Luxe Living

Scott Marlette, one of Facebook’s first employees, is investing his tech riches into an offline asset – a rare, brand new home in Pacific Palisades, CA. Marlette began his career at Facebook in the company’s early days, first as an engineer and later as a product manager. He developed Facebook Photos and oversaw development for other key site features like tagging, groups and more. Facebook just announced its billionth user worldwide, and that kind of online success translates into some major dollars for the company and for early employees who received a substantial piece of equity in the company in exchange for taking a chance and betting their careers on Mark Zuckerberg’s idea. Despite Facebook’s rocky IPO earlier this year, there is no doubt that the company has figured out how to make a pretty penny – and many of the early employees have also shared in that monetary success.

Scott Marlette’s new venture, GoodRx, is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, which explains why his pricey Pacific Palisades purchase is hundreds of miles from the tech epicenter of Silicon Valley.

So what does tech gold translate to when it comes to real estate? Marlette paid $5.4M for a home in highly-sought-after Rustic Canyon. The home was a complete remodel of an existing property that hadn’t been on the market in more than 50 years. The home was designed and built by Core Development Group. Marlette’s new home is a fresh and modern interpretation of a New England farmhouse, complete with sun-filled open spaces, wide plank oak floors, 11-foot-high ceilings and tree top views everywhere you look.

Sleek lines blend seamlessly with a perfect floor plan. A state-of-the-art kitchen features a wolf range and side-by-side Sub Zero fridges. The family room flows effortlessly into a private grassy backyard.The home’s master suite comes complete with a stunning bath and his & her closets. A separate 5th bedroom upstairs has its own entrance. The listing says it’s “perfect for a writer,” but it’s also a great space for a hacker or coder as well!

 

 

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.

Vineyard Knolls, an exclusive Napa Valley estate including a personal NCGA nine-holegolf course, is on the market for only the second time since 1989. The estate has an impressive Hollywood and Silicon Valley pedigree. Originally built in the 60′s by David L. Wolper, the Hollywood legend who produced Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Roots, Wolper transformed Napa’s first municipal golf course into a compound for entertaining Hollywood’s elites.

In 1999, Jeff Mallett, former president and COO of Yahoo! purchased Vineyard Knolls and transitioned the one-of-a-kind estate into an exclusive retreat for friends and family, which includes a spectacular Napa-inspired grand residence, separate clubhouse and beautifully landscaped  grounds to fully take advantage of the outdoor wine country lifestyle.

Priced at $17,500,000, the 25-acre property boasts a golf course surrounded by gentle rolling hills and lush estate vineyards. Only 45 minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge and 15 minutes from the Napa Airport, Hollywood celebrities and business moguls found safe haven at Vineyard Knolls while discovering the world-class wine, food and recreation the Napa Valley is so famous for.

The property features unparalleled amenities including a nine-hole NCGA golf course, two lakes, a 7,500 square-foot main residence, clubhouse and caretaker’s home. The 4-bedroom main residence makes the best of indoor/outdoor wine country living from its serene setting at the center of the private golf course.

Vineyard Knolls also features a spacious 6,412 square-foot clubhouse which includes an expansive main room for entertaining, featuring a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, commercial kitchen, numerous office and meeting rooms. The St. Andrew’s inspired full bar and seating area opens up to a wrap around sundeck overlooking the 9^th green.

A sapphire swimming pool, tennis court, croquet lawn and open-air pool pavilion provide lounging and dining areas located just outside the clubhouse. The combination of the clubhouse and pool pavilion creates a perfect place for entertaining a large gathering of guests or intimate groups.

Vineyard Knolls golf course is a NCGA sanctioned course and was used as a teaching course by golf’s famous short game guru Dave Pelz. Since 1965 this exclusive 9-hole golf course has hosted many challenging and enjoyable rounds of golf for beginners to PGA professionals.

Vineyard Knolls is listed by Jocelyne Monello of Heritage Sotheby’s International Realty, Sylvia Seufferlein and Hadar Gordon of Sereno Group Real Estate.

 

Earlier this week, Facebook filed paperwork for the most anticipated initial public offering since Google in 2004. Estimated to raise as much as $10 billion and value the company at up to $100 billion, about a 1,000 or so privileged Facebook employees are expected to hit the jackpot this summer.

With a few Facebook employees valued anywhere from $700 million to $17.5 billion, it’s safe to say that these soon-to-be newly minted millionaires and billionaires will probably have more money than they know what to do with. Well, here’s an idea – why not take your shares and get your own piece of Silicon Valley by buying a house (if they haven’t already).

So to help them out, we’ve searched through Silicon Valley real estate’s most finest for Facebook’s lucky bunch. Although Silicon Valley isn’t known for being fancy like the rich and famous in New York and Los Angeles, with these homes we think we’ll definitely get some “likes” from our “friends.”

1. King Mountain Rd; Woodside, CA 94062

Price: $47,500,000

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 5 full, 1 partial

Size: 14,000 sqft

Lot: 4.0 acres

Why we “like” it: Features a wine cellar with a 13,200 bottle capacity, fully equipped gym, 15-seat cinema, 7-car garages, computer controlled heating, lighting, security and elevator.

2. 835 Chiltern Road, Hillsborough CA 94010

Price: $43,888,000

Bedrooms: 6

Bathrooms: 12

Lot: 6.23 acres

Why we “like” it: Includes indoor pool & raquetball court, pool house, outdoor pool, tennis court, waterfalls, koi pond, English rose and zen gardens.

3. 5050 Alpine Road, Portola Valley CA 94028

Price: $15,950,000

Bedrooms: 7

Bathrooms: 8 full, 2 partial

Lot: 28.5 acres

Why we “like” it: It’s minutes from town, boasts 2 pools, tennis ct, vineyard, 8-car garage and guest cottage.

4. 12661 Robleda Road, Los Altos Hills CA 94022

Price: $10,888,000

Bedrooms: 6

Bathrooms: 6 full, 1 partial

Size: 8,610 sqft

Lot: 1.53 acres

Why we “like” it: Has 3 levels, vaulted/cathedral ceiling, inside BBQ, 2+ master suites, pool and cabana.

5. 72 Ralston Road, Atherton CA 94027

Price: $7,950,000

Bedrooms: 6

Bathrooms: 8 full, 1 partial

Size: 9,345 sqft

Why we “like” it: Boasts a wine cellar, sauna, fitness room, game room, pool, spa, fire pit and cabana.

 

High in the hills of Berkeley, California is the opportunity to buy a home with unrivaled San Francisco Bay views. This modern masterpiece on top of the world was designed by Robert Swatt of Swatt Miers Architects. The home is situated at the highest elevation in Berkeley and Oakland, and was designed to enhance jaw dropping, 300 degree San Francisco Bay and five bridge views, including Mt. Diablo and Mt. Tamalpais. The top level of the six bedroom, three level home is essentially a complete home including a master bedroom suite, kitchen, breakfast room, living room, dining room, library and cantilvered roof terrace that dissolves the separation between interior and exterior access. Materials include elegant Halila limestone floors from a single quarry in Jerusalem, Honduran mahongany ceilings, and Japanese black rock. The master bedroom suite is separated by a nine foot pocket door. This private sanctuary includes a master bathroom, sitting/media room, office, laundry, and huge walk in closets.