When it comes to fixing up and selling on properties for a profit, Diane Keaton can't seem to go wrong. The Oscar-winning actress specialises in revitalising old Californian homes, renovating them sympathetically and offloading the dwellings for colossal sums of money. In 2010 alone Keaton flipped two houses, including a Spanish Colonial Revival villa in Beverly Hills.
Diane Keaton bought this Ralph Carlin Flewelling-designed house for $8.1 million (£6.1m) in 2007 and didn't waste any time renovating the seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom property, which also features a comfy living room, dining room, office, open kitchen and tranquil inner courtyard.
The Hollywood veteran plumped for austere Spanish Colonial-style furnishings with a modern twist that work exceedingly well with the property's Mediterranean-inspired architecture. Think lots of dark wood, plain leather and grey accents.
The buyer was Glee and American Horror Story showrunner Ryan Murphy, who coughed up $10 million (£7.6m) to get his hands on the house, $1.9 million (£1.4m) more than Keaton paid for it in 2007. Murphy stands to make an even bigger profit. The screenwriter and producer then went on to list the property for just under $18 million (£13.6m).
Tobey Maguire has become a dab hand at flipping houses for a profit. The Spider-Man star's latest success was his post-divorce bachelor pad in Santa Monica. Maguire bought the three-bedroom, three-bathroom home for $2.7 million (£2m) in 2015 and sold it on the following year for just over $3.3 million (£2.5m).
The marital home in Brentwood that Maguire shared with ex-wife Jennifer Meyer netted an even bigger profit. The actor and producer purchased the property from television host and actress Ricki Lake in 2014, paying $8.5 million (£6.4m) for the privilege. Lake bought the house from Friends actress Courteney Cox back in 2002 for $5.6 million (£4.2m).
The six-bedroom, five-and-half-bathroom plantation-style home was constructed in 1949 by architect John Byers. Maguire and his wife gave the house a tasteful makeover, eschewing Lake's colourful décor for fashionable mid-century modern furniture in neutral hues.
The understated revamp extends from the living room with its imposing beamed ceiling right through to the bedrooms, which feature stone fireplaces and high ceilings. The refurb clearly appealed to buyers as Maguire swiftly sold the property after it went on the market in 2015 for $10.5 million (£7.9m), making a $2 million (£1.5m) profit from the sale.
Fans of pop star Miley Cyrus will already know that the musician is no stranger to amazing homes. Over the years her property portfolio has included everything from a Tuscan-style mansion in Toluca Lake, California, to a luxurious modern farmhouse in Franklin, Tennessee. As well as snapping up pads for her own pleasure, the 'Midnight Sky' singer has also started flipping properties across California.
In July 2020, Miley Cyrus put down just less than $5 million (£3.8m) for this stunning mansion in the city of Hidden Hills, California. Built in the mid-1950s, the classic clapboard home had already been redesigned for modern living but Miley decided to take it one step further and transform it into a truly unique hideaway fit for a VIP. The singer teamed up with her interior designer mum, Tish, and her business partner, Mat Sanders, to transform the once all-white spread into a colourful sanctuary bursting with personality.
This shows the space before Miley, her mum Tish Cyrus and designer Mat Sanders gave the space a complete overhaul. Thanks to the Cyrus makeover, the home now boasts Gucci wallpaper, a psychedelic music studio, and a 'glam room' with leopard print walls. The rock star-worthy crib spans 6,394 square feet and offers six bedrooms, six bathrooms, huge living areas and a gorgeous kitchen.
Throughout there are plenty of historic architectural elements that the Cyrus clan retained, including steel-framed windows, vaulted ceilings and brick fireplaces. Many of the rooms on the ground floor also come with French doors that lead outside to a gorgeous one-acre garden. After less than a year, Miley sold off the property for $7.2 million (£5.4m), making a cool $2.2 million (£1.7m) profit.
As well as making her fortune on the silver screen, Michelle Pfeiffer has pocketed plenty of cash by buying and flipping homes across the United States. In 2019, the Scarface star sold her San Francisco Bay Area home for $22 million (£16.6m), after buying it in 2004 for $12 million (£9m). Then in 2020, she offloaded a house in Pacific Palisades, fetching $9.1 million (£6.8m) – a jump up from the $8.2 million (£6.2m) Pfeiffer paid just three years before. Now, she's has sold another property gem...
Pfeiffer and her husband, Big Little Lies creator David E. Kelley, bought this second dreamy Pacific Palisades mansion in January 2020, a year after it was built, spending just under $22.3 million (£16.8m). Just 19 months later, the Hollywood power couple placed the pad on the market with a $25 million (£19m) price tag. After less than a month, the stunning spread sold for the asking price, giving Pfeiffer and Kelley a tasty $2.7 million (£2m) profit.
The custom-built mansion spans an impressive 10,329 square feet and despite its age, boasts plenty of characterful features. Traditional elements blend effortlessly with modern design, resulting in eclectic, wow-factor living spaces. Think rustic beams, vaulted ceilings and antique carved stone fireplaces, sitting alongside sleek lighting and contemporary fixtures. Designed by architect Steve Giannetti, the house offers a huge open-plan lounge, as well as seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.
Known as the Napoli House, the property comes equipped with a breathtaking kitchen, a library, a formal dining room and a spectacular master suite that spills out onto a patio enclosed by glass. There's even a luxurious basement with a climate-controlled wine cellar, a tasting room and a state-of-the-art movie theatre. Many of the rooms flow out into the garden, where terraces, sunbathing patios and a swimming pool can be found.
Former Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston has shown off his savvy property flipping skills recently after selling his beach house in Ventura, California for what looks to be a sizeable profit. With Cranston and his wife spending more time at their other Californian home, they decided to list the property – and it's unrecognisable from when he first snapped it up.
The overhaul of the waterfront home was completed in 2013 with the award-winning actor working alongside architect friend John Turturro to turn the home into what it is today. The eco-friendly property was a substantial rebuild of the site's original 1940s bungalow, which was deconstructed and recycled into the new design after the couple bought it for $2.5 million (£1.8m) in 2007.
Spanning 2,450 square feet, the actor created a wow-factor home that's jam-packed with environmentally friendly features. Featuring a strong titanium exterior that's made to withstand strong winds and sand storms, the weather-proof home also has a near-zero carbon footprint. It boasts solar panels on the roof and on sunnier days, produces more energy than it uses.
As well as having top eco-credentials, the three-bedroom home has impeccable interior style with a whole host of amazing spaces with breathtaking sea views. It's no wonder that the newly flipped home was snapped up for $5.5 million (£4.2m), $3 million (£2.3m) more than what he originally paid for the property – even with the construction costs of the redevelopment, he's likely to have netted himself a sizeable profit.
Adam Levine has made mega-bucks over the past decade flipping properties. In 2012, the Maroon 5 frontman purchased a one-storey ranch in LA's Beverly Crest for $4.8 million (£3.6m) and went on to sell it four years later to fellow musician John Mayer for $13.4 million (£10m). Levine and his supermodel wife Behati Prinsloo also made a million-dollar profit on their New York loft.
Putting the other flipping triumphs in the shade, the former mentor on the NBC hit show The Voice struck real estate gold. Together with Prinsloo, Levine acquired a sumptuous seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion in Beverly Hills for the princely sum of $34 million (£25.7m) in 2018.
Sprawling over 10,000 square feet, the lavish property, which was built in 1933, has a multitude of reception rooms, including a home cinema, media room and gym – Levine is heavily into working out, of course – as well as a guesthouse. Just over a year after the couple bought the mansion, they sold it for a bumper $45 million (£34m) to fellow house-flipper, Ellen DeGeneres.
At the time, the property was one of the most expensive celebrity homes ever, and Levine and Prinsloo reportedly splurged $7 million (£5.3m) on comprehensive renovation works. Nevertheless, the duo walked away with a profit of $4 million (£3m). Yet this isn't the only house that the celebrity couple has flipped for a tidy sum...
In March 2021 the duo shelled out $22.7 million (£17m) for this century-old estate in the Californian celebrity hot spot of Montecito. The sprawling mansion can be found down the road from the homes of Oprah Winfrey and Meghan Markle, to name but a few, and was designed in 1923 by renowned architect George Washington Smith.
The historic Spanish Revival-style property boasts a total of nine bedrooms and 11 bathrooms across its 12,653 square feet of living space. The estate even comes with a detached five-car garage topped with a three-room apartment, a separate two-bedroom guesthouse and a one-bedroom cottage. The main residence is stunning and spacious in equal measure, offering soaring ceilings decorated with rustic beams, terracotta floor tiles and elegant arched windows.
Highlights include the home's formal lounge, gourmet kitchen, movie theatre, wine cellar and showstopping master suite, which features a private terrace with jaw-dropping views. Outside, the five-acre estate comes equipped with a tennis court, putting green and swimming pool, as well as endless spots for sunbathing, dining and entertaining. Three months after buying the pad, Levine and Prinsloo sold it for $28.5 million (£21m), making a cool $5.8 million (£4.3m) profit.
Renner and Winters scored one of their biggest flips in 2013 when they sold a trophy home in LA's Holmby Hills for $24 million (£18m) to British real estate mogul, Christian Candy. The pair acquired the property in 2010 for a mere $7 million (£5.3m).
Rocking six bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, the 10,000-square-foot mansion was given a stunning makeover by the actors who went all out hiring architect Philip Vertoch to remodel it. Winters took care of the interior design, opting for an Art Deco feel in keeping with the property's architecture.
The business partners reportedly poured $10 million (£7.5m) into the celebrity-worthy transformation, the highlights of which include a sensational kitchen with a dazzling tin ceiling, a louche speakeasy-style bar and a glam living room that features a fireplace and fountain. That means they made a profit of some $7 million (£5.3m) on the deal.
Actress and producer Meg Ryan is known for her roles in enduring romantic comedies including You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally. But away from the camera, the star is a prolific property flipper with more than nine residential revamps under her belt. Her latest success story, a sprawling estate in Santa Barbara County, has just sold up for a pretty profit...
Originally constructed back in 1995, Ryan snapped up this impressive mansion in the star-studded enclave of Montecito back in February 2020 for $5 million (£3.7m). Fast-forward a mere 18 months, and she's quietly offloaded it in a secretive off-market deal for a staggering $13.3 million (£10m). That's a sweet profit of $8.3 million (£6.3m), excluding renovation costs and other fees.
Working alongside design and building firm Becker Studios, she transformed the farmhouse into a contemporary oasis. In this tranquil living room, banks of windows were installed to frame those breathtaking mountain vistas, while whitewashed beams and state-of-the-art fixtures bring the property bang up to date.
Offering three bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms, it's now the perfect family home for modern living. Ryan gave the kitchen an impressive facelift, installing an architectural marble island, an illuminated built-in storage unit and a dazzling range. Elsewhere, there's a swimming pool and terrace outside, alongside an organic vegetable garden and orchards of fruit and avocado trees. That's what we call California dreaming!
A-Rod has mirrored his victories on the baseball diamond with a stellar side-line in flipping properties. The sports legend, who was famously engaged to A-list actress and singer, Jennifer Lopez, sold on a Manhattan condo he'd bought in 2018 with his ex-fiancé for $15.8 million (£12m), amassing a profit of $500,000 (£377k). However, that's small fry compared to the profit he raked in from the sale of this ultra-contemporary residence in Miami Beach...
The baseball star acquired the oceanfront property, which has nine bedrooms and 11 full bathrooms, in 2010. He put down $7.4 million (£5.6m) and embarked on an in-depth interior revamp, one that paid dividends!
The former New York Yankees third baseman invested around $7.6 million (£5.7m) in the refurb, splurging on everything from an infinity-edge pool and chef's kitchen to a zen garden and cutting-edge security system.
As might be expected, A-Rod also installed a gym, colossal sports room, sauna and steam room in the 19,861-square-foot beach house. Just three years after buying the property, the baseball star sold it to a 'Palm Beach celebrity' for $30 million (£22.6m), making a profit of $15 million (£11.3m) when you factor in the renovations.
House-flipper extraordinaire Ellen DeGeneres has lost track of the residences she's turned over in the last 30 years, but estimates are upwards of 15. The star has a real eye for transforming lacklustre properties into luxury homes and quickly selling them on, roping in her wife Portia de Rossi along the way. All in all, DeGeneres and de Rossi have made millions of dollars flipping properties.
The couple's crowning flipping achievement is this modernist estate in LA's Holmby Hills. Considered one of the city's most impressive trophy homes, the Brody House was built in 1949 for art philanthropists Sidney and Frances Lasker Brody. DeGeneres and de Rossi snagged the property in January 2014 for $39.9 million (£30m).
Lucking out in a major way, DeGeneres and de Rossi sold the property in July 2014, just six months after they bought it, to Napster founder and former Facebook president, Sean Parker, for $55 million (£41.5m), netting a jaw-dropping profit of $15.1 million (£11.4m). Not bad for half a year's work...
Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone has acquired a formidable real estate portfolio over the years, which includes a huge mansion in Chelsea, London, that was purchased for an eye-watering $90 million (£68m) in 2010 and is now worth upwards of $125 million (£94.4m).
However, Ecclestone hit the headlines after selling her LA mega-mansion for $119.8 million (£90.5m). The motor racing heir paid $85 million (£64.2m) in 2011 for the 14-bedroom, 27-bathroom Holmby Hills property that was built for Dynasty and 90210 producer, Aaron Spelling. Known as The Manor, the 123-room residence spans a staggering 56,500 square feet.
The sale broke the record for the most expensive home ever sold in LA as well as the most costly all-cash deal. The buyer is rumoured to be Canadian billionaire Daryl Katz. Ecclestone splashed $20 million (£15.1m) updating the mega-mansion, reportedly hiring an army of 500 workers to do the job. The home's contemporary interior boasts a huge entrance foyer lined with black and white marble, as well as exquisite living rooms finished to the highest imaginable standards.
The ultimate party pad, the renovations saw some jaw-dropping home features, including a room dedicated to cutting flowers, a humidity-controlled room for storing silver and multiple gift-wrapping rooms, according to Architectural Digest. There's even a beauty salon, cheese room and two-lane bowling alley. The makeover was clearly money very well spent, as Ecclestone ended up making a $15.8 million (£11.9m) profit and has since downsized to a $22.7 million (£17.1m) home in LA.
A seasoned real estate flipper, Friends star Jennifer Aniston has more than one successful deal under her belt, having made a handsome profit on the LA mansion she bought with ex-husband Brad Pitt back in 2001. The Morning Show lead currently resides in the stunning Bel Air mid-century modern home that she bought with former partner Justin Theroux in 2012 for $21 million (£15.8m).
Going it alone following her divorce from Brad Pitt in 2006, Aniston snapped up a super-stylish 1970 Hal Levitt masterpiece for $13.5 million (£10.2m). She teamed up with designer Stephen Shadley to completely remodel the property. “We essentially tore the house apart and rebuilt it,” the actress told Architectural Digest in 2010.
Aniston installed blissful water features in the home and added a fabulous outdoor living room as well as state-of-the-art smart technology and this professional-level kitchen. The Hollywood A-lister's hard work revamping the house most definitely paid off: Aniston offloaded the property in 2011 for a cool $35 million (£26.4m) to fund manager Bill Gross.
In 2008, Donald Trump flipped a property, making a fortune on the sale. However, it soon came back to haunt him when the real estate deal was scrutinised as part of a Special Council Investigation that was conducted from May 2017 to March 2019.
Trump bought the grand Palm Beach retreat, named La Maison de l'Amitié ('The House of Friendship'), for the knockdown price of around $41 million (£31m) at a bankruptcy auction in 2005, outbidding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to close the deal.
A representative of the real estate billionaire claimed $25 million (£18.8m) was spent on renovations. Incredibly, the mansion was purchased in 2008 by Russian billionaire, Dmitry Rybolovlev, for $95 million (£72m), netting Trump a profit of around $54 million (£41m).
The sale raised eyebrows and attracted accusations of money laundering and more, but Trump has been cleared of any wrongdoing. Rybolovlev went on the demolish the extravagant mansion and has sold off the land for a total of $108.6 million (£82m), which has enabled him to recoup the price he paid for the property, and then some.
British property developing siblings Christian and Nick Candy have garnered millions buying and selling real estate over the years. The brothers' sweetest deal though has got to be the Monaco penthouse they purchased in 2006 for between $16 million (£12.1m) and $20 million (£15.1m), from billionaire heiress Lily Safra.
Via their company Candy & Candy, the property tycoons forked out up to $50 million (£37.7m) on a spectacular renovation of the three-bedroom, six-bathroom 17,500-square-foot lavish penthouse, which is romantically named La Belle Epoque. The revamp took a total of 18 months to complete.
Only the finest fixtures, fittings and furnishings were used to refresh the rooms, which range from a magnificent double-height library to an entertainment room. The deluxe décor includes copious rare Italian marble, hand-painted silk curtains, platinum-leafed ceilings and suede skirting boards.
According to The Pinnacle List, the breathtaking penthouse was sold to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum of the Dubai Royal Family in 2010 for a record-breaking $323 million (£244m), meaning the Candys made a profit of up to $257 million (£194m) on the sale. We'll leave that figure to sink in...
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