Although it’s been mired in a widely-reported sales slump for years now, perhaps the Hollywood Hills neighborhood is finally coming back en vogue. Last week, a brand-new home perched high above the legendary Sunset Strip sold for $35.5 million — the biggest area deal since 2012 — and it is rumored there’s an even bigger transaction going down in the nearby Bird Streets, where a billionaire buyer is currently in escrow on two side-by-side mansions.
The $35.5 million mansion buyers, who took title via an LLC, are Tom and Lisa Bilyeu, the married co-founders of City of Industry, Calif.-based Quest Nutrition. Though it’s a full-service food company — selling protein powder, pasta, cookies, chips and more — Quest is best-known for its trademark protein bars, which are staples in a myriad of supermarkets, gas stations and convenience stores.
Four months ago, Quest Nutrition was sold in a $1 billion deal to the maker of Atkins bars, one of their leading competitors. While the Bilyeus actually departed Quest in 2016, they reportedly retained a substantial chunk of Quest’s equity until its recent acquisition.
For the last three years, the Bilyeus have invested their time into Impact Theory, their podcast and interview show that’s part motivational, part entertainment. They’ve done hundreds of episodes and built a brand with substantial name recognition — Tom Bilyeu himself now sports more than 1.2 million Instagram followers.
As for the Hollywood Hills manor, it’s one of the largest structures in the area, utterly dwarfing most of its neighbors and clinging to a treacherously steep hillside. The 20,000+ sq. ft. mega-mansion was designed by acclaimed South Africa-based architecture firm Saota for property developer Jeff Thomas, who subsequently threw every residential bell and whistle known to mankind into the house.
The fortified estate looms high above the street, and the steep driveway ascends past massive gates before summiting at a spacious motorcourt. From there, an almost otherworldly huge front door swings into a foyer that’s reminiscent of a boutique resort hotel lobby, with water features and an indoor courtyard filled with tropical plantings.
Custom bespoke finishes and amenities include — but are hardly limited to — a 12-foot indoor waterfall, all-glass elevator, an auto gallery with space for 10+ exotic vehicles, and a wellness center with hot and cold plunge spas, plus a massage room, an indoor/outdoor gym, sauna and steam shower.
There’s also a curated walk-in wine closet, a movie theater, a rooftop deck with firepit and a 163-foot wraparound swimming pool. From the master suite, which includes its own private terrace, the rockstar-worthy, 270-degree view sweep from the San Gabriel mountains, to the Downtown L.A. skyline, to the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island.
Before moving to the Hollywood Hills, the Bilyeus bunked up in the mountains high above Beverly Hills, in a large mansion set on an iconic, world-famous street. That Tuscan villa-style structure, while stylistically the polar opposite of their new house, is also huge — it spans nearly 11,000 square feet of living space and has a motorcourt for 25 cars, a sports court, pool with cabana, and extensive hillside gardens. The couple acquired the property for $8.25 million in 2015.
Jason Oppenheim of The Oppenheim Group together with James Harris and David Parnes of The Agency jointly held the Hollywood Hills listing; Sandra Miller of Engel & Völkers repped the Bilyeus.