Luxe Living

Lance Armstrong, the disgraced former 7-time Tour de France cycling champion who has fallen hard and fast from glory, has just parted with another trophy of his former life – his massive family estate in Austin, Texas.

Reported by The Austin American-Statesmen and Candy Evans, the deed of trust filed with Travis County last week showed that the home found a buyer by the name of Al Koehler. Koehler is founder of Royalty Clearinghouse, an oil and gas royalties and rights company. The final purchase price is still unknown.

Armstrong has owned the 1.7 acre, 7,850 square-foot estate since 2004 and invested heavily in a full renovation and design project, which he debuted in a 2008 issue of Architectural Digest. At the time of publication, he told the magazine, “when I walk into that house, I heave a sigh of relief: I am home. I take off my shoes, walk around barefoot, just feeling the rugs, floors. Home is very private; here, nobody’s going to mess with me. It’s a very comforting feeling.”

Amid his personal and professional turmoils of the past couple years and his admission to using performance-enhancing drugs throughout his illustrious career, Armstrong decided to decamp to a new refuge and sell the home. Several media reports suggest that Armstrong may be required to return money to his former sponsors that generously supported him during the years he was doping.

Images via Robert Reck/Architectural Digest

For Allen Iverson, the undersized but uber-talented former NBA All Star, it’s been a rough few months dealing with a recent divorce, losing a child custody battle, and a foreclosure on his Atlanta mansion. One could say that AI has left as many homes behind as he did defenders with his legendary cross over, which makes even the great Michael Jordan look bad.

Two of his former homes have recently hit the market. One is a beautiful home in the Villanova, PA area, and the other is listed here, which is an amazing property in Gladwyne, PA.

The Gladwyne property is gorgeous, but has a bit of an infamous reputation (like Allen Iverson’s play on the basketball court). It’s the same location where he hid out in 2002 after allegedly threatening two men with a handgun in a Philadelphia apartment, while searching for his wayward wife.

Considered one of the finest estates in the Philadelphia suburbs, his Gladwyne mansion is in cherry condition and recently renovated. The 1.91 acre lot is on an exclusive street in a prime area and features completely manicured grounds as you make your way up the private driveway. Visitors will be greeted by a voluminous, two-story reception hall that would be reminiscent of a basketball court if it weren’t for the custom finishes and marble floors.

There’s an elegant living room with a fireplace that features palladium windows and custom wood floors while the formal dining room is perfect for low key evenings or more formal dinners.

Any chef would be impressed with the kitchen, featuring wood-mode cabinetry, butler’s pantry, an expansive center island, and granite counters throughout, while being connected to a spacious breakfast room with views of the pool.

The family room features another fireplace and has additional custom wood floors that seem to bring the home together, while also offering French doors that lead to the deck and backyard.

You’ll find beautiful, custom, vaulted ceilings in the renovated library, which would be a perfect place to lose yourself in a book or review game tapes for your next NBA opponent.

On the 2nd floor is a luxurious master suite with a sitting room, walk-in custom closets and marble bathroom. Throughout the floor you will find four additional large bedrooms with bathrooms.

Despite the posh set-up throughout the rest of the house, it’s perhaps the lower level that will provide the most enjoyment, with features such as a home theater, exercise room, playroom and finally a wine cellar and tasting room. NBA All Star or not, it would be hard to miss a shot at this amazing property.

NBA Baller Chris Bosh is showing us the literal meaning of the term now that his Pacific Palisades home has hit the rental market for $45,000 a month, according to The Real Estalker. The NBA star who currently dribbles for the Miami Heat is away from this home so frequently that it’s time to temporarily give it up to some well-heeled renters for a while. But don’t cry for Chris, he has an incredible Miami mansion that he and his wife bought in September 2010 for $12,333,000. That home is a gated and glassy 12,368 square foot modern mansion on the water.

Chris’ for-lease place is a real palace in the Palisades. For a mere $45,000 a month, you’ll get a wonderful ocean-view gated estate on approximately an acre-and-a-half. Secluded at the top of a knoll, the home has spectacular unobstructed views of the gorgeous Pacific Ocean and mountains. The outdoor area is punctuated with a resort-style infinity pool with swim up bar and lounge areas. A huge outdoor eating area features a full outdoor kitchen with pizza oven. There’s even an outdoor shower and large flat grassy area, perfect for extravagant entertaining. Inside, you’ll find a movie theatre, bar area with billiards, basically a total sports bar within the house.

The home is perfect for the CEO-type, with it’s ultra-luxurious office/library. Last but not least, the home has a huge master suite with dual master baths with huge walk-in closets and large ocean view balcony with spa off the master.

For those who need a little extra help around the (giant) house, this lease comes with fully-equipped staff quarters.

Tennis ace Serena Williams is serving up her luxurious LA condo to a new buyer. According to property records and The Real Estalker, Williams’ Wilshire Boulevard home is in escrow for $1,850,000. By the looks of the listing photos, Williams used the condo as a West Coast pied-à-terre for a couple years when she spent time in the City of Angels. She purchased the soon-to-be-sold condo in September 2002 for $1,275,000. Four years later — after more success and lucrative endorsement deals — she spent $6,612,000 on massive, seven-bedroom mansion in Bel Air. She and sister Venus also share a champion-worthy Florida mansion.

Whomever is plunking down the dough to take Serena’s small-ish condo off her hands is buying into the luxury Los Angeles building, The Remington. The 15th floor condo is spacious, with two bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms, and a den/office that comes complete with the most amazing city views. Light and bright, the condo has an open floorplan and a direct access elevator. The gourmet kitchen features high-end appliances. And throughout, you’ll find hardwood floors, balconies, walls of windows. The master suite comes with dual marble baths, limestone floors, and walk-in closets, while The Remington — a full-service building — offers a concierge, valet, pool/spa, gym, rec room, wine storage, and additional storage rooms.

Love him or hate him – there’s no in between – Barry Bonds is one of the biggest sports characters of the last two decades. Rocketing to superstardom in Pittsburgh and helping make a forlorn franchise a regular in the playoffs while winning his first league MVP award, Bonds made it clear he had all the tools to become one of the greats. He took his talents back to Northern California in 1993, where he was born and raised, to play for the San Francisco Giants and resurrected that franchise while winning 6 additional MVP awards (4 in a row at one point), leading the team to the World Series in 2002, and cementing his place in baseball history. Of course, this was before the BALCO scandal and perjury investigation which has cast a shadow over Bonds’ mountain of accomplishments to the chagrin of some and the delight of others. So where does a sultan of swat live?

What can possibly be a large enough space for a larger than life character such as Bonds? Well, how about a 17,100 square foot palace of a home in Beverly Hills?

Word on the street is that Barry is putting his expansive, fully furnished property on the market for a cool $25 million. So what does the home of a baseball superstar offer? Well to start, 7 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, and a two-story guest house, all situated on a manicured property modeled after a fine Italian Villa, from the olive tree-lined private drive to the Tuscan-style architecture.

The features of the home, like Barry’s 73 home runs in a single season, boggle the mind. With high ceilings up to 30 feet high throughout the grand living and family rooms and special details such as Italian floors and hand-painted murals, it’s a dazzling home. The gourmet kitchen (of course, this is a Tuscan-style home right?), feeds into a roomy dining room that is perfect for entertaining.

Should we stop there? Well, Barry didn’t stop playing until he was 43 and still a dominating hitter, so we’ll keep going. The rest of the home includes a walnut-paneled office and custom home movie theater with seating for 12. If you’re feeling tense the home also features a full service spa, including steam room, jacuzzi and body therapy rooms.

It wouldn’t be California living without some outdoor fun and this home delivers. There’s a full outdoor kitchen with pizza oven and wet bar, manicured lawn, swimming pool, cabana, and multi-use sport court.

In short, this home should be in the hall of fame. Maybe Barry too?

Check out the full listing from The Agency here.

Professional basketball player Kenyon Martin is selling his extravagant Arlington, Texas, mansion for $5 million! The most expensive single-family home in the entire city of Arlington, K-Mart’s house has every possible amenity you can think of: pecan orchards, a tricked-out workout room, private pond, full outdoor kitchen, basketball court, 10-car garage, bronze dolphin fountains, two elevators, and a resort-style pool with two water slides and a diving board.

We’re not done yet.

The house is situated on 8.4 lush acres and also features beautiful white marble floors, a gourmet, state-of-the-art kitchen with stainless steel appliances, a media room, multiple wet bars, and let’s not forget the game room with a four-lane bowling alley.

And it’s no surprise that this ballin’ estate has seven fireplaces throughout the property, a two-bedroom guest house, and huge master suite, too.

Not too shabby, Kenyon.

Ginger Levine of Dave Perry Miller holds the listing.

Los Angeles basketball legend Elgin Baylor is selling his longtime Beverly Hills mansion for $4,250,000. According to public records, the Hall of Famer purchased this home on March 25, 1992 for $1,445,248. It has 6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms and clocks in at 8,114 square feet. Baylor has been a longtime Los Angeles resident. He played 13 seasons as a forward for the Lakers and then to the other Los Angeles hoops team – the Clippers – where he spent 22 seasons as General Manager. He was relieved of his duties shortly before the 2008-2009 season. In February 2009, Baylor filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against the Clippers, team owner Donald Sterling, team president Andy Roeser, and the NBA. He alleged that he was underpaid during his tenure with the team and then fired because of his age and race. His claim was later rejected in court.

Since his retirement from basketball, Baylor has maintained a low profile and likely spent a great deal of time in his beautiful home. Now for sale, the estate is perfectly positioned for maximum views of the City of Angels.  The 8,114 square foot estate rests comfortably on a private road, just steps away from Trousdale Estates. The home features 6 bedrooms, all with their own private bathroom. The home has a 1,600 square foot grand room that could also double as a home theater/game room. Multiple decks and every single room offers straight shot views of downtown Los Angeles. High ceilings, hardwood floors and a gourmet kitchen are just some of the amenities of Baylor’s beautiful home. 

Ray Allen, formerly a megastar on the Boston Celtics, has migrated south to the warmer climate of Miami and started shooting hoops for the Heat. A new team and a new city means one thing for Allen – he must sell the baller-worthy Massachusetts mansion he and his family used to call home. According to Curbed, the semi-empty home has just hit the market with a price tag of $5.2 million.

This swank Wellesley mansion was the Allen residence since he joined the Celtics in 2007. And just like the 6’5 hoops star, the home is large! It clocks in at 11,093 square feet. In all that square footage, you’ll find nine bedrooms, nine and a half bathrooms and four stories of stunning house on 1.44 acres.

The home features a wood-paneled library, a 12-seater home theater, a statement foyer with curved walls and a beautiful staircase. The gated property also features impressive grounds and a six-car garage with 10 space carport.

For once in his career, Derek Jeter is sliding away from home. His longtime New York City home, to be exact. Just this week, Jeter sold his 88th-floor penthouse to Brazilian business man Claudio Ferro for $15.5 million, as first reported by the New York Post.

Jeter bought the penthouse pad at Trump Tower directly from Donald Trump himself for $12.72 million in 2001. After almost a decade in the penthouse, he listed the East Side apartment for $20 million in 2010. No buyer stepped up to the plate and Jeter made the call to take it off the market. In April, the bonafide bachelor pad was back with a lower asking price – $17.95 million. Jeter didn’t get his full asking price for the home, but it was in no way a botched play. Jeter’s final sales price was still a cool $3 million more than what he paid for it.

So now the home is being traded to Ferro, and he’s getting an all-star abode! The 88th floor penthouse is set high amidst the tallest residential building on the eastside, the Trump World Tower. The location offers un-paralleled views of the Manhattan skyline and this particular penthouse has a bird’s eye view of the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Bank of America building, One World Trade and other key landmarked buildings framed by the Brooklyn, Williamsburg and Verrazano Bridges and the East & Hudson Rivers – the picturesque views are unsurpassed. Complimenting the views – Jeter’s former penthouse features 16 foot floor-to-ceiling windows, 4 bedrooms, 5.5 baths with 77 feet in length of grand entertaining space encompassing the living room, billiards room and formal dining room. A Creston system controls the lighting, audio, video and privacy shades with one touch of a button. Adding warmth and texture to the apartment is a wood burning fireplace, ultra-suede wallpaper, slate mantle and hardwood flooring.

Word on the street is that Jeter hasn’t yet put down more of his millions on a new place. He’s been staying under the radar and hopping from hotel-to-hotel until he finds another bachelor pad. But don’t worry about him not having a place to call home. He still owns this sprawling estate in Florida.

Pro skateboarder Rob Dyrdek has just flip-kicked another pricey property onto the market! Just last month, Drydek took a wild ride down the real estate half pipe, first putting a stunning $2.4M Apollo Drive home on the market and then purchasing a new Los Angeles spread for $2.5M.

Perhaps multiple high-priced Los Angeles properties are too much for one guy to have, because now Dyrdek is selling his home on North Knoll drive for $1.249M. Dyrdek purchased the home on June 3, 2005 for $1,400,000 and then turned it into the main stage for his hilarious reality TV show Rob & Big.  If Dydek can’t get offers over his asking price on this property, it’s likely he’ll lose a little bit of dough.

This Los Angeles home with a reality TV pedigree is a spacious 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath mid-century home with expansive floor-to-ceiling walls of glass, overlooking a stunning city view. This modern Lake Hollywood-neighborhood home offers many features including a private sparkling sun drenched pool area leading into open area living space with 15 foot vaulted ceilings. The kitchen has been upgraded and includes a center island, granite counters, stainless steel appliances and cherry wood cabinets. In the open living room, you’ll find dramatic high ceilings and a two-story smoke stack fireplace. Sliding glass doors from every room throughout the house open to large balconies with stunning views. The second and third bedrooms and laundry area are found on a separate level, perfect for guest quarters, office area or kids rooms. A bonus lower-level-room is perfect for a recreation room, media room, separate den area…or a reality TV production crew.

Laura Kellam of Prudential holds the listing.

Images via the MLS.