The Los Angeles residential market had a banner year in 2015, with the median price for a home jumping by 8 percent to $950,000, its highest level since 2004. Scores of wealthy international buyers turned their attentions to the Los Angeles market for the first time, driving prices up.
L.A. homeowners took note and aimed to capitalize on demand for trophy homes by listing their properties for earth-shattering prices. One developer, Nile Niami, announced his plan to list a Bel Air spec house for $500 million. If the property sold for that price, it would be the most expensive mansion ever sold anywhere in the world and would annihilate the $102 million record for a home sale in L.A.
Read on for a closer look at the 10 most expensive L.A. homes to hit the market for the first time over the past year.
The Playboy Mansion
The Playboy Mansion — $200 million
Hugh Hefner isn’t known for being conservative in his lifestyle choices, so it wasn’t exactly surprising when he put a less than conservative price tag of $200 million on the Playboy Mansion earlier this month.
The 20,000-square-foot home, located on five acres in Holmby Hills, has a total 29 rooms, including a wine cellar, a home theater and a gym. Other amenities include a game house, a tennis court and a swimming pool with a famed cave-like grotto. Another more off-the-wall amenity? The home is one of a handful of private L.A. residences with a zoo license.
There is a catch, however. A buyer will have to allow Hefner to remain in residence at the property for the remainder of his life.
Gary Gold and Drew Fenton of Hilton & Hyland share the exclusive with Mauricio Umansky of the Agency
1187 North Hillcrest Road
1187 North Hillcrest Road — $135 million
A close pal of Bill and Hillary Clinton listed the priciest home in Los Angeles in 2015, a $135 million compound in the Trousdale Estates area of Beverly Hills.
Billionaire Lebanese-British business mogul Gilbert Chagoury, who is one of the biggest donors to the Clinton Foundation and a major backer of Hillary Clinton’s failed 2008 presidential bid, bought it for $15 million in 2000. He then renovated the home from top to bottom, adding lavish details such as Baccarat chandeliers, gold leaf moldings and custom-made, hand-woven carpets.
The 18,000-square-foot, seven-bedroom property, which came on the market in August, is listed exclusively by Aaron Kirman of Aaroe Estates. It has a motor court designed for up to 20 cars and a pool area with views of the city.
788 Tortuoso Way
788 Tortuoso Way — $115 million
Developers Junius Real Estate Partners and Domvs London put this yet-to-be-built hilltop Beverly Hills mega-mansion on the market in October with an asking price of $115 million.
The home is one of three slated to go up on an 11-acre site as part of a project known as the Park Bel Air. The 57,000-square-foot, 15-bedroom home is designed to have every imaginable amenity, including a bowling alley, two pools, an underground gallery for cars, an IMAX theater, a golf and race cart simulator and even a temperature-controlled art vault.
Kurt Rappaport, co-founder and owner of luxury real estate brokerage Westside Estate Agency, has the exclusive listing.
If a buyer doesn’t fancy the design commissioned by the developers, they can buy the existing land for $45 million and build their own home.
10250 West Sunset
10250 West Sunset — $85 million
Max Azria, founder of fashion brand BCBG Max Azria, put his 30,000-square-foot Holmby Hills mansion on the market in March, with a price tag of $85 million.
That’s a significant ramp up from the comparatively meager $30 million he and his wife paid for the 1930s-era home in 2005 but the couple did complete some major upgrades to the property.
The 17-bedroom, 33-bathroom estate has a 6,000-square-foot movie theater, two guesthouses, five themed gardens, a pool, a Moroccan bathhouse, and an office with a domed, gold-leaf ceiling.
Jaime Cuevas of the Agency has the exclusive listing.
901 North Alpine Drive
901 North Alpine Drive — $72 million
Albert Elkouby, the CEO of JH Design, an apparel company that’s dressed the likes of Queen Latifah and Sean “Diddy” Combs, listed his Beverly Hills mansion for $72 million early last spring.
The 28,000-square-foot, 11-bedroom property has a 3,000-square-foot ballroom with 30-foot ceilings, enough parking to facilitate 66 cars, a walk-in wine cellar, five wet bars and gold leaf décor.
Joyce Rey and Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker Previews International share the listing with Jeff Hyland and Zach Goldsmith of Hilton & Hyland.
1911 Westridge Road
1911 Westridge Road — $55 million
Well-known T.V. producer Norman Lear, the co-creator of “The Jeffersons,” put his Brentwood estate on the market in September for $55 million.
The 93-year-old executive has owned the property for 28 years, paying just $6.5 million for it in 1988.
The seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom home has a two-story library, a formal dining room, a gym, a tennis court, a swimming pool and a 35-car garage.
Fred Bernstein of Westside Estate Agency is the listing agent.
200 Delfern Drive
200 Delfern Drive — $45 million
Manny Mashouf, the founder and chairman of fashion brand Bebe, put his Italian-inspired Holmby Hills home on the market in September, asking $45 million.
The 20,782-square-foot property, built in 2002, has eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a wine cellar, a tennis court, a swimming pool, a motor court and uses solar energy.
Mashouf, who recently announced plans to gradually sell his 59 percent stake in Bebe, bought the property for just $13.64 million in 2004, records show.
Mauricio Umansky, David Parnes, James Harris and Adrienne Martz of the Agency have the listing.
1201 Laurel Way
1201 Laurel Way — $42 million
The owners of an 11,200-square-foot Beverly Hills spec house put the property back on the market for $42 million in October, just 18 months after buying it for just $31 million.
The property is best known for a string of lawsuits filed against its former owner Richard Papalian, who allegedly violated neighborhood restrictions by building the property nine feet taller than was permitted under local law.
The home has six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a screening room, a gym, a 1,000-bottle wine cellar, a putting green, an infinity pool and a zen garden. It’s listed by Mauricio Umansky of the Agency.
44 Beverly Park
44 Beverly Park Circle — $36 million
A Beverly Hills compound once owned by San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds returned to market for $36 million this year, just 12 months after it sold for a comparatively paltry $22 million.
The 17,100-square-foot property comes with a 2,100-square-foot sports court, an olive grove, a swimming pool and a one-bedroom guest house.
Mauricio Umansky of the Agency has the exclusive listing.
9694 Oak Pass Road
9694 Oak Pass Road — $30 million
A large Beverly Hills mansion formerly owned by “Ted” actor Mark Wahlberg hit the market for $30 million last year, listed by Valerie Fitzgerald of Coldwell Banker.
Wahlberg last sold the property for $10.3 million in 2013.
The home is located on Oak Pass Road, the same celebrity enclave that houses “Magic Mike” star Channing Tatum, and has seven bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a screening room, a game room, a basketball court, a pool and waterfall and a gym “the size of an airplane hangar,” according to the listing.
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