8 Big-time celebrities who are selling their real estate!

Oprah.

One of the wealthiest people in America, Oprah is still not immune from biting off more than she can chew in terms of real estate.  In her case it’s not a money issue, but having so many properties she can’t sleep in all of them since she’s mostly splitting time between California, Hawaii, and Tennessee.  The latest to go is her 57^th-floor Chicago luxury condo at the Water Tower.  She bought it in 1985 for an unreported sum and it’s on the market now for $7.75 million.  In the interim, she bought three other condos directly below or around hers and expanded her residence into one mega unit.  Now, it’s a combined 9,625 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and 2 half baths.  Her master bedroom suite takes up the entire 57^th floor and downstairs she has two kitchens, multiple living suites, and enough storage to satisfy even the queen of American media.

Michael Jordan.

Jordan recently tried to auction off his 56,000-square-foot home in Highland Park, the affluent suburbs of North Chicago, only to have no bidders.  That’s a shame for all parties involved, considering potential suitors had to plop down $250,000 just for the opportunity to be at the auction!  He original listed the 1994 home in 2012 at $29 million but later brought the price down to $21 million.  Of course it’s equipped with 9 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms (in case the whole Bulls team comes over on a whim,) a putting green, garage for 14 cars.  Oh, and front gates adorning his #23 a full court basketball court on premises.

Queen Latifah.

The hip hop star turned award-winning talk show host and actress, Latifah, real name Dana Owens, has put her Colts Neck, New Jersey estate on the market for $2.399 million.  A New Jersey native herself, she’s trying to rid herself of the 9-acre 7,500 square foot, 6 bed, 8 bath mansion that includes an Olympic-size swimming pool.  She originally purchased it in 2001 for $1.685 million.

Robert Pattison.

The trendy Twilight co-star is selling is Los Feliz residence after a nasty breakup with co-star Kirsten Stewart.  The charming tutor in the hills overlooking town is 4,026 square feet but has only 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.  But the open floor plan and architectural details more than make up for it, with several patios, water falls and features, a pond, a pool, and great views.  Built in 1922, it used to belong to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and now sold quickly to Jim Parsons of the Big Bang Theory for $6.375 million

Reese Witherspoon.

Coincidentally, when Pattison moved out of his Los Feliz house after a nasty infidelity-affair by his wife Kirsten went public, he took refuge at his buddy Reese Witherspoon’s Ojai ranch. Now, the Libbey Ranch is up for sale at $4,983,500 (apparently they need that $500.) The California-vintage home, built in 1923, was designed by famous architect Wallace Neff as horse stables for the glassware tycoon Edward Libbey.  Witherspoon bought the home in 2008 for $5.8 million and used it as a second home/vacation getaway.  The ranch is loaded with stone turrets, arched windows, beamed ceilings, huge fireplace, and library loft with fireplace, 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths.  It also has three guest cottages (for all of her friends going through breakups,) a carriage house, swimming pool, barn, horse stables, and forest of oaks along 7 picturesque acres. 

Eddie Murphy

The comedy and movie superstar’s (and occasional singer) former palatial estate at 9125 Vista de Lago Court in our own Granite Bay is on the market.  The asking price is “only” $12 million.  If we got a typical mortgage loan on that, it would come to about $47,418 a month.  No problem!

Murphy is originally from New York and spends a lot of time in Los Angeles, but bought this house in 1998 when he married his ex-wife, Nicole Mitchell. It was sold for $6.1 million in 2007 to its current owner.

The views of the Sierra foothills, Folsom Lake, and Sacramento skyline are spectacular, but this 2.5 acre estate has much more to offer.  The home is 12,600 square feet and there’s also a 5,200 square foot guesthouse.  It also has a Vantage lighting system, in floor heating, elevator, gourmet kitchen, great room with floor to ceiling windows, gym, 12-seat theater, arcade, and billiard room.

Annie Leibovitz.

The iconic New York photographer unloaded her Greenwich Street, West Village ivy-covered townhouse.  She originally wanted $33 million when it went on the market in 2012 but it sold for $28.5 million, a boon to Leibovitz who’s gone through significant financial troubles in the past years.  The townhouse includes a 10,200 square-foot floor plan, 7 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, 13 fireplaces, garden and patio.

Christina Ricci

We may feel like we’ve seen Ricci grow up on screen, from Married with Children to successful movie and television projects these days, but in reality she grew up in Los Angeles as the daughter of a real estate agent.  Buying and selling homes must be in her blood because she’s been active in remodeling and turning a few properties lately.  The most recent one is a 1,900 square-foot bungalow in the Los Feliz neighborhood in LA.  It’s a 2-bedroom, 3-bathroom home that’s on the market for $1.695 million (she paid $1.5 million for it in 2005).  It’s been described as “non-traditional and with good flow,” and has dark hardwood floors, a chef’s kitchen, outdoor garden, patio, pool, and spa.