It’s an expensive addiction! Even though she already owns at least four other Montecito homes, including the $21 million Villa Tragara and a $14.3 million ranch that dates to the 1800s, Ellen DeGeneres has done it once again, snapping up two more lavish properties in the same manner that a mere financial mortal might buy two t-shirts from a local mall.
The two purchases immediately follow the sale of DeGeneres’ spectacular midcentury modern home in Beverly Hills, which went for about $8.8 million a few weeks back.
And the latest acquisitions were consummated via two separate transactions from two different (non-famous) sellers, though both deals closed within days of each other. Both houses are also located in the same tiny neighborhood pocket of Montecito, with one home sitting directly around the corner from the other, though they do not share a property line.
Photos and details of both homes are relatively scant, as neither was officially listed on the market; records reveal DeGeneres forked out a total of $13.5 million to add both to her collection, which now includes a half-dozen properties in Montecito alone. In addition to Villa Tragara and that ranch, there’s also a charming midcentury bungalow near Montecito’s Butterfly Beach, and another historic cottage tucked behind giant hedges.
No word yet on what DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi plan to do with their two latest Montecito purchases, but an educated guess would say that their design team will quickly gussy up both homes in their signature minimalist, casually luxe decor style before flipping them back up for sale at premium prices.
Built in 1915, the older house was described in the listing as a “classic cottage” that last sold in 2020 for just $2.2 million. The U-shaped, single-story residence has two bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in 1,910 square feet, all of it ensconced within dark gray walls neatly contrasted with white trim and a bright red front door. DeGeneres paid $5.4 million for this place, per records.
