Listing Agent

Talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, have bought a 13-acre estate in Montecito that had been listed at $26.5 million. The purchase price has not yet appeared in the public record. The restored Tuscan-style villa and gardens had undergone years and millions of dollars in reconstruction work under the care of an earlier owner, designer John Saladino. The two-story villa was built in the late 1920s from locally quarried stone. The property, entered through wrought-iron gates, has a quarter-mile-long driveway that winds through olive and eucalyptus trees.

Actor-comedian Jim Carrey has sold his gated Malibu Colony retreat for $13.4 million. The two-story contemporary beach house features an open plan living room, family room, dining room and kitchen that lead to an ocean-facing deck. There are fireplaces in the living room and master bedroom for a total of five bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms and 2,866 square feet of living space. A spa sits on the rooftop deck. Carrey, 51, has starred in such films as "Ace Ventura" and its sequels, "The Truman Show" (1998)

Actor-comedian Jim Carrey has sold his gated Malibu Colony retreat for $13.4 million. The two-story contemporary beach house features an open plan living room, family room, dining room and kitchen that lead to an ocean-facing deck. There are fireplaces in the living room and master bedroom for a total of five bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms and 2,866 square feet of living space. A spa sits on the rooftop deck. Carrey, 51, has starred in such films as "Ace Ventura" and its sequels, "The Truman Show" (1998)

Actors Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally have sold their house in Hollywood Hills West's Bird Streets area for $9.97 million. The contemporary sits behind walls on about a quarter of an acre. The 3,803-square-foot home has three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and city views. There is a swimming pool. PHOTOS: Grandest pool around? Malibu has it Offerman, 42, has played parks department director Ron Swanson on "Parks and Recreation" since 2009. Mullally, 54, was a regular on "Will & Grace" from 1998 to 2006, had her own talk show and stars on the comedy "Childrens Hospital" (2008 to the present)

Rupert Murdoch has just popped the cork on a deal to buy a rare trophy property in Los Angeles: the 16-acre Moraga Vineyards estate, located in the hills above Bel Air. The billionaire media mogul announced his purchase on Twitter on Friday afternoon: "About to celebrate buying beautiful small vineyard right in LA. Great wine, Moraga, owned by great Angelino, Tom Jones, Time cover, 1961!" Murdoch did not reveal the purchase price. The listing price for the Santa Monica Mountains property, which can be glimpsed from the 405 Freeway, was just a tasteful sip below $30 million, according to The Times' Daily Dish blog .  Jim Kline, the listing agent with Surterre Properties of Newport Beach, declined to comment on the sale when reached Friday night.

Fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli and his wife, actress Lori Loughlin, have sold their Bel-Air estate for $16.6 million, the Multiple Listing Service shows. The Georgian-style house, built in 1942, sits on more than 11/2 nearly flat acres with a guesthouse, sweeping lawns, a north-south tennis court, a swimming pool and a pool pavilion with a fireplace, bar and two-story-high ceiling. Interiors include a two-story living room, a gym, five bedrooms and five bathrooms. Giannulli, 47, founded the clothing company Mossimo in the '80s.

Actress Mindy Kaling of  “The Mindy Project” appears to have another project on her hands. The actress recently bought a fixer in Hollywood Hills West for its asking price of $1.695 million. Built in 1926, the two-story house has a breakfast bar, three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and 1,599 square feet of living space. The living room features a fireplace and expansive windows with ocean and city views. Grandest pool around? Malibu has it Kaling, 33, was on “The Office” from 2005 until the finale this year.

Now that the Lakers are out of the playoffs, Coach Mike D'Antoni can turn his attention to moving into the house he and his wife, Laurel, just bought in Manhattan Beach for $6.9 million. Set on a walk street, the ocean-view home features a three-stop cherry-paneled elevator, which should come in handy for carting beverages from the 2,000-bottle basement wine cellar to the 400-glass wine bar on the top floor. The open-plan house, built in 2003, includes five bedrooms, five bathrooms and 5,000 square feet of living space.

WASHINGTON - With full-fledged sellers' markets underway in dozens of metropolitan areas around the country, new research has found curious statistical patterns emerging: Even in cities where listings get multiple offers within days or hours, significant numbers of homes are sitting on the market for six months, 12 months or more with no takers. Call them turnoff listings. Despite roaring sales paces all around them, for one reason or another these houses send shoppers scurrying away, often because of mispricing, excessive restrictions on access to buyers and agents, failure to clean or make repairs and a variety of other marketing bungles.

In the Sept. 21 "Real Estate Q&A" column, Robert J. Bruss ("It's Better to Transfer Listing Than to Cancel It") answered a letter writer who had not received promised open houses and advertising promised by the listing agent. The writer had four months to go on the listing. What should be done? Bruss suggested that canceling a listing even for a good reason causes hard feelings with the agent and therefore the writer should try to transfer the listing to another agent in the same office.

Actor-singer David Hasselhoff has bought a house in Calabasas for $1.95 million. The Mediterranean-style house, custom built in 1990, features a sunken living room, a family room with a wet bar, five bedrooms, six bathrooms and 5,767 square feet of living space. Outdoor amenities on the 1.5-acre property include a swimming pool and spa with a waterfall, expansive lawns and a basketball court. Hasselhoff, 60, starred in “Baywatch” from 1989 to 2000 and “Knight Rider” (1982-86)

"Glee's" Naya Rivera is keeping her real estate agent mother busy this year. The 26-year-old actress bought a house in Los Feliz for $2.6 million and a sale is in the works on her home in a 90210 neighborhood. The East Coast-inspired traditional that she purchased retains its 1930s vibe but has been updated. There are five bedrooms, four bathrooms and nearly 4,200 square feet of living space. The for-sale contemporary, listed at $2.1 million, includes a library with a wet bar and kegerator, four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in 3,300 square feet.

Actress Mindy Kaling of  “The Mindy Project” appears to have another project on her hands. The actress recently bought a fixer in Hollywood Hills West for its asking price of $1.695 million. Built in 1926, the two-story house has a breakfast bar, three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and 1,599 square feet of living space. The living room features a fireplace and expansive windows with ocean and city views. Grandest pool around? Malibu has it Kaling, 33, was on “The Office” from 2005 until the finale this year.

Vince Vaughn has bought a house for $3.925 million in an area of Los Angeles one might not normally associate with actors -- La Canada Flintridge. And while the small, affluent community may not have the celebrity cachet of Hollywood Hills, he can count actress Angela Bassett and a host of entertainment-industry types among his neighbors. Plus, the schools are good. To borrow his oft-quoted phrase: It's "so money. " Still, it will be a big change from his three-level penthouse atop Chicago's Palmolive Building.

Area basketball coaches are seeing a lot of off-court action these days. Now that the Lakers are out of the playoffs, head coach Mike D'Antoni can turn his attention to moving into the house he and his wife, Laurel, just bought in Manhattan Beach for $6.9 million and working on his tan. Set on a walk street, the ocean-view home features a three-stop cherry-paneled elevator, which should come in handy for carting beverages from the...

WASHINGTON - With full-fledged sellers' markets underway in dozens of metropolitan areas around the country, new research has found curious statistical patterns emerging: Even in cities where listings get multiple offers within days or hours, significant numbers of homes are sitting on the market for six months, 12 months or more with no takers. Call them turnoff listings. Despite roaring sales paces all around them, for one reason or another these houses send shoppers scurrying away, often because of mispricing, excessive restrictions on access to buyers and agents, failure to clean or make repairs and a variety of other marketing bungles.

QUESTION: I sold my home. Agent A had my listing and agent B produced the buyer. But about two weeks before the close of the sale agent C claimed part of the sales commission. Agent C obtained a purchase offer which I rejected about two months ago. The same buyer then went to agent B who successfully negotiated a sale.

"Glee's" Naya Rivera is keeping her real estate agent mother busy this year. The 26-year-old actress bought a house in Los Feliz for $2.6 million and a sale is in the works on her home in a 90210 neighborhood. The East Coast-inspired traditional that she purchased retains its 1930s vibe but has been updated. There are five bedrooms, four bathrooms and nearly 4,200 square feet of living space. The for-sale contemporary, listed at $2.1 million, includes a library with a wet bar and kegerator, four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in 3,300 square feet.

Now that the Lakers are out of the playoffs, Coach Mike D'Antoni can turn his attention to moving into the house he and his wife, Laurel, just bought in Manhattan Beach for $6.9 million. Set on a walk street, the ocean-view home features a three-stop cherry-paneled elevator, which should come in handy for carting beverages from the 2,000-bottle basement wine cellar to the 400-glass wine bar on the top floor. The open-plan house, built in 2003, includes five bedrooms, five bathrooms and 5,000 square feet of living space.

“Glee's” Naya Rivera is keeping her real estate agent mother busy so far this year. The 26-year-old actress bought a house in Los Feliz for $2.6 million and has another for sale in a 90210 neighborhood. The East Coast-inspired traditional that she purchased retains its 1930s vibe but has been updated. There are five bedrooms, four bathrooms and nearly 4,200 square feet of living space. The for-sale contemporary, listed at $2.1 million and in escrow, includes a library with a wet bar and kegerator, four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in 3,300 square feet.