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

Here’s a good one from the real estate rumor mill: according to reports, Beyoncé has plunked down close to $6 million on an opulent Houston, Texas, mansion for mom, Tina Knowles. If you haven’t stayed close to the Knowles’ family drama in the past few years, you may not have heard that Tina split from long-time husband (and former Beyoncé manager) Matthew Knowles after she found out that he fathered a love child with another woman during an 18-month-long affair. There’s no forgiving and forgetting in that family, so the duo split for keeps, and Tina’s now a ‘single lady.’

Lucky for mama, Beyoncé knows that a change can do a woman good, and a new house means a serious change of scenery.

The home, which was listed as a short sale, is the epitome of resort-style living. Nestled in a very private location in affluent Houston, the estate is built with striking Italian and French architecture and looks out onto views of lush gardens and sculpted granite.

Throughout the property, you’ll find state-of-the-art lighting, audio, security, and HVAC systems. The entryway is punctuated with suspended staircases, and just beyond, you’ll find a mirrored elevator, granite floors with marble, interior cast stone columns, malachite inlays, wide walnut and cherry floors, soaring seamless-glass windows, gold-plated fixtures and more.

That definitely sounds like a home fit for a ‘diva.’

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.

“Back to school, back to school,  to prove to Dad that I’m not a fool…” Although many kids would rather be home watching school classics like Billy Madison today, it’s back to school they go as a new school year begins for many students across the country!

Even though this time of year may bring back those back-to-school blues, little do students realize, that their parents probably jumped through hoops to get Junior into the best school district possible – and more likely than not, this involved a house hunt and a big move before he or she turned 5 years old.

In the spirit of learning and moving for a good school, we are shining our Luxe Living lens on Dallas, TX – home of America’s best public high school. Recently, US World News & Report ranked The School for the Talented and Gifted the top public high school in the nation and awarded it a gold ranking for its test scores, awards, school data and teaching staff– all of which are said to foster the best well rounded, college-ready students.

For parents in the Great State of Texas who love a little glitter in their lives, that’s good news. From what we hear, Dallas is a growing luxury real estate destination with its downtown area emerging as an up-and-coming tech hub and its flourishing restaurant and shopping scene reeling in the big spenders. With an average listing price of $502,534, it’s on the high end of the real estate scale and this featured $29.5 million, 10.5 acre, 5-bedroom and 10-bath Dallas Mt. Vernon landmark sure does its part to bring up the average.

This old-world style property offers historical charm with a splash of modern renovation. Dark hardwoods line the floors, and crown molding can be found in the study with fireplace and built-in library, bringing the property’s antique personality to life. The three-level open floor plan allows for plenty of natural light throughout and can be enjoyed in any part of the home. The renovated kitchen offers an extra large center island and is surrounded by dark wooden cabinets and a lovely brick arch over a stainless steel stove.

A large heated pool, putting green, lighted tennis courts, and 4-lane bowling center with mini diner allow for a hardworking Dallas student to sit back and relish in a fabulous Texan escape right in the comfort of their own home. When hitting the books, one can catch up on some reading on a lovely country-style porch overlooking the 10.5 acre grounds or in one of the many cozy studies with built-in fireplaces.

Additional luxe amenities include an elevator, 2-story guesthouse, wine storage, 16-car garage and outdoor entertainment area with gazebo, two fireplaces and pizza oven.

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!

In Texas, everything is bigger – including the mansions. And apparently, the losses on real estate are also bigger in the Lone Star state. In Hickory Creek, Texas, an estate called Champ d’Or is now up for auction with a reserve price of $10,300,000. While $10,300,000 is a lot of money for a home, it pales in comparison to the $46,000,000 spent to build the 6 bedroom, 14 bathroom, 35,000 square foot property.

Champ d’Or is the product of five years of meticulous planning, construction, and craftsmanship. On an 1.6 million+ square foot lot, the property is comprised of a main house, a pool and tennis house, outdoor swimming pool, tennis court, adjacent lake, and 25 acres of beautiful treed property. Forbes’ Morgan Brennan spoke with Shirley Goldfield, who owns Champs d’Or (which means “Field of Gold”) with husband Alan Goldfield, the founder and former chief of CellStar, who said, “when I built it, I wanted every room to stand on its own…It’s like living in a fantasy land.” While it may be LIKE “living in a fantasy land,” the couple have never officially taken up residence in the sprawling compound.

When Forbes asked why the Goldfields would build a fantasy land just to turn around and list it for sale, Shirley said, “I’m like a painter who creates a beautiful work of art and then sells it…People ask me, ‘Are you sorry to see it go?’ And I say, no, because I feel privileged to have been able to create it.”

At one time, the Goldfields listed Champ d’Or for $72 million, which placed it on Forbes’ list of the America’s most expensive homes for sale. It was reduced to $66.9 million in 2010. In 2011, the Goldfields were still without a buyer in sight, so the asking price was massively chopped to $35 million. On March 30, 2012, the non-distressed property will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Will the Goldfields get close to what Champ d’Or cost? We’ll have to wait and see.

Dallas Mavericks’ guard Jason Kidd is using the NBA lockout as an opportunity to take care of some personal business. First item on his list? Selling his upscale condo on the 21st floor of Dallas‘ prestigious Azure building. According to Aaron Rosen of Prospera Real Estate, Kidd’s condo is a brand-new addition to the Dallas market.

At $1,595,000, the 3 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom, 2,607 square-foot condo is priced to sell. Kidd’s home features a gourmet kitchen with granite countertops coupled with Miele and SubZero appliances. Floor to ceiling glass, motorized Lutron blinds, and hardwood and stone floors are just a few of the many amazing amenities in this home. The unit also comes with a private four car garage.

Ever wanted to escape to a Mediterranean village or the Tuscan countryside all the while still in the comfort of your own home? If so, check out this old-world inspired estate we found in Plano, TX on the market for $6,300,000.

Located in one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Plano, this 13,679 sq ft, 6 bedroom, 6 full, 3 partial bath home has been built with stunning sophistication. The estate sits on a 5 acre lake offering panoramic views of the grounds and bringing old-world class to Texas.

Built by its very own former resident, the home is full of stunning architectural details accentuating the European style and elegance. The textured walls, box-cut ceilings, honed finishes, and decorative columns create a rich ambiance that whisks you away to a rustic dream. The high, arched windows add a feminine touch to the predominately masculine architecture and the imported flooring, light fixtures, and hand crafted workmanship give it more of an authentic, timeless feel.

Each of the six large bedrooms include private baths and French-door entries to their private balconies. The master retreat includes faux finished walls, 10′ marble & faux plaster fireplace, as well as a master bath that offers heated floors and glass enclosed closet cabinets.

To add a new-age feel amongst the vintage décor, the home has been updated with a state of the art technology system offering high-end security, A/V and media throughout.

In addition, the estate includes a 1000 bottle wine cellar with sipping room, an exercise room, study, gameroom and home theater complete with velvet seats and starry night ceiling. Other points of interest include an elevator, an Inglenook, Rotunda, Photo Gallery, Reading Alcove, 4 beverage bars, 8 fireplaces & 4 air conditioned storage areas.