Luxe Living

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.

When Jenna Fischer isn’t at “The Office,” she’ll be spending her days in her brand new estate! According to an exclusive by TooFab, Jenna and her husband Lee Kirk just bought the former Mediterranean estate of baseball legend Casey Stengel for $1.9 million.

Dubbed a “rare trophy estate property” in Northwest Glendale, Fisher’s new home sits on a huge, flat lot with a tennis court, pool, and lush, private grounds. The property, which is hitting the market for the first time in over 30 years, features spacious rooms on two floors. The upper level has an unusual combination of five big bedrooms, three bathrooms, and two sitting rooms.  And while the upstairs living areas are expansive,  the main level’s not shabby either, with a formal living room, grand dining room with butler’s pantry, an eat-in kitchen-and-family-room combo, and two bathrooms. The Cynthia Bennett-designed kitchen and master suite were added to the historic home approximately 11 years ago.

While the home is about 90 years old, it features modern systems that have been meticulously maintained. The sparkling pool and tennis court are also in wonderful condition, having been redone four years ago. Additionally, the property features a 420 square-foot “summer house” with fireplace and a 3-car garage with adjacent maid’s room and bathroom. The final touch is a huge orchard at the back of the property (but will Dwight offer up any tips for Angela Jenna from Schrute Farms?).

Images via the MLS.

San Francisco Giants World Series Champion Barry Zito is looking for another big win – this time in the real estate game. The San Francisco Giants pitcher who famously signed a $126 million-dollar contract is looking for a buyer for his stunning Kentfield, CA Mediterranean mansion. Just across the San Francisco bay, Zito’s home is asking $11,450,000. Perhaps the allure of owning the home of a two-time World Series champion will be enough to clinch a buyer for this amazing estate.

When the home first hit the market in June of 2012, Zito’s publicist Kathy Jacobson told the Huffington Post that the motive for the move was a shorter commute. “Barry loves Marin and the house; he was married there…but with the drive over the bridge all the way across town to the ballpark, it was just too much, especially with a new marriage.”

No telling where the star pitcher and his new wife Amber Seyer will head next, but we do know that they’re leaving behind a champion-worthy estate. Called “Villa Della Pace,” Zito’s for-sale home is sited on over 2 acres of hillside directly overlooking Phoenix Lake. The gorgeous, rare home features a new, spectacular guest house and both the main home and the guest house enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views of acres of coastal hills and park lands.The property is surrounded by stone terraces, lawns and gardens as well as an outdoor fireplace, barbeque, fountain, spa, and spectacular swimming pool. Thanks to teak Nano doors, which allow the home’s glass walls to open, indoor-outdoor flow is maximized.

Situated on a private lot with two iron gates, this estate features 4 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms, an enormous combination kitchen/family room. The large master suite, which opens to the back yard and spa, is on the main level and features an imported limestone fireplace. The master bath is accented with beautiful granite countertops and an extra-large custom stone shower, double sinks, and a gracious walk-in closet. The main level also comes with an office – the perfect place for Zito to consider all the ways to spend that nine-figure paycheck.

Marilyn Rich of Pacific Union real estate holds the listing.

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.

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.

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.

See more images of Matt Cain's San Francisco home »

Derek Lowe’s inconsistent tenure with the Atlanta Braves is over, and so is his time in a stately mansion in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, according to Curbed Atlanta. Prior to his October 2011 trade, Lowe was coming off what some called “the worst season of his 15-year career.” He lost a major-league high of 17 games and ended the season with an 8.75 ERA. Lowe was subsequently traded to Cleveland for minor league pitcher Chris Jones. The Braves paid Lowe $10M of the $15M left on the final year of his contract. Not too shabby for a sub-par performance.

Another contract Lowe is focused on finalizing is the one to sell his $3,495,000 Atlanta mansion. Not your typical sprawling jock mega-mansion in the ‘burbs, Lowe actually hung his (baseball) hat in a French country home designed by Stan Dixon that won the prestigious Shutze award. The estate boasts 5 bedrooms, 5 full and two partial bathrooms, and 12 foot ceilings. The large rooms have great flow and top-of-the-line finishes.

The finished basement has a large wine cellar, man cave/cigar room, entertainment room, plus a bedroom and full bathroom. The master suite is on the main floor, overlooking the pool and private, fenced backyard. An airy living room overlooks the pool and outdoor entertaining area that features a cabana. Lowe’s home also features an incredible kitchen with hidden pantry and a built-in banquet.

Retired MLB pitcher and former Seattle Mariner, Jeff Nelson, has put his custom built home up for sale in Carnation, Washington. Carnation is a suburb about 40 minutes East of Seattle. Listed for $2,000,000, Nelson’s custom built home sits on 3 acres and is 6,575 square-feet. It has 5 bedrooms, 4.75 baths, an outdoor pool, spa, sports court, work out room, play area, fire pit, private gated entry, woods and butterfly garden, and is located in the highly sought after community of Blakely Woods.

The home also has a 1,285 sq-ft Guest House that includes its own kitchen, great room and pool deck.