Sotheby S International Realty

The face. The hair. The voice. Why does that real estate agent seem so familiar? Because, in that only-in-L.A. kind of way, there's a good chance the agent is also an actor, reality show personality or has had some other brush with fame. The last decade's real estate bubble and bust spawned more than 20 reality cable television shows devoted to home buying, selling and flipping, so the odds are that some of those agents will end up at an open house near you. Broaden the spotlight to music and acting, and the recognition factor climbs even higher.

The gig: Nick Segal is president and a founding partner of real estate brokerage Partners Trust, which specializes in the high-end, luxury markets of the Southland. It's his latest endeavor in a real estate career that has spanned decades and included stints with Sotheby's International Realty and DBL Realtors, which Sotheby's acquired in 2004. Partners Trust has offices in Santa Monica, Brentwood, Beverly Hills, Pasadena and Rancho Mirage. The firm, with about 100 agents, deals in expensive properties; last year, the average sale price was $1.65 million.

Homage to Frank Lloyd Wright Location: 9544 Oak Pass Road, Beverly Hills 90210 Size: Three bedrooms and 3 bathrooms in just under 3,000 square feet Published on: Feb. 1 Listed then for: $3,875,000 Leased for: $11,500 a month in May A Montecito classic, revived Location: 1284 Mesa Road, Montecito 93108 Size: Six bedrooms, 7 bathrooms and 2 half-bathrooms in 8,500 square feet on a 1.4-acre...

The face. The hair. The voice. Why does that real estate agent seem so familiar? Because, in that only-in-L.A. kind of way, there's a good chance the agent is also an actor, reality show personality or has had some other brush with fame. The last decade's real estate bubble and bust spawned more than 20 reality cable television shows devoted to home buying, selling and flipping, so the odds are that some of those agents will end up at an open house near you. Broaden the spotlight to music and acting, and the recognition factor climbs even higher.

The gig: Nick Segal is president and a founding partner of real estate brokerage Partners Trust, which specializes in the high-end, luxury markets of the Southland. It's his latest endeavor in a real estate career that has spanned decades and included stints with Sotheby's International Realty and DBL Realtors, which Sotheby's acquired in 2004. Partners Trust has offices in Santa Monica, Brentwood, Beverly Hills, Pasadena and Rancho Mirage. The firm, with about 100 agents, deals in expensive properties; last year, the average sale price was $1.65 million.

DEMILLE ESTATE IS REDUCED Location: Laughlin Park, Los Angeles Description: The legendary film director bought the house in 1916 and lived in it for more than 40 years. Size: The restored estate has six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms in 11,000 square feet of living space on a 2.1-acre lot. Published on: April 6, 2008 Listed then for: $26.25 million December list price: $23.95 million Listed now for: $18.95 million Reduction from original list price: 27.8% Agent: Brett Lawyer, Sotheby's International Realty, Sunset Strip, (310)

Hot Property: The column in Sunday's Real Estate said Mark Harmon, star of the series "Navy NCIS," purchased a Malibu compound. The actor was not the buyer, it was bought by someone with a similar-sounding name. And the title of Harmon's series is "NCIS." The column also identified Gracee Arthur as an associate manager with Sotheby's International Realty in Malibu. She is with Ewing & Associates Sotheby's International Realty.

Location: 3219 Fairpoint St., Pasadena 91107 Asking price: $1,849,000 Previously sold for: $500,000 in 2000 Size: There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms and one half-bath in about 3,750 square feet in the main house. The guesthouse has one bedroom and one bathroom in 780 square feet. The guest studio has one bedroom and one bathroom in 300 square feet off the detached garage. Lot size: About 25,000 square feet Additional features: Hammered copper sinks in kitchen, refurbished 1949 Roper stove, Fisher & Paykel double dishwasher, wine cellar and 1950s-era Wedgewood stove in guesthouse Around the neighborhood: Through the first quarter, 50 single-family homes sold in the 91107 ZIP Code, according to MDA DataQuick, at a median price of $610,000.

Regarding "Who Pays for Fixing Defects Discovered Before Closing?" by Dian Hymer [May 15]: The seller can elect to do nothing and let the buyer accept or cancel. In this market, where there are multiple offers and backups sitting, in a good percent of the transactions we are finding this response fairly common. Also, in some transactions a nominal credit is offered, which doesn't come close to the actual cost of repairs requested. Again, the buyer can negotiate, accept or walk. Richard Adams Los Feliz Adams is a real estate agent with Sotheby's International Realty.

Location: 3219 Fairpoint St., Pasadena 91107 Asking price: $1,849,000 Previously sold for: $500,000 in 2000 Size: There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms and one half-bath in about 3,750 square feet in the main house. The guesthouse has one bedroom and one bathroom in 780 square feet. The guest studio has one bedroom and one bathroom in 300 square feet off the detached garage. Lot size: About 25,000 square feet Additional features: Hammered copper sinks in kitchen, refurbished 1949 Roper stove, Fisher & Paykel double dishwasher, wine cellar and 1950s-era Wedgewood stove in guesthouse Around the neighborhood: Through the first quarter, 50 single-family homes sold in the 91107 ZIP Code, according to MDA DataQuick, at a median price of $610,000.

Update: Talk-show host Leeza Gibbons has sold her longtime Hollywood Hills compound for $4,795,000. Owned in the '40s by actress Joan Crawford, the 11,137-square-foot Mediterranean is set behind gates on more than an acre of landscaped grounds, which include a swimming pool, a koi pond and an expansive lawn. The main house, built in 1926, has seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms in three stories. There are ocean, canyon and city light views. Gibbons, 53, remodeled and renovated the home, which has carved moldings, intricate wood-panel ceilings and extensive terraces.

Homage to Frank Lloyd Wright Location: 9544 Oak Pass Road, Beverly Hills 90210 Size: Three bedrooms and 3 bathrooms in just under 3,000 square feet Published on: Feb. 1 Listed then for: $3,875,000 Leased for: $11,500 a month in May A Montecito classic, revived Location: 1284 Mesa Road, Montecito 93108 Size: Six bedrooms, 7 bathrooms and 2 half-bathrooms in 8,500 square feet on a 1.4-acre...

With a Grammy-nominated song, three TV series and multiple albums, it would seem that Jesse McCartney has been living on Dream Street, the name of the boy band that launched him to stardom in the early 2000s. But the singer-songwriter-actor actually resides at a Hollywood Hills home he recently listed at $1,199,000. The updated modern house, built in 1965, has two bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms in 1,600 square feet.

DEMILLE ESTATE IS REDUCED Location: Laughlin Park, Los Angeles Description: The legendary film director bought the house in 1916 and lived in it for more than 40 years. Size: The restored estate has six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms in 11,000 square feet of living space on a 2.1-acre lot. Published on: April 6, 2008 Listed then for: $26.25 million December list price: $23.95 million Listed now for: $18.95 million Reduction from original list price: 27.8% Agent: Brett Lawyer, Sotheby's International Realty, Sunset Strip, (310)

House on the Block: New York's spring auction season is in a recessionary slump, but Sotheby's is hoping to cash in big in Britain and Europe. Sotheby's International Realty is currently accepting offers--of $110 million or more--for Casa Batllo, an eight-floor residence in Barcelona by visionary architect Antonio Gaudi.

Cendant Corp., the parent of Avis and Century 21, has bought the residential real-estate brokerage of auction-house Sotheby's Holdings Inc. for $100 million, the companies said Tuesday. The brokerage, Sotheby's International Realty, deals with luxury properties in 40 states and 20 countries. The deal does not include its European offices and affiliates, which will continue under current management.

Hot Property: The column in Sunday's Real Estate said Mark Harmon, star of the series "Navy NCIS," purchased a Malibu compound. The actor was not the buyer, it was bought by someone with a similar-sounding name. And the title of Harmon's series is "NCIS." The column also identified Gracee Arthur as an associate manager with Sotheby's International Realty in Malibu. She is with Ewing & Associates Sotheby's International Realty.