father, Dr. William Wanamaker, purchased a G.I. tract home in 1946. He grew up and frequented many places in the Valley. Marc also attended CSUN and worked for Universal Studios during the 80's. So as you can read, the author has met the first requirement for being a SFV author which is to be born, raised, and/or lived in the Valley for a significant amount of your living existence. 

With respect to the book, there must be more than 200 photos spanning the late 1800's to the late 1980's with a majority from the 1930 to 1970 period. As mentioned above, Marc's specialty is the TV and Movie industry so there a numerous photos of studios, actors homes, and filming locations. There are also numerous aerial shots that give an eye-opening experience to how open and undeveloped the Valley used to be. 

Its hard to say what is the best picture because there are so many. I think whatever "connects" with the reader from some long ago memory will probably be that one favorite like the picture of the Pickwick Drive-in at 1100 West Alameda in Burbank that no longer exists. Yes, remember when you used to watch a movie in the car or do other sorts of things you werent supposed to, just saying. Or it could be an obscure picture you dont recognize or believe at all like the Texaco Albatross Service Station from 1933 at the intersection of Ventura Blvd and Ventura Place in Studio City which was a gas service station  that incorporated an actual airplane with the wings providing the roof structure. No joke, you have to see that picture to believe it. Wish it was still there. I was completely unaware of this site.The list goes on and on. Some pictures you may have seen in other books, photo collections, or even postcards but a lot of the images are unique. The book also provides a lot of good historical references and actual locations that this book will become a handy reference for when you need to tell your friends, "told ya so" or do you remember "such and such."

Here are the list of chapters:
  1. Acknowledgments
  2. Introduction
  3. Early Subdivision of the Ranchos
  4. San Fernando Valley Development
  5. The North Valley (
  6. The East Valley
  7. The South Valley
  8. The West Valley
  9. The Central Valley
  10. Motion Picture and Television Studios
  11. Filming Locations and Homes of the Stars
In addition to the book, there is a companion postcard collection which I accidentally purchased thinking it was the book. The postcards are pics from the book so they are a great companion piece to include as part of your collection or to simply use as postcards and mail to all the former residents who left this great area. 


So I give this book a two thumbs up or whatever ratings they use for books. Its a must-have for every die hard San Fernando Valley resident like myself. Dont be shy to admit it, you know you cant get enough of the SFV. The book and postcards can be purchased at Arcadia Publishing, Amazon.com, local bookstores, eBay, or wherever you normally purchase books. If you want to get an idea of the book's contents, Amazon.com has a preview section which shows limited amounts of pages. 

Celebrity Real Estate: Persia White Selling in Studio City

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[Update November 30, 2012]: This home was re-listed as a short sale on November 28, 2012 for $999,950. You can read more about it here

[Original Post]:
Marty McFly and the SFValleyblog team were a tad late on this listing in the celeb heavy Studio City Area. Even the one star more popular than say the Almighty, Justin Bieber, was spotted today in Studio City driving his Ferrari (which wasnt even his) that got caught in a fender bender which turned into the next Irene Hurricane media show is a testament to the popularity of Studio City. 

Back on August 8, 2011, the always hilarious Your Mama of the Realestalker posted on Persia White's listing of her Studio City pad for $1,529,000. The property sits on 4,200 sqft on 0.32 acres with 3 Beds/5 Baths which was built in 1990. The home provides all around mountain and city views, gourmet kitchen, master suite with fireplace, custom walk-in closets, 2 zone heat & air, video surveillance, water purification system, 3 car garage with storage & usable attic, and an undeveloped third level that can be converted to any kind of usable space. 

White who has been acting since the age of 8, is mostly known for her work on the sitcom Girlfriends that ran for 8 years. She has also performed in several movies and TV shows as well as co-producing the documentary Earthlings.

White purchased the property in April 2004 for $1,135,500 and stands to make less than $400k not including any renovation costs, taxes, real estate fees and commissions. At the time of writing this post, the property has been on the market for 54 days with no offers and has already incurred 3 price reductions to the now current listing price of $1,430,000 for a drop of $99k from the original listing price. Moreover, the competition in this area is heavy as we recently discussed Anna Nicole Smith, Joseph Barbera and John Larroquette's short sale and Pink's (both in nearby Sherman Oaks) listings which are still available and doesnt even include the nearby celeb heavy Encino.

So while the common folk is stuck with property prices near 2002 -2003 or even lower, not sure how White intends to sell at $300k above 2004 prices let alone breaking even especially with the above mentioned competition. But we are not experts in the matters of Real Estate, maybe time machines, but not real estate. So I have no doubt that the realtor has everything under control. On that note, we offer good luck and wishes to Persia. 

You can view more Celebrity R.E. here

Random Weekend Tidbits

Friday, August 26, 2011 / No Comments
Its been a rather cool summer so it makes sense that the weather gods make sure we dont forget what its like to live in the San Fernando Valley. What is even more odd is that some public schools have already started which typically start after Labor Day so I am sure they are enjoying being stuck in the classroom instead of at a beach or pool.

There will be a Van Nuys Centenial Celebration Taste of Van Nuys at the Civic Center on August 27 from 4 - 8 PM.

Here are some random stuff to view on the internet if you are hanging out at home with the A/C on or off

  • New LAPD blog focusing on 91401 zip code which is Sherman Oaks.
  • Valley Daze: Back to School comic strip at iamsanfernando blog.
  • The last commercial Orange Grove in the San Fernando Valley, Bothwell Ranch in Woodland Hills by the Militant Angeleno.
  • Three random 70's pics of Van Nuys at Van Nuys Boomers.
  • My favorite one and possibly the more shocking one is The (Granada) Hills: The Series TV show at Giga Granada Hills. I dont know if this is a joke or real.
  • Stay cool!!

Celebrity Real Estate: Heidi Saban Stills Lists Encino Home for $3.58 Million; Former Home of Melissa Joan Hart and Adam Venit, Talent Agent for Adam Sandler

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[Update March 17, 2013]: This home finally sold on February 22, 2013 for $2.4 million which was a gut wrenching $1,118,000 less than the original asking price of $3.58 million that was first listed back on July 18, 2011. I am not entirely sure who owned the property but I believe Haim Saban quitclaimed the property to Heidi Saban Stills who initially had a 20% stake in the property when purchased. This is all speculation as reading the property documents dont make sense to me and I am not an attorney. At any rate, somebody took a big loss here which I am guessing is billionaire Haim Saban but whats a $1 million dollars when we are talking about a man with billions in the bank account. 

[Original Post]:
This one is going to be confusing so hang in there and grab your favorite cocktail or whatever gets you through the day.

On July 18, 2011, an exclusive celebrity real estate property was listed on the market for an asking price of $3.58 million. This property is situated on 0.7 acres with 5,618sqft of living space consisting of 5 Beds/6.5 Baths. This Craftsman style estate sits behind a large gate that opens up to a U-shaped driveway and a front yard with a jungle gym for the kids. According to the listing, no expense was spared on this property with a chef's kitchen, Viking appliances, en suite bedrooms, family room, fully equipped media room with theater seating, 2 fireplaces, tennis court, pool and spa, BBQ island, and state of the art music and security systems. In a nutshell, this house has it all which is walking distance to the Jackson family estate that is currently under renovation with the family renting a home in Calabasas which was discussed at length here including other Jackson family whereabouts in the always sunny and beautiful San Fernando Valley.

Enough of the Jackson family and back to the interesting part of this property. According to property records, the home was last purchased in Aug 2005 for $630,000. Keep in mind this property was built in 1950 with renovations in 1990. So I imagine you are wondering like me, how in the hell did this property sell for less than a million in the area known as the "Beverly Hills of the Valley" especially at the peak of the housing bubble! Well, if I didnt get all excited and continued reading the property records, I would have noticed that roughly 4 months earlier, the property was sold for $3.15 million which sounds a lot more reasonable. So whats up with the difference? Lets find out by examining the current owner.

This property is currently owned by Heidi Saban Stills who also goes by the name Heidi Noelle Lenhart who is an actress known for her role as Jenny Garrison in California Dreams and Jenny Caldwell in the Au Pair films amongst a whole list of other films completed in the 90's and 2000's. According to her blog, she has taken a break from acting to focus more on raising her two daughters. She is the daughter of ex-Playboy model Cheryl Saban. If you recognize the name Saban, you guessed right in thinking of Haim Saban of Power Rangers fame and literally every other cartoon shown during the 80's, 90's, and 2000's, who is her step-father. Based on the property records, it looks like Haim purchased the property for $3.15 million and sold it to Heidi for $630K which is a really nice gift or doesnt make any sense. 

While continuing to review the property records, it also appears that the prior owner to Saban is a Melissa Hart Wilkerson having purchased it in April 2003 for $2.5 million. If my research is correct, this is Melissa Joan Hart of Sabrina the Teenage Witch fame who married musician Mark Wilkerson in 2003 which coincidentally happens to be just when the home was purchased. 

Prior to Melissa owning the property, the home was purchased in December 1998 for $1.35 million by Adam Venit who is an extraordinary agent with clients including Adam Sandler, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Dustin Hoffman, Hank Azaria, and Russel Brand at the William Morris Agency (think of Entourage's Ari Gold which is actually based on Adam's founding colleague, Ari Emanuel). 

So to recap:
  • Adam Venit purchases in 1998 for $1.35 million
  • Melissa Joan Hart purchases from Adam in 2003 for $2.5 million
  • Haim Saban purchases from Melissa in 2005 for $3.15 million
  • Heidi Saban Stills purchases from Haim in 2005 for $630K
  • Heidi lists at $3.58 million
Considering that the housing bubble has burst and most people these days are lucky to get 50 or 70 cents on the dollar for any properties purchased at the peak of the bubble, someone explain to me how Heidi intends to sell at a price that is almost $400k above the peak price, let alone even near the original purchase price? The rest of us can barely get our damn short sales approved (like the one I recently discussed for Night Court actor John Larroquette). Then again, that's why there is that saying, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It will be interesting to see what this property sells for with the variety of competition in Encino including properties we discussed like Tori Spelling and Charlie Sheen's former home that have been sitting for months without any luck.

You can view more San Fernando Valley R.E. here

Celebrity Real Estate: John Larroquette Lists Sherman Oaks Pad

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[Update December 5, 2011]: This property sold on November 28, 2011 for $549,000 (representing a loss of $221,007 from original purchase) which was the last listing price but down from $659K which was originally listed on June 2010. This transaction took about 4 months to complete after being listed at $549K which is not too bad considering it was a short sale. 

[Original Post]:
Back on August 15th, Ann Brenoff at AOL Real Estate posted that John Larroquette who made his mark in the popular 80's show, Night Court, has listed his home in the Sherman Oaks area as a short sale. Hence, the sole picture above and the reason for the lack of exterior and interior pictures which is common with short sales these days. I am not sure why Short Sales cant show more pics although I have seen some listings where it was better off not showing anything at all, but this is the way of the real estate world. 

This property is currently under contract but was listed before back in June 2010 for $659K, September 2010 for $639K and now for the current asking price of $549K. This is known as chasing the market down and could even be lower when/if this deal is closed depending on what the negotiations bring out. Larroquette purchased this property back in 2005 for the random sum of $770,007. Yes, someone tacked on the extra $7 to make the deal happen. Another random tidbit is that the property records state either Justine D Baddeley or Diana Baddeley as owners on the property. Not sure who is Diana Baddeley but a search on the internet shows Justine Baddeley as a casting director for several movies at IMDB.com. I am not stating any facts here just random info I can find on the internet so this info needs to be confirmed.

The property consists of 3 Beds/2 Baths with 1,262sqft on a total lot size of 6,959sqft. In the home, you will find country style kitchen, separate dining area, original refinished hardwood floors, wondeful built-ins and cabinetry for additional storage throughout the home, brand new A/C and heater, tankless water heater, and remodeled bathrooms. For a celebrity, this is a rather humble place to call home that is walking distance to the busy and congested Van Nuys Blvd near the Sherman Oaks hospital. 

I tried to search prior residences for Larroquette but all I could find is a home in Malibu above Zuma Beach that was suspossedly his residence during the 90's according to The Movieland Directory. This property is massive with 4 Beds/5 Baths on 4,535sqft of living space on almost 1.5acres. Dont know when and why he sold this property assuming he even owned it but this is like a castle compared to his current home.

The one interesting thing about this property is that its a short sale. It was obviously purchased at the peak of the market and Larroquette is underwater as so many other unfortunate homeowners. If the deal is agreed upon at the asking price, the bank will take a $221,007 (there's that extra $7 again) loss assuming its only one loan against the property. Something tells me that Larroquette can easily afford this property with his steady paycheck based on the amount of shows and movies completed every year listed at IMDB.com. But I am not privy to Larroquette's financial position so maybe something else is brewing in the background. At any rate, if the short sale is approved, he will walk away from this debt trap free and clear. This could be a good lesson for other underwater homeowners.

You can view more San Fernando Valley Celebrity R.E. here.  

[Update December 2, 2011]:Reseda Bomb Shelter Mid Century Modern Home For Sale

Wednesday, August 17, 2011 / No Comments
[Update May 11, 2014]: This home sold again for $443,000 on April 30, 2014.  

[Update: December 2, 2011]: This home sold on November 22, 2011 for $355,000 which was $17,500 less than the original list price and took approximately 4 months to complete. We wish the new owners many good times with their bomb shelter. Hopefully they can share stories on how it has been utilized. 

[Update: August 20, 2011]: So I was curious about this "bomb shelter" in Reseda that I decided to visit the open house today. The house itself brings in a lot of light due to extensive use of windows and feels very open  and airy with the high ceilings which are typical of Mid Century Modern homes. The home originally contained a garage but was converted to a master suite with a bathroom which naturally creates more living space. So instead of the garage there are three spaces under the carport as per city code, well you only need two spaces.  

LA Curbed.com posted some pics of an original bomb shelter from a contributor in Austin at the Robnett Residence which is also a Mid Century Modern home. Even the food products and various supplies and tools are original, looks more like a museum piece than anything. So the owner has done a magnificent job of maintaining that shelter in its original condition as a reminder of the Cold War era times. You can check the pics here.

So the bomb shelter is next to the pool and is completely different than the Robnett residence. This shelter looks like a storage shed with open space in the middle and shelving on the left and right sides. Other than that it was completely empty and not as nostalgic as the Robnett residence. At any rate, its still an original bomb shelter in the San Fernando Valley, so that in itself is awesome. In the pics, you will notice board games, those belonged to the Realtor's sons who were hanging out in there all day so its not part of the shelter. If I was a child, I would be in there too. So here are those much anticipated bomb shelter pics: (also, I was told by the Realtor that the flipper has before and after pics of the renovation posted on his website, so when we get that link, it will be shared here)



 [Original Post]:


While reading the many fine articles at la.curbed.com, we came across a rather interesting and unique mid-century modern home which is our favorite type of architecture that makes us cringe when we see all those bland McMansions being erected everywhere we go.

This Mid Century Modern home is in the more common and ordinary area of Reseda. What really caught our attention with this home is the fact that it comes with an underground bomb shelter. There is an open house this Saturday, August 20 from 1:00PM - 5:00PM. Its unfortunate no pics were taken of the bomb shelter.

According to LA Curbed:
While our knowledge of Reseda is more limited than that of the dog featured in these listing photos, the copy's assertion that the mid-century modern is "not your typical valley home" certainly seems plausible. After all, how many other houses out there have bomb shelters? Located a few blocks south of Cal State Northridge, the 1,675 square foot residence features three bedrooms, two baths, vaulted beam ceilings, a fireplace, and pool along with the aforementioned shelter, which the listing helpfully suggests could be turned into a wine cellar. Last sold in October 2010 for $268,000, it's now asking $372,5000.
I disagree that this home is "not your typical Valley home" as the realtor's listing suggests. In fact, many Valley homes are mid century modern architecture or were originally built that way until some started modifying but you can still see the originations of the modern features. The fact that it contains a bomb shelter is nothing new either. This goes back to the Cold War era when America was booming and growing with all the GI's coming back home from WW2 to raise families.

During this time, there was still the looming threat of Russia or some other enemy launching an all out nuclear attack. This was reality back then and people had to prepare sort of like how we prepare for terrorist attacks today or earthquakes. So installing bomb/fallout shelters in your backyard was common especially in L.A. since we are the nearest major metropolitan area next to the Russians.

According to property records, this home was last purchased in 1969 for the measly sum of $5500 by Thomas S Porter who recently passed away with the home being sold in Probate Court to a flipper who restored it to a very fine and liveable condition while keeping the bomb shelter intact, so we give them props for doing that.

There are still remnants today of the Cold War era in the Valley. You can find air raid sirens (check out the interactive map and LA Times article) at street intersections like on Corbin & Devonshire and Winnetka & Parthenia, plus many more. There are also the Nike Missile Sites in the Santa Monica Mountains (LA-96) near Encino which is a popular hiking trail with missiles ready to launch from the Sepulveda Basin (now disabled) and in the Santa Susana Mountians (LA-88) near Chatsworth. These are just two examples, there are many more and can be found here. Now that I think about it, this sounds like a good BTTF series post, stay tuned folks! 

I got a little off track with this post but I wanted to end with some pics from the LA Public Library Photo Collection displaying a fallout shelter from Reseda. The caption to this photo reads:

The I. J. Lenack family of Reseda stocks their back-yard fallout shelter. Their underground shelter houses a TV set, phone, canned goods, lanterns and furniture. Photograph dated February 15, 1962. 
Courtesy of L.A. Public Library Photo Collection: Hollywood Citizen News/Valley Times Collection by George Birch
And the next photo shows the inside of the shelter although this is not from Reseda:
This family spent four days in a simulated fallout shelter to demonstrate a concentrated food compound made by a company who used the motto "Prepare to Survive." The Douglas Rade family participated in a demonstration at the New Products and Business Opportunity Show at the Statler-Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. 
Courtesy of L.A. Public Library Photo Collection: Hollywood Citizen News/Valley Times Collection by George Birch
So if you are interested in a bomb shelter Reseda home, there is one now available which was not so uncommon in the 50's, 60's, and 70's as the historical pictures attest. 

Circular Encino Mid Century Modern Home For Sale

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[Update Nov 20, 2011]: On November 18, 2011, this home finally sold for $1,887,500 after first being listed at $2,900,000 on July 28, 2011, approximately 4 months later and a whopping $1 million drop in price.

[Original Post]:
While reading the many fine articles at la.curbed.com, we came across a rather interesting and unique mid-century modern home which is our favorite type of architecture which is why we hate to see all those bland McMansions being erected everywhere we go. 

The property is the Circular Encino house which literally looks like the owners are still stuck in some 70's disco Las Vegas (or Palm Springs) era. The house built in 1972 was designed by Benton Park Candreva which belonged to late night club owner Joby Lewis and his recently deceased wife, Helen, who were prominent members of the LA-Lebanese community. 

According to a blogpost at Realtor.com:

In the late 1950’s Joby Lewis was the owner/operator of Lake Tahoe’s Cal-Vada Lodge gambling house and night club, where he gave the then unknown comedy duo Rowan and Martin the opportunity to open for Nat King Cole. He also owned Lewis’ Monte Carlo, which was adjacent to the Tahoe Biltmore, and ran various Hollywood nightclubs and liquor stores during the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s.
Helen Lewis was a well-respected member of the Los Angeles Lebanese community, and the matriarch of the Ghiz family, who immigrated to the United States from Zahle, Lebanon during the late 19th century. According to her obituary, when it came to their casino operations Joby ran the front of the house, while Helen handled the finances.
The home itself was designed and built in 1972 by Benton Park Candreva in the hills near Lake Encino. The 4 bed, 4 bath, 5,377 square foot home consists of two rotundas connected by a glass-enclosed walkway, with the two story rotunda containing the bedrooms and the one story rotunda containing the living areas, dining room, and kitchen. The rotundas feature floor-to-ceiling glass walls with 250 degree views of the hills, canyons and San Fernando Valley city lights.
The original period fixtures of the house are preserved, including chandeliers, brass sunburst doors, and rosewood throughout. The grounds include maids quarters and a three car garage.
The home is currently for sale starting at $2.9 million. Due to the unique features of this home and the fact that it still represents the 70's, it should be considered for a L.A Historical Cultural Monument to prevent this unique gem from ever being demolished like whats going on in Beverly Hills right now with the John Lautner's Shusett House. Call me crazy, old-fashioned, or plain stupid, but for some reason I like the look and feel of this house. It has an authentic appeal that you just cant find anymore. Sure, all the random colors and fixtures look outdated, but who cares, who said everything needs to look the same?

Celebrity Real Estate: Pink Lists in Sherman Oaks

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[May 1, 2014 Update]: Pink finally sold this home for $3,218,000 on April 25, 2014 with more info available here

[Original Post]:


Hot off the presses from Your Mama at the Realestalker (on August 11, 2011) is word of Pink listing her Sherman Oaks home on the market for an even steven $4 million. Pink (real name, Alecia Moore) who is a 3 time Grammy winner along with her professional motocross racer Carey Hart are selling their home and high tailing to Malibu to escape the Valley heat and live in their newly purchased mansion paying $11,850,000 back in October 2010. So I guess they are now ready to completely divorce themselves from the Valley as the home looks all but emptied out. 

This two story home was built in 1946 and sits on 0.69 acres with 4,435 sqft of living space. There are 4 Beds/4.25 Bath consisting of a chef's kitchen with a SubZero, Viking, and Jenn-Air appliances, infinity pool, grotto cave spa, BBQ pavilion, and park like playgrounds for the kids. 

Pink originally paid $2 million for this property in December 2002 from Kelly Van Halen, (also check here)  which she purchased for $865K in April 2000, who was the model/actress ex-wife of drummer, Alex Van Halen. Pink is looking to double up on her original purchase not including renovations, expenses, taxes, and fees. Not bad for about 9 years work when the rest of America is lucky to break even on their home purchases from 2002 and onwards.

New to the Sherman Oaks area is Natasha Henstridge paying $1.3 million in June for a similar smaller sized home with less land so it will be interesting to see what Pink's home can fetch in these extraordinary times. 

You can view more San Fernando Valley Celebrity Real Estate here.

Celebrity Real Estate: Former Yvonne de Carlo's (aka Lily Munster) home in Studio City sold for $6.25 million

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The former home of Yvonne de Carlo in Studio City sold on August 5, 2011 for $6.25 million according to Lauren Beale at L.A. Times Hot Property. If you are like me, scratching your head trying to recognize De Carlo, you will most likely remember her as Lily Munster on The Munsters (1964), Sephora, the wife of Moses in the The Ten Commandments (1956), and Mclintock! (1963). De Carlo recently passed away at the age of 84 in 2007 spending her last years at the Motion Picture & Television Hospital in Woodland Hills. She lived in this home from 1950 to 1975 according to title records.

This property is massive considering its location near the intersection of Mulholland Drive and Coldwater Canyon. The property sits on a huge 7.6 acres consisting of 4 Beds/8.5 Baths on 8,074 sqft which includes a gigantic 3,400 sqft master suite (just the master suite alone!), chef's kitchen, redwood & oak trees, guest house (the main residence was recently built in 1999 so I am assuming De Carlo lived in the guest house which was the main house at the time), paddle court, and a barn for the horses which the property is zoned for. This property is amazing and is a prime example of the few remaining celebrity ranch homes from the golden age of Hollywood. As an aside, numerous celebrities lived in the San Fernando Valley during the 30's to 50's on multi-acre ranch homes where they raised various farm animals and rode horses. Such celebrities includes Lucille Ball, Jackie Oakie (still present), John Wayne, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and the list goes on. Most of these properties were eventually torn down to build subdivisions erasing any memory of celebrities enjoying the Valley heat. 

Back to De Carlo, this property was sold by a Ronald and Maria Domont which appears to be the owners of  Domont Jewlery. They originally purchased this property in 1993 for $970,000 and made various improvements to modernize the property including the main house. This property appears to be listed on and off since 2002 with a last known listing in June 2010 for $8.495 million. One year later and a whopping $2 million price reduction, the property sold. I am not sure who purchased this property or where the Domonts are headed to but they made one heck of a profit even after all the expenses for the renovation, upkeep, taxes, etc. 

You can read more about Celebrity R.E. by clicking the tab at the top of the page or here

Celebrity Real Estate: Amazing Race Producer Jonathan Littman Buys Entourage House in Encino

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Amazing Race Producer, Jonathan Littman has purchased the Entourage House (from Season 7) on June 1, 2011 for $4.2 million in Encino according to Lauren Beale at LA Times Hot Property. Littman has also produced CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Without A Trace, and Cold Case

I will admit that I was surprised to discover that the Entourage cast filmed in Encino which makes this a nice addition to the newly created Filming Locations section. Littman's new home sits on almost one acre with 9,010 of living sqft consisting of 7 Beds/10 Baths which was renovated in 2007. The home includes 2 powder rooms, 7 fireplaces, media room, cathedral ceilings, an attached Casita for guests (aka guest house), smart house technology with full home automation and in-wall speakers, pool, a master suite with an exercise room leading to a private patio with a spa, and Bulter's area and two Farmhouse Rohl Shaws apron sinks. 

This home was last purchased in June 2006 for $2.3 million which was renovated in 2007 and heaved back onto the market in August 2008 for $6.895 million which was right before the stock market made its historic crash. There are conflicting reports that show the property was listed back in August 2006 which was less than 2 months after it was last purchased. However based on Google Street View pictures, the home appears to have been built from the ground up suggesting that whatever existed prior to the 2006 purchase was demolished. At any rate, the owners of this property played the game of "chase the market down" and chased it all the way down to $4.2 million three years later. However, it appears that the owners still made a decent profit after renovation costs, taxes, expenses, and fees. If not, this must have been a very stressful investment.

By the way, did you notice in the pictures, the new trend of embedding fake movie images on the flat screens.

Nearby for sale is the former home of Al Jolson, Don Ameche, Kirsite Alley, Katey Sagal, and Charlie Sheen still listed for sale at the very affordable $5.995 million price tag as well as the Tori Spelling home for the much cheaper and reduced price of $2.799 million. Encino is home to numerous former and current celebrities, you can get an idea here

You can view other San Fernando Valley Celebrity R.E. by clicking at the tab at the top of the page or here

Celebrity Real Estate: Miley Cyrus aka Hannah Montana Buys in Studio City

Wednesday, August 3, 2011 / No Comments
The always hilarious, Your Mama, at the Realestalker, has just posted about Miley Cyrus' aka Hannah Montana latest home purchase in Studio City. She paid $3,900,000 on June 1, 2011 for a mid-century modern home consisting of 5 Beds/7 Baths on 5,173 sqft. The home sits on a promontory of approximately 1.15 level and useable acres with a spa in the master suite, steam shower, professional style kitchen, 5.1 surround sound, 3 car garage, and saltwater solar heated pool and spa. 

This home was last purchased by Alan Backus, co-inventor of the Showtime Rotisserie with Ron Popeil, on March 14, 2008 for $2,550,000. It was later renovated and listed for $4,425,000 on Sept 2010. Not taking into account taxes, fees, commissions, and renovation costs, Alan made a decent profit of $1,350,000 which is not bad for three years work especially in these challenging real estate times. This home was also featured in the L.A. Times on September 20, 2009 by Dinah Eng

Cyrus is no stranger to the San Fernando Valley, where the Cyrus clan own two homes in Toluca Lake. Miley's parents purchased a 6 Bed/7 Bath 8,299 sqft mansion for $5,838,000 on May 17, 2007. Miley wanting freedom from her parents purchased a home that is literally next to her parents only to be separated by another mansion although on different streets. This home was purchased for  $3,400,000 on April 14, 2009 consisting of 4 Beds/4.5 Baths with 4,045 sqft on 0.92 acres. This home has some history to it as it was once owned by Freddie Prinze Jr under the Jalapeno Trust from 2000 to 2003 which was then sold (taking a more than $400K loss) to furniture industry icon Guy Chaddock. Your Mama also discussed this home purchase which can be viewed here.

You can view more San Fernando Valley Celebrity Real Estate here.

Celebrity Real Estate: Candi Milo Sells in Calabasas

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According to Lauren Beale at the L.A. Times, Candi Milo, known for her voice over acting skills including Nick Dean on The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and Dexter in Dexter's Laboratory, has sold her Calabasas home for $836,000 on June 21, 2011 to Jessica and Paul Brantley. She originally purchased in 2002 for $481,000 which gives her a $355K profit before fees, commissions, taxes, and renovation work. Not too bad during her 9 year tenure which also included the housing bubble. She definitely purchased and sold at the right time. 

The home consisted of 4 Beds/3 Batsh on 2,024 sqft which included Tuscan influences, chef's kitchen with top of the line appliances, steam shower in the master bath, private entertainer's backyard, and a grassy landscaped side yard with its own covered porch. Nothing really special about this house but because of its location, commands a high price. 

You can learn more about Candi Milo at her website and the wiki page. She is also known for voicing a majority of characters with a thick Latino accent. Its not know where Candi is moving on to but I am guessing still somewhere in L.A. because of her much needed voice over talents. 

You can view more San Fernando Valley Celebrity real estate by clicking on the menu button at the top or here

Voice Your Concerns for the Proposed Village at Westfield Topanga

Tuesday, August 2, 2011 / No Comments
Mall developer Westfield is proposing a $450 million complex between its Topanga and Promenade Malls that is spread out over 31 acres. This Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the Warner Center Marriott, there will be a public hearing whereby you have the opportunity to voice your concerns and view the environmental impact from Planning Department officials. 
If approved, this project will be completed sometime between 2013 and 2016 which will include a 275 room hotel, 278,985 sqft of retail, 285,000 sqft of office space, a grocery store, movie theater, community building, six acres of open space and walkways, and a Costco (which may shut down the Canoga Park branch). Additionally, the new complex is expected to generate 3,000 construction jobs, 4,000 permanent positions, add $640 million to the local economy, and bring in $9.4 million in city tax revenue. 


I had discussed this project before in the BTTF series for the Promenade Mall at Woodland Hills. At that time, I was unaware of a proposal by Pratt & Whitney to convert their Rocketdyne site (formerly owned by Boeing) into a 16 story hotel and 4,000 multifamily housing units. So while converting that dump in between the Topanga and Promenade malls into something usable, I cant help but ask, is this sustainable? Consider the following:
  1. There is already an excess amount of housing units on the market that will take years to clear out,
  2. There are plenty of shops to visit between the recently remodeled Topanga, Promenade, and Fallbrook malls notwithstanding the increased competition from the online world and the numerous mom and pop shops.
  3. In terms of hotels, there is already the Marriot and the Hilton, Holiday Inn (on Ventura Blvd), and other hotel chains in the West Valley.
So I have some doubts on the actual demand for all this new complex especially in these difficult economic times. Maybe this site becomes viable but it comes at the expense of taking away business from other Mom and Pop shops and possibly the Promenade and Fallbrook malls. Also add in the traffic nightmare (especially if the Rocketdyne site gets converted to housing) and maybe this entire site becomes avoided, Christmas is bad as it is right now. Hopefully they extend the Orange Line to this area which currently starts/ends at the Promenade Mall.

Changes Coming to the L.A. River

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There are some significant changes coming to the L.A. River according to Zev Yaroslavsky, LA County Supervisor - 3rd District. On Zev's blog, there was a post on July 13th stating that the Board of Supervisors accepted a $1.97 million state grant to hlep launch construction of the Los Angeles River Headwaters project, which will create more than a mile of recreational trails at the point where the Calabasas and Bell creeks meet near the football field at Canoga Park High School which is expected to be completed in 2013. This can be viewed from Owensmouth near the Topanga Mall.  

Also, another change coming to the L.A. River is a pilot non-motorized boating program in the Sepulveda Basin. Here is some more info from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
The license allows for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday guided trips beginning August 12 and ending September 25, with no more than two guided trips per day. The license also allows for training trips for guides on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from the date the license is signed through August 7. The south side of Balboa Blvd. bridge (river right, looking downstream) will serve as the put-in location, and the haul-out will be approximately 450 feet downstream of Burbank Blvd. bridge, on the southwest (river right, looking downstream) side. The license includes measures identified in the EA to avoid, reduce, and minimize environmental impacts and safety concerns.
These changes should be a nice boost to the L.A. River and give everyone an opportunity to finally experience it. I always wanted to after watching Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2 ride his Harley in the L.A. River protecting John Conner after being chased by that other evil Terminator. 

Celebrity Real Estate: Anna Nicole Smith's Studio City Pad For Sale

Monday, August 1, 2011 / No Comments
[Update: March 17, 2013]: This home finally sold on March 13, 2013 for $1,310,000 which was $25,000 less than the original purchase price of $1,335,000 back during the housing bubble days on April 11, 2005. The estate of Anna Nicole Smith unsuccessfully tried to sell at a profit with the original listing price of $1,750,000 back on July 30, 2011 which was significantly reduced over the past two years. 

[Original Post]:
Hot off the MLS presses courtesy of la.curbed.com is news that the late Anna Nicole Smith has listed her home on the market in Studio City. According to the listing information, the property contains 5 Beds/5.5 Baths at 4700 sqft on 0.42 acres with panoramic and city views. The home built in 2002 boasts of hardwood and marble flooring, five bedrooms all en-suite, home gym, video camera security system, four car tandem garage, pool/spa with views, and a master bath with jetted tub amongst other amenities. 

The home was purchased by Smith in April 2005 for $1,335,000 who's birth name is Vickie Lynn Hogan with the last name changed to Marshall after she married that rich old oil tycoon guy, J. Howard Marshall, in the name of love. The home is currently listed at $1,750,000 which is rather interesting because the last time I checked real estate prices they were back to 2003 levels so if this property can sell for higher than the housing bubble peak price in today's economy, that will be an accomplishment in itself. But who knows when the rich get richer. 

As many know, Smith passed away in Feb 2007 due to "combined drug intoxication." A month later, her company, Hot Smoochie Lips, which also owns said property for sale, was shut down due to failure to pay taxes. This is where things start to get interesting, Hot Smoochie Lips is a talent agency owned by Howard K. Stern with only one client, Smith. Stern became Smith's domestic partner in 2006. Stern also claimed to be the father of Smith's daughter, Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, but was later reported through DNA testing to be Larry Birkhead. So my reason for bringing up this whole Jerry Springer drama affair is to determine who still owns the property? Was the property immediately transferred to Stern as the property records indicate? Or does Smith's daughter own this property as the sole beneficiary to Smith's estate (assuming she was named a beneficiary)? According to la.curbed.com, the property is under Stern's name but something doesnt add up here. I am confused. 

At any rate, this property has a lot of competition in Studio City which we discussed before. Other celebrity listings include Joseph Barbera's estate. You can view more Celebrity Real Estate at the tab on the top or clicking the link.