Monday Morsel: Big Bang's Simon Helberg

SELLER: Simon HelbergLOCATION: Los Angeles, CAPRICE: $849,000SIZE: 2,569 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 4 bathroomsYOUR MAMAS NOTES: Today's second morsel comes by way of Zillow who last week beat us to the punch on their report about The Big Bang Theory's Simon Helberg pushing his (relatively) modest and charming if not exactly inexpensive Los Angeles, CA crib on the market for $849,000.Mister Helberg...

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Monday Morsel: Snapper David La Chapelle

BUYER: David LaChapelleLOCATION: New York City, NYPRICE: $1,739,500SIZE: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroomYOUR MAMAS NOTES: Today's first tidbit comes courtesy of the fine folks at Curbed who recently revealed saucy, surrealistic and some might say soo-blime photographer and artist David LaChapelle recently coughed up $1,739,500 for a spectacularly re-done if somewhat sedate new apartment in New York City townhouse...

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Hard Money #22 Started

It took just about a week, but my funds from HML #17, which closed on the 21st, have found a new home.Our best borrower picked up a triplex at a foreclosure auction. The property is in San Lorenzo, California and went at auction for $331,000. Our loan is for $210,000. The property square footage is about 2,600 although the MLS listing for it does not give a square footage. As we did with the last...

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Book Review: Unreal Estate

After much anticipation amongst real estate-o-philes in Los Angeles and no doubt around the world author and journalist Michael Gross' latest exposé Unreal Estate finally hits the bookstores and online retailers tomorrow.We are a fan. And not, mind y'all, just because a substantial quote by yours truly appears on the book jacket and not either because we are also referenced and quoted repeatedly in...

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Clothing Designer Christian Audigier Lists Topanga (CA) Compound

SELLER: Christian AudigierLOCATION: Topanga, CAPRICE: $3,299,000SIZE: 3.15 acres, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathroomsYOUR MAMAS NOTES: Your Mama apologizes for today's delay. It's been a trying week to begin with and this morning we were down and out with a still not entirely cleared up technical issue in the form or a misbehaving lap top computer. Almost as soon as we managed to get the lap top bandaged and...

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British Sketch Comedy King Matt Lucas Snaps Up West Hollywood Mini-Compound

BUYER: Matt LucasLOCATION: West Hollywood, CAPRICE: $2,900,000SIZE: 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms (total)YOUR MAMAS NOTES: The British are coming! The British are coming! Well, British sketch comedy king Matt Lucas is coming to West Hollywood anyways. Mister Lucas, a pudgy, pasty-faced, bald-pated and utterly fearless comedian has toiled in Britain's Big Business of Show since the mid-1990s. He rocketed...

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Writer/Producer Jesse Alexander Puts Quirky Pad Up For Sale

SELLER: Jesse AlexanderLOCATION: Sherman Oaks, CAPRICE: $2,100,000SIZE: 4,399 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 5 bathroomsYOUR MAMAS NOTES: Sorry Charlies, but pickins are a bit slim in the celebrity real estate world today so rather than a household name, big time billionaire or tawdry tabloid princess let's discuss a decidedly but pleasantly peculiar Sherman Oaks, CA residence owned by television writer/producer...

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John Hughes' Widow Lists Lake Forest Estate

SELLER: Nancy Hughes, widow of John HughesLOCATION: Lake Forest, ILPRICE: $5,890,000SIZE: 11,233 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 6 full and 4 half bathroomsYOUR MAMAS NOTES: Few movie watching folks betwixt and between the ages of 15 and 65 have not in some way been affected or even transformed by the couple of dozen angst-ridden and ennui-laden teen comedies written, directed and/or produced by the late,...

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Oracle's Multi-Bazillionaire Larry Ellison Lists Bay Area Horse Property

SELLER: Larry EllisonLOCATION: Woodside, CAPRICE: $19,000,000SIZE: 5,850 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathroomsYOUR MAMAS NOTES: Listen kittens, Your Mama may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but we are neither a dumb bell with our fat head stuck in the sand. Like all of the rest of y'all, Your Mama is well aware of the heavy, wet blanket of weltschmerz that's settled over many and angrily...

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Hard Money #21 Started, #17 Closed

Well, since the last loan fell through due to the property owner filing bankruptcy prior to the foreclosure auction, I had some funds available for a loan. Luckily, my partner found a good one fairly quickly.This is an occupied duplex in Hayward, California. As it's occupied, we don't have any indication of the state of the interior, but the exterior looks to be in good shape and looks to be well...

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Weekend Tidbit Two: Donald Trump

SELLER: Donald Trump and Melania KnaussLOCATION: Rancho Palos Verdes, CAPRICE: $7,150,000SIZE: 11,000 square feet (approximately), 5 bedrooms, 9 bathroomsYOUR MAMAS NOTES: We may be a little late to grab the celebrity real estate brass ring on this one but how can Your Mama resist the opportunity to briefly discussion the opulent (but arguably banal) Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (mc)mansion that brassy...

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Weekend Tidbit: Mukesh Ambani

 Despite earlier reports he had, new media reports claim Indian gajillionaire Mukesh Ambani–estimated net worth $27 billion–has not, in fact, moved into the colossal and controversial, 27-story cantilevered tower he built in the vast city of Mumbai as his family's private residence. Most reports say Antilla–or Antilia depending on where one looks–cost the polyester, petrochemical, and...

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Actor Jake Weber Lists 1959 Fickett-Designed Digs

SELLER: Jake WeberLOCATION: Los Angeles, CAPRICE: $2,575,000SIZE: 3,500 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathroomsYOUR MAMAS NOTES: Call Your Mama a tired ol' real estate cliché if you want–we've certainly been called worse–but Your Mama just cain't resist us a privately-situated mid-century modern residence in a (semi-) secluded canyon setting in southern California. With that peg in our architectural...

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