James McClain
When Kanye West is struck by inspiration, he tends to quickly follow through with action. Last month, while donating Thanksgiving meals to the L.A. Mission, West got on the horn for a surprise announcement to the local crowd — saying he planned to “get his family back together” and rekindle a relationship with estranged wife Kim Kardashian. The fashion mogul added that if he couldn’t live “in the house” with his family, he would buy “the home right next door” to Kardashian.
Turns out West wasn’t just whistling Dixie. Though he’s already got a new $57.3 million Malibu mansion about 30 minutes (by car) from Kardashian’s vast Hidden Hills estate — and though she apparently has not wavered from wanting a divorce — West wishes to remain closer at hand. And so he’s dropped another $4.5 million on a relatively modest Hidden Hills estate, one that happens to lie directly across the street from the ex-Kimye compound. From here, the 44-year-old will presumably be able to keep a watchful eye on Kardashian’s doings.
Astute real estate followers will know that the erstwhile pair spent years and untold millions building their massive Hidden Hills estate, which was featured in Architectural Digest last year. Back in October, Kardashian paid West $23 million to buy out his 50% stake in the multi-acre property.
By comparison to that enormous spread, West’s new bachelor crash pad is a bonafide hovel. Built in 1955 and owned by the same non-famous family ever since, the single-story rancher is spacious but architecturally unremarkable, with four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms in about 3,600 square feet. (There’s also a wee guest studio with another bedroom and full bathroom, best-suited for staff, attached to the garage.) The equestrian ranch spans just over a flat acre of land, and also includes horse stables and some very dated interiors with wall-to-wall carpeting and a distinctly ’80s bathroom or two.
Given West’s status as an architectural tastemaker — his Malibu home was curated by legendary Japanese designer Tadao Ando and his former Hollywood Hills digs are a study in aggressive minimalism — he’ll almost certainly give the place a gut rehab before a move-in date can be set.
But none of that seemed to matter much. West really, really wanted the place — and he paid a whopping $421,000 over the sellers’ asking price to secure the deed.
Still, given its age, the property appears well-maintained. The big front lawn was recently replaced with drought-resistant AstroTurf — a good thing for the water bill, given that the San Fernando Valley’s scorching summer temperatures can top 110 degrees. The existing kitchen was remodeled in 2005 and includes a spacious island, granite countertops and some generic-looking white ovens and a white dishwasher. (Blessedly, there are no dreaded white refrigerators on the premises.)
Melissa and Jason Improta of Compass held the listing; Tomer Fridman of Compass repped the buyer.
Dirt
