Welcome to Hot Property

June 6, 2015 6:39 AM PT

Welcome to the first edition of our weekly newsletter peek into the world of celebrity and luxury real estate. We’ll bring you the juiciest tidbits of the week from Hot Property and tell you what grabbed our attention from around the Internet.

– Lauren Beale and Neal J. Leitereg

Top dollar

Records are made to be broken – especially where Kobe Bryant is concerned. The Los Angeles Lakers guard’s recent $6,116,500 sale of his 8,741-square-foot Mediterranean home in the O.C.’s Pelican Ridge scored the highest price ever paid for a home in the Newport Coast enclave.

Laker Kobe Bryant's Newport Coast house, built in 1997, currently shows a list price of $6.45 million.

The Lakers star's sale set a price record for the area. (Jeff Elson)

The luxury real estate market is super hot right now: Joshua Gomez of “Chuck” fame sold his Harry Gesner-designed Triangle House in Tarzana for 35% above its asking price.

The Midcentury Modern showplace in Tarzana was designed by architect Harry Gesner.

The Harry Gesner-designed Triangle House proved to be a hot-ticket item. (Michael McNamara / Shooting LA)

To draw top dollar, savvy agents sometimes create demand and fuel overbidding by setting a deadline for all offers. That’s what happened with the longtime home of the late comic Sid Caesar. Even with dated interiors and deferred maintenance, the place went for $1.25 million over it’s $4.25-million list price.

Over-the-top amenities

Best in show may be how best to describe Denise Richards’ Hidden Hills home. The renovated Traditional, which listed this week for $7.749 million, counts a dog hotel for rescued pups among its many features. The swimming pool – with its grotto, waterfalls and beach entry – is a showstopper too.

Actress-animal activist Denise Richards has listed for sale her renovated Hidden Hills home, which features a dog hotel, a lounge-inspired living room and a resort-like pool.

Denise Richards merged two pools to create her lagoon-style pool. (Jeff Elson)

They do things bigger in Texas. Just take a look at Troy Aikman’s massive his and hers walk-in closets at his Dallas-area estate, which sold for $5.4 million.

A glass-enclosed trophy room worthy of the highlight reel is the centerpiece of a lounge area at former Angels outfielder Gary Matthews Jr.’s custom showplace in Corona del Mar.

Walls of glass frame the trophy case inside Gary Matthews Jr.'s Orange County home. (Redfin)

Making headlines

One lucky real estate agent hit the marketing jackpot when she listed a 4,600-square-foot Calabasas home at the same time Caitlyn Jenner made her debut on the cover of Vanity Fair. The house was once owned by Jenner and then-wife Kris Kardashian.

Neverland was back in the news again. Michael Jackson’s former Los Olivos ranch listed at $100 million, drawing worldwide interest.

Late pop star Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley.

The former ranch of Michael Jackson is listed for $100 million. (Stephen Osman / Los Angeles Times)

And, just in time for the NBA Finals, LeBron James is set to close on his waterfront compound in Coconut Grove, Fla.

What we're reading

Across the country, the SteetEasy blog took us inside the Hamptons party house that Leonardo DiCaprio recently rented for $5,000 a night. The A-list actor gets $4,500 a night for his place in Palm Springs.

What will $500 million buy in an L.A. mansion? Bloomberg details a developer’s plans for a 100,000-square-foot house complete with nightclub, casino, movie theater, bowling, tennis and four swimming pools not to mention the jellyfish tanks and 30-car parking garage.

And finally, on our eclectic must-read list this week were two stories by Times commercial real estate reporter Roger Vincent. Rick Caruso revealed plans for a luxury resort in Montecito, and the stuffy downtown L.A. office buildings on Bunker Hill are luring tenants with retro-cool interiors and creative workspaces.