Luxe Living

Talk about a high tech, high dollar deal! Former Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel has sold his compound on Malibu’s Carbon Beach for $37M to none other than Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, who has been dubbed “The Nation’s Most Avid Trophy-Home Buyer.” This real estate transaction between Semel and Ellison is strictly a B2B deal. No, we don’t mean business-to-business. We’re talking about billionaire-to-billionaire here!

Malibu’s Carbon Beach has been dubbed “Billionaire’s Beach,” and Ellison already owns numerous properties along that strip of sand. Perhaps he only lives on streets named exclusively for billionaires, because his primary residence in San Francisco sits on “Billionaire’s Row” in Pacific Heights.

The seller, Terry Semel, was at the helm of Yahoo! from 2001-2007 and made quite the nice stash of cash from the gig. Since leaving Silicon Valley behind, Semel has resided in Los Angeles and has gobbled up some exceptional real estate in the area. Just last year, Semel and wife Jane listed and sold their swank Beverly Hills mansion.

The Malibu home that just transferred hands from Semel to Ellison sits on a three-quarter-acre lot includes three structures, creating a compound just steps from the sand. The main house is entered through a three-story skylit rotunda. Aside from the main home, there is also a two-story guesthouse for a total of nine bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and 10,317 square feet of living space that stretches along 151 feet of beach frontage.

We’re not surprised to hear Ellison was the buyer in this big deal. Since becoming one of the biggest earners in America while at the helm of Oracle, Ellison has spent hundreds of millions of dollars acquiring incredible properties across the globe. Ellison’s known property roster includes five adjacent lots in Malibu, a Newport, R.I., mansion formerly owned by the Astor family; a historic garden property in Kyoto and an estate in Rancho Mirage, Calif., with a private, 19-hole golf course. He’s currently adding a Lake Tahoe compound to that incredible line-up and is rumored to be on a buying spree in his native San Francisco.

While Zynga’s stock price continues to trade lower and lower, CEO Mark Pincus is trading up his lifestyle. According to sources, Mark Pincus and his wife Alison, co-founder of the delightfully addictive home decor flash sale site One Kings Lane, have just picked up a posh new San Francisco pad. Originally priced at $16.5M, the Pincus family paid $16M for the home in the posh SF neighborhood of Pacific Heights.

Pacific Heights, or “Pac Heights,” according to locals, is the must-live-in neighborhood for the billionaire set. The Pincus’ new neighbors include Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, the Getty family, University of Phoenix owner Peter Sperling, and dozens of other monied folks.

The Pincus family has been very active on the San Francisco real estate scene as of late. In late December 2011, they sold an understated San Francisco home in the Cole Valley neighborhood for $1.97M. Also now sold is their stunning, never-lived-in Presido Heights home for $8.2M.

What could possibly top their former properties? Let’s dig into the details of the new Pincus family playground: built in 1907, and never before been on the market, this Pacific Heights view mansion is a classic piece of San Francisco architecture that has remained in the same family since it was built. Set back from Pacific Avenue for the utmost in privacy, the grand residence is perched on the south side of the 2800 block of ‘Outer Broadway,’ one of only three blocks known as the ‘Gold Coast’ of San Francisco – where the most prestigious homes in all of San Francisco sit and elicit gawks from tourists and locals alike.

The residence was originally owned by Edwin W. Newhall and the architect for the home, Albert Farr, was renowned in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Today, the historic residence stands as it was – a classic example of Dutch Colonial Revival architecture with shingled facade, period lighting, and myriad diamond divided light windows, plus picture windows that present magnificent Golden Gate Bridge and Bay views. Spanning four levels plus a spacious attic, the home reflects the design of the early 1900s, with grand formal rooms on the main level, a continuous succession of family bedrooms and sitting rooms on the second and third floor, plus original staff quarters and the main kitchen on the basement level. With over 15 main rooms and approximately 11,500 square feet, the home presents a remarkable opportunity to reimagine the interior design for a variety of 21^st century lifestyle needs – something Alison Pincus and her One Kings Lane team will likely have no problem perfecting.

Steve Gothelf of Pacific Union International represented the sellers.

John Chambers, Cisco Systems’ longtime CEO, has just listed his massive estate in Los Altos Hills, CA, one of Forbes’ ‘most expensive zip codes in America‘. New to the market, the sparkling $14.8M listing gives us a sneak-peek into how this private tech titan lives.

Chambers’ for-sale property is actually comprised of 3 adjoining parcels, totaling over 6 massive acres that must be accessed from two separate streets. The main residence  features 5 bedrooms, a library, an expansive CEO-worthy office, a stunning home theater and 3 family rooms. The estate is secluded – perfect for Silicon Valley-types who want some semblance of privacy in a hyper-connected, social world.

Paver stone walkways connect the main residence to park-like grounds and expansive parking areas. The grounds also feature an impressive swimming pool, spa and tennis court.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Chambers and his wife Elaine purchased the property in the mid-1990s and are selling this home because he has since built a new home nearby.

Mary and Brent Gullixson of Alain Pinel hold the listing.

Mark Pincus is on the move. The internet super-entreprenuer recently had not one, but two high-priced homes on the market in San Francisco. We recently put the spotlight on the $8,900,000 mansion Pincus and his wife heaved onto the market in the Presidio Heights neighborhood. To much less fanfare, the Pincus’ quietly listed their other property in San Francisco’s Cole Valley neighborhood, and now it’s being reported that the home has a buyer. Like the other property, the Cole Valley home is highly-stylized and decorated to the max, a given since Marc’s wife Alison is co-founder of decor marketplace One Kings Lane.

This second Pincus home was first listed in late September 2011 at $2,189,000 and endured a price chop in early November to $1,970,000. Property records indicate that the Pincus’ will likely take a substantial loss on the home. They bought the house in August 2005 for $2,850,000. If they get the full asking price from the buyers who are currently under contract to purchase the property, that’s still an $880,000 loss before you even count carrying costs, renovation expenses and real estate fees. With Zynga’s recent IPO, we suspect Marc may be able to cover the losses.

What will the buyers get? Current listing information shows that the home has a total of 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms in 2,875 square feet. Set on a lovely and peaceful block just a few minute walk to the shops of Cole Street, this home has been designed for large scale engagements in an impactful and creative atmosphere. The main level of the home features a modern, open-plan kitchen that flows into the formal dining area with dramatic black and white accents. Nearby, the adjacent main entertaining room features expansive open spaces punctuated by a modern forest motif along the southern wall that floats past a frost shrouded staircase. The upper level master suite features panoramic city and Golden Gate Bridge views and is washed with light from three sides. Off the main level, a walk out deck overlooks the redwood covered yard below with lush foliage.

Zynga founder and CEO Mark Pincus‘ four-level mansion in the prestigious Presidio Heights neighborhood of San Francisco has just hit the market for $8,900,000. Originally reported by The Business Insider, the gaming mogul and his wife are selling the stunningly well-decorated home for undisclosed reasons. After flipping through the listing photos, you can see that home’s interior decor is a pseudo-advertisement for One Kings Lane, the flash home decor sale site cofounded by Pincus’ wife, Alison. Bright colors, chic accents and delightful surprises define this home and make it one of the most covetable properties currently on the market in San Francisco.

The grand, livable and well-decorated modern home has 6-bedrooms and 6.5-bathrooms and was built on an extra-wide lot. It offers both a bold street presence and pleasing scale, but is intentionally pulled back from the street for privacy. The steps up to the house bring you to a beautiful courtyard and striking entrance. Extremely balanced and well-appointed, all the public rooms on the main level connect, ideal for flow and entertainment. The kitchen includes a unique but functional family room area. The kitchen morphs from great to truly magnificent as soon as you set your eyes on the large doors that open onto the tranquil grass garden. The second level features four bedrooms, including the master suite. There is a full floor penthouse level with a “grand master,” featuring a spa-like bathroom, terrace and office. The lower level has an au pair suite and media room/large play room.

For those who have been following Mark’s career, it’s no surprise he owns a home this big and beautiful. Zynga and Pincus are on a major roll, launching successful game after successful game, acquiring companies left and right, reporting record profits, and filing for an IPO. Zynga is rumored to be a publicly-traded company before the end of the year.

Former Yahoo! Inc. Chief Executive Terry Semel and his wife Jane have just listed their Beverly Hills estate for $12.75 million. The 1987 contemporary, designed by Robert Offenhauser, is one of the most prestigious properties in the flats of Beverly Hills. Sitting on over 30,000 square feet of land, the 8,800 square foot house has 4 bedrooms and  7 bathrooms. High vaulted ceilings, huge walls for art, a 2-story entry with skylight and floor to ceiling iron glass doors are part of the details of the design. Living room, family room, dining room, office/ library and service area and storage off the kitchen complete the main floor. The generous master suite with fireplace, sitting area, covered patio, dual baths and dressing rooms speak to the grace of this home. A detached screening room includes a kitchen, shower, sauna and steam room. On nearly three-quarters of an acre, the estate has a gated, circular driveway and a swimming pool.

Semel spent 6 years as Yahoo! CEO, before resigning in 2007. Prior to Yahoo!, Semel spent 24 years at Warner Bros., where he served as chairman and co-chief executive officer.