Though he’s well into his 70s, bestselling singer/songwriter Neil Diamond is still a spry guy. 120 million records sold later, he still bounces around LA and is now prepping for his 2017 50th anniversary tour.
So it’s really not such a surprise that he is also still on the real estate prowl, paying $7.3 million for a house in Malibu, the beachside community that he previously called home for many years. More on his former residence inside the illustrious Malibu Colony in a moment.
smallThe new house in question is located just off PCH in a small oceanfront gated community called Blue Whale Estates in the remote northwest reaches of Malibu. There are just five homes within the gates, and Diamond’s house of choice happens to be the largest of the five.
Built in 1985, the Mediterranean villa-style home has some unusual prairie-style window treatments. The lot offers stupendous ocean views and a privately-situated infinity pool.
A flagstone pathway leads to the glass front doors, which open to an enormous great room with a vaulted ceiling and walls of glass. Sliding doors lead out to the terrace and pool areas.
Elsewhere there’s a formal dining and a breakfast nook with garden views.
The spacious master suite comes with a balcony that towers over the other homes and the private cove below. A built-in soaking tub occupies a lovely windowed nook that’s guaranteed to make Diamond believe he’s taking a scrub in his own private ocean.
Counting the master suite, the house has a total of 5 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms.
Outdoors, there’s a covered outdoor dining set, a full BBQ/outdoor kitchen, plus private beach access directly below the property.
The Encinal Bluffs area of Malibu is one of the most sensationally scenic beaches in the area. It’s also –one of the least crowded, due to its somewhat remote location and relative difficulty of beach access.
Diamond’s current main residence is a multi-acre compound that is located directly behind the perennially fashionable Beverly Hills Hotel. Records show that he paid about $4,700,000 for the property way back in 1997. In addition to a tennis court, swimming pool and sizable lawn, the walled-and-gated structure encompasses more than 10,000-square-feet spread throughout a main house and guest house. Some of Diamond’s nearest neighbors include fashion mogul Paul Marciano and hedge fund manager Steven Cohen.
In 1996, just before he bought his big new Beverly Hills house, Mr. Diamond sold a Spanish-style estate located on what is arguably the best residential street in all of Los Angeles — South Mapleton Drive — for $5,300,000 to producer/director extraordinaire Sir Ridley Scott. Sir Scott continues to own the Holmby Hills property as of January 2017.
As we mentioned earlier, MDiamond is certainly no stranger to the Malibu area. For many years he owned a property in the legendarily star-studded Malibu Colony guard-gated community. The double-lot house — which Mr. Diamond sold in 1989 for about $5,000,000 — is one of the largest in the enclave and sits right close up and personal on the sand.
For what it’s worth, the property happens to be owned currently by Canadian billionaire heiress Taylor Thomson, who paid $21.5 million for the residence back in 2010.
