Speaking of Ballers: NBA Player Lamar Odom and Khoe Kardashian Buy Home

Trulia just reported that NBA baller Lamar Odom and his new bride Khloe Kardashian just bought a mediterranean style home in Tarzana, California.  It was listed for $3,995,000.  Guess he didn't need to sell his other house first to come up with the down payment.

Anyway, this 7BR/8.5BA home has more than 8,300 square feet and comes with a gated entrance, gym, and movie room.  So if this is indeed a fake marriage as rumored, at least they have plenty of room to stake out separate areas of the house.  We grabbed a couple of shots of the house before the listing disappears.  Here's the kitchen:

Looks like the master bedroom (below) has nice views:

Ditto for the master bath, which reminds us a bit of the one in Dorothy Dandridge's former home (though we liked hers much better):

This is a nice house, but they need to get someone in there quick to paint those interiors.  To see what we mean, go check out the virtual tour here.  Don't forget to come back and tell us what you think!

Former NFL Player Michael Strahan's NYC Loft Condo for Sale

In light of the Tiger Woods scandal, CNN just posted an article about how difficult it is to be a baller's wife, noting the common concerns about infidelity.  Not believing this to be true of all ballers, we went in search of nice-guy baller digs.  We ran across this Tribeca loft (above) that's currently up for sale.  It belongs to Michael Strahan, former defensive end for the New York Giants and current football analyst for FOX.

Michael is known for his philanthropic efforts.  Interestingly, the only controversy we know of associated with Michael is the reverse of what's happening with Tiger.  Michael is engaged to Eddie Murphy's ex-wife Nicole Murphy, who was rumored to have cheated on Michael.  Michael allegedly implanted a hidden GPS on her car to track her whereabouts. 

As for the loft, we like it!  It was recently reported in the Wall Street Journal that he was asking $1.875 million, but now the price is down to $1.85 million.

It's a large space at 1911 square feet, with two bedrooms and two baths.  It's located in a pre-war building with a gym and roof deck.  The unit has sand-blasted walls exposing the brick (top photo), a sizable kitchen (above), and hardwood floors.  Everything is painted white, so you're working with a blank slate.  Here's the master bedroom:

Even though we understand he rarely uses this place, it was obviously staged for resale.  How do we know?  The furniture is too delicate (Can he even fit in that Barcelona chair in the living area?).  More importantly, there's no giant flat screen TV to watch football!

Lamar Odom's House -- Now with Furniture!

TMZ recently reported that Lamar Odom is so anxious to sell his Manhattan Beach, California home that he just paid to have it staged.  We don't think this information is particularly newsworthy--except to note that the house doesn't look any better than it did before.

Go see for yourself:  Lamar Odom's House -- Now with Furniture!

Richard Gere Sells His Hamptons Home for $5.9M

Speaking of the Hamptons . . . Forever handsome Richard Gere and his lovely wife, actress Carey Lowell, recently sold their home in the Hamptons for $5.9 million.  According to the Wall Street Journal, the new owner paid about a third less than the asking price.  Fortunately for us, the WSJ has a slideshow allowing us to peek inside this 7BR home, which sits on 1.2 acres in Water Mill, NY.

The approaching winter clearly has us obsessed with fireplaces right now.  We hated the one in Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons' NJ estate.  But we loved the fireplaces in Barefoot Contessa/Ina Garten and Jason Winer's homes.  And we love the one in this bedroom below:

Okay, so it's not glamorous, but it has a rustic country feel that we like.

Likewise for the kitchen above and dining room below.

Mismatched chairs always make us feel like we can relax. This looks like a perfect spot for Thanksgiving dinner--something else that's also on our minds lately!

Tell us what you think.  Would you prefer an informal dining room like Richard and Carey's or a more formal dining room for Thanksgiving?

Top photo from The Insider.  House photos from Saunders Associates.

Can You Guess Who Owns This House?

This living room is filled with tons of furniture, drapes, and accessories.  In fact, the whole house is filled with so much opulence that it's hard to believe anyone can even breathe here.  So whose house is it?

FLIP THE HOOD BELOW TO FIND OUT & SEE MORE PHOTOS!

This is the 35,000 square foot New Jersey "home" that Kimora Lee Simmons shared with her now ex-husband hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons:

We reported on Tuesday that this home was for sale and that we'd seen it before.  All of these photos were taken a couple of years ago, when the home was first put up for sale.  They were asking $23 million then.

We wonder if the furnishings come with the current asking price of $16.5 million.  Don't know if anyone would want all this ornate stuff anyway.  Like, if you thought the living room was too much, check out the dining room:

And though we're unsure what they used their self-described "Lion room" for, we're sure that we're frightened by its fireplace:

It's clear they spared no expense.   The home not only comes with its own movie theater . . .

. . . it even has a ticket counter with a creepy anamatronic ticket-taker:

Nevertheless, there are a few enviable touches like this indoor pool in their spa room:

If you want to see more opulence, go here.  All photos by Matthew Roberts for the NY Daily News.

Kimora Lee Simmons looks to trade $16.5M New Jersey estate for new Manhattan pad

Will she ever unload this house?  We saw Kimora's mansion on MTV Cribs a while back, when she was still married to Russell Simmons.  We hated almost ever inch of this house.  We'll dig up some photos later and show you why.  In the meantime, read the full story here:

Kimora Lee Simmons looks to trade $16.5M New Jersey estate for new Manhattan pad | The Real Deal | New York Real Estate News

First Lady of France Carla Bruni's Childhood Castle For Sale

Carla Bruni has many titles: wife of French President Nicholas Sarkozy, former singer/songwriter, former model, and current fashion icon who gave our First Lady Michelle Obama (shown with Bruni above) a run for her money at this year's G-20 summit.

Well she's also an Italian-born heiress who grew up in this castle in Italy, which happens to be for sale with an asking price of around $28 million (U.S. dollars):

It's grand of course! Still don't know if we'd ever want to live in a castle, though. See interior and exterior photos at PropGoLuxury. Hat tip to Luxuo for alerting us to it!

After checking out the photos, let us know if you'd want to live there!

EXCLUSIVE! Enrique Murciano Buys Home in Hollywood Hills

It took a hottie with Cuban roots like Enrique Murciano to say ENOUGH with the Spanish mediterranean homes!  This TV star of Without a Trace just bought a mid-century modern home in the Hollywood Hills.  He purchased the 4BR/3BA home in August for $1.6 million. 

It took a lot of digging, but we found the photos!!!

We love mid-century houses and think this one is a fabulous example of what makes them so great to live in.  Like most, this one is deceptively low-key.  The front is unassuming, yet the back has a little surprise!

See BACK & INTERIOR PHOTOS after the jump>>

The back of this house has a lower level walkout to the pool, and an upper level breezeway that connects the wings:

That's what gives the living room below a treehouse feel:  

And, as with most mid-century homes, the flow from the living room above to the dining room and kitchen below is perfect for entertaining:

The master bedroom is nice enough:

and the master bath is fabulous(!):

But this cozy alcove overlooking the pool is our favorite:

We love this house!  We realize this house isn't for everyone though.  So tell us, readers, would you want to live here?

Lamar Odom -- Back on the Market

TMZ is reporting that Lamar Odom has put his Manhattan Beach, California mansion on the market. He's asking $2.39 million. Guess he really is looking to get a new place with his new wife, Khloe Kardashian. Anyway, this one looks like a Spanish mediterranean--but we all know a real one when we see one. Just like we all know a real marriage when we see one too!

For more photos and details, hit up TMZ: Lamar Odom -- Back on the Market

Charlie Sheen's House Up For Sale

Yup!  We're talking about another Spanish mediterranean style home! Okay, maybe it's more of an adobe style, but we love it.  This one is owned by Charlie Sheen and his wife, Brooke Meuller.  We first learned about it from one of our favorite blogs, Hooked on Houses.  The home is located in Los Feliz, California.  (Be sure to check out the homes of other Los Feliz celebs John Hamm and January Jones of AMC's Mad Men.) 

Charlie and Brooke are asking $3.7 million for their home.  It's absolutely gorgeous inside!  Here's a teaser:

For lots of photos and a link to the listing, visit Hooked on Houses.

Dancing with the Stars' Samantha Harris is Selling Her L.A. Home

What's UP with us and spanish mediterranean houses these days?!!!  First it was Meg Ryan's house, then Christina Ricci's, then James Franco's, then Dorothy Dandridge's.  Now the co-host of Dancing with the Stars, Samantha Harris, has gone and put hers up for sale too!

Okay, so it's not as glamorous as the others, but we love the exterior.  And it's not as pricey as the others either!  Located on a great street in Westwood, the newly remodeled 4 BR/3.5 BA home carries an asking price of $1.595 million.

For that amount, you get less than 3000 sq. ft. and no foyer.  But you do get wood beams on the ceiling, arched openings and a dining room with a raised floor:

As for the remodeling work, we don't see anything particularly special.  But it's not objectionable either.

MORE PHOTOS after the jump!!!

The kitchen looks nicely done, though unremarkable:

Samantha (pictured in the top photo with her DWTS co-host Tom Bergeron) shares this house with her husband and their 2yo daughter.  Naturally, the most charming room is their daughter's:

The master bedroom and bath are terrific too:

So it looks like Samantha and her family prefer a largely traditional decor.  We like that.  She can save all the glamour for those lovely gowns she wears on DWTS! 

Tell us, do you think her home should be a little more glamorous?

Top photo by Bob D'amichi/ABC.  For more info on the listing and more photos, go here.  Thanks Aerial Dave!

Dorothy Dandridge's Former Home Up For Sale

We just learned that the former home of the beautiful and legendary screen star Dorothy Dandridge is for sale.  Like James Franco's home, it is a GORGEOUS 3BR/4.5BA Spanish mediterranean located just off L.A.'s Sunset Strip--almost as gorgeous as Dorothy herself!  The current owner is asking $3.495 million.

Above is the terrace located just off the dining room.  Because we didn't care for the decor in the dining or living room, we skipped showing them to you. 

Instead, we want to show you the master bedroom, closet and bathroom below:

Take note all you so-called ballers out there, THIS is how you ball!  Prime real estate, beautiful architectural details, and spectacular features like a terrace off your closet and a stunning view from your tub!

Oh yeah, the kitchen is lovely too! 

See the kitchen and MORE PHOTOS after the jump!

Just lovely!

All in all, we'd say Dorothy's house is giving James Franco's similarly-priced house a serious run for the money!  It's certainly our first contender for Celebrity House of the Week!

So, readers, which house is better Dorothy Dandridge's or James' Franco's?

For a slideshow with MANY more photos, check out the listing here.  Hat tip to Luxist and the L.A. Times!

Celebrity House of the Week: James Franco's Hollywood Chateau

Listen up, all you James Franco-philes out there!  The sexy star seen in Milk, Pineapple Express, and the Spider-Man flicks has placed his gorgeous chateau on the Sunset Strip up for sale.  This right-sized 3BR/3.5BA house has 4,000 sq. ft. and comes with city views.  The asking price for this Hollywood beauty (No, not him!) is $3,695,000.

The master bedroom study above offers a glimpse of the city views as well as the type of decor and architectural details found throughout the house.   We'll show you the master bedroom in a little bit.

There are plenty of other wonderful lounging areas too.  Perhaps even too many!  Here are a couple:

The kitchen and dining areas are also nice:

But we like the bathrooms even better:

The bottom photo is of the master bath.

See MASTER BEDROOM & MORE PHOTOS after the jump!!!

Here are couple of shots of the master bedroom.  Notice there's yet another lounge area!

Last but not least, we have a few photos of the back porch, yard, and pool.  Yes, there's yet another lounge area steps from the back yard!

We love this house!  It is our Celebrity House of the Week.  All in all, it's just a terrific home.  We're guessing it won't be on the market long.

These days, it seems as if almost every house for sale that we choose as our Celebrity House of the Week is awash in a sea of white.  We're starting to wonder whether real estate agents are all just staging these houses this way to emphasize the architecture.  Don't get us wrong, it works!  And it certainly beats that stale budget catalog furniture look usually offered up by home stagers.

For more photos --yes there are MANY more -- go here.  Hat tip to Trulia.