Courteney Cox isn't the only former cast member of "Friends" who knows how to play the real estate game. Matthew Perry has racked up his second big deal of the year.
The actor, 36, sold his Beverly Hills-area home for $6.1 million. He purchased it in 1999 for $3.2 million.
When he bought, it was a '70s-looking, 6,500-square-foot compound made of rock, steel and glass. Perry brought it up to date with a screening room, gym, game area, office, wine cellar and several places to entertain outdoors. The home has five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a pool and city-to-ocean views.
Perry put the home on the market in June at $6.9 million. But he didn't need to wait for a buyer to become one himself. In April, Perry bought a two-bedroom, Sunset Strip-area condo for slightly more than $2.5 million, including furnishings.
Perry's interests aren't only in real estate, of course. The actor stars in "The Ron Clark Story," an upcoming made-for-TV movie based on the life of a teacher acclaimed for his work with disadvantaged students. It's scheduled to air in 2006.
Billy Rose of Mossler & Doe Associates, Beverly Hills, represented the buyer of Perry's Beverly Hills home, and Ron de Salvo of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills, had the listing, according to public records.
It's Malibu for this housewife's helper
Charlie Babcock, who has a recurring role on the ABC-TV show "Desperate Housewives" as Stu, Lynette Scavo's assistant, has purchased an oceanfront condo in Malibu for $975,000.
"He was 'desperate' for Malibu," said Burt Bakman of Re/Max on the Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, who handled both sides of the deal.
Babcock's condo has two bedrooms and two bathrooms in about 920 square feet. It overlooks the tennis court and faces the pool, spa, sauna and gym. The gated community also has a clubhouse with an exercise room.
Babcock, 25, moved to Southern California from Michigan to pursue acting. Before "Housewives," he appeared in the film "The Rules of Attraction," as well as the TV series "8 Simple Rules" and "Cold Case."
Jumped on it in Manhattan Beach
It was a slam-dunk when Zeljko Rebraca, backup center of the L.A. Clippers, first laid eyes on his future home in Manhattan Beach.
He bought it for close to its $2.7-million asking price. The house, built in 2004, has five bedrooms in 4,500 square feet. It is Craftsman-style with cathedral ceilings, a deck, two butler's pantries and four fireplaces, including one outdoors. But the most unusual feature, given its beach location, is its large, grassy backyard.
