Hot Property: Cardinals owner finds new base in Eva Longoria’s L.A. compound

It may be some time before baseball returns to Los Angeles, but that’s not stopping St. Louis Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt from landing a new offseason dugout. The businessman was the buyer of Eva Longoria‘s Hollywood Hills compound.

DeWitt paid $8.25 million for the place — which wasn’t even in the same ballpark as Longoria’s original $14-million asking price — and is just the latest in a string of high-profile names to own the French-influenced estate. Before Longoria, box office star Tom Cruise owned the compound.

Spanning 2.75 acres, the property includes a three-bedroom villa, four-bedroom guesthouse, two studios and a stone cottage. Outside, a whimsical bridge tops a resort-style pool lined with boulders.

Hardwood floors sit under whitewashed beams in the living spaces, which include a formal dining room and kitchen with a farmhouse sink. French doors line the living room, opening to a flagstone terrace overlooking L.A.

The master suite opens to a terrace of its own, one of many that fill out the back of the property. Meandering stone pathways navigate the landscaped grounds filled with patios and fountains.

DeWitt, 78, bought the Cardinals for $150 million in 1995 and has seen the team’s value soar in the decades since, with Forbes currently estimating the club’s worth at $2.2 billion. During his tenure, the team has won two World Series titles in 2006 and 2011.

Around the time of the sale, he quietly unloaded his place in Studio City in an off-market deal for $3.4 million.

As an actress, Longoria starred in “The Young and the Restless” before an eight-season run on the comedy-drama series “Desperate Housewives,” which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. The 45-year-old has also been directing lately with credits on “The Mick” and “Grand Hotel.”

Joshua and Matthew Altman, the Altman brothers of Douglas Elliman, and Eddie Fallah of Keller Williams Realty were the listing agents. Peter Lorimer of PLG Estates represented the buyer.

Stuntman sees action

Stunt performer and actor Chris Pontius of “Jackass” fame has a bid in hand but is still “accepting backup offers” for his longtime home. The Hollywood Hills residence came up for sale earlier this month for $1.245 million.

The Midcentury Modern-style residence, built in 1959 and since updated, sits amid a forest of dense landscaping in the Nichols Canyon area. Details include hardwood floors, clerestories and an eye-catching copper fireplace in the living room. A wall of windows frames leafy views and a bubbling stream that cuts through the grounds.

An office/den with built-ins sits behind pocketing doors off the living room. The galley-style kitchen is accompanied by a dining area. There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms within more than 1,100 square feet of interior space.

Pontius bought the property in 2002 for $535,000, public records show.

The 45-year-old gained fame as a cast member on the MTV show “Jackass” and the franchise’s feature films. He previously hosted the “Jackass” follow-up show “Wildboyz” and also appeared on hidden camera show “Totally Busted.”

Anthony Paradise of Sotheby’s International Realty holds the listing.

No flop for ‘Flip’ star

Tarek El Moussa, star of HGTV’s “Flip or Flop,” and his girlfriend, Heather Rae Young of Netflix’s “Selling Sunset,” wrapped up an off-market sale in Costa Mesa, selling their modern farmhouse for $2.705 million.

That’s $430,000 more than El Moussa paid for the place in 2018 and $130,000 over the asking price.

“I realized the value of my home was the highest it had ever been and now would be a great opportunity to sell,” El Moussa said. “I also realized the prices would not stay this high, which prompted my decision to take advantage and sell high, sit on the sidelines for a year or two, and later buy low.”

It’s no surprise that the HGTV star made some changes during his stay, touching up the floor-to-ceiling fireplace in the living room and the massive marble island in the kitchen. An expansive open floor plan with whitewashed beams, walls of glass and clerestory windows anchors the 3,000-square-foot home.

Outside, a fire pit overlooks a swimming pool and spa.

Young, also an agent with Oppenheim Group, listed the property with fellow agent Jason Oppenheim. Tim Smith and John Yasko of the Smith Group represented the buyer.

A staple in the Orange County real estate scene, El Moussa has flipped homes across Southern California for his hit show “Flip or Flop,” which is set to air its ninth season this summer. Young appears on Netflix’s “Selling Sunset,” a reality series that focuses on luxury listings. Its second season will premiere on May 22.

It’s got the right makeup

A grand Mediterranean Revival-style home once owned by Percival “Perc” Westmore, a member of the famous Westmore family of makeup artists, has come on the market in the Hollywood Hills for $5.495 million.

Westmore, who worked for decades as a makeup artist for Warner Bros., was the second owner of the well-kept residence, which dates to 1937. Since the late 1950s, the house has been owned by the family of Harold Holden, a wartime doctor who became Hollywood’s preeminent plastic surgeon in the 1940s and ’50s.

Recently renovated and updated, the 4,260-square-foot house features a sunken living room with a fireplace, an updated kitchen, four bedrooms and six bathrooms. The formal dining room has a bar and sets of French doors that open to a courtyard and outdoor cooking area. A media room/den sits off the entry.

The home sits on more than a third of an acre in the Bird Streets neighborhood, with a saltwater swimming pool, gardens, lawn and a guest house. Custom outdoor lighting illuminates the grounds at night.

Westmore, who died in 1970, was known as Hollywood’s famous face-changer and served as head of Warner Brothers’ makeup department in the 1920s and ’30s. His body of work included the transformations of such stars as Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall, Ann Sheridan and Fredric March.

Aaron Montelongo and Bret Parsons of Compass hold the listing.

Former all-star catches a buyer

The pandemic market was no match for baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar, who has sold his palatial estate in Tampa, Fla., for $4 million.

Found in a gated country club community, the 3.4-acre estate centers on a massive 18,700-square-foot mansion approached by a palm-lined driveway. Columns and a fountain set a stately tone, leading into a hotel lobby-style foyer with paneled walls and shades of black and white under 32-foot ceilings.

The color palette continues across the sleek living spaces, which include two kitchens, a formal dining room, a cigar room, a wine cellar, a movie theater and a brightly colored playroom. A dramatic office is lined with glass.

Two staircases and an elevator navigate the floor plan, ascending to a master suite with a two-story closet, steam shower, 100-inch TV and one of five fireplaces. In total, there are nine bedrooms and 13 bathrooms.

Elsewhere are two swimming pools, including one indoor and one outdoor. A series of lounges, dining areas and fire pits fill out the rest of the property, which also boasts a basketball court, in-ground trampoline and pond.

Dianne Martin of Century 21 Affiliated held the listing. Karen Hegemeier and Jackie Diaz of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty represented the buyer.

A native of Puerto Rico, Alomar played just about everywhere besides Florida over the course of his 17-year career and led the Blue Jays to two consecutive World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. A 12-time all-star, he was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2011.

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