Luxe Living

On July 2nd, NBA All Star Joe Johnson was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, after spending 7 quality seasons in Atlanta with the Hawks. Now he’s putting his palatial Atlanta area home on the market and going all-in on becoming part of Brooklyn’s first NBA basketball franchise. And who can blame him? Maybe it was the thought of Jay-Z being the minority owner? Or the idea of creating a new basketball super power right in the backyard of the New York Knicks? Either way the $90 million of mad scrilla left on the next 4 years of his contract certainly makes moving an easy decision from a financial standpoint.

So what is Joe leaving behind? Well the Hawks might not be in good shape, but his expansive home sure is a gem. Settled on over an acre of land the European-style home is 13,822 square feet and features 8 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms and welcomes visitors to the home with a dramatic 2 story foyer and cathedral ceiling. The kitchen alone includes a breakfast room, large granite-topped island and a walk-in pantry. Other spaces throughout the house include computer, media, recreation, family and living rooms, as well as a library, den, gym and wet bar for entertaining. And after all that you can settle into a large dining room with room for more than 12 people, wood floors and expansive 10 foot ceiling.

The amaziness that is Joe Johnson‘s former home isn’t limited to indoors. Once you head into the back yard you will encounter myriad additional features that solidify this home’s status as a luxury retreat. Walk onto the deck and notice the carefully tended garden, baller-status grill, hot tub, spa and built-in pool including pool house. And if you want to work up a sweat before hitting the pool you can hit the ball around on the private tennis court.

Maybe he’s crazy for selling this place, but you have to wonder where a man used to this lifestyle will settle once he arrives in the Big Apple. Perhaps he wants to pick up Derek Jeter’s old pad for a cool $17.95 million? With his average pre-tax salary in the $1.7 million per month range, a host of New York rental opportunities become very affordable. For $45,000 per month Johnson could choose this massive, lower-Manhattan flat, or perhaps he wants to be close to the brand new Barclays Center in Brooklyn? If so, he’ll find rentals to be exceedingly less expensive, like this 2 bedroom apartment that is just minutes from his “office” at the arena and will set him back a paltry in comparison, $5,500 per month.

One thing we know for certain, Johnson will be playing on an exciting team come 2012, and likely living in style.

Credit to estately.com for home images.

Talk about some grand slam real estate! A-Rod, the New York Yankees’ third basemen with a sky-high $275M contract has just listed his big baller beachfront Miami mansion for $38M.

A-Rod, known to change his mind often in his personal life, has now decided to part ways with the slick and stunning waterfront Miami mansion he has only owned since 2010. He built and supervised the construction of the home (often seen on-site with his then-love Cameron Diaz), and eventually moved into the mansion in October 2011. Less than a year later, A-Rod found A-Realtor and listed the home for $38M.

Listed with ONE Sotheby’s International Realty in Miami, the high-priced waterfront bachelor pad has uninterrupted, panoramic views of the water and the Miami skyline.  Dubbed an “extraordinary new modern masterpiece,” the home sits on over an acre of lush grounds on one of the most prestigious streets in Miami Beach. Completely gated and walled for privacy, the mansion features an an expansive 275 feet of water frontage and 2 docks.

Over 20,000 square feet of chic and elegant spaces are completely surrounded by 12′ walls of impact glass. The home is finely detailed throughout with extensive use of coral rock, white oak floors, epe wood and marble. As if a well-to-do bachelor would do anything less, A-Rod had the home exquisitely decorated by renowned Edward Briggs design.

Perfect for Miami, the 9-bedroom, 13-bathroom home possesses Zen-like outdoor/indoor living spaces,  a gourmet open kitchen, spectacular home theater, covered terraces, vanishing edge heated pool, outdoor kitchen area and guest house. Inside the main residence, the master suite clocks in at 2,200 square feet and features an atrium, sitting area, his/hers baths and oversized closets.

An amazing separate gym with steam room and 3,000 square foot sports room with batting cages overlooks the bay. The house also comes complete with a commercial-sized elevator, full home generator, and 16 security cameras and surround sound system throughout.

 Mayi de la Vega holds the listing.

NBA baller, Gilbert Arenas, is looking to bounce-pass his Great Falls, Virginia property to a buyer who may also have an affinity for a seductive in-ground grotto and shark tank. Price tag for a house with those unique features? Only $3.5M. A lot for the average Joe or Jane, but it’s pocket change for a professional athlete who once signed a $111 million dollar contract. After some personal missteps on and off the court, Arenas has found his career in relative “no man’s land.” This means it’s time to sell the shark tank-laden mansion that costs the baller a small fortune to maintain each month.

Aside from moving in some scary dorsal-finned roommates, Arenas also spent about a million clams creating a custom-built grotto and pool with a waterslide. Perfect for the kind of parties that many professional athletes are so (in)famous for.

The seven bedroom, ten bath home spans over 13,000 square feet of space. According to the listing language, the “expansive, grand home is sited on an exquisite gated lot.” Aside from the sultry outdoor entertaining areas, the interior features soaring ceilings, gleaming cherry floors, custom details throughout, grand entertaining spaces and comfortable family living space. If your personal interests include both grotto-sitting AND cooking, this home could be the one for you, as it features a chef’s kitchen with large breakfast room. In true baller fashion, this home is the ultimate playground.

Donna Karpa of Long & Foster holds the listing

Additional images courtesy of the Mouse on House virtual tour.

Hat tip to the folks at Deadspin for originally reporting this listing.

Sugar Ray Leonard, the gold medalist and championship boxer, is putting his Monarch Beach, California vacation home on the market for a cool $2.175 million.

The 4,207 square foot home is ideally located with access to the beach in the Luxury Ritz Pointe gated community and features commanding views of the ocean and the Monarch Beach Golf Links.

With 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and a 2-car garage, the home also features a large gourmet kitchen and a custom backyard that boasts a pool, cascading waterfall and a spa reachable from a swim-under bridge.

Hat tip to real estate specialist, Aaron J. Rosen, who first reported on this home.

Real estate touchdown! Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer has scored a buyer for his East San Diego home, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Jammer, who has played in San Diego since 2002, has just sold a home just east of the pricey community of Rancho Santa Fe for $1.2 million. The 4,300-square-foot home was on the market for less than 30 days before escrow closed on April 9, 2012, according to public records.

Jammer and his wife split in 2011, prompting the sale of the family home. They currently have a second home and a plot of land on the San Diego market as well.

The Jammers’ recently-sold home is a highly-upgraded model with 5-bedrooms and 4.5-bathrooms on a very large lot with no neighbors to the side or back. The home features custom cabinetry, faux paint, a state-of-the-art AV system and his-and-hers closets outfitted by California Closets. Perfect for the San Diego heat or someone without a green thumb, the yard is low maintenance and outfitted with artificial Easy Turf.

The home sits on a coveted corner lot and cul-de-sac and has enough room for a pool.

This stunning $4,995,000 7 bedroom 6.25 bathroom, 9,120 square foot estate was quietly put on the market in Hidden Hills, California, by everyone’s favorite reformed WWE wrestler and popular actor, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Having recently purchased a palatial estate in Southwest Ranches, Florida, the former WWE Champion certainly isn’t struggling to find a comfortable home.

Described as a “Tour de Force,” this two-level Mediterranean style home, boasts epic views of the nearby mountains and valleys, highlighted by a glass-walled living room, lush yard and infinity/edge pool, perfect for relaxing in the California sunshine. The home is chock-full of amenities, ranging from a BBQ center, 4 walk-in closets, and a sprawling kitchen all the way to a “state-of-the-art screening room that boasts a lobby, bar & movie marquee entrance.”

“The Scorpion King” star has been divorced from ex-wife Dany Garcia since May of 2008, who is likely the current resident of this exclusive home. According to public records, this home is held under the same trust as The Rock’s other pricey estates across the country.

Golf legend Fred Couples has a new clubhouse!  After years of residing in La Quinta, CA, Couples has purchased a stunning, Spanish Colonial revival home in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. According to public records, Couples paid $4,557,000 on April 4, 2012 for a four-bedroom, four and a half bathroom, 5,661 square foot home.

The estate is set behind gates on picturesque South Carmelina Ave. Beautifully designed and crafted, the property features gorgeous gardens, beau detailing and top-notch finishes throughout. All spaces flow seamlessly together and to the outdoors for the ideal California lifestyle. Gas lanterns and a private courtyard entry way lead to the gracious foyer with a sweeping staircase, a step-down living room, formal dining room and inviting library. A fabulous cook’s kitchen and family room opens through French doors to the loggia, outdoor living room with fireplace, sparkling pool, spa and detached poolside guesthouse. The home was originally designed as a five-bedroom home with maid’s quarters, but it is currently being used as a three-bedroom with an oversized laundry room, upstairs family room and vast his & hers master closets.

In November 2011, Couples listed his 5,173 square-foot, four-bedroom, five-bathroom home in La Quinta for $4,195,000. That home is now off the market.

Bachelor pads are notoriously stereotyped as messy, poorly-taken-care-of dwellings with clothes all over the floor and an empty refrigerator. Enter Derek Jeter, who can officially counter that stereotype with his bachelor party penthouse at Trump World Tower. Newly RELISTED for $17,950,000, this isn’t the first time Jeter attempted to hit a real estate home run. According to the fine folks at Curbed, Jeter tried to to unload the home for $20 million big ones two years ago.

Jeter’s hard-to-sell 88th floor penthouse is set high amidst the tallest residential building on the eastside, the Trump World Tower. The location offers un-paramount 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 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.

Former Los Angeles Laker Sasha Vujacic is selling the home he shared with his parents, sister and brother on a quiet street in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, according to the Los Angeles Times. Public records show he bought the property in 2005 for $1,860,000. Vujacic was a guard for the Lakers from 2004-2010 and played for the New Jersey Nets till late 2011. He now plays for the Anadolu Efes in Turkey and is planning a wedding to tennis star Maria Sharapova, making it the perfect time to say goodbye to the family home.

The Vujacic’s abode is a resort-style home sitting on a 21,377 square foot lot. Tremendous attention to detail has been given to this fully remodeled home, offering 4,048 square feet in a one-level floor plan that includes 4 bedrooms, 4 baths. Of the 4 bedrooms, 2 are master suites. The private, gated property allows entry through a charming terracotta paved courtyard. The home welcomes you through a double door entry into a dramatic living and dining room with soaring ceilings, an exquisite fireplace with handpainted talavera tiles and terracotta floors. The kitchen has gleaming granite counter tops with stone backsplash, top of the line appliances, Marmorino and Venetian plaster walls, ceiling and crown molding. There is an adjoining family room, open with lots of natural light with a wet bar, wine cooler, fireplace.

The very spacious master suite includes a fireplace, custom walk-in closet and a master bath with huge Jacuzzi and shower. The large flat backyard is a true California dream with ocean and Catalina Island views, colorful landscaping, abundant trees, flat grassy areas, and a romantic fountain. Terracotta tiles surround the inviting pool and spa with multi color lights. Additionally, for the sports buff, there is a completely redone full tennis/basketball court with pro original NBA Baskets…naturally.

Ornella Green of Coldwell Banker holds the listing

Bravo’s “Most Eligible Dallas” star and former Texas football all-star, Matt Nordgren, is selling his bachelor pad in the White Rock neighborhood of Dallas, TX. Matt graced the small screen this past fall as one of the cast-members on Bravo’s latest hit, “Most Eligible Dallas.” Cameras followed Matt and his fellow hot Dallas singles as they navigated love, relationships, friendships and a whole lot of nights on the town in the Lone Star state.

First reported by Candy Evans over at Candy’s Dirt, Nordgren is selling his 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home for $319,000. Originally listed for $329,000, the home was recently reduced and is still looking for a buyer.

Nordgren’s home is situated in tranquil White Rock Villas, moments away from the new Lake Highlands Town Center. Not quite in the middle of the action of downtown Dallas, Nordgren’s home is well-maintained and features updated home amenities and a great floor plan. Nordgren’s pad also has a updated kitchen, large master suite, a fantastic upstairs gameroom, recently repainted deck and new arbor, ample back yard and much more.

Should “Most Eligible Dallas” return for a second season, we’ll likely get a peek into his new bachelor pad!