greg norman

Sports stars are the kids who won't grow up. How else can we explain their constant misbehavior? (Yes Tiger, you know who we're talking about. Now please return to the Bad Boys' Corner.)

While we don't condone the philandering, the drug use, or the lying about the both, we do take the higher road when it comes to beautiful homes in need of new owners. So, for the sake of beautiful homes everywhere, here is Luxist's List of 10 Expensive Homes owned by Sports Guys. And for those on the list haven't actually crossed the law or resigned in shame over anything, our apologies for lumping you with the other boys in the locker room.

1) Greg Norman--Tranquility--$65 million
Uh, how to put this nicely? Golfer Greg Norman has clearly been having a rough go of things -- including his understanding of the real estate market. His 25-year marriage ended in divorce and the couple listed their Florida estate for sale. Here's where it gets confusing: First it was listed at $65 million in 2007, then reduced to $47.5 million, and now it's back to $65 million. You don't have to know which end of a golf club is up to know that the market -- in Florida of all places -- has crashed big time. So what's up with raising the price? Get real; get it sold. Make listing agent Suzanne Frisbie of the Corcoran Group happy.

It's a nice enough place for those to whom Florida appeals. Personally, I prefer my mosquitoes smaller. The eight-acre property has nine bedrooms and 13.5 bathrooms.

Golfer Greg Norman hasn't sold off the real estate from his last marriage (his Tranquility estate is still for sale for $60 million) but he seems to already be facing divorce and some more real estate transitions. Norman and tennis champion Chris Evert were married less than two years ago but now they have split up. Both Norman and Evert left long term marriages in order to be together.

According to People.com the pair never created a home together and kept their own residences. Still some real estate transition seems to be in order for Norman. His Seven Lakes Ranch in Colorado is up for sale for a cool $55 million. Norman assembled the ranch from a variety of properties and it now extends over 11,600 acres in Meeker, Colorado. Norman picked up the Seven Lakes Lodge and an adjacent 3,000-acre ranch from Wall Street financier Henry Kravis in 2004. The 8-bedroom lodge on 300 acres, was listed, along with the neighboring Pollard Ranch for $18.5 million but Norman paid around $16 million. The Pollard Ranch is adjacent to the 8,200-acre ranch that Norman had already owned for seven years. Norman was particularly fond of the outdoor opportunities on his ranch. On the Shark website he said that he enjoyed fishing, hunting, riding, mountain bike riding and more on the property. The property includes the nearly 14,000 square foot lodge, staff quarters, staff and guest cabins, a fitness center, equestrian facilities and a clays course. It is being sold furnished.

[Thanks, Kevin]

Up, down and back up again, I'm noticing a strange trend in high-end real estate that might, just might, be a sign of increased real estate exuberance. Some of the most expensive homes with the biggest price dips are suddenly reversing the trend, amending previous discounts. Case in point, Greg Norman's Jupiter Island, Florida home. It first hit the market for $65 million in 2007 which seemed a bit ridiculous considering that it had been assessed at just $21 million and Norman and his ex-wife had bought the home in 1991 for only $4.9 million. Therefore it wasn't a huge surprise when the price went tumbling down to $47.5 million. But what's this? A peek at the listing with Corcoran reveals Norman has boosted the price again, all the way back up to $60 million. Why the price increase? It could herald a resurgence of Florida's high end real estate. It's definitely a reflection of the work he spent renovating the home. But while the price has gone back up the listing pictures remain the same so we can only imagine what Norman did to the place.

As the Real Deal pointed out last month, if Norman gets his asking price it would set a record price for a property on the island, a record currently held by fellow golfer Tiger Woods who spent over $40 million for a home he tore down to create a new family compound. After an acrimonious divorce, Norman married tennis star Chris Evert and the two now live in her Florida home. Norman plays on the senior's golf tour and also has various golf course projects as well as his own wine label, clothing line and other businesses. Norman's ex-wife Laura Andrassy is entitled to $17.5 million in proceeds from the eventual sale of the house.

Norman's golf paradise includes nine bedrooms over six structures. The estate is eight acres with a four-bedroom main house that was built in 1902 and has wine storage for 2,500 bottles. The main house overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway with 370 feet of waterfront, and a 140-foot dock that can accommodate a large yacht. A two-bedroom guest house faces the Atlantic and has an open porch for taking in the ocean views. There is also a grill house with a tennis court and a 50-foot pool. The listing says the estate comes with a coach house, with a four-car garage and three bedrooms and a carriage house which as a six-car garage, gym, steam room, boardroom and offices. A boat shed will also hold seven vehicles.

From Berg Properties Big Time Celebrity Listings:
--Vince Vaughn has put a four-bedroom townhouse in Chicago up for rent for $9,500 a month. The listing is here.
A Lake Forest, Illinois that once belonged to Mr. T has gone to contract after being listed at $7.5 million (it has been on the market since 2004 when it was listed for $10.5 million).
Actress Denise Richards' former home in Hidden Hills, CA is back on the market for $3.495 million. The listing is here.
--Film producer Lawrence Kuppin has put his seven-bedroom mansion in the Hollywood Hills, shown above, on the market for $29.5 million. The listing is here.
--Actor Jason Durr has placed his four-bedroom home in Los Angeles' Larchmont Heights neighborhood on the market for $1.575 million.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--Actor Justin Berfield bought the "Newlyweds" house in Calabasas from Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey in 2006 for $3.75 million. Now he has listed the five-bedroom Mediterranean for $3.95 million. The listing is here.
--Produce Bill Geddie has put his Brentwood home on the market. It was our estate of the day on Saturday.
--Actor Kevin Dunn has lowered the price of his Sierra Madre house to $1,075,000. It was previously listed at $1,148,000.
--Broadway composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown and his wife, conductor Georgia Stitt, recently purchased a three-bedroom home in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles for $1.15 million.
--Dexter Scott King has sold his Malibu home for $1.99 million. It was listed at $3.495 million when it was our estate of the day in 2007.
--Actress Sandra Vidal has listed her four-bedroom Hollywood Hills home for $2.85 million. The listing is here.

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has put his Issaquah, Washington home on the market for $1.75 million. It's our estate of the day on Monday.
--Lifestyle guru Colin Cowie has paid $4.5 million for the top two floors of a new condominium building in Manhattan's Flatiron district.
--The owners of a Manhattan apartment where George Gershwin once lived have cut the asking price by 15% to $1.675 million.The listing is here.

From the Real Estalker:
--A charming albeit small two bedroom home belonging to Emmy winning visual effects designer Joshua Rose and his partner Raphael Kalichstein has been listed for $767,000. The listing is here.
--"South Park" producer Anne Garefino has listed her home in the Beverly Hills post office area for $1.795 million. The listing is here.
--Billionaire Lou Gonda's Beverly Hills home is reportedly on the market for $35 million.

From Move Trends:
--Nick Nolte's former home in Malibu is listed at $3.65 million. The listing is here.
--Jerry Seinfeld's former home in the Hollywood Hills is listed for $6.25 million. The listing is here.
--Greg Norman has dropped the price on his Hobe Sound, Florida estate to $47.5 million. It was listed at $65 million when it was our estate of the day in 2007.

Luxist tipster Carol led us to the fact that Boston Red Sox pitcher has reduced the price of his Medfield, Massachusetts house to $5 million. It was listed at $8 million when it was our estate of the day in April 2008.

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--As we saw on Friday, Tommy Hilfiger has put his Greenwich, Connecticut home on the market for $27.9 million.
--An oceanfront estate with a $65 million asking price has just gone to contract on exclusive Gin Lane in Southampton.
--It's official, Parker Posey has sold her one-bedroom co-op for $1.3 million and bought a two bedroom on lower Fifth Avenue for around the same price.
--Retired Goldman Sachs manager turned bed-and-breakfast proprietor Robert Mnuchin, and his wife, Adriana, have spent $20 million for a full floor co-op at 944 Fifth Ave.

From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--Hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb has closed on his famous $45 million penthouse at 15 Central Park West. No mortgage records were filed with the deed, which suggests that Mr. Loeb paid cash to satisfy the most expensive sales price ever on Central Park West.
--Even though he passed away in Monaco last March, the British skyscraper developer Howard Ronson has added to his real estate portfolio. His limited liability corporation just paid $11 million, according to public deeds, for the Berwind Manor's glass penthouse. It's not clear if his widow controls his real estate deals now, but his brokers said it was Ronson's idea to buy the mansion piecemeal.
--Lawyer Aaron Charney who sued his firm, Sullivan & Cromwell, last year alleging homophobia and collected a settlement, has bought a penthouse. He and a partner just paid $1.495 million for a penthouse at the newly converted condo at 93rd Street and Broadway.
--Developer Bruce Ratner has paid $6.9 million at 128 East 62nd Street.
--A $38 million Upper East Side mansion designed by Stanford White in 1903 has gone to contract. Rumor has it that the buyer is Thomas Montag, the former co-head of securities trading at Goldman Sachs.

From The Wall Street Journal Online's Private Properties:
--The ex-wife of technology entrepreneur Warren V. "Pete" Musser has decided to auction off her Philadelphia Main Line estate on April 19. Interior designer Hilary Grinker Musser is reportedly willing to accept as little as a quarter of its original $12.5 million asking price, the suggested opening bid of $3 million.
Columbia Law School professor Hans Smit, who's listed a mansion, shown above, for $30 million, has turned down a $20 million offer. I can almost understand why, it's an elegant 1909 French Renaissance-style marble house with all sorts of original details. Check out the listing here.

From Berg Properties Big Time Listings:
--Model/heiress Lydia Hearst pays $1.49 million for a two-bedroom condo in Mid-Town Manhattan.
--Billy Howerdel, a guitarist who founded and played in A Perfect Circle, has sold his four-bedroom house in the Hollywood Hills for $1.875 million.

From the Real Estalker:
--Veronica Hearst's 28,000-square-foot Villa Venezia mansion on 3.77 acres in Manalapan, Florida sold at a foreclosure auction in Florida today for $22 million. Rumor has it that Greg Norman might be interested in picking it up.
--Russ Weiner, founder of Rockstar energy drinks has cut the price on his Hollywood Hills home from $22 million to $15.9 million. Check out the property website here. He has also dropped the price on his Franklin Hills home around $2 million, it's down now to $2,995 million.
--(via the Telegraph) Indian billionaire Lakshi Mittal has put his mansion on Bishop's Avenue in London on the market for £40,000,000. The Summer Palace measures 18,000 square feet and has 11 bedrooms, garage parking for 20 cars, and a heart shaped indoor swimming pool.
--Part of the large apartment at 810 Fifth Avenue in New York by Nelson Rockefeller is up for sale. The two-bedroom pad has a 47' living room with Central Park views, West and South. It is listed at $27.5 million.
--(via Curbed L.A.) John Stamos becomes the latest celeb to opt in at the turqoise Art Deco Eastern Columbia building in downton Los Angeles.
--Suzanne Somers has already dropped the price on her Palm Springs retreat from $35 million to $27.5 million. My bet is it will sell for $22 million.
--Actor Sean Hayes has put his Hancock Park home on the market for $8.95 million. It is our estate of the day later today.
--Singer Kylie Minouge has put her French Island, Australia home on the market for tender with a price tag of $1.8 to $2 million Australian. The listing is here.

From the Telegraph:
--A home with more than ten bedrooms and an underground swimming pool has become the world's most expensive single residential dwelling after being sold for £80 million (over $159 million).

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--The estranged wife of former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan, has sold a Malibu beach house for an estimated $68 million which will make it the highest-priced home sale in Malibu. The 12,785-square-foot house on Carbon Beach takes up more than three lots.
--As the Real Estalker previously reported, former "Melrose Place" star Grant Show has put his gated Hollywood Hills home on the market for $1.995 million. The listing is here.
--Joan Collins has purchased a condo for $2.7 million in Sierra Towers in West Hollywood.
--The former Al Jolson estate in Encino has come on the market at $9.79 million. The home which has also been owned at various times by actors Katey Sagal,Kirstie Alley and Charlie Sheen, is listed here.


Thanks to Pierre, for reminding me that Kimora Lee and Russell Simmons's Saddle River, New Jersey is still on the market for $23.88 million. Nearly a year and no price reduction? That's pretty optimistic.

Thanks to Lana for directing me to the most expensive house currently on sale in Spain. The Carmen de los Chapitales which is listed for 90 million euros.

When a home comes on the market for an exorbitant amount the question immediately asked is, could it possibly be worth that much? And I find myself asking that after looking at the listing for Greg Norman's Jupiter Island, Florida home. We first heard about this home a few weeks ago but now the listing is up. As for as Florida real estate goes, Jupiter Island seems to be one of the few places not in an danger of a slowdown. After all, this is the rarefied spot where Tiger Woods spent around $40 million on a house he tore down.

Norman's golf paradise includes nine bedrooms over six structures. The home, known as Tranquility, has been anything but lately with a rather acrimonious divorce between the Normans. The estate is eight acres with a four-bedroom main house that was built in 1902 and has wine storage for 2,500 bottles. The main house overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway with 370 feet of waterfront, and a 140-foot dock that can accommodate a large yacht. A two-bedroom guest house faces the Atlantic and has an open porch for taking in the ocean views. There is also a grill house with a tennis court and a 50-foot pool. The listing says the estate comes with a coach house, with a four-car garage and three bedrooms and a carriage house which as a six-car garage, gym, steam room, boardroom and offices. A boat shed will also hold seven vehicles.

As the Real Estalker Mama reports, the couple bought the home in 1991 for just $4.9 million and it has been assessed at just $21 million. It's a nice place, a really nice place but $65 million? That might just be a stretch. I'd say somewhere in the $30 to $40 million range might be where this will sell at.

UPDATE: The price has been dropped to $47.5 million. It is now back up to $60 million.

From TMZ:
--The most recent batch of Malibu fires may have destroyed the home of Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and damaged the home of Guns N Roses singer Axl Rose.

From the Real Estalker:
--Melissa Etheridge has liisted her Hidden Hills home, shown at right, for $4.995 million. She bought the home in 2004 for $3,595,000. The listing for the six-bedroom home is here.
--Tara Reid has placed her 10th-floor, 1,087-square-foot condominium unit at the Hollywood Versailles in Hollywood on the market for $885,000. This is the same building that Ugly Betty star Michael Urie recently bought in to. The listing is here.
--Vicki and Donn Gunvalson of The Real Wives of Orange County tried to downsize but changed their minds and are putting their new smaller home back on the market. The home is a five-bedroom in Coto De Caza of course, listed at $1.78 million.
--Singer/gastric bypass patient Carnie Wilson has listed her five-bedroom, 4,491-square-foot house in Los Angeles' Tarzana area for $2,249,000. It is our estate of the day later today.
--Slash may have sold his lawsuit special, it is now listed as "looking for backup.'

From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--Viacom's chief financial and administrative officer, Tom Dooley, closed late last month for that amount on a ninth-floor condo at The Plaza for $7.8 million. Also this month Esprit clothing executive Jürgen Friedrich paid $25 million for Unit 509, reportedly a gold-and-pink spread called the Astor Suite.
--Jocelyne Wildenstein, best known for her surgically altered catlike face, has paid $3.5 million for her third apartment at 845 United Nations Plaza.
--Joining Martin Zweig's $70 million listing for his triplex penthouse co-op at The Pierre, is another big listing. Venture capitalist Lionel Pincus, companion to Princess Firyal of Jordan (once King Hussein's sister-in-law), has listed his 12-room Pierre apartment for $50 million. It is the second most expensive apartment in the city. The listing is here.
--Fashion designer Erin Fetherston has paid $4.33 million for a duplex loft that previously belonged to law-breaking hedge-fund trader, Steven B. Markovitz.
--Universal's president/CEO Jeff Zucker and his wife Caryn closed earlier this month on the late Kitty Carlisle Hart's 11-room apartment at East 64th Street for $12.3 million.

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--Greg Norman, has listed his 7.4-acre spread on Jupiter Island, Fla. for $65 million.
--Sun Microsystems co-founder and former chief scientist Bill Joy is seeking $40 million for the Manhattan apartment that he bought five years ago for $17.57 million but never moved in to.
--Ellen DeGeneres has found a buyer for her $24 million Montecito estate (it was our estate of the day back in April) and recently bought a furnished house in Beverly Hills. The 6,000-square-foot Beverly Hills home belongs to Max Mutchnick, a co-creator of "Will & Grace." The sale price included many home furnishings and art.
--Daniel Goldring, a partner with hedge fund Perry Capital, and his wife, Libby, have purchased Yale Farm, a northwestern Connecticut house dating to 1729 for $6.3 million.

From Berg Properties Big Time Listings:
--A house in Beverly Hills that was once owned by composer/pianist Burt Bacharach has just sold for an undisclosed price after having been listed for $3,495,000.
--Husband-and-wife actors David James Elliott and Nanci Chambers have sold their 3,276-square-foot house in Brentwood for $3,050,000.
--The sale price for the house in Beverly Hills that Hollywood celebrity/pastor/coach/motivational consultant Rev. Tim Storey recently sold went for $4,535,000.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--Actress Kaley Cuoco has listed her home in Sherman Oaks for $1.285 million. Celebrity Big Time listings unearthed the cached listing for the home.
--A ranch that once belonged to Guy Madison, who starred on television during the 1950s as Wild Bill Hickok, is for sale for $847,000. The Followed Dream Ranch has a saloon-style game room and a mirrored wet bar as well as horse facilities. The listing is here.
--Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss is also a real estate developer. Along with his producer brother, Lorin, and their attorney sister, Cathy he has sold four of 11 1-acre estate lots in the "Reverie" residential project in Rancho Mirage. The finished estates will have mountain views and at least 7,000 square feet of space with guest casitas, pool houses and subterranean wine and media rooms -- and carry a price tag of $4 million to $5 million.

I've written up a lot of the celebrity wines as they have come up but I have never seen a tasting of golf wines before. Unlike some celebs who randomly attach their names to anything for a little cash, the golfers on the whole seem to be pretty involved in the winemaking process (the jury is still out on John Daly's wine project). Ray Isle from Travel + Leisure took on the task of tasting the wines associated with golfers and with the PGA tour. The best of the batch according to Isle is the Greg Norman Estates Reserve Shiraz 2000 which received 93 points for its rich blackberry flavors.

15 BEST WINES FROM THE PRO GOLF WORLD
1) Greg Norman Estates Reserve Shiraz 2000; Padthaway, Australia
2) Ernie Els Bourdeaux-style blend 2003; Stellenbosch, South Africa
3) Mike Weir Estate Icewine Vidal 2005; Niagara Peninsula, Canada
4) Nick Faldo Shiraz 2003; Coonawarra, Australia
5) Commissioners Private Reserve* Cabernet Sauvignon 2003; Dry Creek Valley, California
6) Champions Select* Zinfandel 2004; Dry Creek Valley, California
7) Greg Norman Estates Sparkling Chardonnay/Pinot Noir (nonvintage); Australia
8) Commissioners Private Reserve* Cabernet Sauvignon 2002; Napa Valley, California
9) David Frost Wines Par Excellence Meritage 2002; Paarl, South Africa
10) Commissioners Private Reserve* Chardonnay 2004; Sonoma County, California
11) Mike Weir Estate Chardonnay 2005; Niagara Peninsula, Canada
12) Greg Norman Chardonnay 2004; Victoria, Australia
13) Champions Select* Cabernet Sauvignon 2004; Alexander Valley, California
14) Greg Norman Pinot Noir 2004; Santa Barbara, California
15) Arnold Palmer Chardonnay 2004; California

We've covered a lot of real estate in Dubai but now Oman seems to be making its push to the world. The area offers mountains, dunes and plenty of beaches which makes it a natural draw for tourists. A new real estate development, The Wave Muscat, located in Oman's capital, is designed to tempt foreigners. It will include a Greg-Norman-designed golf course, 300 berth marina, four hotels, shops and restaurants. The first real estate offerings include 100 townhouses, 100 garden villas and 25 waterfront villas. The lakefront villas start at around $428,000. An Indian architect, Asif Parpia, is the first foreigner to buy a property at The Wave and was chosen through a lottery held earlier this year.

[via Dubai Property Center News]

Golfer Greg Norman is creating quite the empire. He has his own wine, designs golf courses and has put his name on a number of real estate projects in the U.S. and his native Australia. Now Norman and development company Medallist are developing a new community south of Johannesburg in South Africa. The development is called the Eye of Africa and will include a golf course, 2000 residential units and a club house, retail center, stores, restaurants and convenience shopping. Norman was in Johannesburg recently and promised that the development will try to do the least bit of damage to the environment.