The 20 Most Noteworthy Celebrity Real Estate Happenings Of 2016 (2024)

In one of the most highly publicized listings of the year, the famous Playboy Mansion went up for sale at the very beginning of the year —with a catch. Whoever bought the housewould agree to have Hugh as their roommate until the publisher'sdeath. In June, Daren Metropoulus (the CEO of Hostess Brands and Hugh's neighbor) purchased the estate for $100 million. There were reports in earlyAugustthat the deal may havefallen through because Hefner wasn't up for Metropoulus' renovation plans — but the sale officially closed in mid-August, making it the largest residential deal in the history of Los Angeles County.

In what's been dubbed the "Thrilla Villa," the Las Vegas mansion that was one of Michael Jackson's last residences went up for sale in June, asking $9.5 million. The 1.7-acre compound included the original mirrors Jackson used to rehearse famous dance routines, a 74-seat medieval chapel and tributes to Jackson. The property is still for sale.

In May, pop culture history hit the market when the "Full House" residence went up for sale in San Francisco. Asking $4.150 million, the traditional Victorian home has the famous facade the show showcased, but strikingly different interiors. In August, the home sold for $4 million, butthen became available as a rental for $13,950 per month. Turns out, thebuyer was Jeff Franklin, who created the 90s sitcom and who plans to preserve the house for fans.

In 2016, we sadly lost many icons, including Prince. The star ruled the world of music, and apparently lived like royalty too. His former Spanish villa hasstruggled to find a buyer for two years, but appeared in the limelight again this year after the singer's death. The 7,535-square-foot villa is asking $5.93 million and overlooks the Mediterranean in a wealthy neighborhood in southern Spain. The six-bedroom mansion was a wedding gift for his then-wife, Mayte Garcia, in 1998.

As the Obama family prepared to move out of the White House this year, they scooped up an 8,200-square-foot home in the exclusive Washington D.C. neighborhood of Kalorama. The house is reportedly worth $6.35 million and includes parking for nearly a dozen cards — which could come in handy for the Secret Service detail Obama has for life — pluseight bedrooms and nine-and-a-half bathrooms.

Six months after the "If I Was A Rich Girl" star left ex-husband and Bush lead singer Gavin Rossdale (who allegedlyhad an affairwith the family's nanny), the former couple listed their Beverly Hills mansion, which once belonged to Jennifer Lopez, for $35 million. The couple purchased the 11,845 square foot, which appears to have a chicken coop, for $13.3 million in 2004.The home is still for sale.

In news only Johnny Depp can produce, the famed actor listed his Los Angeles penthouse — which is actuallyfiveadjacent penthouses he essentially treated as room at the top of the Easter Columbia Building in Los Angeles. The penthouses encompass 11,500 square feet with nine bedrooms and 14 bathrooms, and asked $12.78 million for all five. Two of the units have sold separately so far (one for $3.09 million and another for $2.54 million), and the remaining three are still up for grabs.

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz, her music producer husband, listed a glass mansion on Camelback Mountain Phoenix they called "Dreamland" for $3.85 million in March. The 7,881-square foot home has panoramic views of the valley and mountains surrounding the city. The home is still for sale, but at a discounted price of $3.199 million.

In the midst of an unpredictable political climate, Trump's childhood home in Queens, New Yorkwent up for sale in July for $1.65 million.The house holds the same address of that listed on the President-elect's 1946 birth certificate. This month, a mystery New York investor reportedly purchased the home, and plans to take it to auction January 17, just days before Trump's inauguration. The house sold for $1.25 million, but experts estimate that the home could be worth up to $10 million now due to Trump's election.

Paltrow gets honorable mention for the incredible language in her listing, which describes herfluffy white apartment in New York City as one of "artisanal, bespoke nature" and which "floats above the cobblestone streets like a pale, dreamy cloud." How very Goop-y of her. The property, which Paltrow co-owned with ex-partner Chris Martin, was first put on the market for $14.25 million early this year. In April, the price dropped to $12.85 million. Whether it sold or not seems to be under wraps, but the listing is no longer on Corcoran's website (and also isn't marked in its "sold" results).

As 2016 began, Palin seems to have made a resolution to sell her very-far-from-Alaska equestrian estate in Scottsdale, Arizona. The nearly 5-acreproperty was listed for $2.5 million,and features equestrian facilities, a putting green, a spa, a lighted sports court and a pool (not to mention Jacuzzi bathtubs and wrought-iron staircases). In September, the property sold for $2.275 million — less than the asking price, yet still a considerable profit for Palin, who purchased the house for $1.695 million in 2011.

Amidst her legal battle with Dr. Luke, Kesha listed her spa-like home in Nashville and finally found a buyer this year. She asked $1.449 million for the 4,800-square-foot home, which is filled with sunlight and Brazilian cherry floors. The home sold in March for $1.3 million.

In February, Oprah purchased a $28.85 million horse farm in Montecito, California — just months after spending $14 million on a Colorado ski retreat. The Montecito estate sits on 23 acres between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, and includes a 4,750-square-foot main house, a pool, a manager's cottage and a horse trainer's house, in addition to show horses.

This spring, Britney Spears listed one of her Thousand Oaks, California homes for $8.995 million.The 8,500-square-foot house sits on 62,000 square feet of land, and hasfive bedrooms and seven bathrooms. Spears purchased the estate in November 2012 for $6.744 million. The property is still for sale, but at a discounted price of $7,495.

Maroon 5's Adam Levine and his Victoria's Secret Angel wife Behati Prinsloo listed their SoHo loft at 112 Greene Street in the spring for $5.5 million, and sold it just six months later for $5.4 million — about $1 million more than what they paid for the loft in 2014. The apartment was a whopping 2,800 square feet (keep in mind the average one-bedroom apartment in NYC in 750 square feet).

The iconic "Boy Meets World" house in Studio City hitthe market asking $1.6 million in November, but marketed as a "possible lot split, rehab or build new." The house is where the fictional Matthews family in the sitcom lived, and the current owner of the Cape Cod-style home is 92-year-old actor Joe Campanella. The home is still for sale, but at a discounted price of $1,495,000.

Ben Carson has had a busy year: The neurosurgeon ranfor president, has earned a spot as President-elect Donald Trump's pick for the next secretary of Housing and Urban Developmentandput his West Palm Beach mansion on the market for $1.2 million this month. The 6,155-square-foot property resembles an English palace with beige accents, high ceilings and lots of marble. The house is still for sale.

The youngest sister of the Kardashian/Jenner clan became a certified house flipper this year. After purchasing a Hidden Hills home four months ago, the realty starput the 4-bed, 3.5-bath property on the market this month for $5.4 million. Jenner also purchased a $6 million home in May (which happens to neighbor the Hidden Hills home she's sellingnow), a $12 million Hidden Hills mansion (and her fourth home) in September and listed a 4,800-square-foot Calabasas home she bought in 2015 in June for $3.9 million (but that listing has since been removed). She also played landlord to her brother Rob and his fiancéBlac Chyna.

DiCaprio sold one of his more humble properties this fall — a mid-century modern ranch home in Studio City. The star asked $2.4 million for the3,400-square-foot property, and it sold for just slightly less at $2.24 million. The property featured vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, an al fresco dining area plenty of greenery outside.

When ChrisHemsworth and actress Elsa Pataky moved to their native Australia, they left their grandestate in Malibu behind, asking $6.5 million for the secluded homein February. The couple purchased the house from "Crocodile Dundee" star Paul Hogan, and it sold only after two months on the market for over the asking price at$7 million. The 6,800 house has five beds and six baths.