Sandra Lee Buys Oceanfront Malibu Home
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She just recently ended her longterm, high-profile relationship with New York governor Andrew Cuomo, but Sandra Lee is already bouncing back nicely, treating herself to a multimillion-dollar home in the coveted celebrity enclave of Malibu, Calif. Last November, the veteran Food Network star quietly spooned out $3.38 million for her new West Coast Shangri-La, which sits right atop the water and offers spectacular coastline views.
The modest — if still prohibitively pricey — house is of no particular architectural style and was built in 1948, per tax records. Sold to Lee by a non-famous family who had owned the property for over 50 years, the single-story home was marketed completely unstaged and would likely make even a hardcore minimalist blush; a quick peek inside indicates the bare-bones structure will require some major upgrades to accomodate all the contemporary amenities that buyers of $3.4 million Malibu homes have come to expect.
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There’s a time-worn kitchen with some decidedly downgrade appliances that will surely require replacement, even for Lee’s famous “semi-homemade cooking” schtick. Elsewhere, a spacious great room sports a vaulted ceiling and a tremendous brick fireplace, plus grey carpeting and whitewashed walls that continue throughout the residence.
The humble pie-sized house spans barely 1,700 square feet and includes two bedrooms, the master equipped with a fireplace and a big-picture window for clear ocean views, plus an additional bonus room that could function as a wee gym, an office or storage space for a bevy of prepackaged meal ingredients.
Despite being located on a very busy highway, the house still manages to stay commendably private — there’s a big wall around the lot, and the entire front of the property is covered by tall trees and hedges, imbuing the place with a sense of serenity. As much serenity as can be expected from a property directly above the roaring Pacific Ocean, of course.
The brick courtyard offers some nice landscaping and plenty of space for alfresco dining or entertaining, and there’s also a two-car garage lying immediately adjacent. The main selling point of the property, however, are the stunning whitewater views — out back, an exceptionally large wooden deck spans the home’s entire width and is cantilevered directly over a nearly sheer rock promontory that just out into the sea.
Lee, who was born and raised on L.A.’s Westside, also owns a modest house in the San Fernando Valley community of Van Nuys, which she quietly acquired from her aunt and uncle — Bill and Peggy Sue Singlehurst — last year. And she continues to maintain a stately white residence in New York’s Westchester County that was purchased way back in 2005, for $1.22 million, and formerly shared with ex-flame Cuomo. That property was recently available with a reduced $1.7 million pricetag, but was taken off the market earlier this month after failing to snag a buyer.
Lisa-Maree Carter of Pinnacle Estate Properties held the listing; Julian Alexander of Compass repped Lee.
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