Surprising facts about celebrity real estate deals

In 2018, the singer bought a convent in Los Feliz (Los Angeles, California), which had been donated to the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1971. The deal was supposed to be struck with a local businesswoman under the assumption that it would be turned into a hotel. But Perry just wanted to buy it and turn it into a nice house.

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Katy Perry -

The Archdiocese sold it to Perry, but the nuns—who claimed to have the right to the property—were not happy and took her to court. A judge eventually ruled in Perry’s favor.

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Kim Basinger -

The actress was pretty successful in the late 80's, and in 1989 she decided to buy an entire town in Georgia called Braselton. Basinger planed to turn it into an entertainment production hub, but things didn't work out.

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Kim Basinger -

By 1995, the actress had filed for bankruptcy, so parts of the town were eventually sold off. The good thing about it? The story helped inspire the Netflix show 'Schitt's Creek.'

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Brad Pitt -

The actor set up the Make It Right Foundation to help rebuild houses after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans' neighborhood of Lower 9th Ward.

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Brad Pitt -

Though his intentions were good, many residents complained that the houses are falling apart. Two of the homes even had to be demolished. The foundation entered a long legal battle. As of 2021, the foundation is suing its former director over the faulty homes project.

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Hugh Hefner -

The late Playboy magazine founder lived in one of the most iconic homes in America: the Playboy mansion. But Hefner didn't own the iconic estate. In fact, he was a tenant.

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Hugh Hefner -

Playboy Enterprises sold the mansion, but the agreement required the new owner to allow Hefner to live there until he died (which was in 2017). His landlord was paid US$1 million per year in rent.

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J.K. Rowling -

The 'Harry Potter' author left her neighbors in Edinburgh, Scotland, wishing she would magically change her mind. First, Rowling destroyed a £1 million (US$1.3 million) house to extend her garden and build a greenhouse.

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J.K. Rowling -

Then the author decided to build £250,000 (US$340,000) Hogwarts-inspired treehouses on her property. And then she caused major traffic disruption around her house while 30-foot (9 m) hedges were being trimmed.

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Robbie Williams and Jimmy Page -

This is singer Robbie Williams' house in London. What's so special about it? Well, he wanted to build an underground swimming pool and gym, and his neighbors were not happy about it.

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Robbie Williams and Jimmy Page -

One famous neighbor in particular, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, said that he was "extremely concerned that this work will cause vibrations and possible structural damage." Despite the dispute, the singer eventually won permission to build.

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Ed Sheeran -

The singer allegedly built an illegal swimming pool in his garden. Though Sheeran claimed that it's not a pool, but a pond.

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Ed Sheeran -

"There's no filter system. It's naturally cleaned itself with the plants that are in it. There's a big thing about like wildlife and newts," he said. "I just think people just need to mind their own business," Sheeran added.

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Mohamed Hadid -

The father of Gigi, Bella, and Anwar Hadid is a successful real estate developer. But one of his properties, on a cliff in Bel Air, caused a stir among local residents.

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Mohamed Hadid -

So much so that they filed a lawsuit against Hadid because of the never-ending work being done, which meant noise and an eyesore. The property was eventually sold in 2021 for US$8.5 million.

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Mark Zuckerberg -

The Facebook CEO bought over 800 acres of land on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Zuckerberg then filed lawsuits against locals who claimed to own the land under the Kuleana Act of 1850. Though reportedly, he just wanted to pay them their fair share.

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Mark Zuckerberg -

Zuckerberg eventually dropped the lawsuits, but the move didn't make him popular on the island, with a University of Hawaii law professor calling him "the face of neocolonialism."

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Jessica Simpson -

Jessica Simpson thought about buying Ozzy Osbourne's Hidden Hills house in 2013, but an incident made her think twice before purchasing it.

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Jessica Simpson -

There was a small fire in the house, reportedly caused by a candle, so Simpson decided to drop US$500,000 from the original offer of US$12 million. Jessica Simpson and the Osbournes eventually closed the deal.

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Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus -

The former coupled tied the knot after losing their house in the Woolsey Fire in November 2018. "I'm not sure without losing Malibu, we would've been ready to take this step or ever even gotten married, who can say?" confessed the singer.

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Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus -

But the fire between the two also extinguished after some time and they got divorced. Hemsworth headed back to Australia and Cyrus to her home in Hidden Hills, California (pictured), which she sold in 2021 for US$7.2 million.

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Emily Ratajkowski and Sebastian Bear-McClard -

The model and the film producer and actor have been accused of living in a New York City loft without paying rent. "He's an artist. Born and raised New Yorker and a child of artists who themselves fought to save their homes, including under the Loft Law," said Bear-McClard's attorney.

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Emily Ratajkowski and Sebastian Bear-McClard -

Not much is known about how the situation got resolved, though the couple were reportedly paid to leave the property. The whole story sounds bizarre, considering Bear-McClard's estimated net worth is US$12 million and Ratajkowski's is $6 million.

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Luann de Lesseps -

'The Real Housewives of New York City' star was sued by her ex-husband and kids for trying to keep the proceeds of a house sale that belonged to her children.

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Luann de Lesseps -

The lawsuit was eventually dropped and the family was able to sort things out between them.

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Bethenny Frankel -

The American TV personality's divorce process dragged for years due to a NYC apartment the couple bought.

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Bethenny Frankel -

The trust was notarized by her then-husband Jason Hoppy's mother, whom Frankel's lawyers accused of having invalidated the trust. The apartment was sold by Frankel, but it's unclear whether the proceeds were shared.

Sources: (Nicki Swift)

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Surprising facts about celebrity real estate deals

From convents to illegal swimming pools

23/09/21 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Property

It's safe to say that most celebrities have more money than the average person. This, of course, means that they can splash out on real estate in a way that most of us can only dream of. But this gallery is not just about extravagant purchases. It's about much more than that. Did you know that singer Robbie Williams upset a very famous neighbor? Or that Mark Zuckerberg bought land in Hawaii and tried to sue the locals? Click through for these and more stories!