Hot Property newsletter: The changing world of real estate coverage
It’s a new day in the Business report. Starting next month, this newsletter will offer expanded real estate content including periodic market reports from staff writer Andrew Khouri and commercial coverage by Roger Vincent. But have no fear. The Times’ Jack Flemming will continue to bring you the latest celebrity and luxury housing stories. Read all about the transition in the Editor’s Note below.
Meanwhile, this week’s collection sees a casino mogul gambling on a big sale in Beverly Hills and an Oscar winner getting ready to hit the road in Pacific Palisades.
Our Home of the Week is a sleek contemporary tucked among the trees in leafy Brentwood. Walls of glass, skylights and a central courtyard brighten the nearly 3,500 square feet of living space. The asking price is $4.25 million.
Once you’re done reading about these properties, visit and like our Facebook page, where you can find more stories and updates throughout the week.
— Jack Flemming and Lauren Beale
Magnate takes a gamble
Steve Wynn is eyeing a jackpot in Beverly Hills. The casino mogul, who stepped down as CEO of Wynn Resorts in 2018 after accusations of sexual misconduct, just listed his extravagant showplace for $110 million.
That price would also be a massive return on investment for Wynn, who bought the property for $47.85 million in 2015 and has expanded the home by about 8,000 square feet. The mansion now spans more than 27,000 square feet.
The contemporary estate encompasses 2.7 acres with a main house, guesthouse, swimming pool and tennis court with a seating house. Chic living spaces include a reception area and bar room, movie theater, wine cellar and 11 bedrooms.
Wynn, 78, denied the accusations against him and was ordered to pay a settlement of $20 million to Wynn Resorts in 2019. Forbes puts his net worth at $3 billion.
He’s ready to change gears
Oscar-winning actor Matt Damon has listed his Pacific Palisades retreat for $21 million. The “Ford v Ferrari†star paid $15 million for the half-acre estate in 2012.
The more than 13,500-square-foot residence features a centerpiece atrium. There’s also a living room with a fireplace, an indoor-outdoor dining room and seven bedrooms.
Palm trees surround a resort-style backyard with a swimming pool, koi pond and playground.
Damon, 50, ranks as one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He’s appeared regularly in films since his 1988 debut in “Mystic Pizza†with standout roles in “Saving Private Ryan,†“The Departed,†the “Bourne†franchise and “Good Will Hunting,†for which he won an Academy Award for best original screenplay.
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New season, old business
About a year after buying a bigger place in Studio City, late-night talk show host Lilly Singh has sold her Hollywood home for $1.475 million. The deal closed a few days after the second season premiere of her NBC show, “A Little Late with Lilly Singh.â€
It’s about a third of the size of Singh’s new house, a 6,400-square-foot spot perched on a Studio City knoll. The one she sold covers 2,250 square feet, but makes the most of its space with three stories.
A Saltillo tile patio with arched openings sits off the main level. A rooftop deck has a hot tub and kitchen and takes in views of the city and hills.
Singh gained fame on YouTube under the pseudonym Superwoman, which led to a world tour documented in the 2016 film “A Trip to Unicorn Island.†In 2019, her late-night talk show premiered on NBC, replacing “Last Call with Carson Daly.â€
$45-million offer was tailor-made
Fashion icon Tommy Hilfiger lined up a fitting offer for his East Coast manor, selling the English Country-style estate in Greenwich, Conn., for $45 million.
The designer owned the 22-acre spread for over a decade. Built in 1939, the main house measures more than 13,000 square feet, including six bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.
The park-like grounds feature a swimming pool, reflecting pond and tennis court. A two-bedroom guesthouse completes the estate.
Hilfiger, 69, founded his eponymous clothing and lifestyle brand Tommy Hilfiger Corp. in 1985. He sold the fashion company in 2006 for $1.6 billion.
A note to our readers
Hot Property is changing, but the commitment of the Los Angeles Times newsroom to real estate coverage will not.
After Feb. 6, The Times newsroom will no longer produce Hot Property.
Hot Property will relaunch in print and online as a brand publishing product sold by the advertising department. All paid content will carry clear disclaimers indicating that they are sponsored.
Newsroom coverage of the luxury housing market will run in the Business section online and in print, alongside our reporting on the broader residential and commercial real estate markets. Such reporting can also be found in this newsletter, which will be renamed Real Estate. This transition will free up journalists in the Business department to tackle more ambitious enterprise, investigative and service journalism, helping readers navigate the housing market.
Hot Property coverage began in 1984 when the late Ruth Ryon had a hunch that readers would be interested in the intersection of two Los Angeles obsessions: celebrity and real estate. We remain committed to those stories, and Times Business reporters will continue breaking news on eye-catching sales, surprising price-cuts and unique properties across the Southland.
From the archives
Thirty years ago, Liberace’s former home in Hollywood Hills listed at $3.495 million. During his stay, the pianist had a wet bar built in the shape of a piano keyboard, a picture of a piano painted on the bottom of the swimming pool and a pipe organ installed in the living room.
Twenty years ago, “Baywatch†actress Pamela Anderson purchased a Malibu home for about $1.8 million. The 1959 house had three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms in about 2,300 square feet.
Ten years ago, actress Winona Ryder sold a Sunset Strip-area home for $3.725 million. Original features of the 1936 Spanish-style villa included Malibu tiles, a curved staircase and Art Deco bathrooms.
What we’re reading
Vice President Kamala Harris will move into the Queen Anne-style Naval Observatory, the vice president’s residence, as soon as some home maintenance and repairs are completed, reported Politico. Set on 12 acres, the three-story white brick house has 9,150 square feet of living space.
Former first daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, former senior presidential adviser Jared Kushner, signed a deal to lease an unfurnished condo in Miami’s pyramid-shaped Arte building, reported the Wall Street Journal. The oceanfront development is in the Surfside neighborhood.
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